The Mediterranean Diet

Hola a todos! Great news...I woke up this morning and opening my cave-like shutters to see the SUN! It's a beautiful day! Not as great news...I am in the midst of midterm week, yes, we have them here. So I have two tomorrow that I should be studying for. I'll do it later. Maybe.

Last Thursday, I went to Rome (Amanda's old stomping ground) all by myself! Yes, that's right, Aubrey "No Travel Smarts" Doran made it to Rome and back with only a few minor hiccups. I actually did get the hiccups when I was there too. I met up with my friends from UMD. Meghan is studying in Rome and Kiera flew down from Prague. How amazing that we could meet in Rome for a few days! It was soo completely wonderful to see them. We got to catch up for reals on everything that has happened to us in the past month and half. Our experiences were somewhat similar, but definitely different because we are in 3 different types of programs.

Thursday morning I arrived in Rome and met up with Kiera (Meg had class) and we walked around, took in the sites, ate pizza, shot the breeze. After Meghan was finished with class we went to a restaurant near her school and her program was giving them free dinner, so Kiera and I happily ate free wings, onion rings, chicken tenders and got a free beer. After, we went to an area called Campo with a few bars and hung out with Meg's friends. It was so fun to be going out with them again!

Friday morning, Meghan's program had a field trip to the Vatican Museum/St. Peter's Basilica, and they let us join for free. (I love Meg's program. Also, she lives like 5 minutes from the Vatican--she passes it on her way to school--how awesome!) We saw all the stuff I guess you are supposed to see, the incredible artwork and statues, the Sistine Chapel, the basilica. It is almost overwhelming because there is just so much to look at. I think it would honestly take a lifetime to examine every piece of art contained in that relatively small area. We had a blast being tourists, making awkward poses in front of the pieces. We went to lunch at a cafe nearby, and I got some pizza. Then a couple hours later, I threw up said pizza. Yes, I got food poisoning in Rome. I think it was partly due to the fact that last week I bragged about going to Morocco and not getting sick. So I go to Rome, and I couldn't eat the food, which is probably one of the most upsetting things in the world. But I can always look at this as an excuse to come back soon.

So Friday night, I was out of commission, and Meg let me sleep in her bed and I watched The Wedding Planner and rested. Luckily I woke up the next morning feeling fine, but not hungry, which is something I rarely experience (hence the Mediterranean Diet). We toured the city from the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain (BEAUTIFUL!), the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. I did find some way to try the gelato that the Pope eats and it was absolutely amazing, even with stomach issues. Saturday night, the three of us went to a delicious dinner (thanks Mr. Quinlan and happy birthday Meg!). Due to my 6:30 am flight and 4:00 wake up call, we did not go out, but just had some wine at Meg's apartment and chatted. It was hard to say goodbye to them, but I will see them soon enough!

So I think that if I can get sick in a city and still love it, that is really saying something about the city. I loved Rome. It was just incredible to walk down the street next to these ruins that have been there forever and no on even thinks twice about them. There were so many tourists, which I am not used to seeing in Sevilla. Also everyone speaks English which was helpful because as my plane landed in Rome I realized I didn't remember how to say hello, please, or thank you. (Ciao, por favore, grazie). I do not like the taxi drivers there because I spent a small fortune on taxis, but when in Rome, right?!

Okay, back to Sevilla. Today I went to the library! Finally, I know, Mom and Dad. And you know what? It's just like a library at home...only, get this, all the books are in Spanish! Only kidding, it was pretty cool. I poked around in the art history section and looked at pictures. It was pretty crowded for a Tuesday morning. I do not know how to check out a book though. Sorry, I will do that next time.

This Friday, one of my best friends from high school, Ms. Karen Buchheister, is coming all the way from exotic Scranton, PA, to visit me. I could not be more excited to have her here and get to show her around the city. I am also looking forward to a weekend at home. Traveling is great, but it is exhausting, and sometimes you just need a weekend at home. Oh, and Tuesday we are going to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day. No biggie. Just going to say HI to the ancestors.

Adios Amigos!

The 13 Hour Travel Day:: Morocco

Wow I just got back from Morocco. What a trip. I have officially been on 3 continents, only 4 more to go. From Sevilla, Morocco is a short 3 hour bus ride and a "short" 35 minute ferry across the Mediterranean. I say "short" because it actually takes 3-13 hours depending on the day....

Friday afternoon, we departed for Morocco. The bus ride was no big deal, I have become very good at sleeping in an upright position. We got right on the ferry and went across the Mediterranean--My first time ever!- and it was a little wave-y, nothing I couldn't handle. Unfortunately when we got to the African coast, our berth was full, so our vessel had to circle around the harbor. For approximately 3 hours. We finally got off in Tanger, got back on the buses and drove an hour and a half to our hotel which was in Mdiq. Mdiq is a resort town, popular in the summer months, and a little deserted in February. We arrived at about 1:30 am, just in time for a dinner of meat and prunes. It was delicious, but at that point, we were all just ready for bed. Now, I had thought that our 4 star hotel Kabila would have had the things that come with 4 star hotels. Like hot water, blankets, a heater. Not so in Morocco apparently. It was a beautiful hotel, though, I was sincerely hoping for a hot shower after such a long day of traveling. Regardless, we got some sleep to prepare for the next day.

Saturday we toured Chefchaouen, Morocco, a beautiful small town known for it's blue buildings and one-of-a-kind rugs. We walked around with our tour guide who spoke some funny english. We ate the traditional Moroccan food of couscous with chicken. The food is very good. But you can't drink the water! Even brushing your teeth with the tap water because it will make you sick. Bottled water costs about 15 dirhams though! That's okay because that is about 1.50 euro. I got to do a little shopping with my dirhams in town before it started to rain, of course. Back on the bus to our hotel for some more couscous!

During dinner Saturday night, we had some live music and dancing entertainment. The first group was 5 young guys singing, dancing and playing their instruments. The second group was older men with drums and things singing and dancing. They were awesome. It was one of the boys on the trip's birthday, so the DiscoverSevilla (travel agency) people brought out a birthday cake and then there was a dance party and I was unwillingly involved. But it was tons of fun!

The next day, we woke up at 7 am to check out of the hotel and catch our 8 am bus to Tetuan. We took a tour of the city with a hysterical tour guide. Tetuan has a lot of Spanish influence, so some of the buildings reminded me of Sevilla and Granada. We went through the medina, city market, and amidst the smells and live chickens, there were fruits, nuts, dead chickens, live cats, random secondhand stuff. It was really interesting to see. The people there looked at us like we were crazy. We saw the king's palace that he uses in the summer, and we weren't able to take a picture of the guards in front. After more couscous, we got on the bus and traveled to Tanger (Tangiers).

In Tanger, I got to ride a camel! It was a short ride and a little scary getting up and down, but still really fun. I'm not going to lie, I am a natural at camel-riding. Who knew? Then we got to walk on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea, which was beautiful. It was a little windy and chilly, but amazing to see in the light of day. Then we had a "panoramic bus tour" of Tanger, which was just traveling to the port to catch the ferry home.

So it is now 6 pm Sunday, and as we got off the bus at the port in Tanger, it started to rain. Pour, actually, with thunder and lightning. Not the best thing to see as we were about to board a ferry. We got on the ship and then were told the ferry to Tarifa, Spain was canceled, but the ferry was going to Gibraltar, Spain. Now, I'm not entirely sure why the ferry could cross the sea to Gibraltar, but not Tarifa, but this is Africa, so I never found out. The buses sadly did not make the ferry to Spain, so they were stuck in Morocco, and they were our transportation back to Sevilla. So after an hour and a half ferry ride to Gibraltar, we were told we had to stay on the ferry, which would then take us to Algeciras, another port in Spain. We got off the ferry with the comforting knowledge that the buses would get on a 11 oclock ferry from Tanger to Algeciras. But their ferry would take 3 hours. So from approximately 10 pm until 4 am, we were stuck in the port of Algeciras, sleeping on the cold ground and eating gross overpriced pizza. At 4 am, the buses arrived on their ferry, but only one, so we had to wait outside for the second one for about half an hour. At this point, I was so thankful that my travel companions, 3/5 of the Spice Girls and I, kept positive attitudes the whole time and laughed about the situation instead of getting frustrated. We boarded the bus at last and made it back to Sevilla at about 6:30 am. By 7, I was happily in my warm bed, ready to sleep. So that was a 13 hour travel day for a distance that should have taken about 4 hours. I guess that's Spain and Africa for you, what can you do!

All in all, I am so glad I went on this trip. It was so much fun and exciting to see the different culture there. Morocco is not "traditional" Africa like the Sahara, but how awesome is it that I can say I've been there!

Some facts about Morocco you might not know:
-it's a constitutional monarchy with a king an elected parliament (elections every 5 years)
-there are 56 political parties. 56!
-I want to go back when I am older and have real people money and can afford a beautiful rug
-I recommend a visit to anyone, just be careful about the ferry!
-Look at more pictures from the trip! Just copy and paste the link into the address bar!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035963&id=1222890148&l=e4811a6d24