Varna, Bulgaria: Days 3 and 4

On our third day in Varna, I awoke to thunder, lighting, and rain Oh My! It cleared up around noon, and Jill, Steph, and I set out with three other girls to find a place to go horseback riding. We left for Golden Sands (Varna’s sort of downtown) and spent a great deal of time walking, hiking, climbing, and sweating while we looked for the spot that they had heard of. Jill, Steph, and I gave up to go shopping, but the other girls kept looking and from what I know, they found it after a few more tries (I hope it was expensive so I don’t have to kick myself for not going!). We walked Golden Sands for a bit, and I bought some sandals to soothe my sweating sneaker-feet as well as a ring to replace the one James accidentally dropped down an elevator shaft. The new one is not quite so awesome, but it was not very expensive so no biggie if he doesn’t like it.

Jill grew tired and asked us to head back, so we climbed into a cab that charged us far too much and left for the ship. Because of police detours, the cab driver left us about a kilometer (ha! I speak in meters now) from our ship, and we stopped in a few stores on our hot hot hot walk back. When we got back, Steph and I decided to go back to one of the beach bars while Jill napped. We went to the same bar that I had been at with Tom and his roommate on the first night, though I had a better experience. We went back to the ship after about an hour and two drinks each to shower.

We left with Tom and Alexine (fellow outspoken topshop admirer) to find a bar along the beach and settled into a small and nearly empty place next to the water slides. After a few minutes we noticed a small boy oogling us, face unchanging. We tried to feed him potato chips and speak to him (obviously without success), but he remained unflinching! His (slightly intoxicated) mother finally came to reclaim him, and would not take no for an answer when we said we could not speak Bulgarian. When she asked if any of us spoke Spanish, however, all fingers pointed to me and I was stuck in a deadend conversation for about thirty minutes. I believe she spoke even less Spanish than I did, and the conversation basically consisted of her asking where we were from, how we got here, and why we spoke only English. I had no answer for the last one besides the self-absorption of one entire country whose disregard for the importance of bilingualism trickles down to most. After she left, with her child and “friend,” we spent a short while longer there until they closed, and then headed further down the beach to a bigger, louder, more crowded bar. Several Semester-at-Sea-ers enjoyed our company there, including Corey (where had he been since Capri?). At this point, time was likely entering into the next day, when Tom requested that we visit a casino. I obliged and helped gather the rest of our entourage before we set out.

The casino was rather dead, and I attempted to play some sort of game that I did not really understand, losing 10 leva in the process (6 dollars). Only the one table was open and so we left shortly after, but I am now a proud card-carrying member of some casino group…thing. We set out for food as some of us were hungry, but when we stopped at McDonald’s—of all places—I opted to go without. Tom took leave of us then, as he had an FDP the next morning (surprise surprise: it was a trip for his business class that took him to the very same McDonald’s!), and we cabbed to a bar Alexine suggested called Copacabana. There was a 5 leva cover charge that Steph was very unhappy about, and her frown worsened still when we were told we had to pay to use the restroom and then for toilet paper (at about 30 cents each, it was more a nuisance of trying to find coins that small than about the loss of money). We spent the rest of the night and early morning sitting at the bar, where both Steph and Jill made new manly friends while I wallflowered a bit. Alexine was lost to us for awhile, but as the bar only increased in Semester at Sea population, we were not worried. We again saw Corey and friends, and did not leave the bar until around 4:30 AM. We began walking back to the ship, which took about a half an hour, skipping over a kabob stand not because we weren’t hungry, but because they were ignoring us. We arrive back to the ship and I requested that we stay up to see the sunrise; Steph promptly asked who I was and why I wanted to stay up later than she does, as she is our resident party monkey. I suppose that once I get past a certain point, tired is nothing and I will karate chop it! We stayed up until six, watching the first half of the sunrise, and then went to bed. I would have liked to stay up until breakfast (7 AM), but what was I going to do for an hour? The ship can be rather boring at 6 AM.

The next morning (afternoon), we returned to the ship-restaurant for French fries and Diet Cokes (and more olive tapenade!) before deciding that Steph and I would rather find a way to spend our remaining thirty leva than lay on the beach. We left Jill to her tanning and headed to the Varna mall, where we left most of the rest of our money before heading back to the ship to nap before we left Varna. In two days we will be in Alexandria, and I will be on my way to Cairo with Steph for a four-day nonstop journey to all the major and amazing points of ancient Egypt.

Varna, Bulgaria: Day 2

Jill, Steph, and I rose the second morning with one mission in mind: sushi and beach (is that two missions?). Imagine our delight when we discovered a sushi restaurant on a beach, with cabanas and large beds and fake palm trees. Turquoise palm trees! We spent several hours basking before deciding that instead of being served sushi in the hot sun whilst sweating, we would rather eat inside the restaurant. We settled into a table with some Sapporo and a delicious-looking (CHEAP!) menu before I realized, very sadly, that it was going to be near impossible to translate to our waiter that I hate seaweed and never eat sushi without my beloved soy paper. Actually, I believe it was very likely that they did not even have soy paper. I grudgingly accepted that I would be eating seaweed and ordered raw salmon maki and avocado maki with a side of white cheese fries (duh) to share. The seaweed is much better in Bulgaria. We enjoyed an extended lunch/dinner hybrid and ordered a fruit salad for dessert that was almost comparable to the incredible concoction from Croatia (remember: fresh fruit, gelato, strawberry sauce…).

After fattening ourselves, we went back to the ship to shower and nap. Jill was poopered out from our exhausting day (…) and did not want to go out, so Steph and I decided to go by ourselves around 11:30. We sat down in a restaurant that is inside of an old ship (was it an actual ship?) and ordered a giant Bulgarian cheese platter and some olive tapenade to go with our deliciously refreshing diet Cokes (Coke Lights). I also ordered some spicy chicken to eat by myself, as Steph is a bit sensitive to the heat. We enjoyed our very satisfying late late dinner and returned to the ship after an uneventful but very pleasing day.

Varna, Bulgaria: Day 1

When we arrived in Bulgaria, Jill had two Semester at Sea trips, and so Steph, Tom, and I ventured to the Sea Gardens, an area comprised of an aquarium, planetarium, terrarium, dolphinarium, and zoo. We spent about an hour walking in the (disgusting) Bulgarian heat to make it to the dolphinarium, oogling the ever-appealing beaches, which included sand (unlike every other European beach), pools, bars, a volleyball court, and giant water slides. We finally arrived to the dolphinarium about an hour before the 3:30 show. We settled into the dolphinarium café to observe a dolphin from underwater and enjoy a mid-afternoon snack. We were warned to avoid fruits/vegetables (traveller’s diarrhea—oh no!), and so I ordered “yellow cheese and sausage with toast” (open salami and cheese sandwich) and Steph and Tom each ordered tuna sandwiches. The show was short at 35 minutes, but it was also very entertaining. Tom surprised me by being completely enthralled by the show, smiley-faced and enthusiastic the entire time (quite funny to observe, actually).

After the show, Steph could not find her Chanel sunglasses and although they let her back inside the show area to look, it was, sadly, too late. Because of tendering (damn that tendering!), the ship was in “transition” and we could not get back on it until 7, which ended up being 8. It was around 4:30 at the time, and so we stopped by a small, incredibly overheated bar called “Aapu” to enjoy a cold beverage. Unfortunately, when you put a cold beverage in a hot room, the room does not cool down but the beverage heats up! Damn chemistry, physics, proportions, whatever. Science. After about a half hour, we were joined by three jolly, giant, sweaty men who sang drunken operas to us and inquired about a business partnership. Because they were named “Marco Marco,” “John Rambo,” and “Don Correon (sp),” we could not take them too seriously. Marco Marco apparently is a championship fighter and fought in some fantastic Las Vegas fight in 1992, and now is an important component of Varna SWAT. This was pure comedy to us, as he looked near 250 pounds, was completely drenched in sweat, and was drunker than anyone else in the room. After the comedy of the situation wore off, we headed back to the ship. It was about 6:30, and we watched from the beach as our ship headed into the port. Because so many people had been waiting to get back on the ship, it took about an hour to actually get on, and I basically ran for the shower after having glistened all day.

An hour or two later, Tom called us to go out to a beach bar, but Steph opted to wait for Jill (still on her trip) and meet up with us later. I walked with Tom and his roommate down to the beach, where we settled into the sand next to a bar. After awhile, what should happen but Semester at Sea people arrived! Tom left at some point to head to the bar with some of the girls, and when I went to use the restroom, everyone disappeared from my table. I found Tom’s roommate to ask what we were doing and he basically walked away from me; Tom had been gone about 45 minutes and so I did a once-over of the bar before walking back to the ship in a huff. Apologies have since been made.

Istanbul, Turkey: Days 4 and 5

We again rose at 7:30 for breakfast, as today we (Jill, Steph, and I) were traveling to one of the Prince’s Isles, a group of six islands off the coast of Istanbul, traditionally home to wealthy Jews. We took an hour-and-a-half ferry to the sixth island, where I immediately craved and bought an ice cream cone (it was no gelato) and we waited in line for our hour-long horse-drawn carriage ride around the island (as I typed that I noted that I have been to quite a few islands this trip…). We fit five in a four-person carriage and sat erect, camera-ready, watching the vacation homes and apartment buildings pass us by. We had a ten minute break, after which the driver picked me out to sit up front with him and navigate the buggy. I gladly accepted and enjoyed the far superior view for most of the time, save the moment when the carriage in front of us ran over a small boy on his bicycle outside of a school and left him crying and attending his apparently pained backside. After exclaiming “polis!” the driver told me to get back in the carriage and I grudgingly obliged, as steering horses is quite entertaining.

After our carriage ride we had time to wander the island and have a beer before enduring the 90 minute, incredibly uncomfortable and hot, ferry ride back to Istanbul’s mainland. We showered and then bought sandwiches at a deli across the street from the port before changing for our one night of going out on our last day in Turkey. We cabbed to Taxim Square, a popular shopping and terrorist area, to find a bar to invade. As we walked we saw “Welcome Explorer!” in a bar window and, assuming that was us (as our ship is the MV Explorer), we entered free of charge. It was mostly empty save for a few SAS kids and several Turkish people. After a couple hours, as seems to be tradition with us, the bar was full to the brim with SAS kids. After two Sex on the Beaches I was feeling rather sick (this is why I do not drink hard liquer—I watched him pour rum, vodka, and tequila in my drink!) and Steph walked me to a cab so that I could head back to the ship.

The next morning we went back to Taxim Square. The previous night I had seen a Topshop near the bar, and as there is only one in the US, and the one is in NYC, I made it my mission to go there. As I am low on money and have had much more than I anticipated transferred into my account after realizing I had not budgeted enough, this was a very smart/sane decision on my part. It was a bit more expensive than I would have liked (I thought that it would have been less expensive than usual, as Topshop is based in England and therefore uses very expensive currency in comparison to lyra), but the clothes were excellent and I walked out three items happier (as I had a surplus on my credit card, I technically only spent 100 dollars—no more shopping for me). Jill wanted to continue shopping, and I found myself in three more stores (I only purchased another 8 dollar shirt) before we went back to the ship to leave for Bulgaria! We are currently anchored several miles from Varna, however we cannot clear customs until tomorrow (BOOOO), which is actually fine because I have a paper due at midnight and need no distractions…such as writing in my blog.

Istanbul, Turkey: Day 3

Jill and I had to be awake at 7:30 to enjoy breakfast before our trip with SAS entitled “Jewish Tradition in Istanbul.” I must say, though, that after our “preport” meeting where they reiterated the threat of terrorism in Turkey numerous times, going to Jewish places in a Muslim country was not quite so appealing. We began with a short bus tour around Istanbul and then visited our first of two synagogues. The guide pointed out several bullet holes leftover from a 1986 terrorist attack (lovely) and the engraving on the wall dedicated to the nearly fifty people killed in the attacks of 1986 and 2003 (which only killed people on the street as the walls of the synagogue are so thick). To backtrack—and illuminate the small danger of being Jewish in Istanbul—we were required to bring our passports and be searched before entering the synagogue, as well as have been previously added to a manifest and walk through metal detectors. It felt very serious.

Our visit to the second synagogue was much shorter (and the synagogue much smaller), and as the guide spoke to us I zoned out a bit because I realized it was virtually a review of my medieval and ancient Jewish Studies class from this past semester. We arrived back to the ship around eleven to wake up Steph and go to the Grand Bazaar, which I had been looking VERY forward to but which was closed the previous day (Sunday). The Grand Bazaar is an ENORMOUS covered area of shopping, with more than 4000 shops dedicated to anything and everything, from spices and dried fruits similar to the Spice Bazaar, to fur coats and jewelry that cost thousands of dollars.

There is a trick to the Grand Bazaar, however, as it is a place of intense bargaining. The Spice Bazaar was simple as it had set prices; the Grand Bazaar was much more complicated and it became very clear very quickly that I was going to be ripped off no matter what I did. Steph even claimed that the jewelry we looked at, which the vendor claimed was worth hundreds of dollars, was in fact fake and worth much less. In the Grand Bazaar, I found tapestries similar to that of the one I had bought our first night, and when I asked how much they were, the vendor said 100 lyra (about 60 dollars)! Now, I had paid thirty lyra for my tapestry and was having none of that, so I tried to persuade him down to 25 lyra, which he claimed he could do, but only for a kiss on the lips. I less-than-politely declined and moved on. I did end up trading several cheek-kisses for severe discounts, and the male vendors of the Bazaar certainly took a liking to us, especially when Steph bought a soccer jersey to wear. My favorite purchase of the day was a set of teapots handmade in Turkey (so says the vendor) and “completely unique.” Whether or not these are facts, and whether or not 65 lyra was a ripoff, they are elegant and unique in my world and will make an excellent gift to the person I bought them for.

When we returned to the ship, we showered and got dressed. Steph had made it clear that she wanted to go to just one hookah bar in Turkey, since she had not yet, and so it seemed that I was going to be making my third trip to Turkey’s smoking section that night. I invited one person and Jill invited one person and all of a sudden we had a group of ten, walking to the same bar I had been the previous night with Tim. We lounged on the beanbags and enjoyed apple tea with our hookah until about midnight, when Jill, Steph, and I headed back and the rest of the group continued on to the “metal bar,” a headbanger’s Turkish paradise.

Some Photos from Turkey

Here are some pictures from Turkey (sorry about the lack of pictures from Croatia and Greece; we didn't take many, but perhaps when I get to another internet cafe I will upload them).  We took a great deal of pictures in Turkey, these are just the bare bones of it (some pictures are of events not yet described in my blog...those blogs will come!).

Istanbul, Turkey: Day 2

We began our day with breakfast at 8 AM and then went back to sleep until noon, when we (Jill, Steph, Amy, and I) left to go shopping at the spice bazaar. We first stopped at a small restaurant to get gyro-like meat sandwiches, and I found that my “kabob” (shredded chicken on a bed of rice with peppers and French fries) was much more delicious than their chicken sandwiches (complete with lettuce and carrots, eww). Amy then left us, and we walked across the bridge separating the two areas of the European side of Istanbul to get to the bazaar.

Once we got there, we were completely enthralled. The bazaar was incredible, with rows upon rows of shops selling spices, nuts, candy (more Turkish delight), dried fruits, perfumes, tapestries, and plenty of other fantastic items. We stopped first at a perfumerie, where one can choose from the rows of scents and choose bottles to accompany them. We each purchased several (with a discount :]) and moved on. Nearly every store (vendor) lured us inside, and we found that the people were not only charming but sincere. In nearly every shop we went into, one of my coughs immediately elicited a “can I get you some water or tea?” or an “are you sick? I can fix that.” One man sat me down and told me he had the cure. He took a spoonful of one of his spices, mixing it with water and telling me to chug it as it would be spicy. Five seconds later my mouth was on fire, but five minutes later my cough had soothed considerably. I bought chilies and spices and teas for everyone, as well as some Turkish delight samplers for people to try.

When we got back to the ship, Tom called and invited me to a pre-season soccer game that night, which I declined, as Jill and Steph and I had plans. About an hour later, Jill and Steph called to invite me to the soccer game, which I again declined for no reason at all, really. I was feeling like quite the homebody. After re-realizing that there is no TV, movies, or internet on the ship, I grew bored and began wandering. I ran into Tim, who had no plans for the night except that he wanted to go to a hookah bar. Although I had been to one the night before, I agreed and we left around 10:30. He took me to one he had seen earlier, which had beanbags and small tables spread across a park-like area next to a restaurant. We spent a relaxing hour people-watching and eating cheese-toast before returning to the ship to sleep.

Istanbul, Turkey: Day 1

After only one day at sea, we arrived in Istanbul, Turkey. After COMPLETELY losing my voice and nearly causing my stomach to spasm with coughs, I paid a second visit to the ship doctor, who gave me cough medicine and told me to stop talking (yeah, right) and rest (okay). I spent the entire day in bed, and at 5 PM finally emerged from my hibernation to watch the whirling dervishes (Muslim performances) with Jill. We took the metro (crowded and anxiety-inducing) across the bridge and made our way to the train station, where the ceremony was held, to buy tickets. After purchasing them, we walked in search of an ice cream cone, my current craving. On the way I decided to give in and buy a digital camera (remember, mine broke on the first day in Spain), so I could have one for at least half of my trip.

After finally buying an ice cream cone we went back into the train station for the performance. Now I do not pretend to know anything about the whirling dervishes, so forgive my interpretation. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was surprisingly simple. First, six singers/musicians came out and performed several songs for us. After about fifteen minutes, they left and returned shortly, with black robes on and followed by another group, the dancers (also robed in black). The music began again and the dancers discarded their black robes, revealing colorful ones, and began whirling with their arms raised and heads cocked to one side like marionettes. As they twirled, I marveled at their endurance. They spun for minutes on end, arms raised the entire time. Now, for anyone who has ever done yoga, you know that holding one’s arms up for any period of time longer than a minute is painfully near impossible.

After about an hour, they finished and Jill and I decided to wander around the Old City (where we were). We found that the stores in Istanbul were fun and relatively cheap; I bought a tapestry (though I have no idea what I am going to do with it..), some treats from a candy store filled with Turkish Delight (a very interesting candy for those who haven’t tried it), and a kilogram of cherries from a vendor for 4 lyra (less than three dollars). After walking we decided to stop at a local hookah bar and try the local treat. We ended up staying close to four hours, making friends with the waiters and enjoying the cherries I’d purchased. The waiters fell quite in love with us and not only gave us a discount, but got us half price on a taxi back to the ship. We arrived back at about 1:30 and I was out by 2.

Piraeus, Greece: Day 4

On our last day in Greece, Jill, Steph, and I wanted to do some shopping (I had yet to buy mass quantities of my favorite Greek treat: olives). We grabbed Tom and Brady and set out for La Plaka, a popular shopping area. We wandered for awhile and I got my olives, as well as some Greek candy and a present for Kaye. We stopped for some French fries and diet cokes before continuing in the (very) hot sun. After realizing that every store held virtually the same thing, I suggested we go to the Athens mall. The taxi there was very expensive, but I asserted that an air-conditioned shopping environment was absolutely worth it. We left Tom and Brady behind and got in the first taxi that offered us the ride for less than 25 euro (booo!); when we hit traffic, I asked the driver how long it would take, and he said, quite surely, “15 minutes.” Forty-five minutes later, we arrived at the mall with less than an hour to spend there if we wanted to make it back to the ship on time (6:00 sharp or more “dock time” for us).

The mall was ENORMOUS and overwhelming and wonderful, and while I am running low on money, I was also running low on clothing, so I bought some t-shirts. We were downright exhausted by 4:45 and hailed a taxi, which hit traffic almost immediately. Bridge construction caused our drive to the ship to be more than an hour long and nearly landing us the dreaded dock time, but we made it. Once back at the ship, I lounged poolside until the ship left the port.

The next day, my Art History midterm (the major stress-inducer that likely caused my never-ending illness) was returned: 93.5 %, thankyouverymuch. I have a beyond solid A in Spanish as well, but Global Studies kicked my butt on the first essay. I received an A for my stellar aptitude on the exam, but the graders were unfairly picky and gave me a C on my essay! A C! I am in a major where ALL I DO IS WRITE! Flabbergasted, I promised myself I would turn in a rough draft of the second paper in advance to one of the T.A.s (one is my Art History teacher..) to review before handing in another one where 20 points is taken off because I didn’t say “Fukiyama.” Shipboard education is difficult.

Piraeus, Greece: Day 3

On our third day in Piraeus, several Greek diplomats (including the Minister of Foreign Affairs) and Greek students from the university Deree attended an “Open Ship” onboard. As there were several events throughout the day, student “volunteers” were needed to help, for the beautiful stipend of $100. Since my friends were gone--and I need to get my hair dyed--I had volunteered. I spent the day mingling with and escorting the Greek visitors up and down the ship (trying not to speak because I had lost my voice), and at around 6:30 went to visit a returned Steph, who, like me, was in the mood for some Greek food! Yum.

We left the boat and began walking around Piraeus, noting how surprisingly difficult finding food had been for us in Europe. After about ten minutes and asking a bartender, we found a fantastic little half indoor/half outdoor place selling gyros, souvlaki, etc. We munched on a block of feta for an appetizer and I ordered the country sausage plate, consisting of two giant pork sausages cut long ways over a bed of French fries (which are really truly amazing in Greece) with Greek yogurt, pita bread, and onions and tomato—which I ignored. The sausage with the feta, yogurt, and pita was amazing, and I finished everything but the sausage, which, like I said, were huge. Steph ordered a pork sandwich, which she devoured (as it was enormous, I gathered that it must have been delicious). What I loved about her sandwich was that the fries were inside it! It was one of the best meals I have had so far.

When we returned Jill was back, and Tom called us to see if we wanted to go out. I said no (I had developed pinkeye), but Jill and Steph begged pretty hard and I eventually gave in, grumpily putting on a red dress to match the glasses I had to wear. We left with a group of about 10-15 people (which was eventually widdled down to seven: me, Jill, Steph, Tom, his friend Brady, and their friends Bridget and Taryn). They stopped to have a beer at a kiosk on the street, but I was full enough from dinner and took a pass. The walk to the metro was about 20 minutes and I thanked myself for not wearing heels. We boarded and took it into Athens, where we searched for a spot to settle in. The stop we had gotten off at was mainly restaurants and we wasted about a half hour sitting/walking/standing around like dorks. It was 12:30 and we headed back to the metro to take it another stop over. Unfortunately, the metro closes at 12:30; interestingly enough, we made it in just to be told this, but when we tried to leave, they had closed a gate on us and we were trapped. It was quite the adventure getting out. We finally decided on taking two cabs to a place that supposedly had good night life (according to the local Jill asked), and finally ended up at a Mexican (!!) bar in a side street crowded with people. My stomach had finally settled and I sipped on peach margaritas for the rest of the night (my favorite part was the fresh peach slices they included).

We headed back to the ship around 4 AM in a taxi, and I should just note that Piraeus is not the place to stay. Taxis ended up being the only option for us multiple times, and they do a very good job of overcharging. About half the money I spent in Greece was on taxis.

Piraeus, Greece: Days 1 and 2

Monday was our first day in Piraeus. As I developed a very undesirable sickness (think Strep throat), I slept in late and did not go out until my SAS trip to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. I joined DrewAnd, my Spanish teacher, my Art History teacher (the trip was for her class) and perhaps 25 of my peers on a bus to the museum, enjoying a stop at the original 1896 Olympic Stadium, where we could see the Parthenon in the distance. Driving through Athens, I was disappointed. I had expected something…prettier. I’ve heard that the islands of Greece are very beautiful, however my Semester at Sea trip to the Saronic Islands was canceled and I am not up to finding my own way to one of the islands, especially since I’ve been basically gobbling my euro ever since this trip began.

The archaeological museum was very cool, especially because I could tell exactly what century and time period (as well as specific aesthetic qualities of the pieces and the obscure names for these qualities; i.e. daedalic) the exhibits were from, due to my midterm having been two days prior. The museum is enormous, however, and I was exhausted after two hours of wandering and seeing hardly any of it. After I explored the small gift shop (I bought a memory game for Jack and a book on Greek Mythology for myself), we headed back to the ship and I napped for awhile before Steph and I left for dinner. We ran into Corey on the way and he tagged along as we searched for a restaurant open at 9 PM. We ended up at an Irish pub, where I ordered a very delicious looking fish and chips as well as a Sprite to soothe the nausea I had developed. Unfortunately, my nausea went untamed and I could not eat much of my meal. The pub had since filled with Semester at Sea kids (how does that always seem to happen?), and after eating Steph and our friend Tim walked me back to the ship (aww), then went back to the pub.

The next morning, I awoke and called Steph to see if she had gone on her trip to Delphi; it required a 7 AM wakeup and I have never known her to rise before noon. She had left, and as Jill was visiting her friend in Santorini (or the Saronic Islands…I’m not sure), I was on my own. I ran into Tom, someone I had recently met, in the hallway, and he invited me to join he and his friend at the beach later. I agreed, and we ate lunch and left for Athens. We took a cab to a small beach and settled in, enjoying the view and looking up every few minutes to say “no…thanks” to the men wandering the beach with random soccer balls, bathing suits, towels, and jewelry for sale. Tom and his friend enjoyed the bargaining and both ended up with month-long tattoos, to which I said “no thank you.” After several hours of lounging and swimming, we headed to the beachside restaurant where I snacked on French fries and cheese and hot pepper spread and the boys both had chicken souvlaki.

We cabbed back to the ship, and I showered before noticing that not putting on sunscreen just because I had run out did not prevent me from developing a sunburn along the entire front side of my body. I was still feeling sick and so I chose not to go out with them and the group they had acquired that night. I settled in to watch “Remember the Titans” for the next few hours before sleeping.

Dubrovnik, Croatia: Day 4

I had to wake up at 7:30 AM to eat breakfast and get on the bus for my kayaking trip. I got on the bus and we headed to a lookout point over the water where we were to hike down to the beach (an incredibly far ways down, likely around 300-400 feet). When we got off the bus, however, we were informed that a kayak had been stolen the previous night and one person would have to sit out and join the afternoon group instead. Since Jill was going in the afternoon, I volunteered and took the bus back to the ship, where we came within an inch or two of colliding with a van in front of us (psycho bus drivers in Croatia…). We went to the internet café until we had to leave, where I video-chatted James (!!) for awhile.

We took the bus back to the lookout point (this time I wore sneakers and brought a water bottle) and spent awhile hiking down to the bottom. Without any instruction they handed us kayaks and oars and we began following them. Warning to all future first-time kayakers: it is not as easy as it looks and after five seconds you WILL be tired. Jill and I struggled the entire way, and of course, kayaking works mainly the shoulders (not so good for me, as my high school water polo career had already catapulted me to manly-shoulders status). Unfortunately for us, our guide took us the completely opposite way of where we were going, just to turn around and go back to Lokrum!

By the time we actually reached the island (about one very hellish 1-hour kayak ride later), Jill and I were jelly and feeling very grumpy. Our guide then announced that we had one half hour to snorkel and then meet back for our kayak ride back to where we had begun. I know how to snorkel, but Jill was a bit peeved as she had expected: a. more time to snorkel and b. a bit of instruction for first timers. I tried to help her but it was to no avail and I don’t think she’s a snorkeler (my mom once told me that it is something you either get right away or you don’t). I snorkeled along, watching the fish play beneath me. I again tried to touch some wildlife, but they swim faster than I do! These little teeny fish swim faster than I do, a championship high school swimmer! Not fair. So I moseyed, avoiding the urchins (my Spanish teacher stepped on one and apparently it is none too pleasant) and looking for some fish with color! I only found one little school, and the fish were miniscule! I could only find them once though, as they disappeared immediately after I dove down to get a closer look (touch them).

Jill had given up awhile ago, and after snorkeling I joined her for some gelato before our very annoying kayak ride back. Then came the hike back up to our bus, aka: the worst part. We went up about 200 stairs and were only halfway there; the rest was straight incline. So, peeves: please let us know there is hiking involved and shoes (not flip flops) are necessary, please include SOME instruction for kayaking, and please allow for less kayaking (aka: going straight to the island) and more snorkeling/swimming. Non-peeves: it was a very good workout, my shoulders are still sore.

Dubrovnik, Croatia: Day 3

The three of us not going to Bosnia ended up being a fine thing, as we had an excellent night at Fuego and the next day we had an INCREDIBLE time. As we had gone to sleep late, we woke up late and had lunch on the ship before leaving to find a cliff to jump off of (!). We were not the only ones, but it seemed we were the LAST ones, as everyone we saw had a story of the forty foot cliff they conquered or the cliff that was bigger than the ship that they almost died jumping off of (no thank you). My roommate Amy and her friend (carrying a giant yellow raft…) opted to join us, but we lost them while walking through Old City, as they stopped at several stores and Steph, Jill, and I were anxious to swim (it was, once again, disgustingly hot).

We took a 40 kuna (8 dollar) ferry to Lokrum, the island we had taken the boat around on our first night, which is a popular cliff-jumping area. We arrived to find peacocks EVERYWHERE, and as I have never seen a peacock up close, let alone a wild one, I spent a good five minutes trying to pet one while Jill screamed in my ear that it would snatch my eyeball out and she was not going to fetch it for me. I gave up and bought a gelato as we sat down while Steph had a sandwich (she had missed lunch). It was quite entertaining to watch the peacocks wander in and around the restaurant, and I noted that female peacocks look more like turkeys, as they are rather ugly. Afterwards, we journeyed upwards, following Jill although she had no idea where she was going, and ended up spending half an hour on trails that led nowhere and getting bug bites (mine were particularly nasty and up until today had been inch-long red rashes on my leg with pus-filled and oozing bubbles in the center). We finally found a way to get down to the beach, which in Croatia means giant rocks over the water where people lay on their towel naked (it took us a minute or two to realize it was indeed a nude beach).

We climbed down the rocks, which took me a good ten minutes longer than Jill and Steph (as I actually fear for and value my life) and we finally ended up at the spot where we would exhaust ourselves over the next several hours. Jill jumped first, off the smaller 15-foot cliff, and I jumped next, landing flat-footed (a bad idea). The water was lovely and warm and nice to simply float around in. Steph jumped next and over the next hour we jumped several more times and cheered on the naked men as they all jumped as well. Jill and Steph were soon tired of the smaller cliff and opted for the next one up, an intimidating forty-footer. As they now (still) nurse their very ugly bruises, I do not regret sticking to my smaller rocks. Towards the end of our excursion, a group of guys about James’s age came along and jumped off the even higher one (which we had not even noticed, let alone considered), which was at least 70 feet high. They showed us all up as they dove and spun around as they jumped as if it were nothing.

After swimming and jumping and climbing and jumping and swimming, we were exhausted. We found a much shorter way back to the road and hopped and skipped along the rocks until we reached it (my knees are not happy with me for all the climbing I did) and settled back into the restaurant for some snacks. We ordered a cheese, corn, and bean salad and Steph and I also ordered two fruit salads (fresh delicious fruit topped with vanilla gelato, whipped cream, and strawberry sauce; read: PERFECTION), which we devoured completely. We then headed back on the ferry to go back to Dubrovnik and showered before heading to dinner. We went back to the restaurant Steph and I had eaten at the day before, and I ordered a prosciutto and olive appetizer (extra olives) with the lentil soup again (four dollars for deliciousness, why say no?). Jill ordered an amazing salmon dish with green pasta and tomato cream sauce, and Steph had a similarly delicious seafood pasta. We went to sleep early, as I had a field trip the next morning at 9 AM to go snorkeling and kayaking.

Dubrovnik, Croatia: Day 2

Our second day in Croatia, Jill had another SAS trip and so Steph and I went to lunch on our own. We found this fantastic restaurant (the first place we spotted) and I had lentil soup and we shared a cheese plate. We each had a beer and she had something I cannot remember, as it was five days ago, and our bill was just thirty-two dollars! Much better than the night before. After lunch we went to an internet café near the ship for about an hour and then headed back to meet Jill for our already planned trip to Bosnia. We were tendering, which means that the ship was anchored off-shore and we were taking our life boats to and from shore (they only left about every half hour). We were packed and ready and waiting for Jill until 4:45 PM. Her trip ended at 4, however her bus was late and because of tendering she could not make it to the ship for another half hour. Unfortunately, the last bus to Bosnia was at 5:15 PM and we couldn’t get to shore until about 5:20, so although it was comical to watch us pitch a fit with the crew members for taking too long and sprinting to the bus station with all of our luggage, we missed our bus. We had to give up our hotel and the 50 euro it cost and settle in for the night.

We spent about three hours being angry at the world and then decided to go to dinner in Old City and then go out to a bar or club (I asked “please no club”). DrewAnd joined us for pizza and beers in a little alleyway Italian spot where the pizza was delicious and the service was friendly. We then made our way across the Old City to EastWest, a bar which has no cover fee until midnight; we arrived at 12:01 and were denied entrance unless we forked over 50 kuna (about $9.50). We nixed that idea and headed over to the nightclub (sigh) Fuego, second titled “Latino Club” (aka my kind of place). I tried a Sex on the Beach for the first time and it was delicious, though they completely ripped me off as I had our resident alcohol expert try it and she told me that it had less than a shot in it. It was 38 kuna, or 8 dollars. The next time I asked for extra alcohol and received one with (according to our expert) about 2 shots for 13 kuna (2.5 dollars) more. I finished my drink and as DrewAnd went to the bar I asked him to get me another Sex on the Beach with extra vodka. He came back with a TWO FEET TALL Sex on the Beach and said “I don’t know what happened…sorry,” whilst laughing hysterically. I gave him about half the drink and marveled at how I was supposed to drink the concoction in front of me; the straws went up to the ceiling, after all! I sipped on it for the remainder of the night, as probably fifty more Semester at Sea people filled the club. I spent a social night (not dancing) on the basement level of the club, meeting a few new people and watching many people get sloppy and make out. We spent awhile there and left around 4 AM, making it back to the ship around 4:30; I was once again proud of myself, as I never stay up that late (I usually fall victim to midnight).

Dubrovnik, Croatia: Day 1

Tuesday was our first day in Dubrovnik, and it is by far the most beautiful port we have docked in yet.  Jill, Steph, and I got up for an 8 o’clock breakfast and then returned to a sleepy state until 11, when we left the ship to find something to eat and do a bit of exploring before our city orientations.  European restaurants seem to only serve food during certain hours, however, and we were not able to find any.  Instead, we stopped in several stores so I could buy some Croatian chocolate and biscuits (for all of you) and a towel (because it was silly of me not to bring one when I go to the beach every time I’m in port).

 

After eating a drab lunch on the ship, we all went on our separate city orientations (Steph and I to a synagogue, martime museum, and aquarium and Jill to churches and museums) in the “Old City” of Dubrovnik, which is almost like the town square or main street, with shops, restaurants, churches, etc.  Steph and I were horribly tired and it was (again) brutally hot, so we zoned for a good portion of the time.  Our first stop was a scenic hilltop overlooking the Dubrovnik coast, which was incredible.  We then explored a bit of the Old City, and visited the oldest Sephardic synagogue in western Europe.  There are only 44 people in the Dubrovnik Jewish community, and they don’t all even live there.  It was very tiny and very hot, so we only stayed a short while.  We then walked more into Old City to the maritime museum and aquarium, which were both small but interesting; the aquarium actually only held sea creatures from the Adriatic Sea.   Afterwards we had some free time, and Steph and I came upon a small group of stands selling homemade olive oils, honeys, and spices, where I bought some very delicious presents. 

 

After our trips, we napped and showered before returning to Old City for dinner.  We stopped at a relatively expensive place, where I ordered a mozzarella salad and shrimp risotto, but the salad was overpriced and the risotto was al dente, which is not my preference.  Steph and Jill liked their dinners very much, however, and thought the prices worth it.  Afterwards, we walked to the pier and saw that they were selling night boat tours of Dubrovnik and the island next to it for only 70 kuna each (about 12 dollars).  We got on a small boat that had a lit glass bottom (very fun to see the fish and rocks beneath) and headed out into the Adriatic.  After about thirty minutes our “guide” (the man directing the boat) asked us if we wanted to go swimming, to which Jill immediately replied “yes” and I immediately replied “no,” as seasickness had once again gotten the better of me.  Steph also agreed to go, and so our guide anchored the boat and they stripped to their skivvies and jumped in.  Almost immediately, our guide also stripped and jumped in after them (a comical sight, as he was a larger, hairy man).  I rested on the boat until the returned about fifteen minutes later and we headed back to shore.  

Some photos from Italy

Sorry, I don't have much time!  I cannot upload the rest of the pictures from Spain but I will upload several from Italy, including the hike up Mt. Vesuvius (the best part!).  They are out of order!

Naples, Italy: Days 1 and 2

We arrived in Naples yesterday morning (saying this makes me realize that time is a strange concept, as yesterday now seems like two weeks ago), and I awoke at 7 to get ready for my hike up to the crater of Mt. Vesuvius, the culprit of the 79 AD destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In actuality, I learned, it was not Mt. Vesuvius which erupted and destroyed these cities, but a different volcano whose name escapes me (it starts with an S).

We drove forty-five minutes from the port, through Naples, and up 3000 meters of the volcano. We got out and began walking up, stopping every few minutes to look at rocks (I think…I was marveling at the view) in the beginning of the hike. Then, however, we had a long stretch of straight incline, which flushed my face and numbed my calves. After about fifteen minutes of walking upwards, we stopped to decide if we wanted to go the tourist route (shorter and easier) or the crater route (more challenging and more expensive). Immediately, most of the group shouted for the longer trail while I remained silent. Leave it up to everyone else to hash out, because I was conflicted myself. Of course, we ended up taking the more difficult route, which ended up being, well, difficult.

We began by entering a small crevice in the cliff next to us, which opened up into an extremely tiny pathway. One step to the right would place you inside the volcano, and one step to the left would plummet you to the ground below (after much rolling). In the first few minutes I found myself shaking and fighting back tears, as it was the exact moment I realized I was afraid of heights. More so, I think, I felt trapped, as there were people behind and in front of me and I could not go left or right. When the guy behind me asked if I was scared of heights, I did not even answer because I couldn’t speak. After about ten minutes I grew some balls and discovered my hiking groove. We reached the top and looked into the crater (I wish we had more internet time, I would upload a picture!), which was AMAZING. Our guide led us down a little ways to demonstrate the actions of the volcano. He lit a cigarette and blew the heat into a small cave, from which steam immediately poured. As he was walking down off the path to a bigger cave, he slipped and banged into a rock (which we all gasped at), cigarette still in his mouth, and didn’t even flinch. It was the general consensus that our guide was insane, because he was not only chain smoking the entire hike, but he was virtually skipping down the volcano on the way back; I barely made it walking and nearly fell to my death countless times. It was challenging, of course, but absolutely the best thing I have done on this trip so far.

On the bus on the way back to the ship, I got a text from Corey (a Semester at Sea vet on his second voyage) asking me if Jill, Steph, and I wanted to go to Capri with he and his friends for the night. Jill and Steph were both on Semester at Sea sponsored trips, but I accepted. I showered quickly, threw a dress in my purse and left, having no idea what we were doing in Capri. We had to take a hydrofoil ferry (16 euro each way) to get to the island, and on the way I learned that swimming was what we were doing in Capri and I was absent-minded to not bring a swimsuit to an island.

When we arrived, I bought a 30 euro swimsuit and then we attempted to find a hotel. As it is summer, every hotel we checked was fully booked, so the only room we could find was a VERY expensive suite for two people. Corey offered to cover most of the price and he and I left our things there to help his friends find a different room. The entire ordeal took about three hours, after which I was dirty and exhausted. We showered, changed, and left for dinner. The gnocchi I ordered was too soft and not very flavorful, but the wine that we ordered was a delicious white. At one point, another group from Semester at Sea showed up and sat next to us, so we joined them. Around midnight, we left the restaurant to walk around Capri (the Beverly Hills of Italy; I could only dream of even walking into any one of the stores) and then headed back to our hotel with several people in tow. We went out again around 3 AM, and it was as crowded in the streets as it was at 3 PM; it was nicer, though, because I didn’t feel like my face was going to melt off or my feet were about to crumble. I fell asleep on the couch in our room at around 4 AM, and I must say that as an avid sleeper, I am incredibly proud of myself for staying awake nearly 24 hours yesterday!

We awoke this morning around 10 AM to visit the blue grotto (a famous cave area in Capri where the walls look blue) and swim. We ate lunch and found a private tour boat to take us around the island, including the blue grotto. The first hour or so was lovely; I sunned and we saw the white, red, and green grottos, the latter of which we swam through to the other side. I began feeling nauseous (damn you, spontaneous sea sickness!) about ten minutes before we reached the blue grotto, and by the time we arrived I was shaking and light-headed, fighting back vomit. To enter the blue grotto before 5 PM you must pay 10 euro to have a small rowboat take you through it. We got in the boat and paid for our tickets, and I had had enough. All I could say was “land…now” and the boys asked our guide to take me ashore to wait. I am sorry I missed the grotto because it is supposed to be amazing, but also (mainly) because they refused to refund my ticket.

After our tour was finished, I immediately begged to return to the ship, and the boys, feeling sorry for me, obliged. We returned close to 4 PM, and tomorrow we have one day of classes before CROATIA!

Civitavecchia, Italy: Day 3

My last day in Civitavecchia was very relaxing. I refused to let myself wake up until one, and decided to walk around the city a little. As soon as I left, however, I began melting, and I only made it halfway to the train station when I chose to stop my tour. On the road that leads to the port, there are several stands that sell alcohol and snacks, but what stuck out to me every time I walked by was that they give you half watermelons or cantaloupes with a knife and fork to enjoy. As I am fruit-obsessed and had drooled over these treats every time I walked by them, I figured that my last day was the perfect time to enjoy one. I sat by myself with a giant cantaloupe in front of me, and tried my best to take my time and not engulf it like I wished to. It was the perfect refreshment for such a disgusting day, ruined only when a man walking by with his son sneered at me and said “te gusta…” I’m fairly sure I turned an angry shade of red.

After my snack I was walking back to the ship when I ran into Andrew (who I call DrewAnd because my mind likes to process it as such) and some other SAS-ers, who were on their way to the beach. I had nothing else to do so I turned around to join them. We did not actually end up at the beach (good for me, because I wasn’t wearing a swimsuit), and instead sat beachside, at some tables next to a shack selling alcohol. I enjoyed a beer and some chips, and then a gelato with DrewAnd (this is making me wonder how I am losing weight..) before heading back to the ship on my own. Jill had left a note on my door (she had gone to Rome earlier in the day to meet a friend studying abroad) that she had had a bad day and was lying by the pool. I later found out that her friend never showed up and she had basically gone to Rome just to sweat and come back. We spent the rest of the day basking in the son before our ship left for Naples.

Civitavecchia, Italy: Day 2

We went back to Rome yesterday with no specific purpose in mind (sweet leisure!). Jill dragged me—kicking and screaming—from my bed at 10 AM (I didn’t go to bed until 3:30 and I’m too in love with my sleep to get only 6.5 hours of it) and we headed to the train station for the 1 o’clock train from Civitavecchia. We arrived and walked for what felt like twelve hours to the subway, which we took to the shopping district. We marveled at the people who could afford Valentino and Chanel and wondered…what do they do for a living? We bought nutella gelato and ate it on the Spanish steps, which were, of course, overrun with tourist demons!

I would like to interject here to just say that Europeans have got ice cream DOWN. In America they always give you too much ice cream, not enough cone; in Europe, however, they give you extra long sugar cones with just one scoop of gelato (and gelato is by far the most delicious invention—ever—and when paired with a cone…perfection!). On top of that, they eat these wonderful creations every day! Brilliant.

After gelato we window-shopped for a bit, but as I enjoy my sweets before my meals I immediately craved real food. We spent quite a deal of time on finding a place that was serving appetizers (all I wanted was some ham and mozzarella!), but it was 4 PM and most places were only serving pizza and drinks at that time. I saw one restaurant with a great deal of potential, but George Lopez was there and after Jill made her starstruck introduction to him she refused to return. We finally ended up at an alleyway Irish pub, where I had a Diet Coke for the first time in what seemed like forever (it was just as delicious as I hoped) and ordered crostini with prosciutto and mozzarella. Jill got a bruschetta sampler, and both of our snacks were amazing (and cheap!). Sitting next to us was a 25-year-old (liar! He was at least 30) Greek who went to Stanford for chemical engineering and was vacationing for the week. We talked to him our entire meal and at the end gave us his business card so that we could contact him in Greece when we go there. After we ate we made our way back to the metro and then the train to return to the ship to shower before going out.

At 10 PM, Jill and I, along with my roommate Amy, left the ship to get dinner. We settled into a café along the beach in Civitavecchia, which other Semester at Sea students had recommended. I could not decide what I wanted, but I told the waiter I loved cheese and he said he would take care of it; he returned with two plates: one with chunks of parmesan on it and another with sliced apples and pears. Obviously, this was my kind of meal and I was very happy; I also learned that real Italian parmesan contains more protein than steak and that I would be eating the equivalent of three hundred grams of T-bone with my meal. Jill had tortellini with meat sauce and Amy had a pepperoni pizza with sausage, both of which looked delicious (I steered clear of the beef). They barely charged me for the food (3 euro) but I believe overcharged me for the two beers I ordered (4 euro EACH!). We had a revolving door of waiters at our table, and they all seemed to get in trouble for talking to us too much. The young one even asked Amy to wait for him to get off work so they could go out. The Italian boys from the night before, at the request of Jill, met us at dinner and we left (waiter in tow) for a bar down the street. They ordered me the most giant beer I have ever seen, but it was dark and a bit too strong for my taste, so I switched with the person next to me so I could have a smaller, lighter flavor. At some point the waiter disappeared, and he didn’t return until after we finished our drinks to tell Amy he was going to go with his own friends (she did not like him much after that). We left around 1 AM to go back to the ship, where I watched a movie with Denzel and Forrest Whitaker about a debate team, which I still have not figured out the name of. Jill has left me for Rome for the day, but I am content to explore a little of Civitavecchia and get a gelato on my own before she returns. I want to relax, as tonight we leave for Naples and tomorrow and I am hiking to the top of Mt. Vesuvius!

Civitavecchia, Italy: Day 1

Yesterday we arrived at the port of Civitavecchia, Italy. Unfortunately, Jill and I were late returning to the ship on our last day in Cadiz (somehow we were the only two people on the ship who thought we had to be back at 8 PM and not 6 PM…) so we got “dock time” which basically means we cannot leave the ship for a certain amount of time in the next port. Because we were so late, we were supposed to be stuck on the ship for 15 (!!!) hours, but they went easy on us and dropped it down to 5 hours, likely because they thought it was funny how stupid we were.

We left the ship at 2:30 PM yesterday for Rome. The train was not until 4 so we had a little wait, which went by relatively fast. Unfortunately, the train was NOT air-conditioned (and Civitavecchia is smelly, hot, humid) and we spent the hour and a half train ride disintegrating. We missed our stop in Rome (St. Peter’s…the ONLY tourist destination I had any desire to see was Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel) and while waiting for the train back, it began TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR! Hail, people running for cover, the works! It was actually very funny and a nice change, as the rain allowed for us to do some internal cooling. While trying to board the train, the crowds all gathered together to be pelted by the rain, wind, and hail, and when I finally got onto the train I was soaking wet and sandwiched between several Italian people, clutching my purse like it was my baby with one hand and Jill with the other (between all the people touching me and the smell of mildew, I nearly suffocated on that train ride). Luckily we only had to go one stop (ha!) and once we got off we were fooled into thinking it had stopped raining (in truth, the storm had not yet reached that area!) and put off buying umbrellas—as we had brought our own, but they remained on the ship—until we were once again drenched. When we arrived at the Sistine Chapel, it was of course closed (we were two hours past closing), but because of the rain there was no line whatsoever (!!!) into St. Peter’s Basilica, and we explored that instead.

After the Basilica I had a much-needed phone conversation with James (sorry dad) for a few minutes before Jill forced my drudging self to the Parthenon and Trevi Fountain (at this point it had stopped raining and both places were overcrowded, which, for me, ruins what could be a beautiful experience). She promised me no more “being tourists” after the Coliseum on Friday, but I am skeptical! We stopped by Piazza Navona, Jill’s favorite place in Italy, for a minute or two and as I waited for Jill to complete the task of photographing two people from San Francisco, a man came up to me and instructed me to place my finger inside the string he was holding. I promptly said “no…thanks” but he simply laughed and asked why I was so mean, to which I replied that Jill was nicer. Five minutes later we were two Euros poorer and two bracelets made of string richer (whatever).

After some window shopping and a taxi ride to “close to the Termini!” Jill and I sat down to eat at a very good but VERY overpriced restaurant (wine is not so cheap in Italy as in Spain!). I had a 7 euro bowl of pasta e. fagioli and Jill had a 10 euro bowl of gnocchi with cheese, which she informed me was too plain and small to be worth close to fifteen American dollars. I agreed. We had a small bottle of Pinot Grigio (about half the size of a regular bottle) and water, and our bill was forty Euro! Sixty dollars! Madness. We took the 10:10 train back to Civitavecchia and as we were dragging our feet back to the ship, we came across Ben (18-year-old adopted little brother of Jill and I), another student of the seas. All he had to say was “want to come?” and we turned right around. It was around 11:30 PM and prime time for the high-schoolers and families, apparently. It was CROWDED on the street by the ocean but we found a table and bought three beers. We were eventually joined by two more Semester at Sea girls and later by four Italians our age, who spoke excellent English, which was a welcome change from the Spanish guys we met. The man selling us our beers asked me if I had a boyfriend, to which I said yes; he then proceeded to ask if I would like to get a croissant with him at 2 AM, to which I said “um.” At 1:45, as we were leaving, I told him I would be back and not to worry, which was most likely a lie.

So far, I think Italy is wonderful, but my heart pitter-pattered just a little bit more for Spain.