When one door closes...

Well, everyone, although I am not done writing blog posts, my year-long adventure in Spain has come to an end. It's hard to believe that I am sitting here in the very airport that I nervously arrived to in September with high hopes. I had absolutely no idea the amazing experiences, knowledge, Spanish skills, and friendships I would return back to the States with 10 months later.

This has been a year that I anticipated and excitedly waited for for years. That being said, I had pretty high expectations for what I would get out of it all, and I have gotten absolutely everything I could have hoped for and more out of my time in Spain and Europe.

Sevilla was the perfect place for me to study abroad. The weather, culture, Spanish, size... everything. My host family really became exactly that--family. I made a new very close friend, Luisa, who just happens to be Spanish, and was able to hang out with her and her group of friends all year long, speaking Spanish and really getting to experience the culture head first. I met many Americans through my program who also changed my life, and I'm so grateful for them (Caela, Olivia, and Kathleen!!). I got to travel to EIGHT new countries and many cities throughout the wonderful country I've gotten to call home, mi querida España.

However, although this wouldn't have been possible without all of the people and places above, as well as my insanely incredible parents, the most amazing thing I am leaving Spain with is my new self. It sounds super cheesy, but I really am returning a whole new person, with an entirely new confidence, skill sets, view of the world, and all all-around greater happiness.

To get to the point of this post, I'll start out by saying that it's no secret that I have become totally obsessed with taking pictures of doors throughout Europe. I think every album of pictures I put on Facebook has at least one picture of an ornate door. I knew that at some point I wanted to write a blog post with pictures of some of the "highlights" of the doors I've encountered throughout the past year. When I got to thinking about what I would write about, I realized that it was the perfect metaphor for ending this life-changing experience.

"When one door closes, another door opens." Although this experience is over, I am excited to come back and take on the world with a smile, a more relaxed attitude, and hopefully lots of Spanish speaking! So, despite the sadness I feel right now as I'm sitting at the airport about to board a nine and a half hour flight, I am happy to close the door behind me, because I know that both what lies behind it and what lies ahead is full of excitement and adventure.

Madrid, Spain - September 2013

Sevilla, Spain - September 2013

Universidad de Sevilla (the entrance I walk in every day!)

Sevilla, Spain - October 2013

The 21st bday girl, Kathleen, at the Catedral de Sevilla

Sevilla, Spain - November 2013

Real Alcazar (Royal Palace in Sevilla)

Ben's Visit!

Rome, Italy - November 2014

Roman Forum (with Ben)

Fiesole, Italy - November 2014

Visiting my BFF Cara!

Paris, France - November 2014

Barcelona, Spain - December 2013

My beautiful mommy in the Casa Batlló (Gaudi's work)

Aracena, Spain - February 2014

With mi amiga Luisa

Chefchaoen, Morocco - February 2014

Assilah, Morocco - February 2014

Trujillo, Spain - February 2014 (???OR MARCH??)

Mi novia, Caela

London, England - March 2014

The Orangery for Afternoon Tea with Caela

Grazalema, Spain - April 2014

Sevilla, Spain - April 2014

The love of my life <3

Versailles, France - April 2014

Palace of Versailles

Palma de Mallorca, Spain - May 2014

With Caela and Luisa

Bruges, Belgium - May 2014

Solo Eurotrippin'

Amsterdam, The Netherlands - May 2014

The Heineken Experience

Lisbon, Portugal - May 2014

Castile de Sao Jorge

Lisbon, Portugal - May 2014

Almería, Spain - June 2014

With my next door neighbors from Libertyville

¡Adios, España! You will always be my home...
A

That time I traveled alone through Belgium...

A couple weeks ago now I embarked on my first official solo trip in Europe. Although I have done the "getting there" part of traveling alone countless times, I've always had someone I was meeting in any given destination. I had been hearing amazing things about Belgium throughout the past few months, so after my friend, Lindsay, and I made plans to meet in Amsterdam on Friday, May 16th, I realized that if I was going all that way, I might as well tack on a quick trip to Belgium.

Since Brussels is only about a 2 hour train ride away from Amsterdam, and I found I very cheap flight for Wednesday night, the 14th, I decided to go for it! I found a day trip that went to the two cities I'd been wanting to visit even more than Brussels--Bruges and Ghent. I figured that, since I was traveling alone, it would be all together less stressful and more fun to go with a tour group. 

So, after meticulously planning out every detail and printing out every piece of information/tickets I could possibly need, I left on Wednesday night on a direct Ryanair flight from Sevilla to Brussels. While in the air, I realized it was most likely my last Ryanair flight. I felt pretty accomplished. For those of you who don't know about Ryanair, it's an extremely low budget European airline. I started writing a blog post all about Ryanair that I will be posting within the next week. The title is in the works, but I think it's going to go something like "Thank you, Ryanair: A love/hate letter to the study abroad student's favorite airline." 

I got to my hotel in Brussels a bit after 11pm on Wednesday night, so I went right to sleep in preparation for my day trip that started at 8:30 the next morning. Turns out, I made an excellent decision to go with a tour group instead of completely by myself. On the bus on the way to our first stop, Ghent, I met two Canadian girls who are my age named Taylor and Kiera. We ended up spending the whole day together and meeting the next day for breakfast. Lindsay and I even met up with them a few days later in Amsterdam, since that was their next stop, too! 

Our first sight in Ghent was to Saint Bavo's Cathedral.

After fueling up with some tea with Taylor and Kiera, we joined the rest of the tour group for a walking tour through the city center. I was very impressed by our tour guide, who led our 60 person group in four different languages: English, Spanish, French, and Dutch. French and Dutch are the two primary languages spoken in Belgium--French in the South and Dutch in the North, where we were. In Brussels everything is totally bilingual, but in my observations it seemed a bit heavier on the French side.

After we finished seeing the beautiful architecture (including the castle above-wow!) that Ghent had to offer, we got back on the bus to head up to Bruges. I had heard several people rave about Bruges, so I have to be honest, I had pretty high expectations. My expectations were surpassed! It, along with Ghent, was one of the most unique places I've ever seen. The Flemish architecture is just so different than everything I've seen so far in Europe. I was so happy with my decision to tack on a trip to Belgium, and to make a day trip to Ghent and Bruges a part of it.

When we got to Bruges, we had some free time for lunch. Taylor, Kiera, and I had some soup and salad at a cafe and then did a little shopping before meeting our group for a canal boat cruise. Bruges has canals going through every corner you pass, so it was a wonderful way to see the city.

Our tour then headed to Our Lady's Church, where we saw on of Michelangelo's only works outside of Italy, the Madonna and Child. 

The rest of our time in Bruges consisted of lots of walking around, shopping, and checking out various chocolate shops. Belgian chocolate is pretty famous around the world, and, I must say, the real thing did NOT disappoint! I got a small box for myself and a larger box to take home to my host family, especially since my two new roommates who are here for a 4 week summer program were going to be there when I got back! (More on them in a future post, but we are getting along very well and are taking a little day excursion down to Cádiz tomorrow!)

After a 2.5ish hour bus ride back to my hotel in Brussels, I got ready for one of the experiences I was weirdly looking forward to: going out to a sit down dinner by myself. Seems like something a person (especially a people person like me) wouldn't exactly look forward to, but for me it was the ultimate experience of realizing how far I have come throughout the past year.

This year has been invaluable in terms of personal growth. Obviously my passion for the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures has been able to grow tremendously, but the biggest gain I will leave this whole experience with is greater independence, confidence, and overall fulfillment as a person. And for some reason, going out to a nice dinner by myself and enjoying it was something that made me realize how much I've grown. So, I put on some bright red lipstick, freshened up my curls, and went to a restaurant I found on Lonely Planet after doing a bit of a self-guided walking tour throughout the city center. 

I enjoyed some Belgian Leffe beer and the local specialty of beef stew with fries. I thought it was going to be a bit too heavy for me, but it was actually amazing and flavorful. The waiters kept me company throughout lots of the meal, and the rest of the time was mostly occupied with people watching from the window and thinking. The waiters were intrigued why such a young girl was all alone at a sit down dinner. I explained to them that I was meeting my friend the next day and decided to tack on a trip to their beautiful country. I think they liked my answer (or just me?), because they asked to take pictures with me. 

Thumbs up to an awesome dinner in Brussels!

The restaurant had a whole window filled with beautiful pies, so I decided to get one to go (since I was stuffed) and enjoy it in my fluffy hotel bed! I got a great night's sleep and checked out of my hotel in the morning before taking my stuff to meet my new Canadian friends at a waffle place I had read about online. I got a Leige waffle with cherries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was amazing, and made me wish I had one more morning in Belgium! I am insanely lucky to have gotten to try it at all, though, and to have had the opportunity to casually go to Belgium for 36 hours. 

And thus ended my time in Belgium! I boarded a 2 hour train to Amsterdam and arrived at the airport just in time to meet my friend Lindsay. We had an excellent four(ish) days in Amsterdam that I will be writing about later today! Slowly, slowly catching up.

<3 A

Keep Calm & Go to London

We meet again, Ailie Abroad! Sometimes life just picks up and gets the best of me, but I am going to do my very best to write more--if not just for all of you, but for my future self.

I am back from one of the best trips of my year abroad: London. It was the international trip included in my program this semester, so I have been looking forward to it for months. I knew I was going to like London--everything regal, lots of tea, the big, fast-paced city feel... But I was shocked at just how much I liked it. The only way I can describe it is that it was a lot more "special" than I thought it was going to be.

It felt a bit like home--not only because of the English everywhere (which was pretty hard to soak in, and I ended up responding with "si" a few times...), but because of some reason I can't quite put my finger on. It was a much faster-paced city than Sevilla, which was actually refreshing for my fast-walking self, but it was still more than just that. I just had a feeling like, wow, I could totally see myself here. The list of places where I want to live is really getting long, though. (But, hey, isn't it a good thing to be open to exploring and living in lots of different places?)

Thursday

We got to London in the late afternoon on Thursday. We were staying in the Paddington area on a cute street with lots of small hotels. My friend Caela and I decided to take the tube (London's subway) out to the well known shopping area of Regent Street and Oxford Street to do a bit of shopping before the stores closed. Among the highlights were Topshop and Liberty of London, where we both did some damage on presents for our families. Liberty of London is my new obsession- Thanks, Caela! ;)

We headed to dinner at a place called Jackson + Rye in the Soho area that Caela had read about on one of her favorite blogs, A Piece of Toast. There was a long wait, so we decided to have dinner at the bar. It was the greatest decision ever, because we ended up having an amazing night talking to all the people around us and the bartenders. We tried lots of new drinks (a few too many...), and ended up staying out much later than planned. It was definitely worth it, though, because we both talked about how we will remember that night for a long time. We loved Jackson + Rye so much that we ended up going back for dinner on our last night. I am going to write a separate post just about all of the food I ate this weekend, because it was all incredible.

Friday

On Friday, we woke up with an unpleasant combination of headaches and exhaustion, but we decided to push through and embark on a lovely day of sightseeing. Our first stop was St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in the world. (Fun Fact: the Seville Cathedral is actually bigger!) 

We then walked across the super modern Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that, as goes the name, opened in the year 2000. We took a peak in Shakespeare's Globe Theater, and ended up having lunch at an adorable spot right next to the Globe Theater and the Thames River called Swan Bar. It was a very chic place fit with a perfectly stylish clientele. We enjoyed some delicious salads and guzzled water in attempts to get rid of our hangovers. 

View walking down from the Millennium Bridge

After lunch, we went to the Tate Modern Museum. It is the most-visited modern art museum in the world, and had some pretty cool collections. It also had some really weird pieces of art, namely the sculpture pieces, but I suppose that's modern art for you! After the Tate, we met up with our group for a private tour of the British Museum. It should probably be called the "Everything the British stole from everyone else" museum, but it was pretty incredible nonetheless. The British Museum documents the creation and beginnings of civilization, so there were a ton of Grecian and Egyptian pieces. We even got to see the original Rosetta Stone!

Modern art or just some sheets of mirrored glass? You decide.

The British Museum

Then came the highlight of the whole weekend, and the moment I had been looking forward to all year: afternoon tea! After extensive research, we decided to book afternoon tea at The Orangery. It is located in the Kensington Gardens in a building that was built as Queen Anne's garden house in 1704. The history and building are amazing, and I will go into much more detail in my separate blog post about food! There is just too much to say, but I can tell you that it was a total dream come true.

When we finished our tea, we decided to continue living like royals and head over to Harrods, London's famous, high end department store. It was huge, so we ended up going back the next day to see more! We ended Friday night at another delicious restaurant in the Soho area called Cote. 

Saturday

On Saturday, we did our best to wake up early and get moving. We started our day at Picadilly Circus, a road circle that is London's answer to the Times Square scene. From Picadilly circus, we walked to Fortnum & Mason, another famous department store that is known for their tea. It was pretty much tea shopping heaven inside, and I ended up getting a tin of a loose tea blend called "Jubilee" and a tin of Earl Grey tea bags. I'll definitely be keeping the beautiful tins once I finish the tea!

After grabbing some tea (and iced coffee for Caela!) at Pret (which seemed to be everywhere in London), we walked to Trafalgar Square to go to the National Portrait Gallery. This museum is home to many beautiful portraits, namely those of the royal family. We saw beautiful pictures of Kate Middleton, Princess Diana, Prince Charles, and more. 

We hopped back on the tube and headed over to the Tower Bridge to catch some beautiful views of the city. We ended up getting lunch at a cute restaurant along the river with views of the bridge. It was a gorgeous day, so we were able to sit outside to take it all in and people watch.

View from lunch!

After we devoured some amazing burgers, we were back on the tube yet again heading to the Westminster area. We walked around a bit and saw Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, and Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey

Our last stop in the area was Buckingham Palace, which was enormous and more regal than I could've imagined. Just the gate itself was pretty freaking royal...

A pretty great travel buddy :)

Saturday ended with our second trip to Harrods, a bit more shopping, and then another night in Soho. We got a drink at a bar and then headed back to Jackson + Rye for our last dinner there. We had more great talks with the people around us, more delicious food, and more drinks (although we toned it down a little so we wouldn't feel like we did Friday morning...)

Sunday

I woke up on our last day in London with a bittersweet feeling. I love Sevilla, and it truly feels like home to me know, but I really would have loved about two more days in London. London is just huge, so there is no way to see everything you want to see in one weekend. Caela and I decided to make the most of our last few hours in London by going to Camden Market. Camden Market is a big area of different markets selling anything from clothing, souvenirs, and art prints to food and drinks. The Camden area seemed a bit more artsy and alternative, so it was interesting to see a different side of London. 

We walked around Camden Market for about two hours until we realized we weren't quite hungry enough for lunch just yet. So, we decided to head back by our hotel to walk around more in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. We ended up getting lunch at a cute little cafeteria on the bottom floor of Kensington Palace, where we realized that we had lost track of time and had to rush back to meet our group at the hotel to leave a 3 pm. We ended up getting a quick telephone booth shot, since I had been looking for a good place to take a picture in one all weekend.

After a long wait in the airport and a less-than-smooth Ryanair flight, I got back home after midnight. Thus, it has taken me till today to recover and write this (now pretty long) post. 

I set a 5 year time limit to go back to London. I think that's pretty reasonable, right? I would love to see more of the English/Scottish/Irish countryside like my parents did on their honeymoon, so I think I can make it happen. :)

Thanks for reading everyone. Cheerio!

A