Ciels Gris et Plus de Pluie

I have most definitely gotten use to the on the go lifestyle, but this weekend I stuck around Brussels and planned on getting some work done before fall break begins. The plan was to wake up this morning, go for a run, start on some papers, and maybe do a little exploring, however, mother nature seemed to have an entirely different plan for me.

I woke up at 11:00 ready for my run, but then I looked outside and surprise surprise, it's pouring in Brussels. I swear, its literally impossible for this country to go a week without rain. And I'm  pretty positive if you asked a Belgian what color the sky is, they would respond with "gray."  I feel like my complaints about the Belgian weather have become a central theme for this blog. I love Brussels, I really do. It's an amazing city with so much to offer, but this weather is really killing the experience for me. I've definitely been spoiled by the sunny southern United States. Before this semester, I always thought despite the cold I would have no problem moving up north after I finished school. Living on the east coast would be a ton of fun. I love snow, so I could totally handle the cold, right? Wrong! I am now convinced the east coast winters would turn me into a human popsicle in a matter of seconds. I guess this is just one more thing to add to the list of things studying abroad has taught me.

School has really picked up over the past week. When I first arrived, Vesalius seemed like it was going to be nothing compared to BSC, and I was really looking forward to a very lax semester. I mean anything above an 85 is an A so surely it couldn't be TOO hard, however, midterms definitely proved to me this is not the case. Instead of having assignments due throughout the semester, most of my classes have 1 paper, a midterm, and a final. Meaning, if you don't keep up with the readings and studying throughout the term, when midterms and finals come around, you're done. So now I'm playing catch up and trying to get ahead on things before the break. I have 2 very important papers due right after break and then just a few short weeks after that is finals.

 Speaking of finals, I can't believe the end of October is already here. It seems like a million years has passed since I got off the plane at Brussels International, but at the same time, it feels like just yesterday I was sitting in the caf with my friends at school talking about how great my semester abroad was going to be. Now, it's a little more than halfway over. With school picking up, traveling to Cologne and Paris with my mom and grandmother for break, and then DJ coming to visit soon after they leave I know this second half of the semester is going to fly by even faster, and right now I'm ok with that. I'll probably regret saying that as soon as I get home, but for right now, a color other than gray would be much appreciated.

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

My goodness! What a crazy week this has been. I'm sure this post is going to be a little all over the place and probably a little long, but I promise lots of pictures!

Paige and I returned from Bologna on Monday and then Thursday left with a group of friends for Lanzarote, Canary Islands! I have to admit, before this trip I didn't have the slightest idea where the Canary Islands were... But they're a chain of islands off the coast of Morocco that belong to Spain. We stayed in a tiny town called Famara, and it is literally the most beautiful place I've ever been. The island is made up of volcanoes so when you're on the beach you're looking at the Atlantic Ocean in one direction and HUGE volcanic mountains to the other direction.  It's absolutely breath taking!

I'm in love with this island

When we arrived Thursday afternoon, we were greeted at the airport by Sergio, the owner of the surf shop (Zoopark) that helped us set up all of our accommodations. Lucky for the rest of us, Will really did his research and we couldn't have found a better place to stay. We rented two beach bungalows and got an AMAZING deal on both of them! Sergio took us to the bungalows from the airport where we dropped our stuff off and then we headed over to Zoopark to begin our surfing adventure!

Sergio!

Six of us spent Thursday afternoon taking surfing lessons from our Aussi instructor, Gerry, but Will being the pro that he is, rented a board and took off on his own. Surfing is something I've never really had the desire to do, but while I had the opportunity there was no way I was going to pass it up! It turned out to be a lot of fun and something I would definitely like to try again.

The town of Famara is so tiny, there are only 2 bars (Lenny's and Sunset) and they are both very much local dives. They have 1 grocery store, a couple of surf shops, and that's really about it. It is honestly the least materialistic place I have ever been. Upon first glance at this little town, you would think that everyone must be really poor, but that's not it at all. Really, they just don't care. As long as they get their sun and surf the people of Famara are happy. I'm actually more than a little jealous of their lifestyle. It's just so simple!

Gerry and Sergio told us Lenny's was having a free barbecue that night, so of course we heard free food and knew we definitely had to check that out. The barbecue was a ton of fun! It turned out that the owner of Lenny's is actually one of the best surfers in Europe, but he decided to open a bar in Famara and was bartending that night. The only other people at Lenny's besides my group was a bunch of locals, Sergio and Jerry, 2 guys from Britain, and an Italian music group called Sud Soundsystem. It was really cool just hanging out with the locals. The people really are huge part of what makes Famara so great. After just being there for a few hours, they immediately accepted us and were incredibly friendly! There's definitely no such thing as a stranger in Famara.

Friday, we hung out of the beach all day and that night we grabbed some baguettes and cheese for dinner at the bungalow. For some reason, the police had shut Lenny's down so Sergio and Gerry told us the place to be was Sunset. A Spanish band was playing and one of the British guys from the night before attempted to teach me how to salsa dance, soooo much fun, even though I was definitely horrible at it.

Saturday, the woman who rented us the bungalows, Isabelle, was nice enough to also let us rent her car. We drove out to the national park where the volcanoes are and hung out there for a couple hours. The volcanoes aren't active now, and in fact the last time they errupted was A.D. 48, but it was still so cool to see the volcanic rock and craters.  There were a few little green plants, but mainly just volcanic rock. It felt like we had landed in the middle of the moon or Mars. Definitely unlike anything I've ever seen before.

playing in a volcanic field of lichen

Needless to say, when Sunday finally rolled around no one was ready to go. We all very reluctantly packed up and headed back to the airport, but I can say for certain that this was definitely not my last trip to Lanzarote.

Then a couple days after we got back was my 21st birthday! Considering I'm in Europe where they start drinking before they can walk, 21 isn't really a big deal, but I have some amazing friends who refused to let my big 2-1 go unnoticed! After a fabulous birthday dinner with my host parents, Carmen and Jose, and my lovely roomie Devi, I met up with my friends downtown and headed back to the Tequila Bar for round two of the mojito fishbowl and then we ended up hanging out Delirium for the rest of the night. I had the perfect 21st with some amazing people, and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

My mom and grandmother are coming to visit next weekend and I get to celebrate all over again with them, but for right now I'm pretty sure my life is as close to perfect as it can be. In just a little over 2 months I've been to 4 countries and before I leave I have trips planned to two more. Life is good. 

A Little Piece of Heaven

I'm pretty sure that last weekend I discovered heaven on earth. I'm very fortunate to be able to say that I've seen a lot of Italy, but for me, nothing else has compared to Bologna. With it's 400,000 inhabitants, I can honestly say this little city is the definition of perfection. The people are by far the friendliest people I've ever come across in Europe, the food is delicious, and we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. High 60s and sunny, every day. I literally fell in love with Bologna the moment I stepped foot in this wonderful city.

The whole town reminded me of something out of a movie or a book. The oldest university in the world is in Bologna and most of the other buildings are very old as well, and the traditional Italian architecture is very prominent. Every time I turned a corner, I felt like I was staring at a post card. There's no other way to describe Bologna other than simply perfection.


Our first night in Bologna, Paige and I found this wonderful little Italian pizza restaurant where I got the biggest piece of pizza I have ever seen in my life, and it was absolutely delicious. The pizza was followed by the best gelato I've literally ever had in my life: vanilla gelato with green apple and pistachio pieces, and a little honey mixed in. I'm telling you, it was heaven on a cone. We also got very lucky and found a GREAT deal on a 4 star hotel. And when I say GREAT deal, I mean the hotel was cheaper than the hostel. Absolutely nothing could have been more perfect about this trip.

We spent day two just roaming the city. It was Sunday, so when we first went out that morning mass was just ending and as we walked down the streets, I could hear church bells ringing all over the city. The sound of the bells mixed with the warm Italian sun and the picturesque architecture of Bologna really made me feel like I was in a dream. I kept telling Paige she was going to have to drag me on the plane the next day, because there was no way I was leaving such perfection on my own terms.

That morning for breakfast we stopped at a bakery and had fresh baked croissants and espresso. I don't know if it was the location I was in or the food itself, but I really think that was one of the best meals I've ever had. The day only got better from there. Once we walked into the city, we stumbled upon some type of procession of people playing music, waving incense, and carrying around a statue of a saint. Perfectly Italian. I'm not sure exactly sure what the procession was for, but it was beautiful. The whole scene made Bologna even more dream like to me; I really was living in a movie. Paige and I kept running into the procession as we winded down the tiny streets of Bologna, and every time we ran into them, we had to stop and stare because it was really just that mesmerizing.

We ended the day with a nice dinner at an outdoor Italian cafe. Having already had pizza and gelato, there was one Italian staple still left on my list: spaghetti. So dinner was of course, the best spaghetti I've ever had in my life. Paige and I split a bottle of wine at the cafe and decided to call it a night. I've never been so sad for a day to end.

This may have been my first trip to Bologna, but it definitely will not be my last. The 2 days I spent there were by far the most I've felt at home since arriving in Europe. Everything I already knew and thought about Italy was once again solidified in my mind. I know I will be returning some day, and hopefully for much longer than 2 days.

Next stop: Lanzarote, Canary Islands. (I live a rough life, I know.)