Ready to go home

So looking back at it all I am glad that I did it and I would do it again. I have decided to make a list of the top ten things I learned in Europe:

10. Everyone in Europe smokes.

9. If you see a drunk person in Rome….be ready to defend yourself.

8. Rome is also a good place to pick up chicks.

7. Yes, Some hostals will make you sleep with one eye open.

6. If you say that you going to do a blog, you won’t keep up with it.

5. Subways and buses smell.

4. Don’t set a budget because once you get over there…..you will forget about it.

3. The Euro Rail is the way to go.

2. If a bartender offers you free shots for your birthday…….ask what it is first.

1. Spain can party harder than any other country in the world!

And with that I am DONE!

Geneva, Switzerland

The train ride was ok but I didn't realize how big lake Geneva was. We must have been next to it for at least 2 hours. They don’t use the euro in Switzerland so I had to get some more money. The Swiss-franc is actually less than the dollar….I was happy to see this until I saw the price of everything. I bought a quarter pounder with cheese meal and it cost me 11.50 francs….that is about a $10 McDonalds meal! I didn't eat that much in Geneva.

The next day I went on a tour of CERN. I must say that I was a little disappointed. They didn't let me see any of the labs or the accelerator its self. I did get to see the control room though. I bought a key chain and headed out the explore Geneva. The fountain is really cool and a lot of the buildings are. I bought a lot of souvenirs for people back home and I bought myself a real Swiss army knife and Swiss army bag. These are two of the things that I really wanted. So the next morning I boarded a plane and went back to Madrid for the night. I got my big bag out of the locker that I rented and when I got to the hotel I started to figure out how I was going to get everything home. I ended up throwing some cloths out and my bag ended up being 1 pound under the limit.

Salzburg, Austria

Well, the train ride to Salzburg was just as amazing as the day before. I was able to find my hostal pretty easy and I headed out to explore the town. Out of every place I have been, this is the most peaceful. I found the city center and walked around all of the shops, saw the cathedral, and just explored the city. I bought a ticket to go up to the fortress that sits at the top of the hill overlooking Salzburg. That was really cool and I was able to overlook the entire city and even into Germany a little bit. After I spent a few hours up there I headed back to the hostal to rest and get ready for the next day.

Today I booked a tour of Hitler’s Eagles’ Nest! I was really excited to see this. I have heard good things and seen some great pictures but I wanted to see it for myself. What I didn't know is that Germany is 20 minutes from Salzburg. The town right across the border is where the Eagle’s Nest is. It was just a amazing as all of the movies and pictures that I have seen. I thought that since I was near Germany I better get some WWII history in the mix.

I went back to the hostal and cleaned up a little bit. I decided that I would buy myself to something nice so I went and picked up a real Austrian beer stein that I had seen the day before. It cost quite a bit but I really liked it and thought it would be a good souvenir. I meet a few people in the hostal and we found a good Irish pub to watch the world cup. I pretty much have watched every game that I could. I think that I have become a fan of soccer. Tomorrow I go to Geneva, I hope the train ride is full of the alps.

Innsbruck, Austria

So I had to say in Innsbruck Austria for a night because I couldn't make it to Salzburg in one day. I really liked the train ride though. That alone was worth staying there. This was the first time that I had seen the Alps and I was in heaven. I hope that the rest of Austria is this beautiful.

Florienze, Italy

So, I flew into Milan and took the train down to Florence. I was really looking forward to this part of my trip because it was going to be real relaxing. You can see everything in Florence in about 2 days but I was there for 3 so I could relax. I went and saw the Duomo and climbed the tower and the dome to the church. I was went to Michelangelo part in the day and at night so I could get a panoramic view of Florence. I found a museum housing a lot of Galileo’s inventions and housed a lot of his history. That was really cool though. I went to Ponte Vecchio Bridge also. I gave myself some extra days in Florence so I could go to Pisa and see the leaning tower. It is kind of cheesy but I wanted to go there. I also went to San Gimignano, that was second favorite town. San Gimignano is an old medieval town that has many 5 story sky scrapers that they built out of stone. I paid 5 EU and climbed the tallest tower there. When I got to the top I was able to look out at rolling hills for as long as the eye could see. I took a lot of pictures and I will always remember that moment. I went back to Florence so I could pack and for Austria!

Study Abroad Program

Well, the program is now over and everything went great. I was in class for 4 days a week for 4 hours per day. It was pretty interesting going to class and then going into Madrid for the afternoon. I did that a lot. They took us on several day trips during the past 4 weeks.

First they took us to Segovia. It’s a really nice small Spanish town. Segovia has two great features about it. First, it has a very old castle, one of two that they used to design the Cinderella castle after. The castle was very intact. They let us walk around the inside and even go up to the tower to and get a great overview of the town and the country side. The second this about his town is that it contains an old roman aqua duct within it. That this is very cool and impressive. They have done a little restoration on it to keep in intact, but it still looks like it did back in the day. We did that in the morning. In the afternoon we went to El Scorial. This is one of the oldest Spanish towns that contains the cathedral that houses all of the Spanish kings and queens. That thing was very cool. This cathedral was like a small town! It had everything you can think of. It also contains the 2^nd biggest Catholic church. Originally, the church was going to be bigger than the Vatican. However, Vatican law states that no Catholic church can be bigger that St. Peters. We got to see all of the past Spanish kings and queens tombs. We even got to see the area where the current king and queen will be buried.

The next day we went to Toledo. A lot of people told me to go to this town if I go to Spain. I understand why. This was one of the coolest towns that I have ever been to. This town is surrounded by one of the biggest rivers in Spain. We were there during the celebration of Corpis Cristi, it’s a Catholic holiday. They take a big gold and diamond box thing and march it around town. You need to Google it, it’s pretty cool. This town is also know globally for it’s sword making. This was a really awesome town.

The last trip that we took was to Barcelona. This was a weekend trip though, the others were day trips. This weekend was a blast. We got to take the bullet train to get there from Madrid. That thing is really cool. They took us to see a lot of art by the artist Gaudi. He actually designed a park there that is really cool. We went to his house that is very unique. It was very cool though. He also designed one of the coolest cathedrals ever. It is still under construction which was cool to see. It is of classic Gothic style. That is one of the reasons why I really liked it. Gaudi designed most of it but he was killed before eh could finish it. So one half of the church doesn't match the other half. It still looks really cool though. I was able to go the beach there for a little bit an I even went to an Ice Bar. Its funny because they have to keep the beer is a separate room because it will freeze if they keep it in the bar. It was pretty cool to have a beer from freezing while you are drinking it…..I had to drink it fast. OU gives us a free a weekend so we can go anywhere we want with some friends. I ended up deciding to go back to Roma. I know a bunch of people that were going and so I was going to be Rick Steve’s for the weekend. It was fun though. When I went before I was by myself so it was fun to go with some friends. I would say that all and all it was a good study abroad program. I just didn't like the school part. Now it is time for the second part of my trip.

Spain Week 1

I was able to get some sleep on the plane over the Madrid which put me in a better mood. Sleeping in an airport really sucks. I was able to find the representative from the university in Alcala De Henares , which is where I am staying.

I meet up with all of my friends that were in the program and we got on the bus and went to Alcala. When we got to the city center all of our house mom's were standing their waiting for us. As it turns out, my house mom was the last to arrive and my room mate was lost in Madrid. I eventually found her and my room mate showed up. My room mate is Thomas Fleming, really nice guy and luckily he speaks some Spanish. My house mom's name is Pepi. She is a really nice lady, she doesn't speak any English. This could get interesting.

We each have our own room in the house so that made us both happy. She made us dinner and we slept really good that night.

The next day we had orientation. We meet at the school and we went over all the rules. It lasted about hours. After that we went on a tour of Alcala and Madrid. They showed us how to get around and where a lot of things were.

The next 3 days.......well............lets just say that we went around to all of the local establishments and got accustomed to the local culture.

The first week of classes went fine. Just classes, this is a study abroad program so I have to go to class 4 days a week for 4 hours a day. It not that bad. This weekend we have a few weekend trips planned.

Rome Day 5

Today went a lot like yesterday. I meet a few people in the hostal last night and we decided to tour around today. They had never been to the Vatican yet and really wanted to go back. I thought about it and I wanted to go back. So, I went back.

The thing about the Vatican is that is so much stuff. I went on another tour than I did yesterday so I was able to see different things. I was really happy that I took the tour. I was able to see a lot more of St. Peters than I did yesterday. I also made it to the tomb of the popes which was really cool.

We finished around 5 and it was time to head to the airport. My flight wasn't until 6 the next morning but I had to catch the last bus to the airport. I got there around 9 and spent the night until it was time for my flight to Madrid.

Rome Day 4

So today is the day that I go to the Vatican. I got on the subway and made it to the meeting place. They were giving a discount for students but they wouldn't take my ID card because it wasn't a certain type. Oh well, so our tour guide was a women from Florida with a masters in art history. This is the type of tour guide that I was hoping for. So after I went through security and got my headset, we went to the Vatican Museum.

I never could have imagined what I was about to see. It was without a doubt the greatest thing that I have ever seen. Just seeing all of the paintings and sculpters was breathtaking. I took a lot of pictures because I can't really describe everything.

After the Vatican Museum I walked through the Sistine Chapel. They are really serious about not taking pictures in their. They had people walking around and I even saw them kick someone out because they were using their flash. So with that and respect for the church I didn't take any pictures.

The tour ended at St. Marks square. The tour guide pointed out the popes bedroom and where he works. So I headed in to the Basilica, the biggest Church in the world. I spent a least 3 hours walking around in their before I left to go to the Spanish steps. When I was done at the Spanish Steps I walked to the biggest park that I have ever seen. I had a lake in it where you can take boats out for a while. I stayed their for a little be and then walked about 3 miles through Rome to get back to my hostal. I figured that since I was only here one more day that I should see as much as I can.

I actually became pretty good friends with the guy that runs the hostal and he bought me some adult beverages so I could celebrate my trip to Rome with some of the other Americans in the hostal. Lets just say that it was fun night!

Rome Day 3

So I slept in this morning until around 8. I was pretty tired. Today I had my tour of the Forum and the Colosseum. I went and tried a new place for breakfast. It was about 3EU but it was worth it. My tour started at 10 so I want to meet the guide and got my headset.

The Colosseum is a lot bigger than I thought it was. I had a great tour guide that made the entire tour one big story about back in the roman days. I was pretty entertained. I made sure to take a lot of pictures since I will only be their once. It was a pretty sunny day so it was great for picture taking.

The forum was really cool. Our guide took us around everywhere. By this time though a storm had moved in and I didn't have any protection. Luckily it didn't last long. After the tour was over, our guide just set us loose in the forum. I think I spent around 2 hours walking around after the tour. By this time I was really tired. So I walked to the Pantheon and got some McDonald's that was close. I know I am in Rome up it was cheap. When I was done their I walked to Trevi fountain. That thing was really cool. On my way back it started to rain again so I ran into a random church. The thing is that this was the most impressive church I have ever seen! I was in their around 3 hours before the rain stopped and I was able to make it back to my hostal which was about an hour away.

Hopefully all of this walking will get easier. Tomorrow is the Vatican!

Rome Day 2

I was ready to begin my second day in Rome. I had a tour of Rome scheduled for 3 pm. Until then, I just walked around the Forum and Colosseum. I really couldn't have imagined out impressive all of these buildings are. I was very impressed though. I spend the entire day walking around until my tour started.

The Segway tour was pretty fun. I was able to see a bunch of stuff that I wouldn't have been able to see walking around. I even saw a embassy of the Templar's. I didn't know that they even had those so I though it was pretty cool. I was able to cover about 6 miles in 3 hours. Tomorrow I have a tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Rome Day 1

So I got to Rome around 10 in the morning. I was able to figure out the subway system pretty easy and made it to my hostel pretty quickly. I checked in and decided to take a nap since is was raining a a lot out side. I woke up around 5 and luckily it had stopped raining. I picked a hostel that was about 20 minutes from the Colosseum so I decided to walk over and take a look. I was very impressed. I was only their for about 10 minutes before it started to rain so I started to walk back. The man who ran the hostel was a very nice guy who called himself Jeffery. He suggested a Turkish restaurant up the street so I went and tried it. I was a little scared but it was really good. I had a tour of Rome scheduled on a Segway the next day so I was really hoping that it wasn't raining so I could still make it.

Venice, Italy

Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I have been busy enjoying Italy and Spain. I eventually made it to Venice. I had a great time. People told me that it was an expensive city and I now believe them.

I didn't make it to Venice on the first day that I was their because it was raining and I was very tired. I did make it the next day. I took the bus from Mestre where I was staying onto Venice. I then walked from the bus station to St. Marks Sq. I didn't know where I was going I just started walking. I was able to make it their in about 90 minutes.

I really liked everything that I saw. That city does need a power washer though. I made it to St. Marks Sq around 10 am. Their wasn't a lot of people there at that time which surprised me. I was able to walk around with out much trouble at all. I posted some of the pictures. I was able to make it to the top of the tower in front of the palace after about 30 minutes standing in line. I was then able to get a great view of Venice. When I got done with that I walked around the coast of Venice for a while. I must say that if I ever win the lottery I am going to buy a place their.

I walked around for a good 4 hours the Sq and coast. When I got tired I decided to walk back. I decided to take a different way back so I just picked a direction and started walking. After about an hour I was able to find the bus station.

When it was all said and done I walked for about 7 hours for a total of about 4 miles. When I made it back to my room I slept for about 11 hours. Then I woke up and took the bus back to Venice to catch a train to ROME!

ItalyPictures

@#*% You Ash Cloud

Well, it turns out that my flight was 5 hours late getting to Madrid. This pretty much screwed up all of the planning that I had done for that day. I missed my flight to Italy, but I was able to get a direct flight to Venice. It wasn't what I planned but it worked out. I went to the train station hoping that I could find a place to sleep for the night. It was already 22:30 at night so I just walked into a hotel and asked for a room(don't ask how much it cost). Now its time to go the hotel where I have reservations for.

Ash Cloud

Well the ash cloud has officially delayed by flight to Madrid by an hour. I slept the entire way to Washington since I didn't sleep at all last night. Since I am not going to be near any greasy American fast food, I just ate the biggest Wendy's hamburger I could find and a large Dr. Pepper since that is only here in the US. Now its time to find out how the ash cloud will affect by flight over.

Africa Pics

New

This is the first post of the new blog. I will post updates when I can.