Morocco

Got back late sunday night from Morocco. On Friday, four of us (Chris, Tacker, Sarah from Davidson and I) took a bus to Madrid and got a flight there to Casablanca. Sarah has a friend that traveled to Casablanca last semester, so we used her same itinerary. We stayed in a really beautiful hostel, decorated in true Moroccan style. Deep purples and blues, ornate lamps, and lush carpets. Ate lots of crepe like bread, marmalade, honey, and drank a good amount green minty tea. The weather was dismal on Saturday, so we toured the Hassan II Mosque, the third largest in the world. The entire thing, inside and out, is covered in marble, and it's built jutting out over the Atlantic. Quite a sight. Seeing the Atlantic from the other side was also very neat. We toured through the old arab quarters, the medina, which was full of little shops and shady vendors.
Casablanca is certainly not like the romantic depictions you see in the movie, however. It's a very dirty city, and the uneven distribution of wealth is disgusting, with highrisess and villas overlooking vast slums. I really enjoyed going to a city that wasn't very touristy. I feel like I got a glimpse into the real experience of Moroccan life.
Just kinda sad I didn't see a camel.
Oh, and of course, as we took a cab to the airport on Sunday, the it was 80 degrees and sunny.

Granada

Two weekends ago we did a weekend in Granada, in southern Spain. This was a trip planned by the program, so we didn't have to bother with the stress of buying tickets and finding hostels. We stayed in a nice hotel just near the center of Granada. Got there Friday evening, and had all of our meals in the hotel. Saturday we had the option of touring the arab quarters and the old town, or skiing at Sierra Nevada. Logically, I chose to ski. This was the first time I had skied since I broke my arm at Massanutten in 7th grade, so I was a little nervous, but I did surprisingly well and had a blast. On the way up to the slopes, our bus drove through the cloud line, and there in front of us were the most beautiful mountain peaks I have ever seen. We didn't get on the slopes for a few hours, since this place is ridiculously popular and packed full of skiers. Once up the gondola and on the slopes, it was so much fun. But, since it was really sunny, I got an awful burn on my face, complete with the contrasting whiteness where my sunglasses had been. They called me "mapache"...raccoon in Spanish. It blistered the day after, and peeled until Friday. No worries, I'm pretty again. And will be wearing sunscreen everywhere from here on out.
Sunday we toured La Alhambra, which was breathtakingly beautiful, even in February. It's been pretty awesome to see all these buildings/sights that I had to study in my history of architecture classes way back in first year.

Internship

I just finished up my internship. Through the UVA program, we can work in whatever field caters to our interests...anything from doctors offices to schools to travel agencies. I decided to work for this theater festival that Valencia hosts every Feb. It's this vanguard festival that attempts to reinterpret theater by focusing on theater in place. The venues for these shows are street corners, parks, warehouses, museums, and even a railcar. Companies from all over Europe prepare pieces for this festival, which has a different theatrical focus every year. This year's theme was sound, so every show was this sweet juxtaposition of voice, instrument, dance, and, well, noise. I got to work the shows, so I was basically an usher/ticket vendor/explainer of what in the world the show was actually about. I got to wear the festival uniform, too: tight euro pants and a sweatshirt bearing the festival logo. It was really challenging using my Spanish in a real world setting like this, but I learned a ton.

Barcelona: Feb 1-3

Weekend Two: Catalunya

After a four hour train ride up the eastern coast of Spain, Chris, Tacker, Geoff and I arrived in Barcelona.

Amazing city. Very cosmopolitan, with lots of French influences. It's a very stylish city, with amazing architecture, especially Gaudi's works. Seeing Parque Guell and Sagrada Familia were definitely highlights of the trip.

We stayed in an amazingly nice hostel on the northern end of Las Ramblas. We didn't do much else than just walk up and down Las Ramblas and explore the Barrio Gotic, but there was so much to do in this area that we could have spent two more days doing the same thing. The Picasso museum was great. The museum was set up like a time line, and it was a great way to get a sense of his evolution as an artist.

Sunday night we took a bus back to Valencia (it was cheaper) and arrived at an Irish pub in time for the Superbowl. Patriots disappointed, but it was a comforting to see the game while abroad.