Spring Break Part 2- Spain

So after a few days in Morocco, three of us hopped on a plane to Madrid at 8am. We went straight to the bus station once we got there and purchased our tickets to Barcelona, checked our luggage and headed into town! We decided to spend a day in Madrid based on prices of flights and buses combined, but it ended up being one of my favorite cities. The city is gorgeous, very clean, has great public transportation, and there was so much to do. We ate lunch and then went to the royal palace. We did a guided tour, which was a great investment because there was so much history.

After the palace we saw a few different cathedrals and walked through some beautiful gardens. We walked around for a while and stumbled on an indoor market in the middle of a plaza that was filled with different stations with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, appetizers and drinks possible. The three of us hung out, ate tapas and drank sangria until it was time to catch our overnight bus.

That night we hopped on the overnight bus and headed to Barcelona. We got there at around 7am and found our hostel. It was kind of a rough day- I think the lack of sleep really started catching up with us. We had kind of a rough morning; all the sights we tried to see were closed and the hostel wouldn't let us check in. So after check in we took a nap and then went to get some paella and sangria on Las Ramblas. That night we went back early and went to sleep. When we woke up the next morning we immediately started sightseeing on a tour bus. We saw just about everything- from the Gothic area to the Segrada Familia to Park Guell to the beaches to the Egg building.

That night we met up with some friends from our program who were also in Barcelona to get more sangria (it's one of my new favorite drinks if you may not have guessed) and some Thai food, and then we went to some clubs. At around 2:30am, Amanda and I left the club and headed to the airport for a 5am flight to Rome. Hey, you can only do that kind of thing when you're young, right? I loved Spain but I was ready to see Italia!

Spring Break Part 1- Morocco

Good news- I survived two weeks of spring break! About a third of the two weeks was spent on trains, buses and planes but it was totally worth it. I can now say that I've seen the majority of the European Mediterranean area, with a little bit of Africa in the mix. We started our journey with about 10 of us on a plane to Milan. Some people immediately hopped on trains but 8 of us were stuck with a 24 hour layover and nowhere to stay. Because of some sort of design show, every hotel and hostel in the greater Milan area was either booked or overpriced. So instead of dropping $200 on a hotel for one night, we decided to sleep in the airport. We explored the city for a few hours, and then headed back to our homemade beds outside of the McDonalds in Terminal 1. The bed really wasn't that bad, but the building could have done with a little heat.

The next morning we hopped on a plane to Agadir! Customs was a little ridiculous when we arrived, but we finally got our bags and found the people picking us up from our hostel. The program that we were with is called SnoworSand and they organize student trips like ours, which was a surfing weekend in a small town called Taghazout. We went straight to our hostel- Riad Imourane Auberge. It's a really cute little hostel and very close to the beach. They served us a delicious dinner and then we headed to bed early. The next morning we ate breakfast and headed to the beach at 9am. The waves were perfect for beginners so after a short lesson we all headed out to try out surfing. Only a few of us actually made it up on the board that first day but we were all either bruised or sunburned by the end of the day. My previous training in Hawaii circa 2004 was no help whatsoever.  We did get a few surfing pictures though!

Around lunchtime we rode a camel down the beach, which was a pretty cool experience. Camels are deceptively tall and I was actually a little nervous being up so high. They are also very jerky and when it stood up and sat down we were launched forward and back.

That night we headed back to the hostel and hung out for a little but went to bed very early. There was quite the international crowd staying there while we were there so it was nice to chat with them for a little. They all spend weeks at a time surfing, and they told us that it generally takes about a week to really get the hang of it. The next morning we woke up and spent the morning surfing again. After, Maria, the leader of our trip, took us to the market. It was much less touristy than I expected, which is because Agadir isn't a huge tourist destination. After the market we headed to a Moroccan bath, which was similar to the Turkish bath that I went to in Istanbul. The Moroccan bath was much rougher and more intense than the Turkish bath and I definitely didn't enjoy it as much but it was part of the cultural experience.

The next day five of us took a bus to Marrakech, which is a much larger city than Agadir and more of a tourist spot. We arrived at our hostel, dropped our things off and started sightseeing. We started at Palais Bahia, which is a relatively modern Palace located in the center of Marrakech. We toured around for a little and then headed to the souks. It was much nicer than the souks in Agadir because we were in a more touristy area. We were actually shopping in the area that was bombed two weeks later by a suicide bomber. We were pretty lucky to have avoided that. We also walked around the square and checked out a mosque, and I even ran into a snake charmer!

The rest of the night in Marrakech was great, we had an authentic Moroccan dinner and then we turned in early. I really wish we could've stayed longer but we were off the next morning to Milan! I'll continue on in my next post, this one has gotten pretty long. Morocco was really one of the coolest places I've ever been and I'm so happy that I got the opportunity to go. I'm sorry this has taken me so long to post, I'll continue soon with the rest. I have a lot to update about!

Rhodes

I just finished unpacking from Rhodes and now I'm packing for spring break! It blows my mind to think of how quickly this semester is flying by. After spring break there are only 4 more weeks of class before finals, and then I come home! It seems like we just got here. Anyways, about 15 of us went to Rhodes this weekend. It's a Dodecanese island, and it's one of the largest of the Greek islands. I had never heard of Rhodes before but some of us found cheap flights a few months ago, so after a little research we decided to book it. I'm so glad that we did- it was so different from everywhere else I have been thus far.

Our hotel was in Rhodes Town, which is where the Old Town of Rhodes is located. My guide book has the Old Town listed as a Greek must see, so our first morning we headed there. We walked through the corridors of the old city, which now mostly consists of tourist shops. We went off the main strip though and saw some smaller shops, which was really interesting. Some girls and I went to see the Knights Palace, which was built by St. John's knights, who were crusaders, in the 14th century. The palace is now a museum that is filled with mosaics and artifacts from the period that the knights occupied Rhodes.

After a long day of walking around, a group of us watched the sun set on the beach that was close to our hotel and then ate dinner. The beach was a little rocky and not the best for during the day but it was great at night. Here's a picture of our group!

The next morning a small group of us woke up early and caught a bus to Lindos, which was about an hour drive away. When we pulled up we were immediately happy with our decision to go there. It was one of the most gorgeous places that I have been in Greece. It was very picturesque, with white houses in the town, a gorgeous beach and an acropolis overlooking the town. There were even donkeys that you could take to the top of the Acropolis of Rhodes! We decided to pass on the donkeys and walk to the top ourselves. The acropolis consists of a temple to Apollo, a stadium and a theater. Our taxi driver that took us to the airport told us that it is older than the acropolis in Athens. The view was breathtaking from the top; the pictures don't quite do it justice.

After the walk up we spent some time on the beach. The water was still a little chilly, and I wasn't brave enough to go under this time. We got some lunch at a restaurant on the water and then we headed back to the bus stop. Once we got back to Rhodes Town we got our bags and headed to the airport. The trip was only about 48 hours long but I feel like I saw the highlights of the island. We had a really great group and enjoyed hanging out with each other during the down time.

I leave tomorrow for spring break! I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm a little nervous at the same time. Blogging has been a nice break from packing, which has been a little difficult so far. For a compulsive overpacker, packing two weeks worth of clothes in two small bags isn't the easiest task. I'll be available via email for the next two weeks at sjjabale@gmail.com or sjjabaley@olemiss.edu if you need to get in touch with me. I'll be back blogging in about two and a half weeks! Wish me luck!

Athens

Well, I finally made my way to the capital of Greece- Athens! The school planned a trip for us that was included in our study abroad fee, so we were all excited to have a weekend trip that was already paid for. On Friday morning all 60 of us got on a double decker bus and started the 9 hour journey south. We got there at around 730pm, and we headed straight to the new Acropolis Museum. The museum was completed in 2009, so it is very new. They built it on top of ruins from the acropolis, and all the floors are glass so even from the 4th floor you can still slightly see the ruins on the ground. The museum holds original artifacts from the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena, and we later saw copies on the actual buildings. Our tour guide explained to us that while some of the statues were original, the British looted the Acropolis and took many pieces of statues back to London, where they are housed in museums still today. I thought this was kind of funny because I remember going to a museum in London last year and wondering why pieces from the Parthenon where there. The Greeks are currently trying to get the statues back from the British. Pictures weren't allowed in the museum but here are some from the outside:

That night we went to a taverna after checking in to the hotel and went to sleep right after dinner. The next morning we got up early and immediately started sight seeing. We started at the original Olympic stadium, where the first Olympic games were held in 1896. We've really come a long way as far as athletic facilities go!

Next on the agenda was the Acropolis. The school hired us a tour guide, which was really nice because she gave us a lot of details that we wouldn't have learned otherwise. The acropolis has been burned, blown up, looted and torn down, but it has been rebuilt many times. The version that we see today is so different from the original- which was actually colorful but the paint has faded over time. There are a few different temples on the Acropolis- the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena Nike and the old Temple of Athena. It's just amazing how old they are, and how long the restoration process takes. I asked the tour guide if there was an expected end date and she said that there wasn't, because when they start to restore an area they find even more work that they need to do, and the technologies keep advancing. Here are some pictures-

Next we went to the Folk Life Museum, which displayed traditional Greek clothing from all the different regions of Greece. It was really interesting to see how the clothing is so different in northern and southern Greece, and especially on the islands. After the museum we got lunch, and then had free time. Some friends and I wandered through the Plaka, which is the market area. After doing some shopping we headed back to the hotel and took a nap. That night a small group of us went up to the highest point in Athens- Mount Lycabettus. In the daytime there is a train that takes you to the top, but it doesn't run at 2 in the morning so we hiked it. At the top there is a small chapel, a bell tower and a restaurant. The view was amazing- Athens is such a huge city. The only downside was that the Acropolis wasn't lit up that night for some reason.

Before we left for Thessaloniki, we watched the changing of the guards in front of Parliament. It was a pretty funny looking ceremony- not what I would have expected from an army. On our way home we stopped in a small beach town for lunch. It was a really cute area and a nice rest from the long bus ride.

This weekend I'm headed to Rhodes! It's the largest island in the Dodecanese, and it looks amazing in pictures. I absolutely can't wait. A week from now I leave for spring break! I'll be backpacking for two weeks and probably won't have internet access much. I'll bring my blackberry so I will be able to check email and Facebook when I have wifi, but that's pretty much it. I'll have my Greek phone for emergencies so if you need to reach me the number is +30 6985802498
The current itinerary is Milan-Morrocco-Madrid-Barcelona-Rome-Amalfi Coast-Florence-Skopelos
Wish me luck!

Corfu

This past weekend fourteen of us took a bus and a ferry to the island of Corfu, which is located on the northwestern coast of Greece. Because there were so many of us, the hostel that we had booked (the Pink Palace) sent us a private bus that took us straight to the hostel, which was much easier than figuring out the Greek bus and ferry system on our own. We left Thursday night and arrived at the hostel at 5am on Friday. We slept until about 9am, and then we immediately hit the beach. Our hostel was a five minute walk from the beach, and the weather was perfect- around 75 degrees. We decided after laying in the sun for a while it was warm enough to go swimming. That may have been a stretch but we still spent about 20 minutes in the water despite a little cold induced numbness.

After spending most of the afternoon on the beach, we headed back to the hostel. Some of us went on a walk to explore our area of the island. We walked up the mountain and looked down on the beaches. After that we went back to the hostel and ate dinner and met some of the other people staying there. The Pink Palace is a top rated European hostel that attracts a lot of Americans studying abroad. It was kind of cool to meet Americans that were also traveling. That night the hostel had a toga party, so we all dressed up in pink satin togas.

The next morning we woke up early and signed up for the ATV safari. A guide took us around the island, and we stopped at lookout points on mountains and on beaches. The views were breathtaking, and we got to see a lot of the island.

 After a long day of ATVing I fell asleep pretty early. The next day a group of students came with a travel company from Florence, and we spent the day hanging out with them on the beach. All in all it was a really fun weekend. We got back to Thessaloniki early Monday morning, so I'm still catching up on sleep. This upcoming weekend is Athens so I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about!