It’s not real until you see it. So much of the world is like this. We’ve all seen the classic pictures: the snow-capped Swiss Alps, the Tuscan countryside, and the gondolas in the canals of Venice. But to me, so many of these places weren’t real until I saw them for myself. There’s a certain emotion, ambiance, vibe that comes with actually experiencing them on your own. Seeing new places is my favorite thing in the world to do.

After Rome, we spent the rest of our Spring Break (three more days) in Sorrento, Italy. Sorrento was VERY different from Rome... it was a small town close to the Amalfi coast, with much fewer tourists but no less charm. Sorrento's primary crop is lemons, and there are lemon trees EVERYWHERE. On these lemon trees are the biggest lemons I have ever seen in my life. In the souvenir shops, everything is lemon-themed.

            I move out of my homestay in four days. Amid the madness of studying for finals, submitting my last written assignments, and preparing to travel Italy for two weeks, I’m glad to have found some time to reflect. My jumbled collection of recent memories still needs a great deal of processing but at this point a few overarching themes of my semester are clear. One is the stark difference between the political cultures in Madrid and at my home university.

Unbelievable. In just nineteen days, our program will be coming to a sad, sad end. My time here in Vienna has been unforgettable and a truly amazing experience. I don’t think I’m quite ready to say goodbye to all the new friends I’ve made, and to this beautiful city. What worries me the most now is trying to maximize the short amount of time I have left in Austria. I do admit that traveling to a new country each weekend has kept me from exploring other parts of the country.

When you arrive in Barcelona you have the option to get a metro card called T-Jove, the card will give you access to unlimited rides on the metro/bus during three months. I got mine on my second week in Barcelona, around January 19th. I remember thinking that three months were so far away -- to be honest, at first I didn't reflect on the end of the program at all.

Over Spring Break, three friends and I spent a few days in Rome. The sights were absolutely beautiful, the weather was perfect, and the food was delicious. We saw the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, Vatican City, Trevi Fountain, and we just wandered through the streets of Rome eating gelato. (Recommended, if you ever go to Rome: Frigidarium... all of the gelato I had in Italy was great, but their gelato in particular was my favorite).

Sunset in Formentera, Spain

This weekend I remedied a significant mistake I had made during my tenure in Dublin. Throughout the semester, I had unknowingly failed to make a friend with another California native at IES Abroad, Batool. However, I redeemed my aloof and cold nature throughout the semester when Batool and I took a trip to Cork.  

This past weekend, my friends and I decided to go to Fruhlingsfest in Stuttgart, Germany. It is the equivalent of Spring Fest in Munich, but is much less touristy. It ended up being a lot of fun and we were grateful for the chance to experience a festival more like actual Germans do.

Over the Easter break last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Italy.  More specifically, I visited Naples and the surrounding area of Bari.  Visiting southern Italy is much different than visiting some of the more northern cites.  The southern part of the country is poorer and has less infrastructure set up for tourism.  While this can make it more difficult to get it around, there are also some major advantages.  For one, it means that not as many people visit places like Naples and Bari.