Ghost Ridin in Granada

  Over the past month I have spent the majority of my time outside of Valencia traveling around Europe.  Now that school is ending and finals are coming up I will be spending the rest of my time here in Valencia.  But before I could finish my travels of Europe I had to visit my fraternity brother, Esteban, in Granada.  Following his example we rented a car to travel the 600 km from Valencia to Granada.  It was a 6 hour drive with a 15 euro toll each way.  We were all really taken back when the toll lady asked for 14.80 euros instead of a couple cents.  I never knew tolls could be so expensive.
  We arrived in Granada thursday night and checked into our surprisingly nice hostel.  It has been the cheapest hostel we have stayed at but one of the nicest.  We had our own room with huge lockers.  The kitchen was really nice and allowed us to cook a good dinner the first night.
  After dinner we met up with Esteban and headed to a big beer festival that had been going on all week.  It was located in Granada's plaza de toros.  But instead of getting into the beer festival we ended up in a club located in the plaza de toros.  After realizing this is the place we didn't want to be, we decided to save the beer festival for the next night and enjoy our time at the club.
  The next morning we met up with our free tour guide, Esteban, who led us around Granada and took us to all the important sites.  We also were able to experience our first tapas bar.  Granada has the best tapas bars in the world...fact.  It costs 2 euros to get a beer and a large tapa.  There is nothing like that here in Valencia, so we took advantage of this and had tapas for dinner the next two nights.
  But before we were able to enjoy our first dinner of tapas the four of us took the car up the Sierra Nevadas.  It was one of the coolest things I have done in Spain.  We were able to reach one of the ski resorts at the top and enjoy some PB&J looking out over the mountain range.  After lunch we headed down the mountain and got blessed a rainbow.
  So if this day trip wasn't good enough we spotted one of the large black bulls that is one of Spain's most popular images.  We couldn't let this opportunity pass so we took a side road to the bull and took some pics.  Off in the distance was also a huge lake in the middle of the mountain range with the most blue water I have ever seen in a lake.
  Returning back from the mountain, our first mission was to park the car.  When we finally found a spot we were yelling our excitement about finding a spot which attracted a bit of attention from people on the side walks.
  Dinner was tapas from the best tapas bar in Granada, Bar Establo.  After dinner we botelloned in one of the plazas and some monkey business ensued including climbing light polls.  I made 10 euros that night from bets.
  The next day, Saturday, was our best day in Granada.  We barely made it to our 2 PM tour of La Alhambra because we were a bit hungover.  An old Moorish fortress taken over by the Catholic Monarchs, La Alhambra is the main attraction of Granada.  It is definitely worth seeing this sight because it is tied directly to the history of the city of Granada.  As if seeing La Alhambra wasn't good enough, I met my freshman year high school english teacher, Mr. Nicholas, on the top of the Alcazaba(the citadel of La Alhambra).  After reminding Mr. Nicholas who I was we made some small talk and parted ways.  Still amazes me that I met him there...wow.  We continued to see all the really cool gardens of La Alhambra that had a lot small pools and fountains.  And that would end our tour of La Alhambra.
  After a siesta it was time for another dinner of 2 euro tapas.  But we had to rush because we were meeting up with a tour guide to go to hot springs.  Our crew from Valencia with Esteban and two girls he studies got into a van with a crazy hippy lady and headed to the hot springs.  But before we could get to the hot springs we had to transfer cars into an old safari vehicle.  I swear that thing was from the 70s, she could barley get it started.  When we finally arrived at the hot spring we were surprised to notice that no one was wearing a swim suit, so rather than stand out we joined them and did some skinny dipping in the hot springs.
  We had to get up early the next morning to get back to Valencia so after the hot spring we said our goodbyes and headed back to the hostel.  The next morning we had an early start and hit the road.  The return trip was smooth and now I am back to stay in Valencia (except for an Italy trip in June).  As I won't be traveling too much my blog posts may be less frequent but I will doing more stuff around Valencia so check in every now and then to see what I'm up too.

Esteban, my two Wisconsin friends, and I with La Alhambra in the  background

Our first tapas bar...delicious

Ski town in the Sierra Nevadas...still a little snow left

Lunch looking over the mountain range

In the Sierra Nevadas with the blue lake

On the edge of a cliff with a small town in the background

Riding the bull

La Alhambra

Pic of the Sierra Nevadas from La Alhambra

Gardens of La Alhambra

After the hot springs we climbed on top of the jeep to take pics

Our trusty Skoda Fabia

One of the Best Cities in the World: Paris

  This past weekend I spent 3 days in Paris and it was probably one of the coolest cities I have ever seen.  Our hostel was a piece of crap but it was clean.  We rarely spent any time there other than to sleep.  So basically we would spend 15 hours a day traveling around Paris.
  Our first day was the longest because we had to be up around 4 AM in Valencia to catch our flight to Paris.  As is common with Ryan Air, the airport we flew into was an hour drive from downtown Paris, so that was a pain in the butt.  But once we arrived we grabbed a quick snack of bread and cheese and headed to the Eiffel Tower.  Like many other things I have seen in movies, actually seeing it in person is a whole new thing.  It was incredible!  The lines to the top were too long for us so we decided to relax in the park next to the tower.  It was a beautiful day so we sat for a while and basked in the glory of the Eiffel Tower.  After an hour or two we headed away and grabbed some pictures of us with the tower in the background.  We wandered around for a bit eventually coming to the Cavalry Museum that had some nice gardens.  Our next stop was the Museum of D'Orsay.  This was a free art museum with some pretty cool paintings but nothing compared to what we would be seeing tomorrow.  We finished our day with a bottle of wine relaxing in the Louvre Gardens.
  Sunday was the big tourist day.  Our first stop, Musee du Louvre.  We were able to skip the lines and get in for free by passing as EU students, so it all worked out really well.  The art and sculptures in the Louvre are incredible and there is no way for me to write about all the stuff I saw.  You are just going to have to go for yourself one day.
  Our day continued with some crepes and gyros. Yum!  We then went to the Catacombs of Paris where 6-8 million bodies are buried.  The history is that in the 1800s Parisians were getting sick becuase the cemeteries weren't built properly so they built these huge underground catatcombs where all the bodies were moved.  Basically we walked through half a mile of 10 ft. of bones lining both walls.  It was a different side of Paris that I think most people don't see.
  On a brighter note, we then went to see Notre Dame.  It is a really cool place and we were able to go inside and check it our.  We arrived just before a service was about to start so I stayed for a bit to hear some of the music.  It was awesome to hear the bells and organ of Notre Dame.  We had a nice dinner that night of onion soup, steak with pepper sauce, and ice cream.
  Our third day, my favorite day, was very busy but everything we did was awesome.  First stop was to see the Arc of Triumph and the Champs Elysees.  It was a cloudy so not as magnificent as in the movies but cool to see.  Next stop was back at Notre Dame where we paid a little to go to the top to look at the bell towers and see all over Paris.
  But my favorite by far were the Gardens of Versailles.  It was a 30 minute train ride to Versaille and a quick walk to the Summer Palace and Gardens from the train station.  It was free to get in but I would easily have paid good money to get in.  When we first got there it was a cloudy, cool day but after a bit of walking around the sun broke through and it was like we were in a whole new place.  We had brought along a couple bottles of wine and snacks, so we had a little picnic right on the edge of the pond.  We spent a couple hours there relaxing in the sun.  We had an early flight the next morning so we headed back to the hostel and went to sleep.  After waiting for our delayed flight the next morning we were back in Valencia.
  Like I've said before Paris is one of the best cities of the world.  For anybody who hasn't visited it yet I highly suggest you go.  And I would be more than happy to accompany you and be the tour guide.

Eiffel Tower

Louvre Gardens

Inside the Louvre

Mona Lisa

Cool painting

Creepy statue

Me and Julius Caesar

Outside the Louvre

The Catacombs

Notre Dame

Arc de Triomphe (Arc of Triumph)

View of Paris from the top of Notre Dame

Gardens of Versaille

Eiffel Tower at night

Locura in Ibiza

 Two weekends ago I spent 5 days in Ibiza with 900 other exchange students.  It was a crazy time to say the least.  

Our day:
2 PM: Wake up and quick breakfast
2:30 - 5: Pool party and beers
6-9: Nap, relax, dinner
10: Start partying
1-2 AM: Enter club
4-5 AM: Leave club
6 AM: Sleep

Repeat.

So as you can see we were living a really tough life.  But it definitely starts to hurt around the 4th day.  But I went to some of the coolest parties I have ever been to.

Our first night was on a ferry that took us from Valencia to Ibiza.  There was a big party on the top of the boat that lasted the whole 6 hours of travel.  We arrived to Ibiza around 3 AM but we didn't get our room till 5.

Second night was a foam party where they had 3 ft of foam in the patio of this club and everyone was covered in foam.

Third night was a water party.  The club looked like an old greek bath with marble everywhere.  Fountains of water started spraying in the main pool area around 430 AM.  We all left the club soaking wet and then had to take a 20 min bus ride back to the hotel.

Fourth night was at one of the most popular clubs in the world, Pacha.  It is where David Guetta became famous and was definitely a really cool club.

Our fifth and final night was at this club called Space.  It was a great way to end the trip.  But getting up at 11 AM the next morning to catch the boat home wasn't too fun.

I have plenty of crazy stories to go around so next time you see me ask me about how crazy Ibiza was.

Picture of the pool and beach from our balcony

Don Felipe's Euro Trip

Spring break in Spain is known as Semana Santa.  During this week there are many religious festivals and parades.  Instead of staying in Spain five friends and I traveled to four cities across Europe.  The cities included Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, London, and Dublin.

Beginning of my trip with my small backpack

Dusseldorf
   Dusseldorf is a smaller German city on the Rhine river.  It is not a well known city around the world but we were definitely able to experience the German culture there.  The food was excellent.  We were able to try true German bratwurst and schnitzel.  Not only was the food delicious but the beer was also very good.  The common beer to drink in Dusseldorf is call "Altbier".  In my opinion, it was nothing more than a lager with a bit more flavor.  But the Weissbier couldn't be beat.
  We were lucky to experience Dusseldorf on one of the best nights of the week, Wednesday.  It seems that everyone aged 18-50 goes to beer halls all over Dusseldorf after work till about midnight.  The street we were on was so packed with people that cars couldn't drive through.  This was one of my favorite nights of the trip.
  The tallest building in Dusseldorf is the "Rheinturm", which is the largest digital clock in the world.  It is a large spire that lights up at night to display the time.

My first meal in Dusseldorf: bratwurst and a beer

Hanging out next to the Rhine

View of Dusseldorf with Rhineturm in the background

View of Dusseldorf from the Rhineturm

The crew

Schniztzel and Weissbier

The street packed with people

Amsterdam
   After two days in Dusseldorf we took the train to Amsterdam.  It was about a 6 hour journey but it allowed us to see the German and Dutch countryside.  We arrived in Amsterdam without any idea of where our hostel was located.  So as we wandered along the canals and took in the sights of downtown Amsterdam.  All of a sudden I looked to my left to find that we were right in the middle of the Red Light District.  Despite all the stories and movies, seeing the Red Light District for the first time with my own eyes is something I will never forget.
   After all the tourist activities like doing a tour of the Heineken factory, Anne Frank house, and a canal tour, we were able to experience the more normal Dutch culture.  We were blessed with warm, sunny days that we spent hanging out in the parks with hundreds of Dutch.  Another popular custom in Amsterdam is to take your boat out at night with food, drinks, and a couple friends and cruise up and down the canals.  If I ever lived in Amsterdam I would definitely have to get a boat and participate in the nightly cruises.
   Easter sunday was spent attending a catholic church service in spanish.  It honestly seemed like a baptist church service with lots of singing and clapping but in spanish. After the service we were able to enjoy some good English breakfast of eggs, toast, beans, sausages, and real bacon.  Anther memorable meal was the night we went to a pancake house for dinner.  The restaurant we went to was owned and run by one lady.  I ordered a belgium waffle with chocolate sauce, banana slices, and whip cream.  This waffle is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted, even beating out a freshly cooked Krispy Kreme doughnut.  I could feel the sugar crystal in my mouth while I was chewing, that's how sugary it was.
  Our hostel experience in Amsterdam was what really tired us out.  In order to get the best prices we decided to move hostels frequently.  This ended up not being the best decision as we had to be up by 930 and checked out by 1030.  We stayed in rooms with 12, 16, and 20 beds.  So we really got the true hostel experience.

Canals of Amsterdam

Outside of the Anne Frank house

House boats on the canal

20 bed hostel room

Relaxing in the park

London
   As I mentioned in a previous blog post, London is incredibly expensive.  So after the previous week in Dusseldorf and Amsterdam and having my debit card eaten by an ATM in Amsterdam, I was definitely feeling strapped for cash.  But despite my situation I was able to see a lot of the sights I saw last time including some new ones.
   I experienced more bad luck our second day when I got separated from the group.  But it did allow me to do my own thing.  I was able to enjoy a good lunch with an english ale after checking out the Globe theater.  Ithen proceeded  to 221 Baker Street.  This is the address of the consulting services of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.  The tour through the house was really cool and I picked some souvenirs for my super-fan dad.  After I took a quick tour through the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.  Both were really cool and I could have spent hours there but I was so tired that I just had to get off my feet.  That night we were able to see "All's Well That Ends Well" at the Globe Theater.  It was a great play, which we spent on our sore feet.  The one thing I did miss from not being in the group was the performance by Natasha Bedingfield at the Tower London.  They have some great pictures with her.
   After the play we spent the night in the Stansted airport to catch our flight early the next morning to Dublin.  My first night spent at an airport, and definitely not my last.
  We were in London the day before the Royal Wedding and we could already see how crazy the city was getting.  A lot of security everywhere and tons of tourists.  It would have been really cool to see the royal wedding but we were only a country away in Ireland when it happened.

With Holmes and Watson

Me and the stage at the Globe Theater

Dublin
  Dublin was bigger and dirtier than I expected.  Outside of the central tourist area, everything was split up.  Our first tour was of Kilmainham jail, which was the jail that housed and executed almost every Irish revolutionary in Ireland's history.  It was interesting to notice how much of Ireland's history was tied to this prison.
  Other than the jail there is only one other popular thing to do in Dublin and that is the tour of the Guinness factory.  This tour is the coolest brewery tour I have ever been on.  The history that surrounds the Guinness name is best learned at the brewery.  And, of course, there is nothing better than ending the tour with a nice pint of Guinness.
  Our time in Dublin also included a Pub Crawl.  In Dublin there is a whole neighborhood devoted to pubs and clubs called Temple Bar.  Our pub crawl took us to 5 different pubs.  Some of the beers I was able to enjoy were Guinness, Smithwicks, and Harp.  All great Irish beers that completed my time in Dublin.
  But we couldn't stay cooped up in Dublin for long because we took a 30 minute train north of Dublin to the coastal town of Howth.  Not only does Howth have the coast but also cliffs.  We brought a picnic of sandwiches and Irish cider with us and set up on top of one of the hills and enjoyed a 360 degree view of Howth.

The Liffy River running through the center of Dublin

2nd oldest neighborhood in Dublin

Kilmainham jail

Outside the Guinness Storehouse

Howth

Sunset in Howth

Stansted
  After flying back to London for a 24 hour layover we decided to book a B&B in the town of Stansted.  It was a great place connected to the owner's house.  We spent the afternoon watching TV and just relaxing.  In the morning the owner gave us a ride back to the airport and then we were on our way back home.

B&B in Stansted

  Food was another important aspect of the trip and we took the cheapest route when it came to eating, other than the few times when we went out to eat.  We were lucky with many of our hostels offering breakfast.  We took advantage of this and made sandwiches for lunch, which saved us a lot money.  The majority of our lunches and dinners were sandwiches.  All I wanted when I got back to Valencia was a nice cooked meal.
  Also, as you can see from the first picture, I traveled for 12 days with a 36 L backpack.  Because of weight restrictions placed on hand luggage by Ryanair I had to keep the backpack weighing less than 10 (22 lbs).  With all the souvenirs that I planned on buying this seemed an almost impossible task but by the end of the trip by bag weighed only 10.5 kg.  I'm not 100% sure what I started at but I would guess around 9 kg.  So I am very happy that I was able keep the weight down.

So this has been a long recounting of my journeys but there are still more stories that I will be glad to share with everybody when I get back to the States.