Off to London!

Hola! 

Tonight, Maddie and I are catching the last bus to Madrid so that we can be at the airport early tomorrow morning to depart to London! Specifically, our flight leaves at 6:30 AM, so we have to arrive around 4:30 AM. Thus, we are forced to catch the late bus from Segovia tonight and sleep in the airport before we leave. Oh well, vale la pena (it's worth it). 

There is a big group of Bennies and Johnnies traveling to London this weekend, but they are leaving late Thursday night. Maddie and I decided to pick an earlier flight so that we would have one more day in London! It is such a grand and magnificent city, we need all the time we can get!

As you might have guessed, I have created a London To-Do List:

Tower Bridge

Westminster Abbey

St. James's Park

London Eye

Abbey Road

Platform 9 3/4

Buckingham Palace

Big Ben

Oh, and did I mention that we are visiting the CSB/SJU London Program? That means I'll get to see some of my close friends! Needless to say, I can't wait! 

Cheers,

Anna

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

Hola! 

Time for another Semana Santa post! Today's entry: the Eastern European city of Bratislava, Slovakia. It is a mere three hour train ride from Budapest, so Rachel and I decided to take a day trip to this beautiful land. 

We arrived in the early afternoon, only to realize that 1) the train station is not in the center of town 2) we do not speak Slovak and 3) we were definitely not in Western Europe anymore! As we walked off the train and saw the dilapidated buildings, Rachel and I looked at each other and thought, "So...back to Budapest?" 

Soon, however, we heard the pleasant sounds of English! We immediately turned to find the source of the sound and saw that it was coming from another American student looking equally as lost. Rachel and I decided we had nothing to lose, so we approached the young man and introduced ourselves. Turns out, the American (named Mark) was a third-year law student from Massachusetts who was participating in a law competition in Vienna, Austria. He was also on a day trip to lovely town of Bratislava. We immediately bonded over the absurdity of the city and decided to explore Slovakia together. 

It took us most of the day to find the beautiful part of Bratislava (Old Town). The rest of the day was spent laughing and making fun of the Eastern European city.

Enjoy the video!

Overall, I actually really enjoyed my day in Bratislava. As much as I joked about being in Slovakia, it turned out to be rather memorable day. Rachel and I made a new friend with Mark (we even hugged when we said goodbye) and we were able to add another country to our list - I'll cheers to that! 

Cheers,
Anna

Last Day Trip

Hola! 

Note: I got three hours of sleep last night, so I do not have the energy to continue the Semana Santa posts today. The next entry is a big one - Budapest! 

Today, we had our last day trip of the semester! Specifically, we visited the canyon region of Duratón. It is located about an hour outside of Segovia and is national park. It was beautiful! 

On a completely unrelated note, Segovia now has two new frozen yogurt (or froyo) stores! They popped up after Semana Santa and have been greatly welcomed to the community. Needless to say, I love the new additions to this wonderful Spanish town.

With reasonable prices, this could be a dangerous
 last month in Segovia (for both my wallet and waistline)

Cheers,

Anna

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Hola! 

Welcome to the Geneva, Switzerland post! Specifically, we spent time there on Tuesday, April 26th. During the day, we walked around the city, seeing sites such as the United Nations, Red Cross, Bastions Park, and the Reformation Wall. At night, we walked to Lake Geneva and tried fondue at Bains de Pâquis! ¡Qué delicioso! 

Overall, we only spent a few hours in the city, but it sufficed. The city was extremely expensive and the weather was dreary. One day was enough!

Cheers,
Anna 

CHAMONIX, FRANCE

Hola! 

During Semana Santa, my friends and I went skiing in the French Alps! Specifically, we skied in Chamonix, which is an enchanting village located near the France/Switzerland border. The quaint streets were buzzing with winter enthusiasts from around the world, and we were excited to be part of the scene. On our second day, we skied the Alps! I was blown away by the beauty and magnitude of the mountains. They were truly stunning. 

During our particular day, we experienced whiteout ski conditions. That is, we couldn't see ten feet in front of us. It was both surreal and dangerous. We only had one day to ski, though, so we didn't let that stop us! We merely skied slower and with more caution, which allowed us to all make it out alive! 

Overall, we all fell in love with Chamonix. I'm so glad we had the chance to visit! 

Oh, and want to hear the best part? Skiing in the French Alps is cheaper than skiing in Minnesota! Who knew?

Cheers,
Anna

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND

Hola! 

Happy Thursday! Hope you enjoy another Semana Santa post! This particular entry in about the first city we visited: Lausanne, Switzerland. It is located on Lake Geneva and is only an hour away from Geneva. It is surrounded by the Swiss Alps and is a truly stunning city. Its only downfall is that everything is extremely expensive. Oh well, that's Switzerland for you! 

Lausanne, Switzerland

Friday, April 22 - Sunday, April 24

Lake Geneva

Got my Starbucks! Too bad it cost 8 Swiss Francs ($8)

Start of our hike by Lake Geneva

Cheers,

Anna

Mumford and Sons Concert

Hola! 

I'm backkkk! After ten days of Semana Santa, I am back in Segovia and am slowly settling back into my routine. WIth this, I am starting up my daily blog posts again! 

Semana Santa Day 1: Mumford and Sons Concert in Madrid

Thursday, March 21st

2:45 PM Depart for Madrid 

4:00 PM Arrive in Madrid

5:00 PM Check-in at hostel

7:00 PM Botellón* before the concert

8:30 PM Mumford and Sons concert

*Botellón = a mass meeting of young people between 13 and 24 years, mainly in open areas of free access, to consume drinks previously purchased in shops, listen to music, and talk

Loving life at the Mumford and Sons concert!

Cheers,

Anna