So it's been quite awhile since I've updated this blog. For a few days there was really nothing interesting to report and then everything got very busy very quickly. I will try to keep up better in the future. I promise.
Last week was our spring break and none of us took the opportunity to really relax and catch up. Instead, we all jetted off around Europe and most of us got back the night before class started again. Jordan and I chose to head to Paris and Barcelona and take advantage of the crazy-cheap budget airlines they have in Europe and should probably have in the United States. We flew into Paris on Tuesday night and navigated our way to our hotel on first the RER train and then the metro. The directions that the hotel gave us didn't work so Jordan used his problem solving skills and got us to where we needed to be. The hotel was very nice. It was only a two-star hotel so it wasn't lavish and luxurious or anything, but it served our purposes. It was clean and it was tidy, in an excellent location and we got it for an excellent price for Paris. We were only five minutes walking distance from the Eiffel Tower, as we found on the first night. Because we got in so late we really spent our first night trying to find anywhere that would sell us food for less than 50 euro a piece. At one point in our ramblings we stumbled upon the Eiffel Tower during the light show. I know, you wouldn't think you could stumble upon the Eiffel Tower, but I was surprised at how much smaller it was than I'd expected. Still gorgeous, yes, but not the giant landmark that the movies make it out to be. We eventually found a place on a side street near our hotel that served us a pizza for 6 euro at about 12:30am. We were so pleased we went back the next night.
I won't go into the long details of everything that we did in Paris. I'll save that for one on one time with pictures...don't think it's not coming. However, I'll give a short summary of the things we did and saw. We visited Notre Dame and the Louvre and the gardens outside the Louvre - don't ask me to write their name in French. (I will probably butcher the spelling of all these landmarks.) We went to the Arc de Triomph and the Champs de Elysees. We also visited the Pantheon and the American Cathedral and the Latin Quarter and the Trocadero. We walked along the Seine and through various shopping districts for really expensive window shopping. We were really trying to do Paris on a budget so we ate small things throughout the day...and REALLY overloaded on the carbs. We grabbed a crepe here and a baguette there. We tried croque monsieur and pan au chocolat. The croque monsieur is like an inside out grilled cheese sandwich with ham in the middle and the cheese on top. They were delicious. Jordan has been trying to replicate them ever since we got back. And the pan au chocolat is a croissant with a chocolate filling. SO GOOD. On our last night we bought chocolate and fresh bread and camembert and had a picnic. We splurged on one meal at a nice restaurant because you have to try French cuisine if you're there. We had a three-course lunch at Alsace on Champs de Elysees. That is definitely the way to go while in Europe because the lunch plate is sometimes half the price of the same meal at dinner. I think the creme brulee had to be my favorite part. I absolutely loved Paris. We were able to walk everywhere. The only times we took any transportation was to and from the hotel to the airport. It was a beautiful city and it didn't feel completely overrun by tourists.
We had to get up dark and early on Friday morning around 3:30 AM so we could take a taxi to the airport at 4:20. I about died as I watched the meter on the taxi go up about 10 cents every few seconds. The taxi ride cost about as much as a night at a hotel, but there was no other way to get to the airport that early - not really one of those things that you think about. We flew out for Barcelona around 8:00 and got in around 9:45. We made our way to the hotel with only a couple of minor hangups with the transportation system and we were pleasantly surprised. The sun was shining and our hotel was adorable. It was decorated very traditionally and had a very homey feel. It was off a side street of La Rambla (the main tourist destination in Barcelona). We checked in and headed out again before we could even think about being too tired. We made our way down La Rambla to the market. The market is CRAZY. There are stalls EVERYWHERE with fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, bread, candy---all surrounded by mobs and mobs of people buying, selling, bartering, taking pictures, hacking up fish. I amazed myself by LOVING it. We bought some fresh coconut and pineapple and some fresh squeezed coconut mango juice. We also picked up a loaf of fresh bread and a chocolate croissant and made our way to the harbor. It was beautiful - though crowded with tourists. We sat on the dock and ate our lunch in short-sleeved t-shirts and sunglasses, looking out over sailboats and palm trees. Not bad at all. Barcelona was a lot less mapped out than Paris for us so we did a lot of rambling around. We made our way to the beach...and saw the 6 others from our group that had also traveled to Barcelona! Later that night we all went out for tapas and gelato and we called it an early night. We visited the Seu Cathedral, the Chocolate Museum (where the ticket was a chocolate bar - the perfect museum for me!), the Arc de Triomph (yes, they have one too), the Santa Maria del Mar, the Olympic Port, the Parc de la Ciutad (I think that's what it was called) and whatever else we felt like seeing along the way. Oh, and did I mention it poured the whole day on our second day there? Leave it to us to bring rain to one of the sunniest places in Spain. Regardless, we had a good time. We went to the Magic Fountain that night with the rest of the group and Jordan and I went out for our last tapas and sangria afterwards. We approached Barcelona with a similar attitude as that toward Paris. We snacked on things from the market and local bakeries throughout the day and saved our money for tapas at night. I will say that Barcelona had AMAZING sweets. I really tried not to eat them, but how often are you there, right? Their pastries were amazing and their gelato was to die for. I did my fair share of sampling...but I did couple it with fruit from the market. Jordan and I both decided that we should probably try some fish or seafood for tapas one night even though neither of us like it. We thought we'd be safe with some cod on toast. Not safe at all. The cod was cooked so that it was slimy and jello-y. I took one bite and thought, "Wonderful, I actually have to swallow this." So, I'm sorry, I tried again to like seafood, but it's still not happening. Maybe later...or prepared in a very different way.
After getting home Jordan and I both agreed that Paris seemed a better fit. Paris is definitely touristy, but not at all like Barcelona where the whole city seems centered around the industry. It didn't feel very authentic and it wasn't that comfortable jostling the crowds and fighting off shopkeepers all day long. Still, I enjoyed our time there and I was happy with our choice.
The first week back was fairly uneventful, but I enjoyed being back in the East Belfast Alternatives office. They are really a very fun and caring group of people to work with...and they spoil me. I was able to go out on the streets to do youth work with them again on Wednesday night and I was able to actually talk to some of the kids. I really enjoyed hearing about their lives and what's really important to them right now. Their lives are so similar and yet so different from the lives of kids that I've worked with or know from home, or even from my own life at their age. I love being able to see that.
It's been a pretty quiet weekend. Two people are out of our flat doing work this weekend and we've all kind of been doing our own thing. Last night Jordan and Ben and I went to the Ulster Rugby game. They put up a valiant effort, but they lost. We still had an amazing time watching -- even if we had to stand in the rain to do it. I think we're going to go back when they play at home again in a couple of weeks. Jordan and I went to the St. George's Market again this morning to have some pig roast pulled pork sandwiches and spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. We're going to have a big feast and watch the Final Four tournament tonight...at 12:00. We'll see if we make it to the end. Tomorrow we're going to head to the big cathedral in Belfast for Palm Sunday services and hopefully take another relaxing day outside. Next week is when the push really starts to get to work on our individual, group, and internship projects. I'll probably write a little more about that later. The time is flying and none of us can believe how little of it we have left. We only have 3 weekends left in Belfast, a week in Dublin, and two in Coleraine before we head for home. I'm sure it will be here before we know it. Well, the weather is actually starting to get a bit nippy out here so I think I'll head in for the night. I'll write again soon! Hope all is well!
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