Dani's Aix-capades: So While the Snowpocalypse is Blanketing the DC Area...

Sorry that it's been a while since my last update. Things have been slightly crazy around here, and with my traveling around Europe. The weather in Aix has been very interesting lately. It actually snowed a little bit last night. Because of that, and the crazy weather in the Alps, my bus to Rome was cancelled last night. But that's OK, because now I am leaving tonight (hopefully) for Rome and Naples, Italy! Very excited.

Last weekend, I went to Barcelona with a bunch of other Vandy kids (I think there were about 11 of us total). To get to Barcelona, we decided to take the bus! It wasn't too awful. I actually recommend Eurolines, because they were very efficient, and the buses were clean, and it was way way way much cheaper to take the bus than to fly or take the train. The only real downsides to the bus are: they turn the lights on at every stop, passport control at 3am is not the most fun thing in the world, and if you travel in the winter and don't bring enough layers of clothing, you will probably get hypothermia because they don't have heat. But aside from that, I highly recommend the bus for quick get-aways. Maybe I'm slightly regretting not buying a Eurail pass? Oh well.

So we arrived in Barcelona Saturday morning at...7am. Strangely enough, native Barcelonians where still out partying. Apparently people stay out until 9, 10am there? I don't think I could do that, but hey, when in Rome. We took the metro to our hostel, HelloBCN. Check in wasn't until 1pm, but the hostel was so nice and let us go upstairs and sleep. So I took a fantastic, and much-needed nap (didn't get much sleep on the bus...) and woke up around 10am. Around 11, me, Eszter, Carmen and Jeff started to explore Barcelona. First stop: La Rambla. Problem: we walked the wrong way, and ended up at a park instead. The park was so neat, and we got a great view of Barcelona! They also had a little playground, so I got to go on the swings. I felt like such a five-year-old, but it was great.

After the park, we actually went to La Rambla, which is the main drag with all of the touristy stands, street performers, and everything in between. We ran into our other colocs there (les garçons) and hung out for about an hour or two in the GIANT market. This market put the market in Avignon to shame. Not only did they have meat hanging from the ceiling, they also had whole (but dead) pigs in the windows. Ick. They had great smoothies there, great clementines, and great fruit. So much fun.

From the markets, we went in search of Gaudi. We saw both Gaudi apartments/houses. Really neat. I'd never actually heard of Gaudi until we went to Barcelona, so I was thoroughly impressed. What a great architect. Though I think he may have been on drugs? Who knows. We also went to the Sagrada Familia, which is still under construction, and should hopefully be done by.. 2025? It was very eclectic on the outside, but the inside had very beautiful stained glass windows. But there's tons of scaffolding and construction going on. Guess I"ll have to come back in 2025? With my.. kids? lol. Ew I'll be so old by then. That night I met up with my cousin Rachel, and we hung out at her place for a while, had a delicious dinner, and chatted. It was so nice :) I love having family abroad. Hopefully she'll be able to visit me in Aix! Or Paris, or something. But I would love to go back to Barcelona for the weekend and relax on the beach. Saturday night was interesting. Eszter, Jeff and I spent 15 euros going to Razzmatazz.. apparently the biggest and best nightclub in Barcelona? Eh it was OK. It didn't open until 2 am, so we hung out in a HUGE 1,000-person taverna until 2, when we sauntered over to Razz. It wasn't that exciting. It was just like one of those huge European discotheques you see in the movies. Except they don't play good music, or at least not until like 5am? They played some interesting Euro-rock/Euro-pop/Euro-disco music. Eh. It was huge though. They had 5 floors, but there was soo much smoke and we were absolutely exhausted, so we just went home. Don't get me wrong, though. It was a lot of fun :) but too tiring for me. I prefer to go out at 10 and be done by 2am, like at Vandy. Barcelonians party differently.

So since check-out was at 11am, we woke up early for that. We went to Park Guell after waking up. It was so neat, but oh man it was on such a hill! We had to take a series of escalators to get up there! And it was much more than a park--I liken it to more of a mountain hike. In boots, nonetheless. Whoops? So we hiked up to the top, took some pictures, took some breathing breaks, met a cute little kitty-cat, sat on the largest park bench in the world (it was neat!), saw some more Gaudi things, took pictures with a mosaic lizard, and played under some neat arches. No big deal, right? See below for some amazing pictures of everything! We also walked along the beachfront, and Eszter and I actually went to put our feet into the (freezing) water! So much fun. I also had a chocolate-almond Magnum bar. That made my day. For dinner we went to a restaurant that looked like it would be good, but unfortunately it wasn't. But hey, it was food. And it was near the beach. After dinner we headed back to the hostel to pick up our bags and head back to the station to take the bus back to Aix. As a side-note, while the weather in Aix was cold and gross, the weather in Barcelona was absolutely beautiful! All I needed to wear during the day was my fleece jacket. Therefore, the beginning of the bus ride back to aix was nice and warm, but the closer we got, the colder it got. by the time we got back to Aix at 6am Monday morning, it was SO COLD! I don't remember how we made it back to the apartment, because my feet were so cold and it hurt to walk. I was also tired. Lets just say that Monday was a rough day. Never doing the returning at 1-am thing. But hey, you're only young and stupid once, right? I think it was worth it. And I have the pictures and the stories to prove it. For more lovely stories, ask me later in person, because I can't do them justice online without the proper gestures and facial expressions that make my stories bearable :)

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Weather was freezing, as is expected in Aix. The most interesting thing that happened was my trip to the French doctor. Somehow I had hurt my back (as I learned later, some muscle near my sacroiliac--tailbone area), and since we were leaving for vacation for a week, I thought that it would be a good idea to get that checked out. So I go to the office, and the doctor opens the door to his bureau and I come on it. It was very different from any doctors office I had been in before. It looked like a normal room, with the common hexagonal and red Aixoise floor tiles, a computer and desk, an exam table (looked more like a giant chair) and in the corner there was a folding screen that I am assuming one could change behind. The doctor was very nice, and I was able to converse in French, which made me feel great about my improving french-speaking abilities! He looked at my back, and told me I must've done something to my sacroiliac, and he gave me a prescription for the pharmacy. The meds were so cheap! 5 euros! thank you French health system. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with the French doctor. It was nice being in a room that didn't feel like an over-sterilized, white-walled, white-floored, assembly line. I approve.

So last night, we were supposed to take the bus to Rome. Well, due to deteriorated road conditions in the Alps, the trip has been postponed until tonight. Oh well. But hey at least we had time today to clean things and relax, and go to dinner! yay! And download the new Lady Antebellum album. Highly recommended.

Anyways, I am off to Rome and Naples tonight for the week. If you need me, feel free to call me! :) I'll try to be online if I get WIFI. Oh, and if you are doing some travelling, make sure you download the mixes off of http://norwegianrecycling.multiply.com/. I recommend 'Acoustic Alchemy.' The best part is, they're all free! My top choice of 'artist' for long trips/whenever.

Going to Patacrêpe for dinner. Ciao-ciao!