Umbria, ti voglio bene

My vacation was unforgettable, but of course the traveling couldn't end there. That's why this weekend I grabbed my camera and headed out with Claire and Bridget to two of Umbria's most interesting towns, Assisi and Spoleto. I'd been to Assisi before, but just as with Siena and Gubbio (the two other cities I've visited twice), things were very different the second time around.

The most peaceful church in Assisi.

The beautiful Assisi countryside.

Spoleto.

One of my favorite shots of the day.

Roman theater in Spoleto.

This was really, really cool!

Charlie Brown

The soundtrack to September around Europe.

Compleanno a Milano!

I spent my birthday weekend in Milan. Writing that is really weird, especially because I never expected that to be the case, even while here in Italy. In fact, I really had no intention of going to Milan before meeting my friend David (back in July in Perugia). The city seemed too industrial and cold to me. With good friends like David, though, I had a fantastic time there. Turns out it's a pretty cool place!

My good friend David! 

Atop the Cathedral of Milan (picture below).

Il quadrilatero di Milano, where all the fashion happens.

The Cathedral at night: simply beautiful. This was a great night.

The city of Como, about an hour train ride from Milan.

This beauty--I can't handle it!

A black and white shot to express serenity.

David and his brothers got me this gelato cake to celebrate my birthday on Sunday. It was fantastic, just like the entire weekend.

Their hospitality and kindness made that weekend truly great. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday away from home!

Spain: Stray Observations

If England surprised me in ways I wouldn't have expected, Spain did and more.

• Spaniards, at least in the Andalucia region, love to use the word for uncle/aunt as an exclamation, or to refer to a person (that guy/that girl). To my ear, most familiar with Mexican Spanish, it's such a weird way to use those words!
• At times I felt as if I might as well have been somewhere in the Arab world. Arabic influence in southern Spain is in-your-face, especially when it comes to the landmarks in Cordoba, Granada, Malaga, and Sevilla. (Pretend those have the accents on them...)
• In Barcelona, I felt very lucky to know both Spanish and Italian. It made reading and understanding the widespread Catalan much easier!
• Europeans love to tan. I mean, at least those in the Mediterranean do -- or, better yet, Spaniards and Italians. You'd be surprised how often I've seen them sporting a shade equal to or darker than my skin tone. 
• The lisp. Why, why? Hahaha.
• "Italians are an extreme. It has to be something with Mediterranean culture. At least we know how to have fun." -- A Spaniard on corruption in Spain's government and a comparison to Italy/Greece
• In Spanish, the word for lighthouse is always masculine (el faro). However, Malaga's lighthouse is referred to as feminine (la farolina).

La farolina.

• The Great Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba was breath-taking. It was a lot smaller than I had imagined, but just so beautiful.
• Eating at American fast-food places in Europe isn't such a good idea if you want to save money. True for Italy, as well as Spain.
• Spanish churros and tortillas aren't like their Mexican counterparts!
• Las Ramblas in Barcelona were spectacular. I regret not getting a picture. My favorite was La Rambla del Mar by far. 
• I think I could live in Barcelona. I wouldn't be too upset if that happened. :)

Tío, ¡qué bien!

After two days of rest after getting back from London, I was off once again. This time, I was heading to Spain for a week. Although I spent most of my time in the south, I did also get a few good days in Barcelona, further north. Here are a few pictures that, hopefully, faithfully portray the country's beauty.

La Sagrada Familia, perhaps the most representative landmark of Barcelona. Arguably Guadi's masterpiece. (Unfinished.)

Park Guell, another of Gaudi's works of art. 

A view of Barcelona from the top of Park Guell.

From Barcelona, I headed south to Malaga (again via Ryanair). This beautiful port city is the home of another good friend I got to reunite with!

This was really cool. I think it's supposed to represent the waves of the ocean. Oh, Malaga...

My friend Belen, her dog, and me near Malaga's historical center.

Sevilla, another gem of a city in the region of Andalucia. This is the cathedral.

This caught my eye. Inside the Real Alcazar in Sevilla.

Reminded me of Grand Rapids. Miss you, Grand River!

Cool bridge, right?

Granada, Spain. A look at the beautiful countryside from the Alhambra's gardens. 

Sample of the flowers found there.

My friend Natasha, who I was luckily able to meet up with in Granada!

Tasha snapped this...interesting...photo of me caressing the Arabic calligraphy on the walls of the Alhambra.

From outside the Alhambra. Granada is a wonderful city.

Cordoba!

The Great Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba!

I was so excited to see this, and I can say with certainty that I wasn't disappointed!

On my last night in Malaga, Belen and her daughter took a walk with me seaside. It was a great ending to an unforgettable time in southern Spain. One more night in Barcelona from there ended my adventure...

England: Stray Observations

I think whenever I do some international traveling here in Europe, I'll write one of these posts. You know, just to list off some things that really struck me. And we're off:

• "Cheers" was used so many times for so many different things. What would the American equivalent be?
• The Underground: it's fantastic! Getting around downtown London was incredibly fast and, contrary to what I originally thought, easy. It's like clockwork.
• When it comes to busy/fascinating streets in London, Regent Street and Oxford Street stood out. 
• The big screen at Piccadilly Circus screamed Times Square in New York. Which came first?
• Fish & chips, fish & chips! Oh, and English breakfast. What a contrast to the coffee & pastry combination that makes up a typical Italian breakfast.
• Bridget and I felt like listening to the Stonehenge audio guide was somewhat unnecessary. It harped on how no one knew anything about Stonehenge at all seven posts. 
• Watching cars drive on the left side of the road was...interesting. You really have to see that first hand.
• Urinals, right out in the street. The only other place I've seen that was in Spoleto, a month later. I completely understand the concept/reasoning behind them, I just think it might take some time to get used to it.
• There were a lot of Italians in London. Bridget, Claire and I joked we couldn't get away from them, haha.
• Once, on the way to Victoria Station, I saw an ad with Bear Grylls in the Underground. Made my day!

Cheers, mate

It's been about a month since I was in England (back in September), but I'm going to try and reconstruct some of the highlights either way. The two major sites I was in (London and Stonehenge) were fantastic and I'd definitely like to head back to England sometime in the future.

Banners from the Olympics still decorated the city. The Paralympics were actually going on during out stay. The colorful banners and flags really gave London a more international feel than usual, I bet. 

One of the first things we did after arriving was take the Harry Potter walking tour offered by the Big Bus company. The tour guide was really into his job, which made the experience so much cooler. He even led us to a store that specialized in making Harry Potter-themed candy.

The Union Jack.

A panorama of some of London's most famous landmarks, including the London Eye and Big Ben.

You'll be smitten.

One of the best parts of the trip was meeting up with my English friend, Eliot, and having dinner at Friday's, where I was surprised with a very early birthday cake. What a night!

Reunited.

Bridget and I made our way to Stonehenge on our second to last day in England. It's a truly beautiful site. It was also a good place to take some (outlandish) pictures!

Shrouded in mystery.

What is heritage?