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.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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!
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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.
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.
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