Lots of Goodbyes

Hey all,

This will probably be my last post from Norwegian soil. Tonight is my last night in my bed here before I hit the road to head south towards Germany. I'll be traveling with 5 other people all heading for Germany or Austria. We'll make our way south to Kristiansand taking time to hike and sightsee along the way. The weather's wonderful, so we're all looking forward to pulling out tents out after a long winter.

The last week or so has been packed. I spent most days taking care of final tasks before traveling home. This included buying things to bring back to my family, meeting friends for one final cup of coffee again, going to Hell, and meeting new people as well.

Yes, I did go to Hell and back. It's about a 20 minute drive each way and it wasn't so hot. In fact, it rained. I've driven by this town many times, but a friend and I decided to go there just to take some funny pictures. A once in a lifetime opportunity.

Many of my regular friends traveled north for a week while I stayed in Trondheim to take my last exam. Oliver and I both had exams on the last day possible, so we had to celebrate summer with a big BBQ! I met a group of interns that had just arrived and ended up hanging out with them a lot during the following week. It's a shame that our stays didn't end up overlapping more. I learned how to play Truco, a Brazilian card game that is very addictive. We went out for a night on the town one more time and took a trip to the Dragvoll lakes.

My plans for leaving Trondheim have changed several times. I'm traveling with Anne down to Berlin. She dislocated her patella, so our plans to do some climbing were canceled because neither of us can climb. This gave us a few more days in Trondheim. Then the Bavarian boys had car trouble, and now we will not attempt to make it up to a cabin tomorrow night. Instead we'll meet up and camp by a lake together before heading south.

I'd have to admit the whole thing feels really surreal. I'm looking forward to going home, but it doesn't feel like being home is only 14 days away. I don't think this will be my last trip to Norway. At least I hope not.

Ha det bra alle!
Julie

Exams vs. Summer

Point Taken. An update is more than overdue. Since my trip to Sweden and Finland, a lot has been happening.

After getting back from 9 days of traveling, I had 4 days in town before heading off to Bergen for the weekend. The NTNUI Rowing club competed in the 2nd Annual Student Regatta against 3 other schools from Bergen. College Rowing is just getting started here in Norway. Private club rowing is quite strong here along the coast, but the universities are just starting to build up their teams. We took a girls boat and a guys boat. In the girls boat, only 4 of us had competitive rowing experience. The law school entered 2 women's boat, but only 2 of them (total) had rowed before. Despite the lack of experience, the boats were still rather competitive. The caliber can't compare to the what I was used to in the rowing for New Trier or Colorado, but we pulled things together rather well for only practicing once together before racing. Although this was NTNUI's first time competing in this competition, we won both races!! The weekend was mostly social with BBQs and going out at night. I made it almost the weekend only using Norwegian, which was quite difficult. There's a big difference between academic language and a bunch of girls doing what girls do best: talk really really fast using all sorts of slang and dialects. Below is a link of publicity that the race got: a video... fast forward to about 3 minutes into it. It's in Norwegian but the footage and pictures are still nice.

Video: http://bstv.no/streaming2/uke18/bstv-01_nyheter&sport.wmv (starts 3:10 into it)


After I got back it was time to hit the books. Exams are over the course of 4 weeks, but I was unlucky and got 3 tests in 3 days. For almost 3 weeks straight, I did nothing but study... and hurt my shoulder. I pushed myself a little too hard that left me in constant pain for about 1.5 weeks. I could barely lift my shoulder past parallel to the ground and it hurt to sit up. This made sitting at a desk studying all day rather unpleasant. Let's just say I wasn't in the best mood... This made me determine when I'm coming home: July 2nd. I'll be in Wilmette most of the summer to take care of this ongoing injury and get back to my old self again.

Well the 3 exams in 3 days were exhausting and stressful but went well. I had a 2 week break before my last exam, so I had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the long summer days. I went on a short 2 day cabin trip with 5 other people. 2 friends from Germany that were here last semester came back to visit, so it was like a little reunion. It was actually the 2nd time I've visited that cabin (Iglbu), but the first time was in the winter. This time we had to navigate through streams that were running fast. We sat outside almost the entire night around the fire and it never got dark enough to need a headlamp. The rest of the week included BBQs down by the fjord and hanging out with people before they left. There was also a big end of the year international student BBQ here in Moholt.

Now it's back to the books for my final exam coming up. I went up to Studenterhytta with a friend to study for a day. The big cabin is reserved for people studying during the exam period, so it's a really nice distraction-free environment to study. Instead of listening to cars and being distracted by the internet, I listened to sheep grazing. That night we went trail running to get the blood moving.

Well, that's all she wrote.

Sunrise: 3:16 AM
Sunset: 11:19PM

Playing Hookie

Rule #1: ALWAYS BRING YOUR PASSPORT

Ooppps.... that's one mistake I'll never make again.

After an extremely stressful week of trying to catch up, get ahead, and apply for jobs, I left on a 9 day trip to Stockholm and Helsinki. I was also supposed to go to Tallinn, Estonia as well, but that's impossible without a passport. My travel companion was Sören, a German exchange student studying in Trondheim as well.

After a day traveling by train to Stockholm, we arrived at Sebastian's, Sören's friend from Germany, room in time to attend a regular student party at the student village. The next morning we wandered the streets of Stockholm with all our stuff on our backs. We caught a ferry that evening to Helsinki. These are no ordinary ferries, in fact they're too good to be true. An overnight trip including a cabin can be arranged for $0-20. These boats make all their money selling alcohol and other products tax free and through gambling, but for a traveler on a budget they're perfect. Many people take these trips just to stock up and have an enjoyable evening at on board restaurants and clubs. By the way, the average age is about 55. The weather was perfect and we spent most of the evening out on the deck watching the islands float by.

We spent 4 days in Helsinki visiting a mutual friend, Meesi, who was an exchange student in Trondheim during the fall. As a group we took a little ferry out to an old fortress/current park and spent the afternoon outside hanging out and exploring the island. On Monday Sören went to Estonia since we already had tickets and I spent the day in Helsinki.



Aside from strolling through the different district, I went to a truly minimalist church that was dug out of the rock. It was the complete opposite from everything I've seen up to now, and I'm sure you could convince an unsuspecting person that this was a place of alien worship. It had no religious symbols. I also checked out the outside of an orthodox church, but unfortunately Monday is the day when most tourist attractions and museums close. I browsed a market housed in an old industrial building that sold everything from raw food to textiles, handmade crafts, soap, tea, and other random items. I was surprised to see Celestial Seasonings tea there, but I had to restrain myself from buying any because it was $4 for 10 bags. There was also plenty of time to hang out and drink some coffee watching everyone else walk in the rain.



On Tuesday we went on a tour of the Helsinki Waste Water Treatment plant, because Meesi was giving her students a tour of the facility since she used to work there. The unique thing about the plant is that it's built in caves. This helps minimize the impact that it has on the surrounding and helps make the whole process more efficient in the long run. Since coming to Europe, I also visited Trondheim's Drinking water treatment plant that's also built in a cave. Am I missing any other part of the process? :)

That night we went to the technical university to see the presentation of the semiannual "Magazine." I use the term magazine lightly because it's not what comes to mind. It changes from year to year and it's just something entirely student created that's creative and usually humorous. Traditionally there's a big event where this item is unveiled, and the whole purpose of the show is to pretty much build the suspense and draw it out. The students then sell these items to classmates and community members and can keep a share of the revenues. This year the item was a cloth case that contained several "tourist information" materials for Helsinki. These guides were comical and the whole thing was to sort of highlight Finnish Design in general. That night there was a student celebration at one of the downtown bars that had a live cover band that reminded me a little of No Doubt.

The next morning was spent strolling Helsinki before catching a bus to Turku, a city in the southwest. Turku is really pretty and has retained more of it's old charm than Helsinki. The river cuts right through town and is lined with old buildings and cafe-boats. Being there in the off season was nice because it was essentially tourist free. We had lunch in the only dry place we could find, which was in an alcove on the outside of the cathedral. Then we walked through a park area, crossed the river on a little ferry, and then got to where another overnight ferry would take us back to Stockholm for the last 4 days....


The weather was beautiful in Stockholm... 60-70 and SUNNY!! On our first day there ,the 3 of us went to the Arme museum and the Skansa open air museum. The Arme museum displayed the chronology of Sweden's military history as well as a temporary spy exhibit. It was really interesting to see the transition that Sweden has gone through from an aggresive to passive nation. The open air museum had old homes and farmsteds that have been relocated from around Sweden to this one park. There were shops open and functioning as they did 100-200 years ago. They also had a mini-zoo with native animals from the area. We ended the day hanging out in a cafe on the roof of the Kulturhuset then seeing the Inner Circle at the movie theater. Movies are much more expensive in Norway, so we had to take advantage of the cheaper prices.

On Friday Sebastian had class, so it was just the 2 of us again. In the morning I went to the Nobel Museum on my own. It's small but that made it all the more managable. It gave a brief description of the history of the prizes, but the museum mainly focused on some of the bigger issues surrounding it. I always thought the prize was always a positive award, but I had no idea of all the contraversies it has sparked over the past century. There were many creative, modern short videos that highlighted some of the bigger issues surrounding past awards. They discussed diverse issues such as: landmines, think tanks, women scientists, and struggling poets. The current temporary exhibition highlighted Winston Churchill's literary and artistic endeavors. We stopped by City Hall, but the interior was closed so we just enjoyed some sum by the water. Sören left that evening for an orienteering race outside of Stockholm, but before he left there was still time to go explore 2 more of the little islands in the city.

After Sebastian was finished with school work, we grabbed some dinner and then headed to the popular but slightly off-beat Södemalm district to hang out at the outdoor bars. Compared to back home, Scandinavia in general has tons of outdoor places that are cafes by day and more like bars at night. Many places don't even have an indoors. But they're such a chill place to hang out and just my style.

Saturday was my last full day in Stockholm but it was busier than all the others. In the morning, Sebastian and I went to the Vasa musem that houses a battle ship from the early 1600s that sunk 20 minutes into it's maiden voyage because it was too top heavy. It was fully retstored after laying under water for 333 years and is a phemonimal sight. Then we checked out the Royal Palace to see the state apartments and the Royal Treasury. The apartments themselves were a little more modest than those in France. I actually liked them better because every sqaure inch of wall space wasn't covered in paintings or busywall coverings. It was definitly elaborate and huge, but I think a little more tastefully decorated. Crown jewels are always fun to look at. I don't anything can compare to the jewels at the Tower of London, but nontheless interesting. The best part was the old-fashioned trunks with old locking mechanisms.

After grabbing a bit to eat (hint: "Kebabs" in scandinavia are really gyros... standard fast food), we decided rather spontaneously to take the train to Sigtuna about 1 hour outside of the city. Before Stockholm was Stockholm, the main viking city used to be located on the opposite side of the big lake that Stockholm is currently on. The land is rising though, and it became too high for them to stay there due to navigation difficulties. Around 1250, Stockholm was founded in its currenty location where this lakes meets the sea. The old Mideveal town of Sigtuna has possibly the oldest road in Sweden, the smallest town hall in Sweden and ruins of old stone churches. There are also many old Viking markers with their old ruinic language set-up around the town. The town is truely picturesque and has an ideal location, despite the fact that the land raised 15ft from its foundation until when they relocated to nowadays Stockholm.

I spent all day Sunday on the train. I had a couple hour break in Østersund where I stocked up on cheap cheese and some other random food products that are really expensive in Norway. My backpack was significantly heavier going home with cheese, wine, chocolate, cornmeal, and nuts. But, I wouldn't be a typical Norwegian if I didn't take advantage of it.

Well I've got 4 days in Trondheim to get caught up, then I'm off to Bergen for 3 days. I'm rowing in a regatta against some of the universities in Bergen. Time to practice my Norwegian since I'm the other exchange student.

Til neste gang,
Julie

Spring Break in Lofoten

Spring break has come and gone, and now it's back to the books.... well for a week that is. I went on a "Girls Road Trip" with 3 other girls to an island chain called Lofoten in Northern Norway. We had big plans, but unfortunately Mother Earth wasn't going to be so nice. We took camping gear, snow shoes, and all of our warm gear to spend some time up in the mountains. We had beautiful weather for most of the 14 hour trip north. We stopped off at the Arctic Circle for awhile to take some goofy pictures and to enjoy what was going to be our last glimpse of the sun for awhile. We first heard about "the storm" that was on it's way while waiting for a ferry. The winds picked up. The rain came. And the ferry started rockin'.

Although we brought camping stuff with us, we opted for a cabin for the week. Otherwise, we would have had a wet, cold and miserable week. The first night we slept at a random campground along the way and then continued making our way south. We ended up setting up a little 'base camp' at a camp ground just outside the quaint town of Kabelvåg. We had originally planned to stay in the simplest of cabins that Norway has to offer: one room, a pair of bunk beds, and a hot plate. All of these were closed though because the common bath facilities had been shut down for the winter. So we scored a wonderful deal and got a cabin that slept 8, had a kitchen and bath, and a TV with German MTV. We couldn't beat that deal or location so we stayed for 3 nights. We toured the islands by car and unfortunately couldn't do much more. It rained/snowed sideways for 4 days. It was way too dangerous to venture above sea level because the avalanche risk was high and the weather was trecherous. I have never ever seen such a persistent storm that was totally unwilling to give up.

Since it was Easter week, everything was closed. We couldn't even find an open place to get some coffee. We stopped at many of the small towns to have a look around, but there wasn't too much else to do. Every time we got a break from the wind and rain (usually only about 10-15 minutes) we would pull over and take in what we could. One day we made it south to the town of Reine, which is one of the most famous towns. Visibility was limited to about 200 ft, so we couldn't see the magnificent mountains that were rising around us.

There were some crazy surfers, though, enjoying the waves that came with the storm. Norwegians are hardcore. That fact was confirmed many times that week. Although this probably sounds like a rather depressing week, it really wasn't. It was so nice to get out of Trondheim and spend some quality time with wonderful people. We had tons of time to just sit around, talk, read and play cards. We also had fun watching all the stupid shows on MTV like Next, True Life, Sweet Sixteen, and Flava. Talk about mindless entertainment.

The drive back was long. We left a day early because some other friends took 2 days to get back with the bad roads. This storm hit the entire west coast of Norway. Traditionally Norwegians spend Easter in the mountains on ski tours because the weather is usually wonderful. Hundreds of people got trapped in the mountains and had to hang out in cabins waiting for the storm to pass. The Norwegian Highway system is non-existent by American standards. A highway or 'interstate' just means that it's a continuously paved road. These roads are just barely wide enough for two cars to pass, and passing semis leads to white knuckles. The roads are windy and aren't normally stripped. When these roads get covered in snow and ice, it's slow going. It took about 20 hours to complete the 500 mile journey home, averaging about 40mph the entire way. The snow returned about 10pm and led to some more white-knuckle driving for a couple hours. Icy roads with 30ft of visibility is not fun. But Norwegians are hardcore and we were still being passed. Sometimes they're a little too intense though, and this leads to flipped campers and double trailer milk trucks.

Easter Sunday was spend mostly sleeping since we didn't get home until after 4am. Then we met with some friends to share some dinner and wine on the roof and then completed our girls week with a classic "chick flick."

Of course the weather got better as soon as we got home. About 8 of us went skiing, snowboarding, and paragliding at a nearby ski area. I snowboarded for most of the day, but eventually switched to skiing out of shear frustration. I like boarding and I'm finally getting better, but I hate T-bar lifts. They're hard enough for boarders in general, let alone beginners. At least with chair lifts if you fall getting off you're still at the top. I kept falling off part way up, and then I'd have to hike over to get back on the trail. I found myself in waist-deep snow and logging areas many times. The weather was beautiful though and it was nice to get out an do something.

Well it's back to the books. I've a week to do two weeks of homework because I decided to take some 'vacation' time and travel with a friend. Our plan is to link up trains and ferries to hop from Stockholm (Sweden) to Helsinki (Finland) to Tallinn (Estonia) and back again.

Take Care!

Sunrise: 6:05am
Sunset: 8:36pm

Stuck in Trondheim

After nearly a month in Trondheim, I finally got the opportunity to head up to the mountains this weekend. But I'll save the best for last.

I had to turn down way too many trips to the mountains due to prior commitments and academic reasons (yes, I'm actually studying a little bit here). My flat mate Kay celebrated his 30th birthday about a month ago, so we had a big party for him here. He was able to rent out one of the local 'basements' in Moholt, so it was a nice change of scenery for us all. Most of the basements here in the student village are 'owned' by a particular student group. Most academic tracts have an associated student group that organizes social event through out the year. So these basements are open regularly for students to hang out it, or they host events such as movie nights.

I missed out on 2 cabin trips because I had to study for a midterm in my Applied Thermodynamics course, because I had to pass this test in order to be allowed to take the final exam in May. This is by far the hardest course I've taken at NTNU. It's extremely theoretical and disjoint. The course uses 2 textbooks and a compendium written by my professor. I wish this course just used one book where the material builds upon itself over the course of the semester. Anyways, the test was actually 5 days later than I thought. So after giving up a weekend to study, I learned that in actuality I still had another weekend to study. Although this came as a relief at the time, I still wish I hadn't given up a weekend in the mountains. In the end, the test went pretty well. I made some lucky guesses that proved right in the end.

Now for the best part! I went on cabin trip with 5 other people this weekend in the mountains south of Trondheim. Although the snow is almost gone in the city, there is still plenty of it up there. I took about 4 hours to go from the highway to the cabin with about 1000 ft of elevation gain. 4 of us went by snowshoe and the other two had touring skis. We had a nice relaxing evening in the cabin. A 30 minute nap turned into 2.5 hours. Then we woke up to make dinner and were back in bed by midnight.

Bavarian traditional music started playing at 6.30 so that we all got moving before the snow got too soft. We climbed up another 900 feet through the snow fields to the top of Gynndalfjellet. The weather couldn't have been better... Clear blue skies, sun, and ~40 degrees. This was the first time in months many of us have felt the warmth of the sun. The skiers skied back, 2 snowboarded, and 2 of us walked back. I miss my downhill skis. We took a couple hours break at the the cabin and enjoyed some lunch in the sun before heading back to catch the bus. The walk back was significantly faster because we didn't have to consult a map every .5 mile, so we had time to kill back in the main valley. We ended up skiing and boarding down a farmers field because there was a natural kicker (jump) right in the middle. I now know it's possible to snowboard wearing hiking boots. After a long day in the sun, we came back hungry and sunburned. Lucky for me, Kay was hosting a traditional Norwegian dinner night, so I had a wonderful dinner waiting upon my return.

My spring break hasn't officially started, but it sure feels that way. Most of the other 3rd year Chem E's are on a trip to Brazil together, so many of my classes have been cancelled. I'll do some school this week, but not too much... ;)

Back to Business

Hey!

Once again, I have gone far too long without a post. So long that that people (ahem... K... ) have started to bug me. My classes have been under way for a little over a month, and I'm currently in the middle of my midterms. I'm taking 4 engineering courses this spring (Applied Thermodynamics, Water Chemistry, Statics, and Fluids/Heat Transfer). I thought I only had to suffer through fluids once, but unfortunately it's the only way to get credit for heat transfer here. My classes keep me busy, but there is still plenty of time to have fun....

My first weekend back, I went on a cabin trip with the people I usually travel with. While there we got around 1.5 feet of fresh snow. We tried to keep a path from the cabin to the outhouse cleared, but the wind made that effort pointless. That Saturday we spent most of the afternoon hiking up a nearby mountain and playing around in the fresh snow. (Check out the photo site for some funny videos). I finally got a taste of what XC skiing should be like. Unlike the previous time, there was real snow instead of slush, which made a huge difference. Unfortunately we did have an accident on the way back. We were steps from our cars when Meesi fell and tore one of the ligaments in her knee. My WFR skills have once again paid off, because we immobilized her knee with a make-shift splint for the 3 hour drive to the nearest hospital.

The next weekend I went on yet another cabin trip but this time with some of my flatmates. Compared to all of my trips with "the Germans," this one didn't run like a well oiled machine. I felt more like a trip leader rather than just a member, because most of these people had never done anything of the sorts. It was cold. I was dressed in full winter attire and I was still cold. I can't imagine how cold all the people that wore jeans and everything cotton must have felt. One guy didn't even bring a sleeping bag!! All in all the trip was fun and culturally very enlightening. There were 12 of us in total, collectively representing 8 different countries on 3 continents.








The following weekend included sleeping bags as well. After 2 months of confusion and waiting, my snowshoes finally arrived! Through a friend, 10 of us were able to get a ridiculously good deal on a pair. They finally arrived, so we had to put them to the test. That Friday, 4 of us decided to go camping in one of the wooded areas surrounding Trondheim. It has been a long time since I've dug out tent platforms in the snow, so it brought back some wonderful memories! A storm came through that night dumping about 6 inches of snow. The wind was the worst part. It continually blew snow into the tent through one of the vents. By morning the outside of my sleeping bag was crusted in snow and everything was frozen! I kept some things dry by sticking them in my bag with me, but my snow pants, coat, and boots were stiff the next morning. After a rather sleepless night, we packed up and hiked out the next morning. It was by no means a comfortable night, but I'm still looking forward to our next opportunity.


The past few weekends have been spent in and around Trondheim. I've made frequent trips up to Bymarka, which is one of the outdoor recreational areas just outside the city. There are many skiing trails, lakes and plenty of places to go exploring. One Sunday, I went snowshoeing with some friends. It was nothing too intense, but an enjoyable afternoon because the weather was gorgeous. There's a cabin up there called Studentahytta. It's owned by the sports club associated with the university. There are places to hang out, sleep and eat after a long day on the trails. On Sundays they have a pancake dinner. So after snowshoeing we went there for some fresh pancakes and soup. Rather unexpectedly, I ended up going back there the following Tuesday. There's a free bus every Tuesday and a dinner as well. So we went cross country skiing for a while before having dinner together. This cabin is a really nice asset that I wish CU had. Not only is it extremely practical, but it's a nice social atmosphere as well.

Currently, there's an ongoing festival call ISFIT here in Trondheim. It stands for International Student Festival in Trondheim. For 10 days 400 student from around the world gather to take part in workshops, concerts, art exhibits, etc. We volunteered the bed/sofa in our kitchen to house one of the incoming students, so we now have a student from Azerbaijan staying with us. He's very friendly and respectful, but there are definitely some cultural differences. He has always lived with some member of his family, so he has always been cared for. He has never done his laundry, and I had to show him how to wash dishes the other day. I've always thought that the connection between soap, a sponge, and a fork was obvious, but I guess not. Anyways, he'll be heading home in a couple of days.

Last weekend I finally got to go downhill skiing. It was fun, but it made me miss Colorado even more as my friends enjoying 2 feet of fresh powder. We went to Vassfjellet, which is the Eldora of Trondheim. It's small and close, but the skiing itself wasn't so great. The top part of the mountain was closed because the lift wasn't working, so I felt like I was back in Wisconsin again. There are no chairlifts (only T-bars) if that helps you get the picture. I found a couple of nice tree runs, but other than that everything was groomed. I have some serious ski days to make up next season when I'm back in the real mountains again!

So there's a month in a nutshell, and I hope all is well state-side!

~J

Sunrise: 7:53am
Sunset: 5:17pm

Spain

Hey All,

So an update is long overdue. After 10 days in France, I met my parents and sister in Spain for 16 days. It was wonderful getting to spend time with them and see a new place at the same time. We rented a car and went where ever the road could take us, so we were able to see a nice cross section of the country in a relatively short period of time. I could go on and on about the trip, but I don't want to bore you to death. So instead I'll just say a few words about each place...

Toledo: An old little town that's perched up on a hill and surrounded by a medieval wall. The architectural cohesiveness is picturesque, but it's not the most exciting town. Lost of old retired rich people live there.









Cordoba: The old mosque is amazing. A must see! The combination of Islamic candy-striped arches mixed with Renaissance christian architecture is quite unique. It's huge. It could 40,000 back in it's day.

Seville: The Alcazar is the prettiest from all the one's we saw. The gardens make you forget you're in the middle of a big city. The Plaza de Espana was wonderful as well, because it was not over run with tourists. We attended Christmas Eve mass at the cathedral, and it was the first Catholic high mass I've ever been to before. There was a cardinal and lots of other official people. If you're going there in the winter, try to get a room with heat.

Tarifa/Gilbralter: If I ever decide to become a windsurfing bum, I'll keep Tarifa on my list of places to chill. Gibralter is weird. It British, but not. They use pounds instead of euros, and they have a funny accent. It also has the only wild monkeys in Europe. I can now say I've physically seen Africa.

Granada: The most eclectic town. The culture is a mix between traditional Spanish (castellano), Islamic, and gypsy. The art and local crafts are the most interesting. There's people that still live in caves (and have for centuries). The Alhambra is stunning! It's like taking a step back in time and witnessing what it was like before Spain reconquered the area. The monasteries have monks with unusually strict lifestyles.

Valencia: The Arts and Sciences Park is like the Chicago Museum campus of the future. The architecture is truly unique. A roundabout actually has giant fishhooks in the middle of it. The cathedral has a relic that is the left arm of Saint Vincente. But, if you look closely, it's clearly the right arm of someone. Either that or Saint Vincente had his thumb on the outside of his hand.




Barcelona: The works of Gaudi are inspiring. The Sagrada Familia is the largest and longest ongoing project I've ever seen. But compared to the rest of history, almost all of our buildings go up in a eye blink. Many of the ancient palaces and churches that we now admired all took hundreds of years to become what they are today. Anyhoo, Casa Batllo and Parc Gruell are so innovative that I don't know how one man came up with everything. We also took a day trip up to Figueres to see works by Salvador Dali. His ink drawings are amusing but very graphic.

Montserrat: A monastery tucked up in the mountains. I wish we had more time to hike around up there, but we still got some good views. The Basilica has a statue of a black Virgin Mary that according to legend was carved by St. Luke and brought there by St. Peter.

Madrid: Many things (including the palace) were closed. The Museo del Prado has a wonderful art collection. Unlike the Louvre, this museum is actually manageable and not totally overwhelming.

Segovia: Our home away from home. We ended up there twice (not planned that way). It's got a 2000 yr old aqueduct that's huge! The Alcazar is also beautiful, but more like a fortress when compared to the one in Seville (a palace). We also celebrated Three Kings Day there. They had the most lively parade I've ever seen! There was not a dull moment, or any organizations or politicians marching. Just people dressed up and throwing candy.

El Escorial and La Granja: Two palaces. El Escorial is the most impressive. All the kings and queens for the past couple centuries are buried there. Normally royalty is scattered around, but the close family ties are definitely evident. There are also princes, princesses and other members of the royal family buried there as well. And let's just say they've planned ahead. Valle de los Caidos is a giant basilica dug out of a granite mountain. It's impressive, but has an creepy vibe. It houses soldiers from the civil war, Franco is buried there, and it was built by forced labor.

Salamanca: This city has an architectural cohesiveness that rivals Toledo. My favorite cathedral(s) are there. Normally, old cathedrals are torn down to build new ones. But the Medieval cathedral is still standing next to the newer Gothic one. The old paintings and grotesques were definitely my favorite part. The cloister has little side chapels that also date back to the middle ages, and it still feels like you're taking a step back in time. Convento de Santa Clara is also interesting, because you can walk above the current church ceiling but below the original medieval ceiling. It's not everyday one can see the ceiling decoration as the artist saw it 700 years ago.

I'll try to get some more pictures uploaded shortly, but daily life is going faster than I can. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and ya'll are ready to the Bears to win Superbowl XLI!

Julie

P.S. The best part: The Sun! I quickly earned the nickname "Sunflower" because I was always oriented towards it.

Sunrise: 8:55am
Sunset: 4:11pm