Christine - Around The World

Around the World

2012-01-01T08:59:00.009+01:00

Around the World Travels:
(to read more about each place, click on the description)

07/2011 - Barcelona & Girona, Spain
06/2011 - Florence & Siena & Pisa, Italy
12/2010 - Guatemala & Belize
08/2010 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
04/2010 - Arizona
02/2010 - Dublin, Ireland
12/2009 - Mali & Burkina Faso
06/2009 - London, England
04/2009 - Jordan & Syria
11/2008 - Sydney, Australia & New Zealand
09/2008 - Getaria & Hondaribia, Spain & Biarritz, France
06/2008 - Lisbon, Portugal
04/2008 - Biarritz & Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France
08/2007 - Uganda & Kenya & Tanzania
01/2007 - Paris, France
10/2006 - Myanmar
05/2006 - London, England
04/2006 - San Diego & San Francisco, California, United States
05/2005 - Destin, Florida, United States
09/2004 - Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
06/2004 - Rome & Venice, Italy
04/2004 - Bayonne & Biarritz & Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France
02/2004 - Milan, Italy
12/2003 - Prague, Czech Republic
06/2003 - Granada & Zahara de los Atunes & Madrid, Spain
05/2003 - Barcelona, Spain
01/2003 - Lierganes, Spain
08/2002 - Alicante, Spain
07/2002 - Pamplona, Spain
05/2002 - Destin, Florida, United States
12/2001 - Bilbao, Spain
11/2001 - Costa Rica
09/2001 - New York, New York, United States
07/2001 - Bilbao & Pamplona, Spain
07/2001 - Mondeaux Dam, Wisconsin, United States
05/2001 - Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
12/2000 - Bilbao & Madrid, Spain
11/2000 - Paris, France
08/2000 - Mondeaux Dam, Wisconsin, United States
03/2000 - Florida Keys, Florida, United States
12/1999 - Bilbao & San Sebastian, Spain
05/1998 - Madrid & Alicante & Barcelona, Spain & Marseille & Paris, France

Barcelona & Girona July 2011

2011-08-14T11:36:00.022+02:00

July 29, 2011 - August 6, 2011

Went to Barcelona and Girona with Satcha, Andy&Andrea and Mom&Dad.

I had a great time in Barcelona. Saw all the "touristy sights":

La Rambla - a 1.2 kilometer pedestrian street in Barcelona where there are street performers, shopping stalls, restaurants, etc.
La Pedreda - building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. The roof of the building has the famous chimneys designed by Gaudí and incredible views of Barcelona from above.
Sagrada Familia - cathedral designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. It's very impressive to see this cathedral in the skyline of Barcelona. Its tallest towers are 170 meters (560 ft) tall. The sculptures and design is really pretty, the only thing I didn't like is that when Gaudí died only one fourth of the cathedral was finished. Because of a fire set to the Sagrada Familia most of his designs and sketches were burned. So, the organization that's continuing the construction of the Sagrada Familia is doing it based on the designs and sketches they've tried to put back together or think Gaudí would've done.
Parc Güell - garden complex with architectural elements designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. It's a very pretty park with a lot of mosaic work, which I especially liked! The only bad part was there were so many people when we went that it was hard to enjoy the views and be able to relax.
Casa Batlló - a building restored by Antoni Gaudí. It's a really pretty building that has terraces that look like the jaw of a skeleton and an arched roof that looks like the back of a dragon.
Port Vell - Barcelona's port where there are restaurants and bars to relax and enjoy the views of the Mediterranean.
And many other things...taking the "hop on-hop off" tourist bus allowed us to see many of the sights in Barcelona: the Olympic stadium area, Montjuïc mountain area, la Barceloneta, etc.

We also took a 45 minute train ride to the Pendés region where grapes are grown for cava making (Catalonia's sparkling wine – comparable to Champagne). We went to Freixenet, took their winery tour and enjoyed glasses of cava afterword!

Besides Barcelona, we drove north to the "Costa Brava" and stayed in Roses, Girona for 2 days. There we enjoyed the beach, pool, weather and a wonderful time relaxing on the Mediterranean. Satcha and I were able to go scuba diving 1 day, which didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. The water was pretty choppy that day and there was a large undercurrent. Satcha got sea sick on the way to the dive spot and although he went down on the first dive, he got even sicker underwater. We didn't see much marine life on the first time and I had a hard time moving because the undercurrent was pushing me all around.

I went down without Satcha for the second dive (he was even MORE sick on the boat after coming up from the first dive) and saw more marine life on that dive: 2 moray eels, octopus, barracudas, other fish and coral, but still, the undercurrent was so strong that it was a really difficult dive.

I definitely hoped, and expected, it to be an easier dive in the Mediterranean and that I would see more marine life. This just means that we'll have to go and try it again in the Mediterranean!!!

On our drive back from Roses to Barcelona we stopped in Cadaqués and Figueres. We walked around Cadaqués in the morning. It's a beautiful costal town on a bay of the Mediterranean where Salvador Dalí visited and had a home for part of his life. It's got white-washed houses built into the hill that surrounds the bay.

In Figueres, birthplace of Salvador Dalí, we visited the Teatre-Museu Gala Salvador Dalí a large museum designed by Dalí which has the largest collection of his artwork. It's a really fun museum to visit. There are so many beautiful sculptures and paintings and many are interactive and show you how creative he was. Like the living-room with custom furniture that looks like the face of Mae West when you view it from above, or a red ruby-studded heart brooch that pumps like a real heart!

It was a fun trip!! I got to see everything that I didn't remember from my past 2 trips to Barcelona and go to towns along the Costa Brava which were beautiful. And on top of all that, I got to be with the fam!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Barcelona & Girona 2011

Florence & Siena & Pisa June 2011

2011-05-29T19:25:00.024+02:00

June 3, 2011 - June 8, 2011
Andy had gotten into a summer class that was going to be 3 weeks long in Florence. Raquel, Satcha's cousin, lives in Florence. So, it was the perfect opportunity to see Florence, Siena and Pisa and visit with Andy and Raquel.

We flew from Santander to Pisa and took the train from Pisa to Florence (1 hour away).

Florence is a small city with a lot of beautiful art and architecture to see. We walked around Florence and saw the Duomo, Florence's cathedral with the world's largest dome, we walked up San Miniato al Monte where we had wonder views overlooking Florence, we went to the Central Market, walked the pedestrian streets and enjoyed the DELICIOUS Tuscan food: pasta, pizza, steak, gelato, chianti, limoncello, etc!

We also had the opportunity to see Michelangelo's David. WOW! What an incredible piece of artwork. It's a 5.17meter/17 foot marble statue of the Biblical hero David. I was awestruck when I walked into the hall of the Accademia Gallery where David stands and saw him towards the back. I stood there just staring at the statue - that's how impressive it is. It's amazing to see the detail in the body that Michelangelo sculpted and just how big the statue is!

On the morning that Andy had to go to class, Satcha and I took a bus and went to Siena (1 hour away). We spent the morning walking around the old part and seeing all the sights. We went to the top of the cathedral and saw Siena from above. It's also a really pretty city.

Since we were flying out of Pisa early in the morning, we spent the night in Pisa. Andy, Satcha and I took the train to Pisa in the afternoon and went to see the leaning tower. It's really leaning!!!!Pisa doesn't really have anything else to see, so we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing with food and drinks!

It was a really fun getaway. There were great sights, food, conversation and most of all, GREAT company!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Florence & Siena & Pisa 2011

Guatemala & Belize December 2010

2010-12-30T11:03:00.002+01:00

December 8, 2010 - December 26, 2010

Wednesday, December 8 - Madrid - San Jose, Costa Rica - Guatemala City, Guatemala - Antigua, Guatemala

Guatemala

Thursday, December 9 - Antigua - Panajachel - Santa Cruz La Laguna

Friday, December 10 - Scuba diving Lago de Atitlán

Saturday, December 11 - Lago de Atitlán

Sunday, December 12 - Lago de Atitlán - Chichicastenango - Antigua

Monday, December 13 - Pacaya Volcano - Antigua - Cobán

Tuesday, December 14 - Semuc Champey - Grutas de Lanquín

Wednesday, December 15 - Cobán - Sayaxché

Thursday, December 16 - Aguateca - Sayaxché - Santa Elena - Flores

Friday, December 17 - Tikal

Saturday, December 18 - Ixpanpajul Park

Sunday, December 19 - Flores - Santa Elena - Rio Dulce - Livingston

Monday, December 20 - Livingston

Belize

Tuesday, December 21 - Livingston - Punta Gorda, Belize - Independence, Belize - Placencia, Belize

Wednesday, December 22 - Placencia

Thursday, December 23 - Placencia

Friday, December 24 - Placencia - Independence - Punta Gorda - Puerto Barrios, Guatemala - Guatemala City, Guatemala

Saturday, December 25 - Guatemala City, Guatemala - San Salvador, El Salvador - Madrid, Spain

Sunday, December 26 - Bilbao - Madrid

The adventure begins!!! Who knew that a vacation could start so horribly and end so wonderfully!!!!

Friday, December 3, 2010: I was happily organizing and packing my backpack when the phone rang around 8:30pm. I picked up the phone and it was Ivan, Satcha's brother. He asked me how we were doing and I replied that I was wonderful - Who wouldn't be happy getting ready to go on a trip that had been thought of and planned since January of that same year!!! - I asked him how he was and he said worried. He said that he was worried about Satcha and me. I asked why, very confused. He told me to look at the online newspapers because there were problems at the airports. I opened up the newspaper web page and saw a headline that reported that practically all of Spain's air space was closed due to the air traffic controllers. I quickly gave the phone to Satcha, not fully comprehending what was going on at that moment, and thought it was probably nothing. How could Spain's air space be shut down?!?!? Satcha kept talking to his brother and I went to turn on the TV and see if there was something on the news.

It was all over the news. All of Spain's air traffic controllers had walked out on the job and declared that they were all sick. There was no way for airplanes to fly in, out or through Spain!!! It was chaotic. We didn't know what to do. The government had given the air traffic controllers an ultimatum. They said that they had until 9:00pm to return to their jobs. They didn't, so the government declared a state of alert.

All of Spain's air space was closed and it was being commented that it would open back up at 11:00am, Saturday, December 4, 2010, but that people with flights should confirm them with the airline just in case. We had flights reserved from Bilbao to Madrid at 8:30am and from Madrid to Guatemala City at 11:40am on Saturday, December 4, 2010.

We tried calling the airport and Iberia, but no one answered. So, at 10:00pm we decided to go to Bilbao's airport and see if we could talk to someone. Satcha was able to talk to a worker from Iberia who said that our 8:30am flight would not be taking off and that we should try to get to Madrid however possible because it was probably that the flight to Guatemala would take off - Of course...who would believe that they would allow the air space to be shut down for so long!?!??! We decided to drive to the bus station and try and get tickets for the 1:30am bus to Madrid. We bought the tickets, rushed home, finished packing, closed up the house and took the metro to the bus station.

Saturday, December 4, 2010: We got to the bus station at 1:15am. There were extra buses called in to help with the transportation situation since so many people were trying to get to Madrid with the mess that was going on in the airports.

We finally got to Madrid around 6:30am, it's about a 5 hour bus ride, took the metro to the airport and got there around 7:30am. We were going on no sleep!!! We looked at the flight departure board and every flight's status was "Canceled". There was a woman from Iberia giving information. Iberia had created 3 lines: to get a refund for the flight, to be put on a waiting list for national and within Europe flights and to be put on a waiting list for transatlantic flights. We got in the refund line to try and get a refund for our Bilbao - Madrid flight that morning, since we'd arrived by bus. We got a refund for the flight and asked about the status of the Guatemala flight. Another worker from Iberia informed us that it was still thought that air space would open back up around 11:00am and that the transatlantic flights would be the first to fly out. She said that it might be delayed, but she imagined that it'd fly out. We asked, just in case, about any other flights to Guatemala. She said that there were no flights on Sunday, but there was a flight on Monday. So, all we could do at that moment was wait...

We found 2 seats, sat down and waited, and waited, and waited. All the while people just kept arriving at the airport, but no one was leaving. There were lines of people everywhere. It was very chaotic. While we were sitting and looking like zombies we noticed a cameraman and reporter interviewing people. All of the sudden they were filming us and wanted to interview Satcha!!! Later in the day I got a message from some friends saying that they saw us on the news!!!

At 10:30am the flight status board changed and put that flights to some Latin American countries could check in, Guatemala was one of them!!! I got so excited!!! So, we went to the luggage drop off counter, since we checked in online the night before and already had our boarding passes. We waited, and waited, and waited in the line. It was moving, but the workers at the counter weren't taking any baggage. All of the sudden there was an announcement: those people flying to Barcelona should go to a certain spot. Some people started cheering; you could feel and hear a sort of relief in the airport. Everyone was thinking that if the Madrid - Barcelona flights were starting to go out, the rest would start shortly, too. Then, another announcement: those people who were supposed to fly to Barcelona should go to a certain spot because there's a bus that will take them. A hush and disappointment fell back over everyone.

As we were still standing in the line to check our luggage, at around 12:00pm there was another announcement: Due to the situation caused by the air traffic controllers abandoning their jobs, and that it still hasn't been resolved, Iberia is forced to cancel all of its flights until 6:00am, Sunday, December 5, 2010. Please abandon the airport!!!! People went nuts!!! I went nuts!!! What were we going to do??? Satcha went to ask the Iberia workers at the counter about the next flight out to Guatemala. He was told that the next flights were on Monday, but that it was full and already had a waiting list with 40 people on it - Impossible to get on that flight - and the flight on Tuesday was also full. Because we bought our tickets through a company that wasn't Iberia, we were going to have to talk to that company to have them put us on a different flight or have our money refunded.

There was such chaos at that moment that we went to sit down in a corner and try and think - Remember that we're still going on no sleep!!! - We thought of staying in Madrid, but we weren't sure if we'd get on a flight soon, if the expenses that we would have in Madrid would be compensated. We thought about cancelling all of our vacation and just getting a refund because we didn't know when this situation would be fixed. I felt like we had thought of so many alternatives but none made sense. I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to go on my yearly vacation. I'd been waiting and planning for this moment since January!!! Tears started to flow.

We finally decided to go home, call this company that could change our flight or give us our money back and handle things from there. We took the bus back to Bilbao. We got home around 7:30pm - Still no sleep!!!

While Satcha called about the flight, I started cancelling some reservations that we'd already made and paid for in Guatemala (firsts nights stay at a hotel, a volcano hike, etc.). Satcha finally got through and was told that there was availability on the Wednesday, December 8 flight. We took it! We decided to miss out on 3 days of our vacation in Guatemala, but still go!!!

Friday, December 3, 2010: Tuesday, December 7, 2010: Happy Birthday Satcha!!! There weren't any flights available to arrive in Madrid on Wednesday in time for the Guatemala flight, so we decided to fly to Madrid on Tuesday and spend the night in Madrid (in a hotel, not the airport!!!). It was Satcha's birthday, so not only was it the start of our vacation in Madrid, it was a birthday celebration, too!!!! When we got to the hotel and checked-in, while entering all our data, they noticed that it was Satcha's birthday. The guy at the counter said Happy Birthday and said that he was going to "see what he could do" for the birthday boy!

We walked around Madrid and had dinner. When we got back to our room, there was a complementary bottle of wine and snacks to celebrate Satcha's birthday! It was really nice...We started our vacation by drinking wine, eating snacks and watching a movie!!!! A relaxing way to start after the hectic start!

The adventure gets much better...and then worse...and then better!!!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010: Things had pretty much settled at the airports by Wednesday. There were still waiting lists full of people trying to get to their destinations, but more or less the flights were flying out on time.

We got to the airport and went to check in. We got to the counter, we showed our boarding cards that we'd gotten the night before online and the Iberia worker said to us that she had to give us new boarding cards - I thought, great, there's some kind of problem and we wouldn't be able to sit together, or even worse, we weren't getting on the flight. She said that because there was overbooking and we had the Iberia Plus cards, which gives us preference, we'd be upgraded to Business class!!!!! WE GOT TO FLY BUSINESS CLASS FOR A 12 HOUR FLIGHT!!!!!

While we waited for the flight we got to wait in the VIP lounge which was so nice and calm with a free food and drink buffet, although I had to have wanted my Starbucks and took that in with me!!! And we flew for 12 hours in luxury, laying down and enjoying the flight!!! That's the way to fly!!!!

We had a layover in San Jose, Costa Rica and since the flight from Madrid took off 2 hours late, we missed our flight from San Jose to Guatemala City. It was around 9:00pm when we arrived to San Jose and there was only one more flight to Guatemala, but it was with a company that Iberia wasn't partners with. It was a huge hassle, running around the airport, talking to different people, not knowing where our luggage was, and trying to get the workers from Iberia to put us on the other flight. I thought, great, we're so close to getting to Guatemala and we're going to have to spend the night in Costa Rica and try and get on a flight the next day, etc. After all the waiting...we were so close!!!! Luckily things worked out and Iberia put us on the last flight out to Guatemala that night!!!! (There were people on our flight from Madrid who were connecting in San Jose to El Salvador. They'd gone though a similar situation as us in Madrid with the air traffic controllers and having their flights cancelled. When we got to San Jose late there were no more flights that night to El Salvador. They had to spend the night in San Jose and be put on a waiting list to get to their destination. They were very, VERY mad, which is understandable).

We arrived in Guatemala City around 11:30pm, Wednesday, December 8, 2010!

WE FINALLY MADE IT!!!! From there we started our true, exiciting adventure!!!

I was nervous for this trip, more nervous than usual. We'd heard and read how Guatemala wasn't a very safe country. We talked to people who'd been there and they mentioned how that it was true that Guatemala was a little bit more dangerous than other destinations, but that if we were a little bit more cautious and didn't do anything stupid that it'd a beautiful and wonderful place to visit!!!

While we travelled through Guatemala, there was something that stood out that made us realize that it was true about the safety in Guatemala. There were armed guards with shotguns standing outside stores, banks, parking lots, etc. Also, we saw people carrying hand guns on the street. We talked to people from Guatemala and they told us that it's legal for people to carry hand guns if they have a license, but that many don't have one. There were a lot of police patrolling the streets, too. They travelled in pickup trucks: two in the cabin and between four and six of them sat in the bed of the pickup all armed with huge, semiautomatic type guns.

Despite my nerves and what we'd heard, we didn't have any problems. It was quite the contrary; I felt a lot safer than I thought I would!! We walked around by ourselves, we ate at restaurants where Guatemalans ate, we talked to them and we travelled with them from city to city using the local buses. Being with the Guatemalan people made me feel better and I felt like I was really travelling, enjoying and understanding the people and the country, not just seeing it as a scared tourist!

Guatemalans are very shy, friendly, beautiful, colorful people. They still maintain the traditions of the Mayan culture and are very proud of it. As we walked down the street or walked through the markets they didn't say anything to us, they barely even looked at us (which is quite a contrast from the African and Arabic cultures where they notice the tourists right away and are always saying hello or trying to sell you something!), but once we said "Buenos días" or "Hola" to them, they'd smile, respond and want to talk and know where we were from. They all wanted to know where we were from, where we'd been in Guatemala and if we liked travelling through their country.

Guatemala is a beautiful country! It's so colorful; there are so many different, beautiful landscapes! There is a large diversity of landscapes: active volcanoes, jungle, lakes, Mayan towns and markets, Tikal - the most important of all Mayan ruins, rivers, mangroves, Caribbean-reggae-feel town and so much more!!!!

The markets were full of beautiful colors. Between the people's hand woven, colorful clothes, and the fruits and vegetables, everything looked so lively and vibrant!! The fruits and vegetables were delicious!! I ate fresh pineapple, watermelon, apples, mandarins, papaya, bananas, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, avocado and it all tasted so fresh! The liquados were yummy (fresh fruit blended with ice and a little bit of sugar). Strawberry was the best! And the guacamole...I ate plates and plates and plates of fresh guacamole. I've never tasted better guacamole (sorry Mom!)!

We hiked an active volcano, Pacaya. We walked on the recent lava rock that covered the area from the last explosion in May 2010. As I walked on the volcano, I could feel the heat on my feet. There was smoke coming from the top and holes in the sides.

We visited the Lake Atitlán area where there are many small towns that still have a true Mayan influence. The lake was formed by a volcanic eruption which caused a crater to form and has been filled by rain water. It's surrounded by active volcanoes. I went scuba diving in the lake and saw the rock formations caused by the volcano. I felt around the bottom and could feel heat coming out. I touched a rock, underwater, and it burnt my hand!

We visited Tikal, one of the most important Mayan ruins in the jungle of the Peten area, we zip-lined through the treetops of the jungle, we swam in beautiful turquoise-blue freshwater pools and we enjoyed the lively reggae culture of Livingston.

At the end of the trip we took a boat from Livingston to Placencia, Belize. Placencia is a town in the south of Belize that is the typical white sand, palm tree, turquoise water picture perfect town. Belize has the world's second largest barrier reef (the first is Australia). We went scuba diving and saw so much marine life and beautiful colors underwater!!! I'd read that it was very common to see turtles while diving. I'd never see a turtle and made it my goal to see one while we were there! We dove two days in a row, two dives each day. I thought after our last dive that I'd be leaving Belize without seeing my turtle, although I wasn't that disappointed since I'd seen so much on the four dives and was really happy!!! But, after our last dive, we went snorkeling and saw 2 HUGE turtles!!!! They were beautiful!!! I'd never seen anything so beautiful under the water!!! I ended the trip getting my wish!!! I had four wonderful dives, saw amazing things under the water and saw my turtles!!!

Even though the start to this trip was horrible, it ended up being a fantastic adventure!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Guatemala & Belize 2010

Amsterdam August 2010

2010-08-30T13:06:00.033+02:00

August 26, 2010 - August 28, 2010
SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!!

Satcha surprised me with a weekend getaway to Amsterdam!!! Amsterdam has always been a city that I'd wanted to visit. Besides wanting to tour the Van Gogh museum, he's my favorite painter, I'd heard so many good things about the city. Since we had a long weekend and there were direct flights from Bilbao to Amsterdam, Satcha decided to surprise me with a weekend in Amsterdam!!!

We flew out of Bilbao on Thursday around 7:00pm and arrived in Amsterdam around 9:00pm. By the time we took the bus to the hotel and got settled in, we decided to hang out and plan what we wanted to do and see the next day.

We saw most of Amsterdam in 1 day!!! We started the day by going to the Van Gogh museum where we saw around 200 of Van Gogh's paintings. Some of his most famous paintings were on display: the Self Portraits, Wheatfield with Reaper, The potato eaters, The sunflowers and many more. Unfortunately The bedroom was being restored, so it wasn't on display. There was so much I learned about Van Gogh, also.

Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh was a self taught painter who started painting around the age of 27 after his intent to become a minister failed. He decided that he could become an artist and still be in God's service. He started painting by attending academies and learning from and following other artists such as Millet and Breton. His first paintings were very dark and of peasant life. When he moved to Paris to live in the artists' quarter of Montmartre he saw the Impressionists and Pointillism styles and there he learned about light and color. This is when Van Gogh began to create his own style. He wrote, "What is required in art nowadays is something very much alive, very strong in color, very much intensified."

When Van Gogh got tired of Paris he decided to leave for Provence in the south of France where he rented a studio in Arles. He painted this studio in the Yellow House. He invited Gauguin to join him and create an artist's cooperative. He painted many still lifes to decorate Gauguin's room; one of these paintings was The sunflowers. Gauguin arrived in Arles and for nine weeks he and Van Gogh worked together, painting and discussing art. Personal tensions grew between the two artists and Van Gogh experienced a psychotic episode in which he threatened Gauguin with a razor and later cut off a piece of his own left ear. There has been much debate as to the source of Van Gogh's illness. Some 30 different diagnoses have been suggested by psychiatrists, these include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, syphilis, poisoning from swallowed paints, temporal lobe epilepsy and acute intermittent porphyria. The illness could also have been aggravated by malnutrition, overwork, insomnia and Van Gogh's addiction to alcohol.

After this episode, Van Gogh felt he was unable to organize his life or set up a new studio. He attributed his breakdown to excessive drink and tobacco. Afraid of having a relapse, he voluntarily admitted himself to the psychiatric hospital in Saint-Rémy. He stayed at the hospital for a year where he worked on paintings, many of them with wheatfields that he saw from his room's window, and tried to get a handle on his life.

Staying in the asylum, Van Gogh wrote, "I feel happier here with my work than I could be outside. By staying here a good long time, I shall have learned regular habits and in the long run the result will be more order in my life."

While in Arles and Saint-Rémy, Van Gogh sent his paintings to his brother, Theo, in Paris to try and sell. Despite his illness, he produced many masterpieces, such as Irises, Cypresses, and Starry Night. With these paintings Van Gogh started to get recognition.

Because Theo financially supported his own family and Van Gogh, Van Gogh had always felt like a burden for his brother. On July 27, 1890 Van Gogh walked into a wheat field and shot himself in the chest. He staggered back to his room, where two days later, on July 29, he died with Theo at his side.

After the museum visit we walked around the city and along the canals. Amsterdam is a very pretty city with buildings and houses built right on the canals and it's definitely a bicycle-friendly city. Amsterdam has a population of around 700,000 people and 3 times as many bicycles!!! You have to be careful when crossing the street because besides the car traffic there is bicycle traffic, and I'd say that the bicycles are far more dangerous than the cars!!!

The Red Light District is an interesting area to see. There is quite a contrast of the area during the day and at night. During the day, there are very few women in the windows, most windows were closed, and the women were older, heavier, and not what I had expected. But, then at night, after dark, the majority of the windows were full, the red lights were turned on, the girls were younger and prettier and there were a lot of people, mainly mid 20s-30s male tourists. We saw some people go in for a good time. We learned that it's costly to be with one of these girls. For a "15 minute quickie" the price is around 50 euro. This is pretty expensive considering that in those 15 minutes, once you walk in the door, the clock starts ticking: the girl has to take off her clothes, you have to take off your clothes, clean yourself, do your thing, get dressed and get out the door. All in 15 minutes!!!!! And on top of that it's just a "basic quickie", if you want extras, for example you want the girl to look like she likes it, that'll cost you extra!!! From what it seemed like, while walking around and observing, the girls get a lot of business from groups of young guys after they've had a few beers!!!

As we walked around the city there was a definite "aroma" in the air, also. There was a distinct marijuana smell all over the city. The coffeeshops were scattered about the city. There's no specific area where all the coffeeshops are. You may be wondering why it's called a coffeeshop if it's a place where they sell marijuana. But, they really do sell coffee, too!! It's a café where you can get coffee, other non-alcoholic drinks (they're not allowed to sell alcohol) , munchies and marijuana. Something funny: It's illegal to smoke cigarettes in coffeeshops, although it's OK to smoke marijuana. If you want to smoke a cigarette you have to go outside!!! For everyone who's wondering now if I smoked or not, I'll tell you that I did not smoke. But, I did try a "brownie", although it didn't seem to have much of an affect on me!

These are aspects of Amsterdam that the government is proposing to "clean-up". It's said that by 2015 the government wants to get rid of 95% of the Red Light District windows and make the selling of marijuana by coffeeshops illegal. If this is true, I'd definitely recommend seeing these two parts of Amsterdam that are almost impossible to see anywhere else!!!!

We also visited the Anne Frank House: the house where 8 people (the Frank family, the van Pels family and Fritz Pfeffer) lived in hiding for over 2 years before they were betrayed to the Nazi authorities. We saw how they lived and read different passages from Anne's diary. It's a very moving story, so moving that it's inspired me to read the book.

Besides all of this we just walked around the city and enjoyed the sights and food (the warm apple pie, cheeses and fries were delicious!!!). Amsterdam is one of the prettiest European cities that I've visited. I recommend it to everyone!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Amsterdam 2010

Pamplona July 2010

2010-07-18T01:05:00.079+02:00

July 5, 2010 - July 7, 2010

"Viva San Fermín! Gora San Fermín!" The festival of San Fermín, or Sanfermines, in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain is a celebration held annually from noon on July 6 when the opening of the fiesta is marked by setting off a firework from City Hall during chupinazo, to midnight July 14, when people gather at the City Hall plaza to sing the song Pobre de Mí. The most famous event is the encierro, the running of the bulls, held every morning at 8am.

Sanfermines is held in honor of Saint Fermin, the co-patron of Navarra. Its events were central to the plot of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, which brought it to the general attention of English-speaking people. It has probably become the most internationally renowned fiesta in Spain.

Pamplona has a population of around 200,000 people. During the week-long celebration of Sanfermines the population increases to over 1,000,000 people, mostly Australians and U.S. Americans, all who come to participate in this festival.

My Dad had always talked about going to Spain to see the celebration of the San Fermín fiesta, it's something he'd always wanted to do. So, this year my Mom and Dad decided to come visit this week.

During the celebration of Sanfermines the hotels and hostels raise their prices consideralby and most reservations are made a year in advance. Because of this, and the fact that most of the people who go are younger (in their 20s), the majority look for a bench or a nice patch of grass to sleep on. This wasn't the case for us. We definitely had V.I.P. treatment. Satcha's brother, Ivan, lives in Pamplona so he let us stay at his house where we had very comfy beds to sleep in and a place to go and relax after all the celebrating!!!

We arrived in Pamplona on the night before chupinazo (the start of the fiesta). We walked around the city observing how people prepared for the next day: drinking, drinking and more drinking!!! Around 10pm we went to a bar where we ordered a bunch of apetizers (salad, cheese, ham, chorizo, fried foods, etc.) and had dinner. It was a fun, relaxing night!!!

On the morning of July 6 we headed to the City Hall Plaza around 11am where everyone gathers to start the celebration. There were a lot of people already there since the offical start time is 12pm. It was crowded, but we were able to make our way in a little just to see what the atmosphere was like. It's not a good idea to be in this area if you like to stay clean (like me). People are throwing water, champagne, red wine, ketcup, mustard, and anything else they can find into the air or directly at you. We stayed there until around 11:45am when Ivan called Satcha and told him that we could watch chupinazo from a balcony. It was a good thing too because the plaza had filled up by then and it was impossible to move. It was so packed that I experienced my first panic attack ever.

One of Ivan's co-workers had an apartment with a balcony overlooking the City Hall Plaza from where we were invited to enjoy the views of chupinazo. These were quite the views. It's really difficult to explain the amount of people that pack into the plaza, raise their red scarves in the air and celebrate the starting of the festival. The cheers, the champagne bottles, the sea of red scarves; It gave me goosebumps.

We walked around in the afternoon, enjoying lemon sorbets, sangria, eating and people watching. We went to the bullring and walked around there (without any bulls of course!) and at night we watched the bulls be run from the corrals where they spend the day to the pens where they spend the night before the run. We went to bed early that night becuase we had to get up early in the morning (around 5am) to watch the encierro, the running of the bulls.

History
The encierro is a practice that involves running in front of six bulls that have been let loose on a course of a sectioned-off subset of the city streets. Spanish lore says the true origin began in North-eastern Spain during the early 14th century. While transporting cattle in order to sell at the market, men would attempt to speed the process by hurrying their cattle using tactics of fear and excitement. After years of this practice, the transportation and hurrying began to turn into a competition, as young adults would attempt to race in front of the bulls and make it safely to their pens without being overtaken. When the popularity of this practice increased and was noticed more and more by the expanding population of Spanish cities, a tradition was created and stands to this day.

Preliminaries
The event begins with runners singing three times "A San Fermín pedimos por ser nuestro patrón, nos guíe en el encierro dándonos su bendición" ("We ask Saint Fermín, as our Patron, to guide us through the encierro and give us his blessing"), a song sung to the statue of Saint Fermin to ask for his protection during the run. The singers finish by shouting “Viva San Fermín!, Gora San Fermín!" ("Long live San Fermin", in Spanish and Basque).

Runners dress in the traditional clothing of the festival which consists of a white shirt and trousers with a red waistband and neckerchief. In one hand, they hold the day's newspaper rolled to draw the bulls' attention from them if necessary.

The Run
A first rocket is set off at 8am to alert the runners that the corral gate is open. A second rocket signals that all six bulls and six steers have been released. The third and fourth rockets are signals of the entire herd entering the bullring and its corral respectively, marking the end of the event. The average duration between the first rocket and the end of the encierro is around four minutes.

The herd is composed by the six bulls, to be fought in the afternoon, six steers which run with the bulls and three more that leave the corral two minutes later. The function of the oxen is to guide the herd. The average speed of the herd is 24 km/h (15 mph).

The length of the run is 826 meters/0.5 miles and goes through 4 streets of the old part of the city (Santo Domingo, City Hall Plaza, Mercaderes and Estafeta) and a section called "Telefónica" before entering into the bullring. The fastest part of the route is up Santo Domingo and across the City Hall Plaza. The bulls often became separated at the entrance to Estafeta Street as they slow down. One or more used to slip going into the turn at Estafeta Street because it's a 90 degree turn, but with the use of the new anti-slip surfacing, most of the bulls make the turn without problems and are often ahead of the steers.

The Route
0. Santo Domingo
1. Image of San Fermin
2. City Hall Plaza
3. Mercaderes Street
4. Estafeta Street
5. Telefonica
6. Bullring

Ivan had gotten us tickets to watch the encierro from a balcony at the City Hall. We had to leave the house by 6am in order to make our way through the crowds and get to the City Hall Plaza. There are a lot of people on the streets around that time, between the runners, people who line line up along the fence to be able to watch the run and the people who have been out partying all night, the streets are full of life. From the balcony we were able to watch the runners prepare, as the time gets closer to 8am you can see them getting more and more nervous. We had views of the bull running up Santo Domingo and rounding the corner of the plaza.

After the encierro we headed to the bullring. Once the last bull into the ring is led into his pen, the runners are left in the ring where they take on small, wild cows. One cow at a time is released into the ring at and it takes on all the people in the ring. These cows are smaller and their horns aren't as sharp as a bulls, but they tend to be smarter and faster. Many people think that since the cow's horns are not very sharp, they can't hurt you, but this is not true. So, we stayed and watched, booing the people who would grab the cows and laughing at the ones who got knocked down.

Around 10am we went to have breakfast. The tipical breakfast during Sanfermines is bull stew, fried eggs, chorizo or ham, fries and red wine. Dad had the bull stew and Mom, Satcha and myself had the fried eggs with chorizo and fries (since it was still early in the morning we skipped the red wine). We were all pretty tired after getting up so early and enjoying all the excitement, so we decided to go back to Ivan's house, take a nap and head home that afternoon.

We definitely had V.I.P. treatment while in Pamplona thanks to Ivan. I think my Mom and Dad enjoyed their visit to the San Fermín festival, it was defnitely an experience for them.

I had a fun time being with them at Sanfermines. I have a lot of good memories. But, I also know that I need a break from visiting Pamplona during Sanfermines. It's a very tiring fiesta.

To view more pictures, click on this link: San Fermin 2010

Arizona April 2010

2010-04-15T16:15:00.072+02:00

April 2, 2010 - April 8, 2010

During my trip back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin this year, to visit with family and friends, we decided to take a 6-day trip to Phoenix, Arizona and spend time with Andy and Andrea who are living there.

Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona
On Saturday, April 3 we decided to do an "easy" hike at Camelback Mountain. Andy, Satcha and I were looking at the different trails to decide which one to do. There are 4: 2 easy and 2 difficult. We talked about doing one of the 2 easy trails. But, when we got to Camelback we only found 1 trail starting point, the Cholla Trail. So we hiked that one. Well, it was the most difficult trail to hike!!!

Cholla Trail
Length: 1.5 miles
Elevation gain: 1,200 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous and difficult
Description: This trail is recommended only for experienced hikers. There are steep, rocky sections with drop-offs on both sides.

We started the hike around noon. It was a sunny, hot day. My Mom and Dad, Andy, Satcha and I climbed the trail stopping to take pictures and breaks along the way. After about 1 hour and a half Andy convinced my Mom and Dad to head back down while we continued. The three of us continued for about a half hour more and decided to go down when we got to a point where we had to start rock climbing. It was a difficult hike that we didn't expect to do, but it was definitely worth it. The views from the mountain were amazing.

Phoenix, Arizona
Something interesting happened on Sunday, April 4. Satcha and I were sitting in Andy and Andrea's apartment when all of the sudden it seemed as though the building started to sway. It felt like we were on a boat, that rocking feeling. It lasted about 30 seconds to 1 minute. We didn't know what it was. I thought at first that it was just the wind, but it didn't seem right that the wind could rock a building. Satcha thought that it was from a construction site close to the apartment, but there we didn't see any construction around. Later that afternoon we heard that there was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit the Mexican peninsula of Baja California. We had felt the tremors. It was a very strange and helpless feeling.

Sedona, Arizona
On Monday, April 5 My Mom and Dad, Andy, Satcha and I drove to Sedona. We spent the day enjoying the stunning views of the Red Rocks of Sedona and the city. These eye-catching red rock formations, that have a red and orange color, tower over the city. It was a nice, relaxing day that allowed me to enjoy the scenery.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
On Tuesday, April 6 My Mom and Dad, Satcha and I drove to the Grand Canyon. It was supposed to be a 4 hour drive that converted into a 5 and a half hour drive. We were going to take the route near Williams to get to Grand Canyon National Park, but because of a car accident we had to go back to Flagstaff and drive from there.

We finally got to Grand Canyon National Park around 3pm. We parked and took the shuttle bus to the Hermits Rest Route. I got my first sight of the Grand Canyon from the Hermits Rest Transfer on the Rim Trail. WOW!!! AMAZING!!! It blew me away how big and beautiful it was. I never expected the Grand Canyon to look the way it did. It was breathtaking. We waked the Hermits Rest Route along the Rim Trail stopping at all the view points to enjoy the views of the Grand Canyon. We stopped at Pima Point to watch the sunset. It was beautiful how the sun changed the colors of the Grand Canyon to a deep red and yellow. It was stunning!!!

It was really cold, too. During our walk it was around 40º-50ºF (4º-10ºC), but when the sun set it got down to 32ºF (0ºC). It was cold and we weren't dressed for it!!! Once the sun set, we hurried to the shuttle bus and took it back to the car where we cranked up the heat while we drove back to Williams where we stayed the night.

The next morning, Wednesday, April 7, we reserved a 2pm helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. Before the helicopter we went back to Grand Canyon National Park and hiked the South Kaibab Trail to the Ooh-Ahh point. This trail goes down into the canyon. It's a pretty steep hike down and back up. I took in the landscapes every step of the way. When we got to the Ooh-Ahh point I sat and enjoyed the moment. They were incredible views.

The helicopter ride was the highlight of the trip to the Grand Canyon. We took the Grand Kingdom Helicopter Tour which is about a 1 hour ride that starts at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon near Grandview Point and does a loop over the gorge. From above we saw the density of the forest that goes right up to the rim of the canyon. Once we got to the rim and started flying over the canyon an indescribable sensation came over me...it was like I wanted to just scream from how incredible the views were. It's so difficult to describe the sensation you get from viewing the Grand Canyon this way. We saw the different colors of the Little Colorado River from above (brown and turquoise blue), we saw parts of the canyon that still had snow and of course we saw all the beautiful colors of the canyon (red, yellow, brown). WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!

I definitely recommend, besides hiking the trails, taking a helicopter tour and viewing the Grand Canyon from above. They are both incredible sights and from above you get an idea of how big the canyon really is!!!!!

Someday I would love to go back to the Grand Canyon and spend more time hiking. A trail that caught my eye and seems fun was the hike down the South Kaibab and up the Bright Angel. Someday...

To view more pictures, click on this link: Arizona 2010

Dublin, Ireland February 2010

2010-02-28T10:07:00.028+01:00

February 20, 2010 – February 22, 2010

Slainte!!! What a fun time in Dublin!!!!

My Mom and Dad and Aunt Jean and Uncle Jim planned a trip to Ireland to discover the origins of the Murphy family, my Grandma's family. We decided to meet them in Dublin for a few days.

We didn't do much while we were there.We walked around Dublin just enjoying the sights, conversation and just being together. It was really cold, but we were lucky in that it didn't rain.

We toured the Guiness Storehouse and drank our pint of Guiness at the Gravity Bar, toured Kilmainham Gaol, walked around Grafton Street, St Stephen's Green, Trinity College and the Temple Bar area.

The best part was just spending time together and laughing so much!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Dublin, Ireland 2010

You & Me

2010-02-05T13:50:00.009+01:00

You & Me together can do anything!!!!

Wanna pack your bags
Something small
Take what you need and we disappear
without a trace we'll be gone, gone
moon and the stars will follow the car
And then when we get to the ocean
Gonna take a boat to the end of the world
all the way to the end of the world

Oh when the kids are old enough
we gon' teach them to fly

You and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes, yes
you and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes, yes

you and i were not tied to the ground
not falling but rising like rolling around
eyes closed above the rooftops
eyes closed were gonna spin through the stars
Our arms wide as the sky we gon ride the blue
all the way to the end of the world
to the end of the world

Oh when the kids are old enough
we gon teach them to fly

You and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes, yes
you and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes, yes

we can always look back on what we did
always memory of you and me baby
right now its you and me forever girl
you know we could do better than
anything that we did
you know that you and me
we could do anything

you and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes,yes
the two of us together
we could do anything baby
you and me together yes, yes
two of us together, yes, yes
two of us together
we could do anything baby

Mali & Burkina Faso December 2009

2009-10-07T10:13:00.024+02:00

December 19, 2009 - January 3, 2010

	Saturday, December 19 - Bilbao - Madrid - Casablanca
	Sunday, December 20 - Casablanca - Ouagadougou ~~Gaoua~~
	Burkina Faso
	Monday, December 21 - ~~Gaoua~~ Ouagadougou - Banfora
	Tuesday, December 22 - Banfora - Bobo-Dioulasso
	Mali
	Wednesday, December 23 - Bobo-Dioulasso - Mopti
	Thursday, December 24 - Mopti
	Friday, December 25 - Mopti - Timbuktu
	Saturday, December 26 - Timbuktu
	Sunday, December 27 - Timbuktu - Sévaré
	Monday, December 28 - Sévaré - Djenné
	Tuesday, December 29 - Dogon Country
	Wednesday, December 30 - Dogon Country
	Thursday, December 31 - Dogon Country
	Friday, January 1 - Dogon Country - Ségou
	Saturday, January 2 - Ségou - Bamako
	Sunday, January 3 - Bamako - Casablanca - Barcelona - Bilbao

The plans are in motion...
We wanted to do another Africa trip because of the wonderful impression we had last time we went. But, this time we wanted a more "be close to the people" type of trip. Since we'd already used up some of our vacation days going to Jordan and Syria, we needed to find somewhere in Africa where we could go on this type of trip and still have enough days to enjoy our time without rushing everywhere.

Satcha started looking into different destinations and thought Mali would be interesting. He talked to his brother, Ivan, who had been there some years ago and he said it was definitely a place in Africa that should be visited. Mali is a big country (1,240,000 km²), but since a lot of it is the Sahara desert, the majority of towns to visit are in the south. We started reading and watching documentaries about Mali and looking at different routes and decided that since we're there, that we should and could visit Burkina Faso, also. Now that we've decided on going to Mali we're hearing about others who travelled throughout Africa and said that Mali was the most beautiful country they'd visited.

One day we were talking with Satcha's sister, Tirma, about our plans for this trip and she mentioned that she and Raul were looking at going to Mali this year, too. So, we decided to all go together!!!!

We put together an itinerary of the towns we wanted to visit and started contacting different travel agencies because we wanted to have a guide and driver with us in these two countries. In the end we've decided to go with a local travel agency from Mali.

This is going to be a really fun trip; the four of us are going to have a great time!!!!!

To be continued...

We're back!!!! What a trip!!!!
We flew from Bilbao to Madrid on Saturday so that we could take the Royal Air Maroc Madrid - Casablanca - Ouagadougou flight at 8:45pm that same night. We arrived to Madrid and when we checked in we were told that the flight was delayed until 11:30pm. That was a problem because we only had an hour and half layover in Casablanca to catch the 11pm Ouagadougou flight. Basically, we were going to miss our flight from Casablanca to Ouagadougou and not arrive since it was the last flight of the day to Burkina Faso. We were still hopeful though because as we were waiting and watching the departures board the departure time changed to 9:00pm, then 9:30pm, then our hope started to disappear because it went back to 11:30pm and finally 00:00. We got to Casablanca around 1:30am. We were told that we'd missed the flight to Ouagadougou and that we'd be put on the next one - 9:30pm Sunday night. Royal Air Maroc would put us up in a hotel for the night and asked us if we wanted our luggage. We said yes...WOW...we waited 3 hours in the airport for our luggage. After a lot - A LOT - of confusion (especially at that time in the morning), we finally got our stuff and a bus took us to a hotel. We got to the hotel around 5:30am and slept. It was a waste of a day. The hotel was outside of the city, so we couldn't go anywhere, not to mention that we didn't feel like visiting Casablanca, because we just wanted to get to Burkina Faso. A bus picked us up around 7pm to take us back to the airport to take our 9pm flight from Casablanca to Ouagadougou. Well, what would you guess...that flight was delayed!!! We didn't leave Casablanca until 01:00am on Monday. Incredible!!!!

We finally got to Ouagadougou at 6am on Monday. We picked up our luggage, there was a driver waiting to take us to meet up with Tirma, Raul, Kaou - our guide and Vann - our driver who were driving to Banfora that morning, so we got in the car and went. Because of all the delays, we'd missed the day in Gaoua. We met up with everyone in Banfora around 1pm and we started our group trip!!!!

Visiting Banfora is unforgettable. The first thing we did when we arrived was visit the Karfiguela Waterfalls. They were beautiful. As we hiked to the waterfalls we heard the sound of water hitting the rocks and boulders. We got to the area and it was breathtaking. We went swimming in the pools of water and it just felt like our vacation had truly started.

The rest of the trip we visited a lot of the same landscapes: the traditional mud architecture where the dwellings, mosques, etc. are made of mud and have to be rebuilt every year after the rains, local markets where the people buy and sell everything from clothes to food to anything you can imagine, the port towns of Mopti and Segoú on the Niger and Bani Rivers where you see people washing their clothes, pots and pans, themselves, cars, goats, etc. in very, very polluted water and lots of sand since the Sahara desert is in the north of Mali (it covers around 65% of the country).

While we were in Timbuktu we visited a grade school – Ecole de base Mitiki - where we met the director, some teachers and a few of the kids. We took school supplies, clothes and toys to donate. Families have to pay $5 a month to send a child to this school, since it's private. That might not sound like a lot of money, but keep in mind that about half the population of Mali live below the international poverty line of $1.25 a day. We asked the director why families would pay this money to send their children to a private school when it's so hard for them to earn and save this money and there are free public schools. The response was that in the public schools there are around 150 kids per class whereas in this school there are 40 to 60 kids per class, each class having one teacher. Each grade is in a classroom that doesn't have electricity and is in a mud built room or a hay hut. The classrooms and desks were not in great condition. The government doesn't give any help to the private schools, so they have to get all the materials and pay the teachers salaries with the money that's paid each month. A lot of times the teachers don't get paid because families can't pay the monthly fee and the director doesn't want to remove these kids from school. We asked the director what the school really needs. He responded that they need desks, chalk boards, world maps and French school books. It's really hard to get these materials and they're expensive. If anyone is interested in donating materials to this school, it's possible to contact the director, Almoustapha A. Dicko, at ecoledebasemitiki@yahoo.fr (he only speaks French) or Ann Van Malder from Tounga Tours at info@toungatours.com (she speaks English and French).

The people were incredible, especially the children. The adults seem like very serious people, but the minute you say "Bonjour, ça va (Hi, what's up?)", they smile and answer. The children loved to wave, say hello to the toubabou (white person), hold hands and play. It was very fun. It's wonderful to hear their laughs, see their smiles and innocence in such a poor place.

Dogon Country (Pays Dogon as it's locally known) left me breathless (literally because of the traveler's diarrhea that I got on the second day!!!).

Introduction
Dogon Country is known for its culture and the trekking of its beautiful landscapes. It is a beautiful combination that has managed to stay fairly untouched by tourism.

The Falaise de Bandiagara (the Bandiagara Escarpment) is a sandstone cliff that rises about 500 meters (0.3 miles) above the plains and has a length of approximately 150 kilometers (93 miles) ranging from south to northeast. Today it is home to the Dogon. Before the Dogon, the cave-dwelling Tellem used to live in the slopes of the cliff where they used caves that they carved into the cliffs to bury their dead high up. During the intents to convert the people of West Africa to Islam a thousand years ago, the Dogon refused and fled to the escarpment where they built villages in defensive positions along the walls. No one is sure of how the Dogon were able to occupy the escarpment with the Telem dwelling in it at that time. Some say that the Telem left peacefully and some say that the Dogon committed genocide.

Dogon Villages
Along the escarpment are the unique villages of the Dogon built below, into and on top of the edge of the rocky cliffs. The villages are hard to see. The falaise is a red-brown color rising from the plains. The Dogon build their houses out of mud, so they blend into the background perfectly. Walking along the escarpment you see villages that are just clinging to the steep slopes propped up by logs.

Dogon villages are made up of three primary buildings: granaries, houses and the toguna.

The granaries can range from 2 to 4 meters (6.5 to 16 feet) high. They are box shaped, about twice as high as they are wide. There is one small square door entrance and the roof is made of straw. They are lifted off the ground, perched on top of stones and branches, which keeps the items inside dry so the humidity of the ground floor doesn't produce mold. The walls are made of mud and straw. Men and women have separate granaries. A man stores the grains that are used to eat during the rainy season when it isn't possible to harvest the crops in his and the woman stores the grains and spices used for everyday cooking and her jewellery in hers.

The houses are made out of rocks and mud bricks. They are one story, have various box shaped rooms and the roofs are flat. When tourists visit the villages they are allowed to sleep on the roofs of these houses.

The toguna is a small shelter at the center of the village where the men get together to talk, discuss and solve the problems of the village. Women aren't allowed in the toguna.

There are also mosques, churches and animist fetishes (a fetish is a stone that's holy to followers of the ancient animist belief system of the Dogon) throughout the villages. The majority of Dogon practice an animist religion; although some practice Islam and some have been converted by missionaries to Christianity. There are many villages split up into different areas depending on the religion, but the live peacefully together. Some Dogon practice multiple religions. It's possible for one to be Catholic and also an animist.

The animals (donkeys, chickens, goats and cows) roam around the village, the women spend the day pounding the millet and the children smile and play in the dirt.

There are no roads, only sandy trails where the donkey and cow carts can travel between each village. There's no electricity or running water. The water has to be brought to the villages by women who carry jugs of it pumped from a well on their heads.

Dogon Greetings
The people still speak their language, each Dogon village having their own dialect. The Dogon are famous for their greetings, which go on forever. A typical greeting is:
'Ohh seh-weh mah?' (How are you?)
'Seh-weh.' (I'm well.)
'Ohh mara seh-weh mah?' (How is your family?)
'Seh-weh.' (They're well.)
'Ohh seh-weh dege-mah?' (How was your day?)
'Seh-weh.' (Good, thanks.)
'Ohh mara seh-weh dege-mah?' (How was your family's day?)
'Seh-weh.' (Good, thanks.)
...
Many times the greeting goes on so long that the person ends up shouting at the person they're greeting, who's far away, but the whole time is answering 'Seh-weh', and of course with a smile.

My Experience
We trekked for 3 days through different villages sleeping on the roofs in different camps every night. It was rough. It sounds romantic and fun to sleep on the roof, under the stars and moonlight, but between the donkeys yelling, cows mooing, roosters singing and the dirt you swallow because of the wind, in reality you don't get much sleep!!! On top of that I got sick...

The first village we visited was Niongono. This one was the most impressive. As we were driving from Djenné to Bandigara, all the sudden out of now where, there was a village built on top of a rocky cliff. We climbed the rocks to walk around this village and take in the views of the plains from above. There were beautiful views.

From Bandigara we drove to the second village Djiguibombo. Here we saw our first toguna. Instead of talking and solving problems of the village, the men were sitting and falling asleep inside.

From Djiguibombo we drove the sandy trail to Teli. Teli was also beautiful. The current village is built on the plains and the old village into the escarpment. The afternoon we arrived we just walked around the village and hung out in the area where we were going to eat and sleep. This village was the most modern of them all. They had a "bathroom" for the guests. It was a toilet that was over a hole in the ground (no plumbing or running water). This was going to be our first night sleeping on the roof...under the open sky, the stars and the moon. How exciting!!!! The sun goes down around 6-6:30pm in Dogon Country. We ate dinner and then a local boy came over and played a guitar-like-instrument for us. After, we climbed the tree-trunk ladder to go to bed. Keep in mind that the houses and their roofs are made of mud and rocks, and we were provided with a thin mattress to sleep on. This and my sleeping bag didn't prevent me from feeling all the rocks on the roof poking into my back. As I got used to the rocks, I lay and listened to the donkeys and the American group yelling (It sounded as if the Americans were playing a drinking game as the rest of us – probably 20 others - tried to sleep). Eventually the Americans went to sleep also. But, just as I was falling asleep, a donkey would yell, then a rooster, then the donkey, then Satcha snoring, then a cow, then the donkey, then Satcha coughing, then a donkey,... It was non-stop. I consider myself an animal lover, but this night I wasn't liking any animals (Satcha, I don't consider you an animal!!!) It was so loud!!!! I think I got a total of 4 hours of off and on sleep, because, of course, at 6am the sun is coming up and it's time to get up!!!

That morning we climbed to the old village of Teli in the cliffs. We saw the granaries, the houses and the Telem houses. From there we walked to Endé. It was about a 2 hour walk at a slow pace. We got to Endé where we had lunch, relaxed and waited until it was less hot to trek to the next village.

We left Endé around 3pm, in the end we didn't wait until it was less hot which would've been around 4pm because we were ready to walk, and headed to Yabatalou. This was a beautiful walk. We started by walking an hour on the sandy trail, and then Kaou led us to the rocks where we had to climb. We climbed the rocks, beautiful landscapes, to get to Yabatalou which was perched in the middle of the escarpment. This was the most rustic village we stayed at. We were the only tourists there besides a French family. The "bathroom" was a hole, there was a "shower", which was a rusty barrel full of water (probably rain water) that was supported on two wooden beams and had a shower spout coming out of the bottom. The shower spout was so low I had to squat. The walls were up to my head and there was no door. I did shower here...after trekking in the dust and being so hot it felt good showering, even if the water was rusty!!!

The chief of this village was an old man and was very fun. He showed us his picture albums which were full of pictures of him and the tourists who'd visited the village. Since Satcha had his portable printer, we told him that we'd take a picture with him to add to his collection. He went and put on his best dress, rifle and all, and Tirma and I took a picture with him. When he saw Satcha print it out he was amazed!! We ate spaghetti with an unknown sauce for dinner that night. I don't know if it was the sauce or what, but after dinner it hit...I started to get really cold and I was shivering. When we went to bed I had really bad pains in my stomach. I didn't sleep the whole night because of these pains (another sleepless night, but this time not because of the donkeys). I got up around 5am and had to run to the "bathroom" - the hole in the ground. It wasn't good. I was feeling horrible. Horrible...Horrible. And not in the best bathrooms to be able to relax...I won't go into details. I couldn't eat any breakfast, so everyone convinced me to drink the glucose-salt-water mixture to keep me hydrated.

There was a Dogon market this day, which is something very unique. It's something that most tourists don't get to see, so we were going to trek to Begnimato, which was at the top of the escarpment so we would have to climb rocks, then trek back down to the market and finally trek back up to the top of the escarpment to Indelu to spend the night.

Even though I wasn't feeling well I wanted to trek and see everything. So, we started out and I went at a slow pace. But, we got to the middle of the climb and I had broken out in a cold sweat, thought I was going to throw up and needed to sit. I knew then that I would not be able to do the treks the rest of the day. But, I had to continue since there was no car access to these villages. So, we kept on and once we got to Begnimato Kaou got me a mattress to lie on and I rested. While I rested the others went and walked around the village and saw some beautiful views of the landscape. I wish I could've gone with.

After lunch Tirma, Raul and Kaou trekked back down the escarpment to the Dogon market and Satcha and I went with our own personal guides to take an easy route directly to Indelu. We took our time and got to Indelu in 40 minutes over a flat trail. When we got to Indelu we sat in the shade and invited our guides to a Coke and Sprite and to just relax. I couldn't move much because every movement caused pain in my stomach, so we sat at the village the whole afternoon. Satcha explored a little and was able to see a little bit of a mask dance, but otherwise we just sat.

That night (New Year's Eve) it was really windy. There were rocks on our mattresses on the roof so they wouldn't fly away. I didn't have an appetite or any energy that night, so I went to bed early. I think this is the first New Year's Eve that I din't make it to midnight. I was in my sleeping bag by 8:30pm. It was so windy that night. The wind kicked up the dirt and sand and it was blowing all over me. I tried to get as far into my sleeping bag as possible, but somehow the dirt found its way in. I don't think I've swallowed more dirt in my life!!! The bags and my sandals that we had on the roof were flying away, so I had to use rocks to keep them down. Between the bathroom runs (well, not so much a bathroom as a bush runs) and the wind it was another sleepless night.

Three sleepless nights in a row!!! Yeah - I was in a great mood that morning!!!

That morning we went to visit Songo before heading to Ségou where we'd stay in a hotel with a shower and bed, it's amazing how much you appreciate these two basic things after not having them for 3 days! Songo is the village known for the circumcision ceremonial paintings on the cliffs. The paintings were interesting and they were in an area where there were great views of the village from above.

At the time I did not like Dogon Country at all. I feel bad now because I know that I had that feeling because I was sick and was lacking sleep. Now that I look back on the experience and remember all the wonderful sights, Dogon Country is beautiful. It's very rustic and natural, it just seems like things have been left the way they should be – untouched. It was a wonderful experience to be able to be in this magical place.

I guess I would say that this is the first trip I've come back really tired from. It was a difficult trip, but definitely worth it. There's something about Africa that makes you want to see and feel more. I can say without a doubt that this will not be our last trip to Africa...there's much more to discover there!!!!

We did this trip with Tounga Tours (http://www.toungatours.com/). They were very helpful and a very professional local travel agency to work with. Ann helped us with a lot of the questions and doubts we had while planning the itinerary, and Kaou (our Bambara, Dogon, French and English speaking guide) and Vann (our driver) were excellent travel companions during the 2 weeks we were together. I would definitely recommend planning your trip to West Africa with Tounga Tours.

To view more pictures, click on this link: Mali & Burkina Faso 2009

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

BBK Live - Dave Matthews Band Concert July 2009

2009-07-11T00:07:00.004+02:00

Friday, July 10, 2009

Trevor, Holly, Satcha, Itzi and I went to Bilbao BBK Live to see the Dave Matthews Band jam from the FRONT ROW!!!!!
What a great concert!!! The whole band was hyped and rocked Bilbao!!!

Set list:
Shake Me Like a Monkey
Don’t Drink the Water
Why I Am
Spaceman
Corn Bread
Funny The Way It Is
Crash (Into Me)
You Might Die Trying
Alligator Pie
Two Step
Ants Marching

London June 2009

2009-07-06T10:41:00.006+02:00

June 26, 2009 - June 29, 2009
SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!!

Satcha surprised me with a trip to London for my 30th Birthday!!!!

It was Friday, June 26, 2009 and I was relaxing on the couch after eating lunch. Satcha walked into the living room holding a backpack in his hand and said to me, "I don't know about you, but I'm going to pack the backpack for the weekend." I looked at him in surprise and asked what he was talking about. He said that he thought it would be a good idea if I packed a backpack with enough clothes and necessities for 3 days and that I had to be ready at 7:50pm!!!!! He didn't say where, only that we were going somewhere for the weekend to celebrate my 30th birthday!!!!!!!

Obviously I got nervous! Me!??! Pack a bag for 3 days not knowing where we were going!?!?!? What type of clothes did I need!?!?!? Would it be warm, cold, etc?!?!?! Well, I packed the backpack with "normal-warm" clothes brining along a sweatshirt just in case.

At 7:50pm Raquel came to pick us up to take us to the airport and that's when it accidentally slipped out that we were going to London!!!! London Baby, Yeah!!!! I figured that we were going to London to spend the weekend and visit friends since Satcha and I had never been there together. But, as we walked into the airport Satcha said to me, "You don't know WHY we're going, do you?!?!?" And that's when it hit me: Dave Matthews Band was kicking off their European tour in London that weekend!!!! WE WERE GOING TO SEE THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND IN LONDON!!!!!! It was the best present in the world...and what a surprise!!!!!

So, we got to London and Chris picked us up from the Airport and took us to their house where we were staying for the weekend. It was so fun staying with Chris, Miren and Noa. We spent time together on Saturday walking around their neighborhood and enjoying a BBQ at their house. They showed us a wonderful time in London!!!!!

On Sunday we went to the Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park and saw Gaslight Anthem, James Morrison, Dave Matthews Band and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. OBVIOUSLY Dave Matthews Band was the best show of all of the groups...they jammed for an hour and a half. It was great!!!! Then Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band came on and played for 3 hours straight. They did a really good show!!

On Monday...30th Birthday day!!!...we started with a Starbucks breakfast and then walked around London. We saw the major sights before we had to take the train to the airport and fly back to Bilbao that afternoon.

I still can't believe that I went to London and saw DMB for my 30th birthday...This was a PERFECT birthday and trip!!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: London, England 2009

Jordan & Syria April 2009

2009-03-30T09:31:00.016+02:00

April 25, 2009 - May 10, 2009

Jordan

Saturday, April 25 - Bilbao - Paris - Amman

Sunday, April 26 - Amman - Desert Castles - Amman

Monday, April 27 - Amman - Madaba - Mount Nebo - Dead Sea - Kerak - Petra

Tuesday, April 28 - Petra

Wednesday, April 29 - Petra - Wadi Rum - Aqaba

Thursday, April 30 - Diving in Red Sea, Aqaba

Syria

Friday, May 1 - Aqaba - Damascus

Saturday, May 2 - Damascus

Sunday, May 3 - Damascus - Krak des Chevaliers - Amrit - Lattakia

Monday, May 4 - Lattakia - Ugarit - Qala'at Salah ad-Din - Aphamea - Hama

Tuesday, May 5 - Hama - Dead Cities - Deir Samaan - Aleppo

Wednesday, May 6 - Aleppo

Thursday, May 7 - Aleppo - Qala'at Ja'abar Lake Al-Assad - Rasafa - Halabiyya - Deir ez-Zur

Friday, May 8 - Deir ez-Zur - Palmyra

Saturday, May 9 - Palmyra - Bosra - Jerash - Amman

Sunday, May 10 - Amman - Paris - Bilbao

Salaam Alaykum!!!

For a while I've wanted to travel to Jordan. After seeing pictures of Petra and of people scuba diving in the Red Sea, I knew that this country was a "must visit".

I can definitely say that after being there, and in Syria for 2 weeks, the pictures don't do it justice!!!!

We decided that spring would be a good time to visit Jordan, as it wouldn't be too hot (it is a desert after all). As we were planning our route through Jordan we had heard of people who went to Syria also and loved it. So, we decided to plan a route through Jordan and Syria.

Out of the two, Jordan was my favourite place to visit. It's all desert, but it has so many different sights. The Desert Castles were impressive in that they were in the middle of the desert with nothing else around and so well preserved. From Mt. Nebo we had wonderful views of the Jordan Valley, Jordan River, Jericho, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. We floated in the Dead Sea. This was a really unique feeling. It's so funny because you sit down in the water, but your butt never hits the bottom!!! And when you to try to stand up, it takes a lot of strength to push your legs down against the water and get them on the floor of the sea. I had a Dead Sea mud scrub, too!!! I had mud rubbed all over my body, which is a really thick, black mud. When it's dried you go into the Dead Sea and when it comes off it leaves your skin so soft!!!! Petra...there are no words to describe Petra...it's one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. Pictures do not do justice to what Petra is like in person. The Wadi Rum Desert was really fun. We took a full day 4x4 jeep tour there. We climbed the rock bridges, ran down the red sand dunes and watched the sunset. And I went scuba diving in the Red Sea!!!! We explored a sunken ship, saw a lot of plant life and a lot of clown fish (Nemos!!!).

Syria was also very nice, but a lot of the same types of sights. Mainly they were ruins, castles and forts. They are so well preserved that it's amazing. We also visited the souqs of Damascus and Aleppo. It was fun watching all the people buying and selling. There was everything from spices to meat to clothes to make-up to fabric. Basically anything and everything is sold there!!!! Palmyra was also a beautiful place to visit!!!

From all the things we saw and did, I have two parts of the trip that stand out:

Jordan:

Syria:

The people of Jordan and Syria were very friendly and hospitable. Not once did we feel danger or unwelcome as visitors. I definitely recommend visiting these countries, not only for the beautiful sights, but also to experience their welcoming and kind culture and society.

Salaam Alaykum!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Jordan & Syria 2009

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

Sydney, Australia & New Zealand November 2008

2008-12-30T10:41:00.014+01:00

November 22, 2008 - December 21, 2008

Saturday, November 22 - Bilbao - Frankfurt

Sunday, November 23 - Frankfurt - Singapore - Sydney

Australia

Monday, November 24 - Sydney

Tuesday, November 25 - Sydney Blue Mountains

Wednesday, November 26 - Sydney

New Zealand

Thursday, November 27 - Sydney - Auckland

Friday, November 28 - Auckland

Saturday, November 29 - Paihia - Waitangi - Haruru Falls - Whangarei

Sunday, November 30 - Poor Knights Islands - Whangarei

Monday, December 1 - Paihia - Cape Reinga - Opononi

Tuesday, December 2 - Waipoua Forest - Rotorua

Wednesday, December 3 - Rotorua

Thursday, December 4 - Taupo - Huka Falls - Craters of the Moon - Tongariro

Friday, December 5 - Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Saturday, December 6 - Wellington - Picton - Nelson

Sunday, December 7 - Abel Tasman Natioanl Park

Monday, December 8 - Punaikaki Pancake Rocks - Tauranga Bay - Franz Josef Glacier

Tuesday, December 9 - Franz Josef Glacier

Wednesday, December 10 - Franz Josef Glacier

Thursday, December 11 - Fox Glacier - Haast Pass - Wanaka

Friday, December 12 - Mt Aspring - Queenstown - Te Anau

Saturday, December 13 - Milford Sound

Sunday, December 14 - Doubtful Sound

Monday, December 15 - Dunedin

Tuesday, December 16 - Moeraki Boulders - Oamaru

Wednesday, December 17 - Mt Cook - Tasman Glacier - Christchurch

Thursday, December 18 - Kaikoura

Australia

Friday, December 19 - Christchurch - Sydney

Saturday, December 20 - Sydney - Singapore - Frankfurt

Sunday, December 21 - Frankfurt - Munich - Bilbao

Kia Ora!!!
This trip to Sydney and New Zealand really surprised me. I wasn't expecting to be so absolutely awestruck by New Zealand: its landscapes, wildlife, people, and the atmosphere.

Right now I have the bug to travel to countries with cultures that are different from the European/North American. I like to travel to countries where I'd learn about a new culture, something totally different from what I'm used to, like Africa and Burma. When we decided to go to New Zealand I thought that since it's a westernized country and all I'd heard about it was that there was only nature, I wasn't very excited (don't get me wrong, I'm always excited for vacations, but I figured that this one was going to be like traveling around Europe or the United States, nothing adventurous). Well, I was totally wrong!!!!

This is also the first trip where Satcha and I didn't have a set itinerary or guide or anything reserved. It was a "fly by the seat of our pants trip".

Starting from the beginning:

We traveled 29 hours from Bilbao to Sydney. The trip wasn't as bad as I expected. We flew with Qantas and between the movies, tv programs, video games, meals and sleeping, the trip there went by pretty fast. Arriving in Sydney I wasn't that tired either, I don't know if it was just the adrenaline running from the excitement of being in Australia or what!!

We started the trip with 3 days in Sydney, Australia. I didn't know what to expect of Sydney before getting there. But I soon saw what a beautiful city it is. It's a big city, with skyscrapers, a business-like-atmosphere with businesspeople walking around in their suits with briefcases; there were a lot of different types of people from different cultures. It reminded me a lot of New York. But, it's also got the Sydney Harbor. WOW!!!! The Opera House dominates this area. It's a sight that you can't look away from. We took a ferry into the Harbor and saw the Sydney skyline from there. It's amazing seeing the skyscrapers from the Harbor and then sticking out in front of them the Opera House.

There are a lot of things to see around in and around Sydney. The Royal Botanic Gardens is a huge park in the middle of the city with bats in the trees and it seems like all of Sydney takes jogs through there. About an hour away from the city center are the Blue Mountains, a beautiful mountainous region. Manly and Bondi beaches are gorgeous white sand, blue water, huge surfing wave beaches.

From Sydney we flew to Auckland, New Zealand (North Island) to start our adventure. We traveled North and South Island.

The North Island was warm and sunny. We went scuba diving in the Poor Knights Islands, saw bottlenose dolphins, went to Rotorua: a city with a lot of geothermal activity like geysers, craters, steaming land, etc., learned about the Maori culture, trekked beautiful snow capped mountains in Tongariro National Park, and then took a ferry to the South Island.

The South Island was cooler and wetter than the north, as it's only 3000km/1864miles from the Antarctic. In South Island we visited Abel Tasman National Park and saw their fur seal colony, saw and hiked on glaciers, took cruises through Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound fiords, saw New Zealand Yellow-eyed penguins and blue Penguins, trekked in Mt. Aspiring National Park, saw Mt. Cook and the Tasman Glacier, tasted 300 year old ice from the Tasman Glacier and took a cruise to view sperm whales in the Pacific Ocean.

The landscapes were beautiful and indescribable. Every body of water of New Zealand is an awesome color of blue, either turquoise blue or sky blue. The food was delicious: the green-lipped mussels are the best mussels I've ever tasted and the white wine was wonderful. I don't know if the pictures that we took do justice to what we saw or felt in person. I just remember having the feeling of being mesmerized by everything at all moments.

It's impossible to pick a favorite site from New Zealand. I think everything I saw has incredibleness to it that I've never seen or experienced before. But, I think the site of that most impacted me was the Franz Josef Glacier. When we were hiking on it, hearing the ice break, seeing the turquoise blue ice, it felt surreal - jaw-dropping.

There is something magical about the people of New Zealand, also. I found them to be incredibly nice, genuine people. There is something very special about them.

There is something enchanting about the land and people of New Zealand that is very difficult to describe if you haven't been there to experience it. All I know is that every time I think about New Zealand or try to explain it to someone I get a huge smile on my face!!!

Cheers Mates!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Sydney, Australia & New Zealand 2008

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3

Getaria & Hondarribia & Biarritz September 2008

2008-09-23T14:18:00.002+02:00

September 19, 2008

Mom & Dad came to visit Satcha and I for a week. One of the days we took a day trip and drove along the coast to Biarritz.

We stopped and had an appetizer in the fisherman's port of Getaria. We then went to Hondarribia were we walked around the town a little and had some wonderful fish for lunch. After lunch we headed for Biarrtiz where we just walked around the coast and the town.

It was a really fun day and it was even more fun listening to Mom & Dad try to pronounce Biarritz!!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Mom & Dad Visit September 2008

Lisbon June 2008

2008-09-05T11:39:00.026+02:00

June 27, 2008 - June 30, 2008
SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!!

Satcha surprised me with a trip to Lisbon for my "29 on the 29th Birthday"!!!! What a fun weekend!!!! We walked around Lisbon and saw all the sights:

Praça da Figueira
Saint Justa Elevator
Praça do Comércio - a plaza right on the riverbank
St. George's Castle
Rua Augusta
Praça Marqués de Pombal - a huge roundabout
Estrela Basílica and Estrela Garden
Aqueduct of the Free Waters
Jeronimos Monastery
Discoveries Monument
Belem Tower
Sé Cathedral
Trolly 28
Christ the King Sanctuary from afar
Edward VII Park
Alfama
Bairro Alto
Belém

Lisbon wasn't what I expected it to be. I expected to see the majority of the buildings with the typical Portuguese tiles and it to be more up kept. A lot of the city just seemed to be run down. But despite that, Lisbon does have something special about it that makes it charming and beautiful.

We also spent a day visiting Sintra, Cascais and Estoril. In Sintra we saw:

National Palace - from the outside
Moorish Castle - walked around the outer walls of the ruins, up and down all the steps
Quinta da Regaleira - walked around the grounds of this amazing palace
Pena Palace - this was my favorite!!!! It has a lot of Moorish and Gothic influences. The colors in the palace are amazing!!!

From Sintra we took the 1 hour bus trip to Cascais. We passed by the Cabo da Roca, the western most point of Europe. We just walked around Cascais which is a summer resort town and from there we walked along the beach to Estoril where we had dinner at an outdoor seafood restaurant, celebrating my birthday and watching Spain beat Germany in the EuroCup!!!!

This was a PERFECT birthday and trip!!!!

To view more pictures, click on this link: Lisbon, Portugal June 2008

Biarritz & Saint-Jean-de-Luz April 2008

2008-09-05T11:38:00.005+02:00

April 12, 2008 - April 13, 2008

Brad, Pilar, Satcha and I decided to spend the weekend in the South of France.

On Saturday we drove to Biarritz stopping in Zarautz to take a walk along the coast and have a drink.

After being in Zarautz for a bit we kept on driving to Biarritz. When we arrived in Biarritz we had crepes for lunch, went shopping at Galeries Lafayette and spent the day walking around. We went out for dinner and went to the Casino - where Satcha and I played 5 euros on the slots together.

The next day we had breakfast and started driving back home. On the way home went to Saint-Jean-de-Luz where we stopped to walk along the coast and have lunch.

We had a great time...good conversations and lots of laughs!!!!!

Uganda & Kenya & Tanzania August 2007

2008-09-05T11:37:00.017+02:00

August 8, 2007 - September 2, 2007

	Wednesday, August 8 - Flight Bilbao - Madrid - London - Kampala, Uganda

	Uganda
	Thursday, August 9 - Kampala, Cross the equator, Lake Mburo National Park
	Friday, August 10 - Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park
	Saturday, August 11 - Queen Elisabeth National Park, Kazinga Channel
	Sunday, August 12 - Kibale Forest National Park
	Monday, August 13 - Kampala
	Tuesday, August 14 - Source of the Nile River, Jinja
	Tuesday, Wednesday, August 15 - Nile River Rafting

	Kenya
	Thursday, August 16 - Travel to Kericho, Kenya
	Friday, August 17 - Masai Mara
	Saturday, August 18 - Masai Mara



	Tanzania
	Sunday, August 19 - Speke Bay
	Monday, August 20 - Serengeti National Park
	Tuesday, August 21 - Serengeti National Park
	Wednesday, August 22 - Ngorongoro Crater
	Thursday, August 23 - Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Eyasi
	Friday, August 24 - Lake Eyasi - Hadzabe & Datoga Tribes
	Saturday, August 25 - Masai Tribe, Moshi - Kilimanjaro
	Sunday, August 26 - Usambara Mountains
	Monday, August 27 - Flight Stonetown, Kendwa Beach
	Tuesday, August 28 - Kendwa Beach
	Wednesday, August 29 - Kendwa Beach
	Thursday, August 30 - Stonetown
	Friday, August 31 - Stonetown
	Saturday, September 1 - Flight Stonetown - Arusha, Bus to Nairobi, Flight Nairobi - London
	Sunday, September 2 - Flight London - Madrid - Bilbao

There are no words to describe the feelings and sensations you have when you travel through Africa. It is a very unique experience; the people, the animals and the landscapes.

This was the first time that we had gone on a trip with a group of people. The group was made up of 1 Spanish guide, 1 driver from South Africa, 1 cook from Tanzania and 19 tourists from all different areas of Spain: Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Victoria, etc. We all got along really well during the trip; it was a very nice group to travel with.

We traveled through Africa in an open back semi-truck. We sat in the back where the seats were formed in a U-shape. The two sides of the truck were open windows to allow us to see when we drove through towns or parks. The front area had a fabric-type-roof so that we could pull it back and be able to stand up and look out from the top of the truck. The floors of the back of the truck were hollow so that is where stored our backpacks, tents, mattresses, camp chairs, cooking utensils, food and water.

The majority of the times we camped in the national parks. It's quite a sensation going to sleep in a tent and hearing the animals making noises and walking around at night. We were warned that if we needed to go to the bathroom at night that we needed to take a flashlight and use the buddy system, just in case we came upon an animal in the middle of the night!!!!

The hippo loved to sleep by out tents!!! Hippos are one of the most dangerous animals; we were warned not to come between a hippo and the water because they think you are blocking off their escape route and will attack you. The hippos came out of the water at night and slept in mud holes right next to our tents. They would make noises the whole night. Another time when we were camping at the Ngorongoro Crater our guide warned us that elephants, zebras and warthogs normally passed though the area where we were camped. Needless to say, I did not sleep that night thinking that I was going to be squashed by an elephant!!!!

But, I definitely believe that camping made the Africa experience even better. One morning in the Masai Mara we got up around 6am (like most mornings!) and we were eating breakfast. At that moment an elephant came walking down from a hill and passed right by us on his way to the watering hole. There I was having my morning coffee and an elephant walks right by!!! AMAZING!!!!

When we camped in the Serengeti we stayed at a camp ground that is reserved for the travel agency that we went with. They have permanent tents set up and each of these tents has a personal bathroom and shower (without running water). They were amazing!!!! It was like a mini house in the middle of the Serengeti National Park!!! The shower areas were at the back of the tent and consisted of four cloth walls, no ceiling and a hanging bag of hot water. I took a shower one night and it was quite a sensation. I was showering in the middle of the Serengeti Park, in Tanzania, looking up at all the stars. BEAUTIFUL!!!

The landscapes were AMAZING!!!! The savannas, the vast grasslands and the huge blue sky, of Africa are one of the most beautiful sights. The sky has a color of blue that looks fake.

The people were incredible, especially the kids. As we would drive through towns ALL the kids would come running for the truck just to wave and say hi. There was one time that we were driving through a small time and as we drove by a house I could hear kids screaming. They came running from the back of their house waving and screaming "Hello Muzungu!!!" (Hello White Person!!!) with big smiles on their faces.

We saw a lot of animals on the safaris:


Impala	Antelope	Gazelle


Topi	Vultures (eating a topi)	Hyena


Hippo	Wildebeest (one of the ugliest animals!!!!)	Ostrich


Baboon	Warthog	Chimpanzee


Crocodile	Zebra	Giraffe


Cheetah

4 of the "Big 5" - lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo. We didn't get to see the rhino, because as were going to try to find one in the Masai Mara, in Keyna, our truck got stuck in water. (We saw from very, very, far the leg of a leopard sleeping in a tree, so I consider this seeing a leopard!!!

	We weren't able to take a pic!!! It was too far!!!
Lion	Leopard	Elephant


Buffalo

I have the most amazing memories of this trip...it will never be forgotten!!!

To view more pictures click on this link: Lake Victoria Route 2007

Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3

Paris January 2007

2008-09-05T11:36:00.019+02:00

January 19, 2007 – January 21, 2007

For Mom's 50th birthday Mom, Dad, Barb, Andy, Satcha and I went to Paris.

Satcha and I stayed at Tirma and Raul's house and Mom, Dad, Barb and Andy stayed in a hotel.

Our flight from Bilbao had arrived earlier than theirs, so we went to Tirma's house and waited for them.

When they arrived and checked in to the hotel we took the subway there to meet up with them. Before going out sightseeing we exchanged Christmas presents in the hotel room since we were not been able to get together for Christmas 2006. After exchanging presents we walked around Paris the whole afternoon. Tirma and Raul took us to a really good fondue restaurant in the Latin Quarter.

On Saturday, January 20 we celebrated Mom's 50th birthday. We all met at Tirma and Raul's house where we started the celebration. We had snacks and cake and gave Mom presents. I made a video collage of pictures from the 50 years of her life, so we watched that. We then went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and to walk around Paris more. We went out for dinner that night to a really nice French restaurant to celebrate Mom's birthday. I tried escargot for the first time…it was yummy!!!

The next day we walked around Paris more until Satcha and I had to leave to catch our flight.

It was a really fun weekend. We did a lot of sightseeing (and Starbucks drinking!!!). I'm glad we got to spend that time together in Paris!!!!

Myanmar October 2006

2008-09-05T11:36:00.018+02:00

October 21, 2006 - November 12, 2006

Saturday, October 21 - Flight Madrid - Bangkok - Yangon
Sunday, October 22 - Arrival Yangon
Monday, October 23 - Yangon
Tuesday, October 24 - Kyaiktiyo/Kinpun camp, Golden Rock
Wednesday, October 25 - Bago & Yangon
Thursday, October 26 - Heho & Inle Lake
Friday, October 27 - Inle Lake
Saturday, October 28 - Inle Lake & Pindaya
Sunday, October 29 - Pindaya & Kalaw
Monday, October 30 - Trekking to Palaung Villages
Tuesday, October 31 - Mandalay
Wednesday, November 1 - Mandalay
Thursday, November 2 - Maymyo
Friday, November 3 - Sagaing & Monywa
Saturday, November 4 - Phowindaung & Mandalay
Sunday, November 5 - Boat to Bagan
Monday, November 6 - Bagan
Tuesday, November 7 - Bagan
Wednesday, November 8 - Flight to Ngapali
Thursday, November 9 - Ngapali
Friday, November 10 - Ngapali
Saturday, November 11 - Flight Yangon - Bangkok
Sunday, November 12 - Flight Bangkok - Madrid - Bilbao

Satcha and I decided that we wanted to take a big trip this year. We were thinking about going to Vietnam when we started hearing of people who had been to Myanmar. These people had been to both Vietnam and Myanmar and said that Myanmar was much more beautiful. Vietnam had exploded with tourism whereas Myanmar was still very virgin in that sense. So, we decided to go to Myanmar.

We organized the trip with a travel agency in Bilbao. They contacted an agency in Myanmar who provided the hotel reservations, transportation and local guides.

This trip was amazing and impacted me in so many good ways!!! Myanmar is beautiful!!! And the people are even more beautiful!!!!!

The people are wonderful. They were so friendly, genuine and always smiling. They always said hi as we walked by on the streets and kids would also wave and say hi. They also loved seeing themselves in a picture. After taking a picture we'd show them the results on the screen of our digital camera and they thought it was so funny to see themselves. One lady asked us to get the picture out of the camera for her to have.

They are not used to seeing "white people", and especially not used to seeing "white people" wearing a longyi. Satcha and I each bought longyis because we were told that this would show the people a sign of our acceptance to this tradition. A longyi is the typical piece of clothing that the people from Myanmar wear. It's a piece a piece of cloth sewn into a cylindrical shape worn around the waist going down to the feet (similar to a skirt). It's tied in a knot around the waist. Everyone, men, women and children, wear longyis. It definitely helps you keep cooler, not having to wear pants, with the heat and humidity that they have. As we walked along the street EVERYONE looked at Satcha, staring, pointing and smiling at him. It's very tricky to tie the longyi around your waist and keep it from falling. Pretty often it's necessary to adjust the knot, which the locals knew how to do very easily, but since Satcha wasn't used to tying it we would stop on the sidewalk while he tried to get it tied. Two times two different guys stopped to help Satcha tie it!!!! It was quite a site...while these guys helped him everyone on the street would stop and watch!!!!

People wear thanaka, a yellowish-white paste made from ground wood and water. It's applied to the face and sometimes the arms of mostly women and girls, sometimes men and boys use it. It is used as a sun cream and make-up. It really makes your skin soft.

There are pagodas everywhere and always filled with money, gold and jewels. People donate the majority of what they have to the pagodas. If it isn't material goods that they donate, it's their time, cleaning the pagoda for example. People spend a lot of time meditating and praying in these beautiful pagodas. There are also many Buddha statues all over Myanmar. My favorite was the Shwethalyaung Buddha, the reclining Buddha.

The electricity goes out at times; it just turns on and off unexpectedly. In many towns there are no street lights, so at night it's really dark as you walk down the street. At the end of the night when the shops have closed, when you walked down the street you see groups of people huddled around a small TV in their shops or at restaurants.

There is barely any sanitation. The sidewalks are loose blocks of cement and below them you can see all the trash that people throw on the side of the streets. There are a lot of rats and cockroaches. People chew betelnut with tobacco and spit out the liquid (it's like a red chewing tobacco) which leaves red spots all over the street and sidewalks. There was a really strong smell in the streets from all the food stalls and markets lined along the sidewalks and the fish drying in the sun.

Traffic was crazy. There are so many types of vehicles on the street: oxen carts, horse carts, bicycles, trickshaws, pick-up truck buses, regular buses, cars, semi-truck buses. And, there seem to be no rules to the road. People drive to not hit another vehicle, person or dog sleeping in the middle of the road or to avoid potholes. Cars honk to pass a person or vehicle on the road. People would pack into and on top of the buses; the buses looked like they were going to tip over during a turn.

Inle Lake was my favorite area to visit. There are towns built in and around the lake. Kids take boats to get to school. People were growing crops in the middle of the lake, tomatoes that looked delicious. There were Buddha statues in the middle the lake. The life in that area revolves around the lake.

This trip was a very humbling and beautiful experience for me. These memories will stick with me forever.

To view more pictures, click on this link: Myanmar 2006

Part 1 of 2

Part 2 of 2

London May 2006

2008-09-05T11:36:00.017+02:00

May 18, 2006 – May 21, 2006

Around March/April Pilar mentioned to me that she and the girls were going to take a weekend trip to London and invited me to come with. Eva's boyfriend, Cristobal, was living and working in London at that time, so Pilar, Eva, Eva and Sandra were going to go stay at his house. Since Satcha and I had already made the reservations for our Myanmar trip that November, I decided not to go with because of the $$$$ situation.

Monday, May 15, the week of when the girls were going, Satcha told me that he had an early birthday surprise for me. He told me that he had bought me a ticket to go with the girls to London!!!!!!

So, it was a "Girls (with Cristobal) Weekend in London"!!! We took a sightseeing tour and walked around and saw the sights of London.

Pilar and I took the flight back to Bilbao together. We took the subway to the bus station, but we couldn't find the bus station when we got there. I started running around looking for the station and our bus. Finally, we found the bus to Stansted Airport, almost missing it. When we got to Stansted we checked in for our flight and thought we had enough time to sit and have lunch in a restaurant. What we didn't know is that it would take us about 30 minutes to get to the boarding gate (Stansted seems like a small airport). So, we went to a restaurant and each ordered a sandwich. As we were watching the TV announcing the departure flights, we noticed that ours said "Last Call". So, we got our sandwiches and took off for the gate. We still had to go through security and there was a HUGE line!!!! So, we went to the front and explained to security that our flight had announced last call. We were let through the emergency security check...the check point where the late people go through quickly!!!! We then had to take the airport tram to the departures area, which took about 5 minutes. We got off the tram and ran full speed to the gate where we found that the gate still hadn’t been opened for boarding. Why did the put "Last Call" on the board then!??!?!?! So, Pilar and I sat down and ate our sandwiches while we waited to board.

It was a really fun weekend in London with the girls!!!!

San Diego & San Francisco April 2006

2008-09-05T11:35:00.010+02:00

April 13, 2006 - April 18, 2006

In April I went to Milwaukee for a visit. Mom, Dad and I decided to fly to California and visit Andy in San Diego and Gillian in San Francisco.

We spent some days in San Diego where we got to visit Andy's house, walked around the Seaport Village, visited the Gaslamp Quarter and went to the Hyatt Hotel bar where Andy was working so that he could make us mojitos!!! Andy also took us to Cold Stone Creamery where we each got an ice cream, but someone "...didn't like it"...why you ask!!!..."It was too much!!!!"

Then Mom, Dad, Andy and I went to San Francisco
for a few days. We visited with Gillian, did the typical San Francisco tourism: Trolley ride, Fisherman's Wharf, Riptide Arcade, Chinatown, Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods and Salsalito. We also went to Napa Valley for a day and took some wine tasting tours.

It was a really fun time!!!!

Destin May 2005

2008-09-05T11:23:00.001+02:00

May 21, 2005 - June 4, 2006

For Andy’s college graduation present a group of us took a trip to Destin. Mom, Dad, Andy, Mike, Barb, Carl, Selena, Brad, Addison, Trevor, Holly, Justin, Erin, Gillian, Brandon, JJ, Nick, Satcha and I spent some days in Destin relaxing on the beach and having fun!!!!

Lanzarote September 2004

2008-09-03T14:01:00.002+02:00

September 4, 2004 - September 11, 2004

This trip was all about beach and relax!!!!!

We stayed at an aparthotel in Playa Blanca, which was a 5 minute walk from the beach.

We rented a car for 2 days. One day we drove to the Timanfaya National Park and the Green Caves and the next day we drove to Playa Papagayo.

In Tymanfaya we saw the Fire Mountains, a geyser and the volcanic landscape that the park has.
Playa Papagayo is a beautiful bay surrounded by high cliffs that we had to walk down to get to the beach.

We also took the ferry to Fuerteventura and spent the day at the beach there.

Rome & Venice June 2004

2008-09-03T13:53:00.001+02:00

June 11, 2004 – June 18, 2004

Mom, Dad, Andy, Satcha and I went to Italy for a vacation. This was a really fun trip!!! We saw so many things!!!

My favorite sights were the Trevi Fountain in Rome and all of Venice.

Friday, June 11
Satcha and I met with Dad and Andy in the Bilbao airport where we took a flight to Rome. In Rome we met up with Mom.

We arrived in Rome at 11pm and went to the hotel. At 12pm we decided to go to see the Trevi Fountain. It’s beautiful all lit up at night. There were a lot of people for that time of night. We went back to the hotel to get some sleep for the next day.

Saturday, June 12
We got up at 7am to take the hotel bus to the Vatican. We got to the area around the Vatican and stopped at a bar to have breakfast. I had a sausage, cheese and mushroom calzone...very yummy!!!! We went to the Vatican and saw the area where the pope gives masses and the balcony where he stands. We took the St. Peter’s tour. It’s huge!!!! We walked up the 350+ stairs to get to the top of the dome. Then we walked back down to see all the sculptures and statues. I loved the Pietà by Michelangelo. It’s beautiful. After St. Peter’s we walked over to the Sistine Chapel, but it was closed, so we walked over to the Piazza Navona. We stopped to have lunch in this plaza and see the Neptune fountain.

From there we walked over to see the Pantheon. This was very pretty. It’s amazing how old the building is. We left the Pantheon and walked over to the Trevi Fountain. This is the most beautiful fountain I've ever seen. I threw in a coin (so that I return to Rome) and we relaxed there for awhile.

We then walked over to the Spanish Steps – very pretty.

It was a very hot day, but we did a lot and got to see a lot. It was very tiring, but an exciting sightseeing day!!!

We went out to dinner at a very nice restaurant. The whole meal consisted of: starting with a sparkling white wine, melon and prosciutto, cold steamed vegetables, and 3 different types of pasta: spaghetti in a meat sauce, ravioli in a meat sauce and another ravioli in a sage sauce. By this time we were full, but then came the prawns, a fruit salad for dessert and limoncello. In the basement of the restaurant there was an ancient well, so the waiter took us down to see it and gave us free champagne. It was a really fun night. We had a wonderful food and a lot of laughs.

Sunday, June 13
Today was a walking day!!!! We started at 9am taking the city bus to the Coliseum. It was very pretty. We tried taking a guided tour, but our tour guide didn't want to be in the sun, so she kept us in a shaded corner explaining everything from there. After putting up with the guide we walked around by ourselves. It’s amazing how old and large it is.

We then walked over to the Roman Forum and the Palatino ruins. This was nice, but it got long for me. The Palatino ruins are of an old palace which was huge (for me it was just looking at scattered rocks!!!). We spent about 2 hours there.

Mom, Dad and Andy decided to go back to the hotel and Satcha and I kept sightseeing. We walked over to see the ruins of the Forum on the opposite side of the street. We then walked to the Piazza Di Venezia. Here we walked up more stairs to see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was very high up (many steps), so we saw really pretty views of Rome.

We then decided to walk over to the Piazza di Popolo. We walked down a street which had all the designer/expensive stores: Gucci, Prada, Luise Vuitton, etc. Popolo had a few fountains and a monument in the middle. We took a break there and relaxed on the steps of the monument in the shade.

From there we decided to walk along the river back to the Vatican.

It was a very nice walk. We walked a total of about 5km today!!! It was very fun, but my feet were so tired at the end of the day!!!!!!

Monday, June 14
This morning we got up early to go see the Sistine Chapel. There was a really long line to get inside, we waited for only an hour, but the line wrapped around 3 sides of the Vatican. We finally got in and walked thought the Vatican Museum to get to the Chapel. When we got there I realized how worth the wait it was!!! It’s amazing. It’s an impressive sight and amazing that a painter could do such a work of art. There really aren't words to describe it!!!

After seeing the Sistine Chapel we went to have lunch and then Mom, Dad and Andy decided to go back to the hotel. Satcha and I set out to see more sights by ourselves.

From the Vatican we walked over to the Tritone Fountain. It’s a pretty small fountain, just something else to see. Then we found a Hard Rock Cafe and bought a T-shirt for the collection. We walked over to the Trevi Fountain and sat there relaxing for 2 hours and then took the bus back to the hotel.

Tuesday, June 15
Venice!!!!!

We left this morning to fly to Venice (of course the Volare flight was late). We got there around 3pm and took a bus from the airport to the city. When the bus dropped us off at the stop, we had no idea how to get to the hotel. It took us about 1/2 hour to finally find the hotel. The hotel was on the Grand Canal, but it was a little far from the main area (about 30 minutes walking to St. Marcos Plaza).

Once we got checked in to the hotel we went to eat lunch at the nearest cafe – we were all so hungry. After lunch we went for a walk to look for the Rialto Bridge and St. Marcos Plaza. We walked through the small streets and over small bridges to pass over the canals. It was so beautiful!!!

We got to the Rialto Bridge where there was the typical Venice scenery: restaurants and cafes along the Grand Canal and many boats and gondolas. We stopped to have a drink in this area.

From there we walked over to the St. Marcos Plaza. It’s very pretty. It’s a huge plaza with a basilica and palace and it’s right on the water.

Wednesday, June 16
This morning we got up, ate breakfast in the hotel and signed up for a tour of a glass blowing factory. This tour was offered by the hotel for free: transportation to Murano Island and tour of the factory.

We got to the factory, which was also a very expensive glass store, and they gave us a demonstration of how they blow glass – Andy got to participate in it!!! They then took us to the store to have a look around. Although the things they had were really pretty, they were also very expensive. We saw a chess set for 15.000 euros and Andy saw a turtle worth 80.000 euros.

We left the store and walked around the island, but it was all glass stores, so we took the water bus back to the main island. We all decided to split up: Andy went off shopping, Mom and Dad went off walking and Satcha and I went off walking.

We walked behind the St. Marcos plaza and got to another main bridge of the island. We walked around there for awhile and then back to the plaza to meet up with everyone and decide what to do. Mom and Dad decided to go to the hotel to rest and Andy, Satcha and I decided to walk around. We walked back to the area where Satcha and I had been before and crossed over the bridge. This is where Andy bought me an imitation designer purse for my birthday!!! He negotiated with the guy selling it and bought it for like 5 euros when the guy was asking for something like 50 euros!!!!). We got to a church and the three of us decided to sit on the steps and relax. After awhile we walked back to the main area and went to a bar where we had some drinks and watched soccer, Spain was playing in the Eurocup. It was nice to spend this time with Andy.

We then met up with Mom and Dad and went out for dinner.

Thursday, June 17
This day we decided to go visit other islands. We took the water bus to Burano and Lido. The trip to Burano was about an hour.

We got to Burano and walked around the island. It was really pretty. It’s a small fishing town were all the houses area painted different bright colors.

Then we went to Lido. This is a more resort island. It’s very residential and has a lot of beach area. We didn't stay there very long.

We went back to the main island and Andy, Mom and Dad went back to the hotel to rest. Satcha and I decided to take a gondola ride. It was really expensive (80euros/40min and 100euros/1hr). We took the 40 minute ride after telling the guy that we didn't want the hour long ride about 10 times. The ride was OK. The driver pointed out landmarks and people’s houses as we went along. The ride was nice, it was definitely an experience that I felt I had to have – gondola ride on the Grand Canal of Venice – but the water was really dirty and smelly.

After the ride we went back to the hotel to take a nap. We then all met up and took a walk and went out for dinner.

Friday, June 18
It was a day on planes and in airports.
We left Venice, flew to Rome and waited 6hrs in Rome to fly to Bilbao.

Bayonne & Biarritz & Saint-Jean-de-Luz April 2004

2008-09-02T14:04:00.001+02:00

April 9, 2004

Since Satcha and I weren't going anywhere for Easter vacation 2004 (we have days off for the Easter holiday), we decided to spend the day in the south of France.

We first drove to Bayonne, then Biarritz and then Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

It was cold and rainy and when we were in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the sky turned black and we got poured on.

Even with the rain, this is a very pretty area to visit!!!!

Milan February 2004

2008-09-02T12:52:00.003+02:00

February 6, 2004 – February 8, 2004

My Mom had to go to Milan for a business trip, so we decided that we would meet there for the weekend.

What a fun "Girls Weekend in Milan"!!!!

We did the typical sightseeing:

Walking around the city – looking at the designer clothes stores
Piazza Duomo and Duomo Cathedral
Leonardo Da Vincci’s Last Supper
Sightseeing tour

We also went out to dinner one night to a really fancy restaurant. The waiters were really nice to us. We ordered a menu that was 5 course meal accompanied by a different wine for each plate. It was delicious!!!! Then after dinner Mom ordered a grappa and the waiters offered us a variety of different grappas to try. They told us they were really good quality. So, we tasted them. The first ones were good but the last one was so strong that we couldn’t finish. It tasted like pure alcohol. We didn’t want to insult them after they were so nice to us during the dinner, so when they weren’t around we dumped the grappa in the plants (who knows if that plant is still living)!!!!!!The best part of this trip was being able to be with Mom in Italy, talking and having a lot of laughs!!!!

Prague December 2003

2008-09-02T12:13:00.002+02:00

December 5, 2003 – December 8, 2003

SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!!

I surprised Satcha with a trip to Prague for his 30th birthday!!!!

We got home from work on Friday, December 5 and I told Satcha to pack a bag because we were going away for the weekend. He asked me what type of clothes he needed to pack. I had checked the Prague weather during the day, and from what I saw it was around the same temperature in Bilbao, so I told him he would need clothes similar to what he was wearing in Bilbao at that time (the weather on December 5 in the Bilbao area was about 11ºC/52ºF).

We went down to have a Coca-Cola in the bar below our house and that’s where I gave Satcha the city guide for Prague and he knew where we were going. A taxi came to pick us up and take us to the airport.

The flight was delayed 1 hour, from 10:05pm to 11:05pm. We arrived in Prague around 1:30am. We had arranged to take a shared transportation from the airport to the hotel, so after dropping others off, we finally arrived to our hotel around 3:30am. We checked in to the hotel and went to bed so that we could get up in the morning and start the sightseeing.

Since I had told Satcha that the weather where we were going was similar to Bilbao, we each had only brought a winter jacket and scarf. We didn’t bring gloves or hats or come prepared at all for the weather in Prague. During the days we were there the temperature was between -2ºC/28ºF – 5ºC/41ºF. It was a different kind of cold than Bilbao….it was freezing!!!!!!!!!!!

Despite the cold weather we walked around Prague the whole weekend. We saw everything and twice!!! I loved Prague!!!! I think it’s the most beautiful European city that I’ve been to. Prague has something magical and charming about it. I think that it also was the fact that it was cold and the city was decorated for Christmas. Although it was really cold and we were freezing, I think it made the experience more fun (I don’t know if Satcha agrees with that!!!! I think he’d have preferred to have his hat and gloves with him!!!).

Some of the places we visited were:

National museum
Prague Castle
St. Vitus Cathedral
Golden Lane – where I was as tall as the passageways into the houses
Charles Bridge – where we touched St. John Nepomuk statue to have our wishes come true. We also climbed the bridge tower
Old Town Square
Town Hall
Astronomic Clock – we also climbed the clock tower
Jewish Quarter
Observation Tower on Petrin
Pendulum
Hot wine stands - these stands sell hot wine to drink. It's a very differnt taste!!!

Granada & Zahara de los Atunes & Madrid June 2003

2008-09-02T10:03:00.001+02:00

June 23, 2003 – July 2, 2003

Mom and Dad came to visit in June. Since they had already visited the Bilbao area in September 2002, we decided to visit other places in Spain. We picked them up at the Madrid Airport and started a road trip (Ivan lent us his car to use, since ours uses so much gas and is really small for four people to travel in).

This was the summer of the 2003 European heat wave, which was one of the hottest summers on record in Europe.

Our first stop was Granada. We arrived in Granada, checked into the hotel and took a walk around the city. We went to the Albacin neighborhood, walked the streets there and also saw from the top of the hill the Alhambra. On the second day we took a day tour of the Alhambra, which is just amazing. It’s so beautiful!!! We also walked around the city center just viewing the sights of Granada.

From Granada we stopped in Mijas on our way to Zahara de los Atunes. In Mijas we walked around and saw the typical white houses and the panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea. We also saw donkeys, which are used for the donkey taxis. Mom loved seeing these and wanted to get a picture of her and Dad with a donkey!!!!

While we where in Zahara we relaxed on the beach, visited Barbate where Satcha used to spend his summers, went to Vejer de la Frontera, went to Tarifa and celebrated my 24th birthday.

After the days we spent in the south we drove back to Madrid where we spent a couple of days. We took a sightseeing tour to see the city.

Barcelona May 2003

2008-08-29T14:10:00.001+02:00

May 16, 2003 – May 18, 2003

Satcha’s friend Jon got 2 tickets for them to see Bruce Springsteen in concert in Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium. So, Goretti, Jon, Satcha and I drove to Barcelona to spend the weekend.

We walked around Barcelona during the day and at night Satcha and Jon were going to go see the concert. Goretti and I decided to walk with them to the entrance to see what the atmosphere was like. We had no intentions of going with them to the concert, but decided once we got there that we would see how much tickets were going for. We found some people selling their tickets for 10€-20€, so we each bought a ticket and the four of us went to the concert.

I'm so glad I went!!!! It was really a great concert. Bruce and the band were full of energy, the audience was singing along and dancing and Bruce was running around the stage. I was great!!!!

Lierganes January 2003

2008-08-29T14:07:00.001+02:00

January 10, 2003 - January 12, 2003

SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!!

Satcha surprised me with a weekend away at the spa Balneario de Liérganes. We got a treatment with a sauna, a contrast of cold/hot showers, steam bath, mud treatment, jacuzzi and hot chairs that left us VERY relaxed!!!

When we checked out of the hotel we drove to the replica caves of Altamira, the town Santillana del Mar and San Vicente de la Barquera.

Alicante August 2002

2008-08-29T13:21:00.003+02:00

August 9, 2002 - August 14, 2002

When Andy came to visit us for the first time Satcha and I picked him up from the Madrid airport and drove to Alicante. We met with Jon, Goretti, Rafa and Teresa and all stayed at Jon's house.

We went to the beach and just hung out!!!

Pamplona July 2002

2008-08-29T13:20:00.002+02:00

July 6, 2002 – July 7, 2002

Satcha and I had just moved to Spain on July 2, 2002 and since neither of us was working at that time, we decided to go to San Fermin – the festival of the running of the bulls.

What an experience!!!!!

We went to Chupinazo, the first day of this festival: On July 6, people gather in the town hall square where a rocket is set off at 12 o'clock to start the festival. By tradition no one is allowed to put on their red scarf until the rocket goes off, so while they are waiting they’re facing town hall holding the red scarf over their head in both hands. When the rocket is set off, everyone takes their red scarf and ties it around their neck, while singing "Pamploneses Viva San Fermin, Gora San Fermin" (citizens of Pamplona long live San Fermin). It's also a tradition to uncork bottles of Cava and spray it all around along with flour, eggs, mustard, ketchup, etc.

Then the party is started, people party and dance in the streets and have a great time!!!!

The next morning we got up at 5am to go see the Encierro, the running of the bulls, which starts at 8am. But, when we got to the barricaded area where we thought we would be able to see them, there were already a lot of people waiting. There were even people who climbed up on top of the light posts to see them. So, we ended up not being able to see the running. Ivan got us 2 tickets so that we could be in the bull ring where the running ends, the runners and bulls end up in the ring. When the bulls arrive in the ring they are led into their pens. When all the bulls are in their pens, small bulls with wrapped horns are released into the ring to "play" with the runners who stayed. The rules are that the people aren't supposed to touch the small bulls, but some of them do. They start grabbing at the bulls horns and try to drag them to the ground. This is when the crowd starts yelling "Hijo de puta!! (son of a *****!!)".

It can get very hot during the San Fermin festival so many times people gather in groups in front of blocks of houses and yell for people to throw buckets of water on them. People will bring out buckets and even hoses of water to spray on the people in the street asking for this.

We had a great time at San Fermin!!!!

Destin May 2002

2008-08-29T13:19:00.002+02:00

May 23, 2002 – May 27, 2002

This is the Destin trip that Mom, Dad, Andy, Grandpa and I took before I left to live in Spain. All we did was lay on the beach and relax.

I'll never forget the Sunday morning when Grandpa was sitting on the couch reading the paper and as he reached over to get another section to read, he fell asleep. He slept with his arm stretched out reaching for the paper.

That's the image that will always stick with me from this trip!!!!

Spain December 2001

2008-08-29T13:18:00.001+02:00

December 28, 2001 – January 7, 2002

Another fun New Year’s Eve in Spain!!!!

Costa Rica November 2001

2008-08-27T14:13:00.002+02:00

November 17, 2001 – November 25, 2001

We flew into San Jose Airport around 1pm. We had arranged that there be a driver waiting for us in the airport to take us to our hotel by the Arenal Volcano. This drive should’ve taken about 3 hours, but it ended up taking a lot more!!!

The roads going to the Arenal Volcano area are dirt roads in very poor condition. They are only one lane in each direction with a lot of pot holes – HUGE pot holes. When there was a bus or a big truck coming in the opposite direction it’s necessary to get out of the way and give them room to pass, but that’s difficult without an area to move over to. There were no painted lines to separate the lanes, and to avoid the potholes they drove on the side (or middle) of the road had less. While we were on our way to the hotel, it started raining really hard. When we got to a point where we had to cross a bridge, the road had completely disappeared. The bridge didn’t exist at that moment, it was completely under the water and it was impossible to cross, so the driver had to take a different road. It ended up taking about 6-7 hours to get to the hotel, but in the end it was worth it. The driver had taken a road that went through little towns. We got to see people outside their houses, kids playing in the rain, the types of houses the people of Costa Rica had in this area, etc. We got to see the "real Costa Rica", not the "touristy Costa Rica".

We finally arrived at the hotel, got checked-in and went to our "room". We had reserved and paid for a private room with bathroom, but were given a room in the backpackers lodge with shared bathroom. We decided to go to reception, which was a 10 minute walk away, outside in the pouring rain, and try to get the room we reserved. After about an hour of Satcha talking to the people in reception, who didn’t want to give us a private room because they claimed that we didn’t pay for it, and the travel agency back in Milwaukee, we finally got our room. He told me later that when he was checking out the bathroom in the backpackers lodge he saw a HUGE spider and he thought I would freak out if we stayed there -- he’s right, luckily I didn’t see it!!!!

We had a lot of fun and did a lot of sightseeing in the Arenal Volcano area:

We saw the volcano.
We went hiking in the rainforest around the hotel where we found a beautiful waterfall.
We went to the hanging bridges and walked in the tops of the trees in the rainforest.
We went white water rafting, which was very fun!!!
We went to the hot springs. This was incredible!!!! I’d never experienced anything like this. It was a beautiful environment with the luxury of relaxing in natural hot springs

After spending 4 days at Arenal Volcano, we went to the beach area where we stayed at an all-inclusive beachfront resort in the town of Tamarindo (north-western Costa Rica). The water was pretty cold and there were a lot of waves, but we braved it and swam in the ocean. We went on a kayaking tour one day, which took us around the coast where the inlets were beautiful. They were deserted areas surrounded by trees…we even heard monkeys!!! This was the relaxing part of the trip; we sat around the pool during the day, went walking around the town and basically did nothing!!!!

New York September 2001

2008-08-27T14:05:00.006+02:00

September 1, 2001 – September 3, 2001

For Labor Day weekend Satcha and I took a trip to New York.

We walked everywhere. We went to:

Central Park
Times Square during the day and at night
Rockefeller Center where we saw the spider sculpture which is now out side the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum
Chrysler Building
Empire State building during the day and went to the top at night
United Nations Building
Statue of Liberty and went up to the lookout at the feet
Wall Street
World Trade Center
Broadway
5th Avenue

We had a fun time seeing the typical sights of NY.

Spain July 2001

2008-08-27T13:50:00.002+02:00

July 21, 2001 – August 5, 2001

Satcha's friends, Rafa and Teresa, were getting married in July, so we took a trip to Spain to be able to go to the wedding.

This was my first experience at a Spanish wedding, what a fun time we had!!! Spanish weddings are indescribable: there's a ceremony, then you go to dinner and the meals are HUGE (5 courses), and after dinner the party lasts all night into the early morning at dance clubs and bars.

We also went to Pamplona for a day on this trip.

Mondeaux Dam July 2001

2008-08-27T12:06:00.001+02:00

July 13, 2001 - July 15, 2001

Every summer my family and the Schneider family would go camping at Mondeaux Dam. My Mom and Dad, Andy, Carl, Selena, Trevor, Justin, Gillian and I had an annual tradition to go camping where my Mom and Carl's Grandma would take them.

There are so many good and funny memories from these camping trips:

Impressions - Gilbert Gottfried, Jonny Carson, E.T., etc.
The Click-Clock Lady
The Ghost with the two red eyes
Trevor burning his hands on the grate
Trevor hanging on the wall of the dam, then falling off
Being trapped in the boat with Andy and Selena during a hail storm when the boat motor decided not to work and then almost going over the dam. When we got back to camp no one noticed we were gone
Canoe ride with Selena and Trevor, Trevor and his clothes got thrown out of the canoe in the middle of the water
Every year the big lunker was going to be caught and never was
Deodorant showers
Snake road
Endless Hearts games
And I'm sure I'm forgetting so many more fun things that happened...

Satcha gave me a tent for my birthday this year, and this was the fist (and last) time it was used.

Las Vegas May 2001

2008-08-26T13:57:00.002+02:00

May 25, 2001 – May 29, 2001

Vegas Baby!!!!!!!!!

For one of my college graduation presents, we went to Vegas!!!! Satcha, my Mom and Dad, Andy, Selena, Brad, Barb, Dionne, Jake and I all took a trip to Las Vegas.

We flew in to Vegas at night. It’s amazing to see from the plane how the casino lights light up the desert.

We stayed at the Riviera. During the day we walked around all the different casinos. We went into the Venetian, Paris, Caesar’s, Bellagio, etc.

We went to see the Blue Man Group show and the Dave Matthews Band Concert.

Spain December 2000

2008-08-26T13:27:00.002+02:00

December 27, 2000 - January 14, 2001

This was the 2nd New Year's in Spain with Satcha. It was another fun time!!!

We did the typical New Year's celebration: dinner, 12 grapes at midnight, dancing and out until the early morning!!!!

We visited the old part of Bilbao, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Gernika and Butron Castle. Rafa and Teresa announced that they were going to get married and we all went out and celebrated.

We also went to Madrid where we stayed with Lara and saw the sights of Madrid.

Paris November 2000

2008-08-26T12:59:00.002+02:00

November 22, 2000 – November 26, 2000

SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!! SURPIRSE!!!!!!!!!

Satcha told me that I’d have to skip my Wednesday classes, pack a bag with warm clothes and bring my passport. We were going on a trip for Thanksgiving weekend. I had no idea where we were going. I figured it was somewhere outside of the US since I needed my passport, but nothing else. We got to the airport and Satcha checked-in for me. He had me come up to the counter to show my passport, but asked the lady at the check-in counter not to tell me where we were going. After checking-in and going through security we got to the boarding area for Toronto, so I thought that that’s where we were going...but nope!!!!! We just had a layover in Toronto. I found out in Toronto that we were on our way to PARIS!!!!!

We spent Thanksgiving weekend in Paris...we spent a wonderful 4 days in Paris!!!!!

Tirma and Raul lived there, so we stayed with them. They took us around and showed us everything!!!

We went to the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Tripumph, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Basilica of the Sacré Coeur, Louvre Musuem, parks and walked around the city. We ate the most delicious fondue and mussels, too!!!!!

It was the best surprise I’d ever received!!!!! How romantic!!!!!

Florida Keys March 2000

2008-08-26T11:50:00.002+02:00

March 17, 2000 – March 25, 2000

This was the first "alone" trip that Satcha and I took together.

It was Spring Break 2000 and we decided to spend a week in Isalmorada, Florida Keys.

We rented a car and reserved a room at a motel in Islamorada, the pictures of the motel on the internet looked much nicer than it did when we got there, but it was ok.

We had a relaxing vacation spending time at different beaches, going to Key West, snorkelling, visiting the southern most point of the USA, walking around the island, watching the sunset, etc.

Spain December 1999

2008-08-26T10:43:00.006+02:00

December 28, 1999 - January 12, 2000

I met Satcha on November 2, 1999 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He invited me to come with him on his trip back home to Spain to spend Christmas break.

I flew to Bilbao, Spain on December 27 and arrived on December 28. I remember not sleeping on the flights because I was so nervous to meet his family and friends.

When I arrived at the Bilbao airport Satcha was waiting there to pick me up. Before we went to his Mom’s house he took me to Artaza Bar to have a coca-cola and try to relax because I was about to meet his Mom, sisters and brother. I’ll never forget driving up to his house and seeing Lara and Tirma waving from the window, and when we walked in the house Lara was ironing handkerchiefs.

It was a surprise for Satcha's friends that he was bringing an "American girl" home with him. He had planned that all his friends meet for a red bean lunch and that's where I met them. Everyone was so nice!!!! We had lunch and then went out. Very fun time…lots of laughs.

This was also my first New Year’s Eve in Spain. Incredible!!!

We started eating dinner around 10pm. It was a delicious dinner prepared by Raquel. Then we had to eat the 12 grapes. You eat 12 grapes the 12 seconds before midnight. And when the clock hits 00:00 you make a wish and the parties start!!!! All of Satcha's friends came to the house and there was quite a party...the drinks were flowing and the dancing was great!!! It was indescribable what happened that night!!! At about 3am we went out to the bars and continued the party. We had churros and chocolate for breakfast and got home around 8am. I’d never celebrated a New Year like that!!!!

We also went to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (the church on the rock in the middle of the ocean), Elantxobe (the fishing village), the Guggenheim and San Sebastian.

It was definitely a trip to remember!!!!!

Spain & France May 1998

2008-08-25T10:05:00.002+02:00

May 15, 1998 - June 2, 1998

This was my first trip outside of the United States.
Selena, Trevor and I went on a vacation to Madrid, Alicante and Barcelona, Spain and Marseille and Paris, France.
I had such a wonderful time on this trip with Selena and Trevor...it will never be forgotten!!!!

We arrived in Madrid on May 16 and started by visiting a friend of Selena's who was studying there.

This is what I wrote in my notebook about the trip:

Madrid
16/05 - Found a hostel, ate at "Bar Cruz", made dinner at Grant's house
17/05 - Went to Retiro Park - the largest urban park in Europe
18/05 - Went to Reina Sofia Art Museum - saw Guernica by Picasso
19/05 - Walked around Madrid, went to Plaza Mayor and at night went to a Jazz Club

Alicante
20/05 - Took a train to Alicante (4hrs.), found a hostel, walked along the beach
21/05 - Went to the beach all day (I got burnt), we met Al from Algeria who was Croatian and supposedly spoke 6 languages but didn't speak English
22/05 - Went to Santa Barbara Castle, walked along and relaxed on the beach
23/05 - Took a 1/2hr. boat ride to Tabarca Island, went to a bar at night and when the song "You Can Leave Your Hat On" came on an old man got up on a bar stool and danced while taking off ALL his clothes just leaving a hat on!!!

Barcelona
24/05 - Took the bus to Barcelona (8hrs.), found a hostel, walked around the city
25/05 - Went to El Corte Ingles, walked along Las Ramblas, went to Santa Maria del Mar Church, went to The Cathedral - Catedral de la Santa Creu
26/05 - Went to the beach, took the train to Marseille (10hrs.) - it was funny trying to buy the train tickets!!! The vendor didn't understand what I was saying in Spainish when I was telling him we where wanted to go!!! I tried asking him for a sleeper room on the train so that we could sleep, but we didn't get that...I think we almost went to Seville, too!!!

We arrived in Marseille on May 27 and stayed with Selena & Trevor's uncle Jimmy who lives there. He showed us a great time in France!!!

Marseille
27/05 - Went for coffee, saw the Opera, walked around the city, washed our clothes, went to a jazz club
28/05 - Had coffee and croissants for breakfast, went shopping, went to the beach
29/05 - Went hiking to a rocky hidden area where we went swimming in the Mediterranean, went shopping, went to the Opera

Paris
30/05 - Took train to Paris, walked around, went to Notre Dame
31/05 - Went to Eiffel Tower, went to Musée d'Orsay, walked around
01/06 - Went to Montmartre, went to Basilica of the Sacré Coeur
02/06 - Flight home

This is what I wrote in my notebook about my general impressions of Spain (now that I live here, I find these notes hilarious!!!):

cars everywhere
lots of motorcycles/mopeds
everyone honks all the time
subway
smoking everywhere
vending machines with beer
McDonald's sells beer
urine on every sidewalk
no toilet paper
sewer smells in the streets
PDAs
tight clothes
lots of platform shoes
rose salesmen at night in the bars
beggars
trash collection everyday at midnight
bars are all the same
all the same type of food
topless beaches
men in speedos
lots of dogs
small streets that look like alleys
every window has a balcony
stores and restaurants close for siesta
dancing at 3 in the morning
hash
no bugs
sun stays out until 9:30pm
beer and wine cheapest to drink
no recycling
no bubblers
eating outside
soccer
police walking around with semi-automatic guns
no sanitation
no washing hands
pigeons
soda, water and beer sellers on the beach
fanta
bread
old men
beautiful men!

This is what I wrote in my notebook about my general impressions of France:

tall shoes
small cars
dog poop on streets
Mediterranean is really clear sea
coffee
croissants
beautiful monuments
homeless people
subway
good food