tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35687775925591547552024-03-13T15:33:36.674-07:00Ryan Turner's European AdventureFollow my every exploit...or at least every exploit I wish to share.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-89669760708233515742010-08-11T17:59:00.000-07:002010-08-28T12:52:23.895-07:00European Vacation AwardsWow it's crazy being back. Partly cause I'm 21 now so I can continue on with my "social" lifestyle and partly because I feel like I have a completely new perspective on...well...everything. Haha not that dramatic (maybe) but I did realize that I'll need to travel at least once a year from now on. Traveling is just plain amazing and if you haven't taken a trip yet you definitely should. I've lived in the same city my whole life and while going down to SB was a change, it really wasn't too different culturally. Going to Europe made me realize how much there is to see and how many cool people there are out there. I can't wait to go out again.<br /><br />But enough of that, I took a long break so I can really "look back" at my trip as opposed to just reminisce, and look back I shall. For those that haven't read my blog this will count as a kind of summary I suppose, but more so than not it will be insight into the continent of Europe. I'll probably be updating this randomly to add stuff I missed too but enjoy whatever version you end up reading! Vale... <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Favorite City</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBL3pVZe2quLNq_ICqnJRJWQ5DctowDa-02OIb-KEKkQ81bbFfEBWrumNibtxn-HCjHHV0AX7DCPVNJvPrbx52V6ElDBUZrYA5pY1U8oh6ob7Xc5zm20-ewRl9m8Xim3YKAnHva5XWFYg/s1600/IMG_2147.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBL3pVZe2quLNq_ICqnJRJWQ5DctowDa-02OIb-KEKkQ81bbFfEBWrumNibtxn-HCjHHV0AX7DCPVNJvPrbx52V6ElDBUZrYA5pY1U8oh6ob7Xc5zm20-ewRl9m8Xim3YKAnHva5XWFYg/s320/IMG_2147.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510267671635887426" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Berlin.</span> I honestly cannot rave enough about Berlin. Perhaps it was the fact that I hadn't really wanted to go there at all until I reached Europe, perhaps it is the fact that it is constantly changing, perhaps it's the vibe and recent history, or perhaps it's the fact that they have turned war factories into night clubs. Whatever it is I would HIGHLY suggest going to Berlin if you make a trip to Europe. It really has something for everyone: nice people, beautiful buildings, historical sites, lots of art, great public transportation, fancy shopping a la Champs-Elysées, and a thriving nightlife to name a few. While in Berlin I visited sites, had a BBQ on top of a building, had ridiculously cheap GOOD beer, explored by bike, learned history (very interesting RECENT history), bar hopped, visited an abandoned building turned into a bar/gallery with a live band, saw buildings that were half old and half new, and much more. It's a great city and while I loved every city I went to, Berlin stood just a little bit above the rest.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Favorite Country</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExqElCpFysBymnLGZlGmQ4-V23SBnKnuHt4UaLhJmBZsUWHN2iiOIxew3fJihu1VrfvHoMHMlw1Ov9jUIDYI_5W23jzhxV0M44nJcls_6-9L4v_GFookhX3TOZ2VZXCInNG_S2pcaWnE/s1600/IMG_1508.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExqElCpFysBymnLGZlGmQ4-V23SBnKnuHt4UaLhJmBZsUWHN2iiOIxew3fJihu1VrfvHoMHMlw1Ov9jUIDYI_5W23jzhxV0M44nJcls_6-9L4v_GFookhX3TOZ2VZXCInNG_S2pcaWnE/s320/IMG_1508.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510268031792450610" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Spain.</span> I spent the most time in Spain, and I absolutely loved everything about it. Spanish culture is just so laid back, I love how going out at Midnight is early. Hell, even going out before 2am is early. The lifestyle in Spain just fit me so well...I mean I also come late to everything. While the food did get old after awhile I never got tired of Tapas, or the many different events that would happen consistently around the week (now I'm talking solely about Madrid). Take for example, Wednesdays. Wednesday at night a place called Cien Montaditos has everything on their menu for the wonderful price of 1 euro. Before that the Prado is free to enter and afterward Orange...a favorite club of visiting young tourists has an open bar for an hour and then it morphs into a dance club. And oh man do I love Spanish girls...but I also loved speaking Spanish and learning Spanish. The rest of the country as well gave off the same amazing vibe but I feel like it has so much to offer. It's the country I'd come back to first. Oh yah, and drullets. <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://sas.guidespot.com/bundles/guides_bw/assets/widget_czzUaoJg9ij7LHnZ2lrelO.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/viewtopic.php%3Fid%3D113980%26p%3D2&usg=__KflAU282L4MYyO-GRRoKIDCsbLc=&h=194&w=290&sz=40&hl=en&start=0&sig2=XIiD-x9UJsnbVibPCHws0g&zoom=1&tbnid=P1AombSVIe6DsM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=174&ei=NjxuTJ8tiPqzA76RhIQL&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddrullets%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26channel%3Ds%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D899%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=146&vpy=134&dur=425&hovh=124&hovw=186&tx=145&ty=88&oei=NjxuTJ8tiPqzA76RhIQL&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=38&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0">You can't beat those.</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Most Epic Night</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGfCf1Cvk__eZOXeAU3enn1UFOKRXihFhHJe1DFLq4gYYyiezC-YmOQyIs0LbCKyKhy2T-D3YHEw8y-Hg91dWkRbONiLvLUucaNpNAlNU-KcXD4E-OOMzjKajDeBTaSWPVvICGinoXqs/s1600/IMG_0268.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGfCf1Cvk__eZOXeAU3enn1UFOKRXihFhHJe1DFLq4gYYyiezC-YmOQyIs0LbCKyKhy2T-D3YHEw8y-Hg91dWkRbONiLvLUucaNpNAlNU-KcXD4E-OOMzjKajDeBTaSWPVvICGinoXqs/s320/IMG_0268.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510270519940058434" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Cannes VIP Parties.</span> There are a lot of nights to choose from (all-nighters ending in churros, a pool party in the warm Roman night, a fancy bar with Grey Goose bottle service and a 25K euro drink) but I'd say the most epic all-around night had to be in Cannes where I first learned the art of pretending I am important. The night was, as many nights at Cannes were, full of options. Should I go to a red carpet premier? Hang out with other program mates? Hit up bars? Go to a club? Attempt to get into a party? Earlier that day a friend, Kate, had handed me a ticket to an event her friend was DJing. Turns out, however, that she wasn't going to be able to get ready in time. The event was from around 8-11 and so I figured I might as well jump on the opportunity and thus got into a tux and headed downtown with a crew that were going to be going to a premier. As I walked down the strip heading towards the address I felt very important and I did not want to take no as an answer from anyone. The key is that bouncers (French or otherwise) have no idea who is important and who isn't. They can only judge by attire and attitude. Cannes is full of so many important people it's impossible to be able to know all of them. So, if one acts as though he/she is one of those important people, and they roll alone (or not with a large group) more often than not they'll let you in. Granted there are guest lists, etc. but the really important people don't want to have to say they are on the guest list...they just want to go in. One time I even pointed to a name on the list and yelled "That's me! Happy?" So anyways I went to the event and immediately saw two people arguing with the bouncer claiming they were invited. They were holding the exact same invitation that I was. Damnit. But I kept my cool and patiently waited for my shot at the bouncer...unfortunately that shot never came. They kept at it for awhile and eventually the bouncer looked at me, saw I was in a tux and alone, and said I could go in. !!!! The party was on a balcony over the ocean and at a point in the night fireworks went off. Only thing was after I picked up a free drink, met the DJ, and picked up some food I had no one to talk to. I knew absolutely NO ONE in the party. I ended up doing something that I always wish I could do...approach a random group and talk. And so I found a group that looked friendly and approached them and ended up talking to them for the entirety of the party. They were producers from Iceland, which made sense since it was a Scandinavian party. So the party ended, I said goodbye, and was on my own once again...that was until I ran into my Brittish friends I had met earlier (Greg, Matt, and Thomas who I ended up staying with in London). They were going to another party and invited me along. Their friend, Alexandra, was in one of the many beach-side parties and she came out and got us in by saying we were all having a film meeting. legit!! This party had more free booze, free food, and celebrities. The night ended with dancing, meeting famous people, and basically enjoying being a VIP. As I headed back I met up with some people who had seen the 10 pm screening and returned to the hotel content. Absolutely epic night that proved rolling alone can have its advantages. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItaqLYF3XCvaVgX3GQsteBh5alDJiDmHHMHzyoLV725CfzCE7TjOAnR6_Hc-97-VDgNWNk4We0AX00em2yeTXR0A09D1j450z9K-7o12rgJc2XaVeLbgnUJ3j9o0kEYORBrietT9P4zw/s1600/IMG_0302.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItaqLYF3XCvaVgX3GQsteBh5alDJiDmHHMHzyoLV725CfzCE7TjOAnR6_Hc-97-VDgNWNk4We0AX00em2yeTXR0A09D1j450z9K-7o12rgJc2XaVeLbgnUJ3j9o0kEYORBrietT9P4zw/s320/IMG_0302.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510270186355722258" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Biggest Surprise (City)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNruAbU3vArEqA08z1RA9SKNQUvfdXKzSz8NWjXdcz6u6dCXB0Q9pMCOe0lnKxkfU_BiKdXapbSbpM0kVewhvRBKVuDAr30n953QZ_JGbazochCFnZJs0qu9qNSPvVqBmaeLr6yB_xzA/s1600/IMG_1938.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggNruAbU3vArEqA08z1RA9SKNQUvfdXKzSz8NWjXdcz6u6dCXB0Q9pMCOe0lnKxkfU_BiKdXapbSbpM0kVewhvRBKVuDAr30n953QZ_JGbazochCFnZJs0qu9qNSPvVqBmaeLr6yB_xzA/s320/IMG_1938.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510271374418795106" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Amsterdam.</span> As some of you know, my policy for visiting cities was to not look at any pictures of them prior to my visit if I could help it. I love the feeling of being surprised when I reach a city and see their sights for the first time in person. Nothing can beat coming out of the metro in Milan and seeing their amazing Duomo without any idea prior to what it would look like. That's my opinion at least. Anyways so I have an idea how the cities will look from what I hear or imagine but each place I go to I get at least a little surprised by the reality. Even though I knew what most of Paris looked like I was still surprised how many amazing buildings there were or how it was laid out. Anyways what surprised me the most was Amsterdam. It looked like Solvang (a small Dutch Cali city) but with river canals running through it. Very brown buildings, multi-cultural, and was just a quaint feeling city. Not to mention I was there after the Brazil win and there was Orange everywhere. It was incredibly diverse and cultured, and just seemed so happening. I didn't expect this after hearing all about the red light district and coffee shops. I really don't know what I expected it to look like, but with legal prostitution and weed I expected it to look at least a little different. Nighttime, however, I was surprised by the complete 360 morph the city undertakes. Maybe cause I didn't walk down the red light district during the day, but that strip becomes just a sex crazed neon-light filled packed with men area. It's hard to describe and I think you all need to experience this change for yourself, but after the beautiful park the next day this city never ceased to surprise me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7vTfIcuGenEIrNL0E6AuWv8l1NjRL5SxvKD7XgGmw4zkEORXLjn7cUVRpjrHvYLO_NOhtRWRjCt7VLUOMDO19gYT2djIXRpEm_1w_XWdzsdS76jafVh1F9l6mmzTiegJvNRBc8nh2dQ/s1600/IMG_1974.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7vTfIcuGenEIrNL0E6AuWv8l1NjRL5SxvKD7XgGmw4zkEORXLjn7cUVRpjrHvYLO_NOhtRWRjCt7VLUOMDO19gYT2djIXRpEm_1w_XWdzsdS76jafVh1F9l6mmzTiegJvNRBc8nh2dQ/s320/IMG_1974.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510298576474761218" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /><br />Best Discoteca (Night Club)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJWSOsgKL951RY0MBZSLI_6xJxeK4HMtL1W7Q6GVFTeXjuys8LqvUqG6YEuSVks7P-2NVoPstcsPbzH9xAoauWbBWKetYQpX8hczP3k5ErGgbERTK4u4UJ8M_0xO8LCAE0qQ2LoPkTNQ/s1600/IMG_1272.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJWSOsgKL951RY0MBZSLI_6xJxeK4HMtL1W7Q6GVFTeXjuys8LqvUqG6YEuSVks7P-2NVoPstcsPbzH9xAoauWbBWKetYQpX8hczP3k5ErGgbERTK4u4UJ8M_0xO8LCAE0qQ2LoPkTNQ/s320/IMG_1272.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510271985063209858" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Kapital.</span> I went to a lot of nightclubs in Europe...Madrid especially, and maybe it was as a result of befriending a few promoters, but I think I became addicted to dance clubs. Make sure if you're ever traveling Europe to hit me up, I'm a connoisseur now. As a result, picking just one might seem harder than it really is. There are a lot of amazing clubs, but there are also a lot of bad ones. Other clubs came close: Joy was amazing and free on Thursdays (and easily had the best music), Paris had an amazing music club as well, Pacha was very Euro, Berlin had warehouses, Barcelona had beach clubs, but honestly you can't beat the famous 7 story Madrid nightclub. Yes...7 stories. This club was amazing on all accounts. It had everything you could ask for: a Techno floor (which would spray mist every now and then and had go-go dancers), karaoke, hip-hop, another dance floor, an open air lounge at the top, mojito floor, love lounge, honestly I could go on for awhile. This club leaves everyone happy and while you might get lost and it's unlikely you'll run into friends if you separate, for 15 euros and two drinks included you can't get much better than Kapital.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEGFhCaYRx7AozDsqR7TCNptH6bCmoa6N8lNV6fSsNcQ63wE0g2Alw2gYDQ8J3VWD081Klcxftl7COlEN1CXrbh4gn-fnsPB6ZqNBsRJ7-SUKKE_-2DtliJggSkZcz-8hK554aSmtL3g/s1600/IMG_1636.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEGFhCaYRx7AozDsqR7TCNptH6bCmoa6N8lNV6fSsNcQ63wE0g2Alw2gYDQ8J3VWD081Klcxftl7COlEN1CXrbh4gn-fnsPB6ZqNBsRJ7-SUKKE_-2DtliJggSkZcz-8hK554aSmtL3g/s320/IMG_1636.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510275132605463970" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Saddest Night</span> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWQxV0lUsm8Ckqx5e1VTbuWuwekujE_kmIuE50R28AuFms9fK3_Oc3ObBiH0jnVOUIWzA74XFKaGxUNJg27zgxmm30DmNWjo7l3IDnR5Nh55cMRyyNvFHKcee29xCxFMZ9IOYoGy-kJY/s1600/sad+night.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyWQxV0lUsm8Ckqx5e1VTbuWuwekujE_kmIuE50R28AuFms9fK3_Oc3ObBiH0jnVOUIWzA74XFKaGxUNJg27zgxmm30DmNWjo7l3IDnR5Nh55cMRyyNvFHKcee29xCxFMZ9IOYoGy-kJY/s320/sad+night.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510272689183378466" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Cannes last night.</span> Leaving any city was sad, and any group of amazing people is always heart wrenching to part with, but after three weeks of straight bonding I found the closing night of the Cannes film festival and AmPav internship to be the saddest. Reasons can range from the amazing relationships I'd built with so many of the interns, how we had next to no customers and spent all day socializing, the fact we had a closing party where we wrapped everything up and said our goodbyes, how I fell asleep and almost missed the bus at 4 am giving the whole thing a very rushed sense, or just because we all had such a common connection in film. I can't wait for a much needed reunion with my Cannes amigos/as. It was a roller coaster of a internship, but in the end I would give anything to go back to day one again. It's only fair to mention that leaving Madrid and my Madrid friends was no easy task either vos falto muchissimo.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Coolest Building</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGevt8cj6pvR7-iYG4Uqinnh_50cHA62FI5jEKuxAA81y04fbiHILzZt66idO-lPnbkMWAeycVuN8T8WJpEn7kfT3W2W1K_xTvRKdnchTyYAtMx9_eAfPnLa5D5xJymyv0y81GGF3O_CY/s1600/IMG_2287.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGevt8cj6pvR7-iYG4Uqinnh_50cHA62FI5jEKuxAA81y04fbiHILzZt66idO-lPnbkMWAeycVuN8T8WJpEn7kfT3W2W1K_xTvRKdnchTyYAtMx9_eAfPnLa5D5xJymyv0y81GGF3O_CY/s320/IMG_2287.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510274066754118770" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Parliament in Berlin.</span> Italy as a whole had some amazing churches: Milan was stunning, Florence had the largest most epic church I'd ever seen, but the building that absolutely took my breath away had to be the Berlin Parliament. Showcasing one of the many unique traits of the city (building new on the old) the Berlin Parliament has a shell of the old building but they have built an incredible glass spiral structure dome thing on the top. Not only that but it's free to go visit (this is key: the other cool buildings usually weren't free...Westminster Abbey was 15 Pounds!! No way it's THAT cool). After waiting in the ridiculous heat, you can finally take an elevator up to the dome and from the top you can literally see the whole city. It's gorgeous. Walking to the top of the dome is stunning too and the whole thing is a real surreal experience. Funny thing is you can actually watch the Parliament in session...Berlin is going for transparency after their past. A must see/visit for an European traveler.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ELeUaUMJ_hKFBAyxlWUXZEZJ6JNqE0pyfReCEl80iGkg3_5li0smN1M8OqdRcfUMxokMvEHJuOr0uF2V9QAbB1PbiI5D2usHihXZXVeMWHJYvDJ4RyQxkSaz-U142VqVQQRlPuSnk48/s1600/IMG_2302.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ELeUaUMJ_hKFBAyxlWUXZEZJ6JNqE0pyfReCEl80iGkg3_5li0smN1M8OqdRcfUMxokMvEHJuOr0uF2V9QAbB1PbiI5D2usHihXZXVeMWHJYvDJ4RyQxkSaz-U142VqVQQRlPuSnk48/s320/IMG_2302.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510273702412593874" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Best Beach</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc3ByqLrTTbDzEH6eq4uJbLGb308913FNj4ogdmgwiXEPIpHJLXFT0d3m6H6Q3HBtJieqYZY6i8QWpjK0_TnJ7Yn6I7izkbTYYDY6GEljzFELOqi6zPMA8ty1-9hRTtpcGmL558N_EUM/s1600/IMG_3302.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc3ByqLrTTbDzEH6eq4uJbLGb308913FNj4ogdmgwiXEPIpHJLXFT0d3m6H6Q3HBtJieqYZY6i8QWpjK0_TnJ7Yn6I7izkbTYYDY6GEljzFELOqi6zPMA8ty1-9hRTtpcGmL558N_EUM/s320/IMG_3302.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510274594902310178" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Lecce</span> (Eastern Coast...obscure beach don't know it's name). The Cannes beach was nice, Barcelona's man-made one had enough nudity for everyone, and Valencia's beach definitely was spacious and beautiful, but on the heel of Italy unknown to many American tourists lie some of the most gorgeous beaches in Europe. During my stay in Lecce, Nicola, Michela and I traveled to each side of the heel in order to find the best beach. On the third day we did: near the city of Ortranto after a hike through the trees, we reached a tropical paradise. The water was amazingly warm and clear, the beach MUCH less busy than others and clean with palm cabanas lining the sand. This was paradise. Absolutely one of the most amazing beaches I have ever been to, the setting was stunning and I just never wanted it to end.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Bar</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQnHASWBvYtRfy2oALkH1s-cnf8bL3NvT0UPNmDusj2-AWYkyv6N59VQZE4CrowD6yARHpL-YvcChGQnoAnUipedU0vEIyE9hgIH9vGFPCymEikIoHWGDu_zfz7bRi6qmLr9sd9wneTI/s1600/IMG_0556.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQnHASWBvYtRfy2oALkH1s-cnf8bL3NvT0UPNmDusj2-AWYkyv6N59VQZE4CrowD6yARHpL-YvcChGQnoAnUipedU0vEIyE9hgIH9vGFPCymEikIoHWGDu_zfz7bRi6qmLr9sd9wneTI/s320/IMG_0556.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510275595418371058" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Penthouse.</span> While one of the best nights in a bar was in the Black Pearl in Cannes where we celebrated with a newly engaged couple at their VIP party table, as far as actual bar itself you can just tell by the name Penthouse that it's high class. I visited Penthouse on one of my first nights in Madrid with the leaving Semester students and I visited it twice more during my stay (for a fun story read about <a href="http://ryanturnerproductions.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-get-into-fancy-places.html">this experience</a> with Penthouse). Penthouse is a high class bar, to get in you have to get past a pretty stingy Spanish bouncer, ride a classy elevator up to the rooftop and then just enjoy a view of Madrid while looking classy. It didn't have the best prices or the best music and didn't even give out free t-shirts the more you drank (like our favorite Irish bar across from the Corte Ingles) But the VIP vibe, the prestige, and the setting are unbeatable. Definitely try to get in if you go to Madrid...act as American as you can, it shouldn't be hard.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Most Exhilarating Moment</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkq1hggCw3DGiIwURcPP8bPv05YgCLWM9FWWX7HzWpT055sc5zatqzf39NNuTnJx_nHKywyKX9yjrciQm6aylCDkeMYFpWdH2zvIEISIraJnho_n7aUBMesiyuncuLT0livfCgFd_s4M/s1600/yah!.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkq1hggCw3DGiIwURcPP8bPv05YgCLWM9FWWX7HzWpT055sc5zatqzf39NNuTnJx_nHKywyKX9yjrciQm6aylCDkeMYFpWdH2zvIEISIraJnho_n7aUBMesiyuncuLT0livfCgFd_s4M/s320/yah!.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510276040889631106" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">USA Last minute goal.</span> Speaking of the Irish bar (Named I think, Flannigan's) in Madrid, that's where I experienced one of the biggest adrenaline rushes in my sport-watching history. After a disallowed goal from a 2 goal comeback that we watched in Valencia I found it hard to believe that the USA national team in the World Cup could provide much more excitement. The next game against Algeria game was just that, the epitome of that. Another wrongly disallowed early goal, and the fact that on the other side of the bars English supporters were celebrating their lead, meant the US needed to score to move on. The bar was split into two parts with screens on each and so we could live see what was going on in both games. I was attempting to predict when a goal would come (all were wrong), but my pessimistic friend Matt was right in calling a 90th minute goal. When everyone almost gave up hope, Donovan jumped on a blocked shot to send the USA through at the top of the group. Absolutely incredible. Everyone in the bar including the English were up and screaming. As I went to the bathroom to expel some Guinness from my system a smiling Englander congratulated me on the win. I guess I embody America haha or maybe it was because I was smiling and still thriving off the adrenaline rush. That moment, that goal, absolutely unforgettable.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Most Under-rated Sight</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3-d8KK06QABujasyllUSSilY-pWQQ_uLJwUhf6M0_r0UZ8ockhfwqB3owguZ3fc2HaggqrO8HyCIHGmAq2doO49X1GlHKszmrwT3ocl2CAMRV3D-7yI50P6P7brvz8tPmd4loz0j-PA/s1600/IMG_1781.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3-d8KK06QABujasyllUSSilY-pWQQ_uLJwUhf6M0_r0UZ8ockhfwqB3owguZ3fc2HaggqrO8HyCIHGmAq2doO49X1GlHKszmrwT3ocl2CAMRV3D-7yI50P6P7brvz8tPmd4loz0j-PA/s320/IMG_1781.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510276809618402530" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Plaza de Castillas.</span> I'm not gonna lie...I saw a ridiculous amount of sights while traveling this summer. A lot of them were built up, such as the Eiffel Tower, some were a disappointment (like walking 234987 years to see a stupid Windmill in Amsterdam), but in the North of Madrid lies a wonder that not many people visit. Granted Madrid is not a city with a lot of sights, it's more of an experience. Once you've hit Parque del Retiro and Sol up you only have a little left. But on the last Thursday a group of us decided to go visit the Plaza de Castillas and we were not disappointed. Beginning with two huge towers leaning towards each other and a huge golden rod sticking up in between them, this area didn't even feel like Madrid. It was spacious, modern, and full of cars. You could literally see where the city ended and in the distance it was only open space. After a decent walk from the Metro we reached three huge, newly built buildings all of which were completely out of place. Skyscrapers that stuck out like sore thumbs. One was a 5 star hotel, one was just finished, and the last was an office building. In the middle there was a beautiful fountain and in the distance we all watched the sun set for the first and last time in the city. I don't know why more people don't go to see this wonderful sight but don't be one of those that makes that mistake.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3MYG1DfRrBYK7mLytJQMAlkNR6_B4UhXwmN2k0Ay1KNm78EYcezqJMBbEWTHmiVdFftX7CcVOhdQQSjS3C590kdvspM7rDKra-2DjfKxr7XHyhUBH7H98ajraANswaqg360MQvwrSnQ/s1600/IMG_1815.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK3MYG1DfRrBYK7mLytJQMAlkNR6_B4UhXwmN2k0Ay1KNm78EYcezqJMBbEWTHmiVdFftX7CcVOhdQQSjS3C590kdvspM7rDKra-2DjfKxr7XHyhUBH7H98ajraANswaqg360MQvwrSnQ/s320/IMG_1815.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510276588761312018" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Drink</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv00xli-KfMCHLYGEq31x-xDaUvGPMIS1F-bmfjkhmjmqRXmBJmaRstZvVzr11iU6bgpS-MD4EjdyATgK9sd0zELVfsKWNFv9M8s3nUGf3mJGudNd_ARzCioZ_5QQqAKsfNzpvE8-M4BQ/s1600/agua+de+valencia.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv00xli-KfMCHLYGEq31x-xDaUvGPMIS1F-bmfjkhmjmqRXmBJmaRstZvVzr11iU6bgpS-MD4EjdyATgK9sd0zELVfsKWNFv9M8s3nUGf3mJGudNd_ARzCioZ_5QQqAKsfNzpvE8-M4BQ/s320/agua+de+valencia.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510277319596126642" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Agua de Valencia.</span> I love how in Europe each city has something food or drink wise that they're known for. Segovia had this meat so tender you cut it with a plate, Florence had their Fiorentina steak (which I had for my bday dinner), but Agua de Valencia was by far the best of these unique treasures. A perfect mix of champagne, orange juice, vodka (I think these are the ingredients I don't even know) that all blend together to make a completely stunning drink. It's like drinking Fanta, but before you know it you're drunk. Not only that but it's as cheap as water and getting vases of the stuff basically means you're gonna have a good night. My goal is to learn how to make it and spread the joy. The pitch: Orange juice with happiness.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Most Drank Drink</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-Tj8ZWLLP0vDuOL441x3M8CxGs2Jfgzx0i0vDsjvqjLl3Ye9hGYEKc2YMBXv8FA6dVKnKe1eC1w1QH10QHqY94ipbIO3WK25TSxgMfKYmKe_hkQ0x7NsHQ_MDy7IgDu2_kiAtyxSH-U/s1600/whisky.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-Tj8ZWLLP0vDuOL441x3M8CxGs2Jfgzx0i0vDsjvqjLl3Ye9hGYEKc2YMBXv8FA6dVKnKe1eC1w1QH10QHqY94ipbIO3WK25TSxgMfKYmKe_hkQ0x7NsHQ_MDy7IgDu2_kiAtyxSH-U/s320/whisky.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510277818002272434" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Whisky and Coke.</span> Funny thing it was, coming to Europe and never having been in a bar. What do I order? What <span style="font-style:italic;">is</span> there even? College has only taught me that cheap beer and cheap alcohol is the way to go, how am I supposed to know what's classy? Imagine going to a free open bar where you can order anything but you don't know anything. That was the dilemma I faced when I arrived in Europe. Thankfully my problem was solved for me. During a party I attended where I met a pretty important producer, he told me he'd treat me to a drink. We got to the bar and he ordered a whisky on the rocks. Not wanting to look bad I ordered the same. Maybe it was the fact that I was with him, maybe it was because I've never had good whisky, but from that point on I decided whisky was my favorite alcoholic beverage. In the next open bar I went to, a friend ordered a whisky and coke. Not sure if I could handle another straight whisky drink I ordered the same. The prefect mix of alcohol and soda, this drink became the trademark of my bar journeys modified slightly when I found out about whisky and ginger ale. When in doubt, it's what I always ordered and thus it wins the award for the drink I drank the most.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Food</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirt01n3MHPA1H0eiX647e2mLOg1svoXCQey2vkJE6-rRmVxg90-C04XWYcG7uhgLqEFxIiKyKNtbXuYUXNDjhHcJO1RyojiUmh2SFzBIi3eXedZ0IT4-8GPyATcTbCFwYnCUpv-zO_0iY/s1600/IMG_3117.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirt01n3MHPA1H0eiX647e2mLOg1svoXCQey2vkJE6-rRmVxg90-C04XWYcG7uhgLqEFxIiKyKNtbXuYUXNDjhHcJO1RyojiUmh2SFzBIi3eXedZ0IT4-8GPyATcTbCFwYnCUpv-zO_0iY/s320/IMG_3117.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510269375459101506" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Italy. </span>When traveling countries in Europe, food is a crucial factor in your enjoyment of cities. I always wanted to try whatever special meal they had and experience the food as much as possible. One country, however, stood out above the rest as far as taste and deliciousness goes. I didn't eat much at all in the North, but I do know the South of Italy including Tuscany is nothing but quality in the food department. As far as consistency you can't beat Italy. While Paris had amazing food as well (see below) not much is better than some amazing pasta, pizza, paninis, or gelato. Coming back to consistency though, chains rarely exist. McDonald's is the only one that really makes its mark but every bar (what they refer to it as, basically a place you can get espresso, sandwiches, calzones, pizza, etc.) has roughly the same things and they are all at roughly the same quality: great. For dinner any place is good, and often times I would get a "tourist menu" which is a set meal that often comes with water, a pasta plate, a meat plate, and bread and coffee. The problem with all of this was my budget, but that was a sacrifice my stomach was willing to take. Top it off with Gelato (my favorite flavors were Mela Verde y Ananas) and it's game over competition.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Most Ate Food</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dr6sYvC7X0uMTx0KN64Cu6CgVPzaPG5WzdH_EFdSulLUc7lRDw9sPVX_FmA6r-nqeTTJgXT5Ox-GGenj3KmS5lrdAyrbztG4qpvRFi9lYB1xc1p1RyQbo65iOTeYBYISPm-FmGTPL6g/s1600/IMG_2249.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dr6sYvC7X0uMTx0KN64Cu6CgVPzaPG5WzdH_EFdSulLUc7lRDw9sPVX_FmA6r-nqeTTJgXT5Ox-GGenj3KmS5lrdAyrbztG4qpvRFi9lYB1xc1p1RyQbo65iOTeYBYISPm-FmGTPL6g/s320/IMG_2249.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510278098381871074" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Doner Kebab.</span> No, not one of those sticks with fruit and vegetables and meat...Donor Kebabs are all the rage in Europe, especially in Spain. They are as common as Starbucks in a city; there was at least one every block. So what are these kebabs exactly? Basically the most cost effective, delicious food that you can get. Recognizable by a spinning cylindrical spiced meat that they are carved from, Donor Kebabs are basically sandwiches (more like paninis than normal sandwiches) with Mediterranean sauces and spices that vary from store to store and they are delicious. They were my favorite quick lunch food to get and I miss them so much.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Best Meal</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SeI4IdSa5sJu5c5mApR-9hA8Vxy89WSTdzI-xwSq1CpHtH4h1Gr8lMgoZCY3LAQxkM4NoYbIIjqqHEU2xHDFurcEf1CBctciL9NQyj7RnoR_ZZLv25np8SsQyUoca7AdCz3-otRMSJg/s1600/IMG_1193.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SeI4IdSa5sJu5c5mApR-9hA8Vxy89WSTdzI-xwSq1CpHtH4h1Gr8lMgoZCY3LAQxkM4NoYbIIjqqHEU2xHDFurcEf1CBctciL9NQyj7RnoR_ZZLv25np8SsQyUoca7AdCz3-otRMSJg/s320/IMG_1193.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510278405205071106" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Paris.</span> French food grew on me. While in Cannes it seemed like all I ate was bread, but after leaving I felt myself craving croissants and baguettes more than I expected. So, when I returned to France on my Paris trip I indulged myself in quiches, crepes, and all the other goodies. Saying Paris is expensive is an understatement. It's so often visited that they can get away with charging ridiculous prices, especially to Americans. As you walk down the streets and pass the restaurants that have their outdoor tables facing outwards one can't help but notice the incredible food. We were only in Paris for three days, but we decided that one of the nights we had to eat at one of those fancy places. So, right before going to watch the USA England game behind the Eiffel Tower, we ate at one. It was amazing. Paris is all about sauces, and so AM I. I ordered salmon with rice and they gave this ridiculously good custom made sauce specifically for dipping and tasting good. I need to go back, and I need to eat more food like this.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />City with the most Sights</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgOpOF-9wyXe3dQgWwWaqi17ZMk1P1lvFwum1Hz95syyMMM0P6itGQc3Hh0EICQf3JxuDnVG_UXS07QR5khRZLkDxZELSbeUsbAnE9RcFe1JY4RSVzSltK3RuGM0KOSY8ifqrqEOz9v4/s1600/IMG_2996.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpgOpOF-9wyXe3dQgWwWaqi17ZMk1P1lvFwum1Hz95syyMMM0P6itGQc3Hh0EICQf3JxuDnVG_UXS07QR5khRZLkDxZELSbeUsbAnE9RcFe1JY4RSVzSltK3RuGM0KOSY8ifqrqEOz9v4/s320/IMG_2996.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510278858980693042" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Rome.</span> Roma is a city where you can literally have 5 full days of sight-seeing and still not see everything. Paris I feel was like this too to an extent, but Rome takes the cake because it is a much smaller city. You have the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Ruins, Spanish Steps, Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, the Fountain of the Four Rivers, Piazza del Campidoglio, Piazza Venezia, Piazza Navona, St Peter's Square, Olympic Stadium, a castle I can't remember the name of, and that's just off the top of my head. This is not mentioning many of the other amazing ancient buildings, ruins, countless fountains, pillars, etc. that it has to offer. If you want to see all of these, you need to have at least 5 good days to explore. There are THAT many. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Most Overwhelming City</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEP_gYxUfxA_EnhLp3U_a2PLS7dc-XtGx1TJ5arthb-rRhsYM3nf7a4xWRSQ4HnGMZSgOcBAlUvMygEzIQl2L3RmkJFCZbzCN3rP9PBFt0M2Lh_hCBugZlky92AG8vSZWwE6NinYmfcs/s1600/IMG_3517.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEP_gYxUfxA_EnhLp3U_a2PLS7dc-XtGx1TJ5arthb-rRhsYM3nf7a4xWRSQ4HnGMZSgOcBAlUvMygEzIQl2L3RmkJFCZbzCN3rP9PBFt0M2Lh_hCBugZlky92AG8vSZWwE6NinYmfcs/s320/IMG_3517.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510279358104441762" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">London.</span> Instead of overwhelming, I could substitute huge, busy, or any other similar adjective. London is a city that has cities within itself. It's crazy. For example, I stayed in Brixton...a semi-ghetto area of London. Within Brixton, you have literally everything. There is a market for food, parks, a movie theater, bars, clubs, pubs, countless restaurants, sights, and basically anything you could ever need. From my experience, nearly every other section of London has this same diversity (speaking of diversity it is the most diverse city I've ever been to). Sure there are downtown areas, but there are so many downtown areas it's almost hard to keep track. Meeting up with people in London is definitely a feat giving how many places there are and each has its own thing. I feel as though I saw a lot of the city, and yet looking at tube stops I barely even scratched the surface. There were plenty of sights I wasn't even aware of in the East, North, West, etc. Not to mention they have over FOUR football teams: Chelsea, Arsenal, Fullham, and Tottenham to name the major ones. It's mind-blowing thinking about just how much there is within this one city. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Public Transportation</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcJ-saS8nkH9oqfj2O8Yoq29Hor4Qt_vWbZeOpkR-_T9ldPDBN-rdNqbZJNNVIeHzBv8i4GHhC1r8p047FmCuKv_K-VyiFPjpkqP3R6uDcWSjpZ3Yo_-MpEPSa-Rn54-0D-7Sm4tyxxA/s1600/IMG_1487.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXcJ-saS8nkH9oqfj2O8Yoq29Hor4Qt_vWbZeOpkR-_T9ldPDBN-rdNqbZJNNVIeHzBv8i4GHhC1r8p047FmCuKv_K-VyiFPjpkqP3R6uDcWSjpZ3Yo_-MpEPSa-Rn54-0D-7Sm4tyxxA/s320/IMG_1487.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510279669661567938" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Madrid.</span> Sure Berlin had some very good public transportation, and it ran all night on weekends, and they had your choice between U-Bahn (underground) or S-Bahn (overground) trams or buses. And maybe they were less busy and easy to use. And maybe they were even nicer...Wow...maybe I'm starting to change my mind...BUT I'm biased and I absolutely loved Madrid's metro. After six weeks in the city I was a pro at getting around, and the metro literally flies from place to place. If it weren't for the strike and the closing of the 4 line to Arguelles, any trip would only have taken between 5-20 minutes to get absolutely wherever I wanted to go in the city. They're clean, efficient, and amazing. BART should take note. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Biking City</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4StV5RrZ7fn6BOdiWXXmSInOClHFN73oBU3ATwMv9-gss67nOTrBxERM_Pr4jPRYC77iONINzonV8RY6T6Nqd0ZyAeJ9PVbCZ_KFf59Gm-SG_LYg2swxw-9P-99-TsgyxvwlQFk1Q2s/s1600/IMG_2367.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4StV5RrZ7fn6BOdiWXXmSInOClHFN73oBU3ATwMv9-gss67nOTrBxERM_Pr4jPRYC77iONINzonV8RY6T6Nqd0ZyAeJ9PVbCZ_KFf59Gm-SG_LYg2swxw-9P-99-TsgyxvwlQFk1Q2s/s320/IMG_2367.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510280164488989010" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Berlin.</span> Amsterdam is another large biking city, but when I biked there I felt like my life was always in danger. The narrow streets, the river canals, and the three other lanes of traffic (walkers, drivers, and trams) made it an intense experience. Berlin on the other hand had bike lanes ON SIDEWALKS. You don't have to worry about cars, biking in Berlin is safe, easy, and efficient. You always have space, always have a clearly marked path, and even have your own crossing lights. I went on a biking adventure in Berlin without any idea of where to go and ended up easily following signs and just having a good time. Not only that, but you are allowed to carry bikes onto the U-Bahn or S-Bahn which is invaluable. I didn't feel like biking all the way back, so I just walked it onto a train and relaxed for the return journey.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Coolest Famous Person Met</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpMRaUgdf3W8F6wIkb0LeOJkSMmNKu5zp5-wdZHDTrgJqF3VUFWstEauBzQn6EpqjIqA-PQZYYc7cA8IrICH8AIgC-gSb2QGHtk6geUTZkq5ZP__ZiNUVOCserpJUgCX-e6ZgjtAZWXQ/s1600/ryan+and+i.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpMRaUgdf3W8F6wIkb0LeOJkSMmNKu5zp5-wdZHDTrgJqF3VUFWstEauBzQn6EpqjIqA-PQZYYc7cA8IrICH8AIgC-gSb2QGHtk6geUTZkq5ZP__ZiNUVOCserpJUgCX-e6ZgjtAZWXQ/s320/ryan+and+i.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510287559683581202" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Ryan Gosling.</span> In Cannes I had the honor of meeting plenty of famous people, but not many were cooler than the Notebook man. Granted, we didn't really have a deep conversation. I was making a film with Godfrey (which you can watch below) and I had just finished it and put it online. I was excited to show Godfrey how it turned out, so when I saw him sitting outside I decided to walk out and tell him. People gave me weird hesitant looks as I passed by and I wondered why. I told them I was visiting Godfrey and they eventually let me exit outside. As I sat down by Godfrey and said hi I looked up and saw the cast and director of the movie <span style="font-style:italic;">Blue Valentine</span> including Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. Not wanting to seem intruding, I just continued on with the conversation with Godfrey and midway through Godfrey said "Hey Ryan, meet Ryan". Ryan Gosling looked up and we shook hands. He was incredibly down to earth and he asked me if I wanted any candy. They were figuring out what they were gonna say during their panel, and I was just chilling next to Godfrey hanging out...that is until one of the higher up AmPav employees kindly told me I didn't belong back here. After the speech I worked up the courage to ask for a picture and it was worth it. Definitely a cool guy.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Most Epic All-Nighter</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvL6ZRTHwgcWK6K76m0DDY05KCAoVow9y_aftS0N5x8TVe_PSeZC8Le-glcAwSZ_YUp_C_KCI2XGoUlfuR8-AVbR1MER7lAKTXfE6NgZOTAI2x91jQvOlE2c7T7UZG3SA9YcBdYS9rZxY/s1600/IMG_0399.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvL6ZRTHwgcWK6K76m0DDY05KCAoVow9y_aftS0N5x8TVe_PSeZC8Le-glcAwSZ_YUp_C_KCI2XGoUlfuR8-AVbR1MER7lAKTXfE6NgZOTAI2x91jQvOlE2c7T7UZG3SA9YcBdYS9rZxY/s320/IMG_0399.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510288142514588274" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Kapital/Producer party/Pool Party.</span> This one's a tie. I had more all-nighters than I'd like to admit while traveling abroad, and none of them were study related haha (but I got "A's" so take that studies). The first true all-nighter I had on my trip was as a volunteer for the Producer Party at the American Pavilion in Cannes. We all volunteered because we knew the caliber of people that would be there. Ideally by working the party we'd meet contacts and spread our name out in the industry. Realistically the Producers just got trashed and we were left to pick up the trash. That, however, didn't stop us from having fun. Us interns started our own dance party after awhile and not only that but as a result of the party we got a lot of free things including incredibly soft Stella blankets!! Two friends and I opted out of taking a taxi back and we walked along the beautiful Mediterranean as the sun rose. Epic. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtFbakNHzLs60UuAC55yrHt6BjQYPEkhIutU_Ft9S50zrJAP3ysxHhoYWttXbi7qrbh34ySQve91yQLgSfxSWXYKsuwIh8Kpr1al1rrdNdmN0NPKKC5gHyqtxO_V5mFbrB363sFM2UAY/s1600/dewar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtFbakNHzLs60UuAC55yrHt6BjQYPEkhIutU_Ft9S50zrJAP3ysxHhoYWttXbi7qrbh34ySQve91yQLgSfxSWXYKsuwIh8Kpr1al1rrdNdmN0NPKKC5gHyqtxO_V5mFbrB363sFM2UAY/s320/dewar.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510288642872958418" /></a>The second took place on the night before the IES group trip to Valencia. We all wanted to go clubbing on Thursday, but the problem was the bus was leaving early for Valencia and none of us wanted to miss it and miss the trip. The solution: NO SLEEP. We partied at Kapital on a night when they were promoting Dewar's White Label whiskey and as a result we got a lot of free whiskey (including two bottles that were "taken" from display) and sunglasses and a hat. The metro re-opens at 6 in the morning and Kapital was closing around 5. We stayed up all night, I lost my voice singing N'Sync, danced till my legs felt like they were gonna fall off, went home, took a shower, and walked to the bus to see everyone else basically in the same state I was. And we headed off to Valencia! Funny thing was the people that actually slept nearly missed it. A life lesson for you.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgMnxXNIYSJvmksJVj1WTdGZQH4lqZqeMj8YdWgc20yX2Rpwk_CO8uy0KeOPkpGAGebt7rHRH0Gx9jDSUTRvoPgZFfIe_Oef2tfq-4l7OknDGMpUgr7RQUrEB-znOiHUy8vot9ktMSKc/s1600/pool+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgMnxXNIYSJvmksJVj1WTdGZQH4lqZqeMj8YdWgc20yX2Rpwk_CO8uy0KeOPkpGAGebt7rHRH0Gx9jDSUTRvoPgZFfIe_Oef2tfq-4l7OknDGMpUgr7RQUrEB-znOiHUy8vot9ktMSKc/s320/pool+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510289220664405762" /></a>Finally we have the Roman Pub Crawl that ended at a pool party. I'll go into more detail later about pub crawls, but all you need to know is that this one started in a bar with an hour of free drinks and then ended far south of the city at a pool. Rome was incredibly hot, saved only by the countless free fountains around the city that provided free cold water (free=key word) and we literally sweat so much we never needed to use the bathroom. My skin was baby soft after being in a sauna for three days, but basically a pool party was exactly what I wanted. So me and my friend Mickel-Ange from the hostel headed to the pool party wearing swim trunks and a towel. People gave us somewhat weird looks as we were some of the only people dressed like this at 10 pm at night, but they weren't laughing when we were swimming in the pool later (actually I wouldn't know, but I just assume). There was a DJ and a dance floor, a bar, and a pool surrounded by a lounge area. Even though it was late in the night it was still warm enough to warrant swimming in the heated pool. It was an epic night, and for the sake of this blog I'll censor it haha but we stayed out until the very end and took an early bus back into the city where we hopped on the metro. If we looked weird before, we definitely looked out of place now as we both wore our towels, swim trunks, and wet hair at around 6am in the morning as most people were heading to work. Aww good times. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Party</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6mH7BYFbHbotDSv4svwIm9_1V2wZYW1f5oyjGvVvGfkTeubIherAqw-fvGbnmJGD2rCLulXGNaGTGme1h6Stx3CLcmBlE6W2oQxBEkUlxD-LJbW8Kzyv-v_KfT30xANqsMfknTuLEAI/s1600/IMG_0444.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge6mH7BYFbHbotDSv4svwIm9_1V2wZYW1f5oyjGvVvGfkTeubIherAqw-fvGbnmJGD2rCLulXGNaGTGme1h6Stx3CLcmBlE6W2oQxBEkUlxD-LJbW8Kzyv-v_KfT30xANqsMfknTuLEAI/s320/IMG_0444.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510289488595402978" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Short Film Corner party.</span> While sneaking into parties was fun and all, you just can't beat being on the guest list. My film, <a href="http://www.ryanturnerproductions.com/Lukewarm.php">Lukewarm</a> was in the short film corner in the Cannes Film Festival and as a result I got invited to the Short Film Corner party. This was THE happening party of the night in my opinion (definitely over that Dulce party with all the celebrities). Not only were there complementary drinks and food, but it was filled with aspiring filmmakers. The music was great and it ended with lots of dancing. The view was amazing and you could walk out on the deck and look back at the city and the people were all amazingly cool. One girl showed me a precursor of Vino Tinto at a bar (basically wine with lemon juice). Easily one of the best parties I've been to as an invitee.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Place to Stay</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9ISFpQYi7fobE4yujDik3Q_Likccc1eYB6jSFmJCzAsCUdjjSNSSOHiK50HFwv32FDLHcXJ-_4CWNmXBtRRSMDh08Aw1f0BJh5xPOurs0SRa6W9DN6zIK-R1eNqFumrcCsO74U1sdiM/s1600/IMG_0495.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9ISFpQYi7fobE4yujDik3Q_Likccc1eYB6jSFmJCzAsCUdjjSNSSOHiK50HFwv32FDLHcXJ-_4CWNmXBtRRSMDh08Aw1f0BJh5xPOurs0SRa6W9DN6zIK-R1eNqFumrcCsO74U1sdiM/s320/IMG_0495.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510289812729624994" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">#15 Hilarion Eslava, Madrid.</span> Hostels are a cool place to meet people, Hotels are fun, bed and breakfasts and friend's houses are also a good experience, but hands down THE BEST place I stayed in Europe was my bachelor apartment pad in Madrid. For six weeks, three of which saw the apartment occupied by only 2 people and an RA, I had the run of the mill on a HUGE spacious apartment incredibly close to school and right next to Cave Bar (a bar whose insides look like a cave, if you couldn't figure it out) and the metro. The view was nice from the 5th floor, we had an incredible living room area, a nice kitchen with a washing machine, huge rooms, and a really fancy shower (oh and a <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/132870/saturday-night-live-bidet">bidet</a> which I was hesitant to use...I'm sad to say I'm still a bidet virgin). I couldn't have asked for more. I can't wait to have my own apartment in a city one day, but until then the memory of this amazing place will have to suffice. Absolutely amazing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Pub Crawl</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDjoHC1FHd9vECJ_7vaecKCya_MofCq_Wu0-kCIS40GhJWJYx5eI3etOikSTQel3CkdT-K8yF-vmRf7QUUshpvCAbqWyS0KHNcmzdcl4BE3scPGwXKreS7b6c3bu0WYWVZhX9qVjBHIk/s1600/IMG_2941.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDjoHC1FHd9vECJ_7vaecKCya_MofCq_Wu0-kCIS40GhJWJYx5eI3etOikSTQel3CkdT-K8yF-vmRf7QUUshpvCAbqWyS0KHNcmzdcl4BE3scPGwXKreS7b6c3bu0WYWVZhX9qVjBHIk/s320/IMG_2941.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510290333257069682" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Rome.</span> It's funny how I can have a whole category just for pub crawls. I did a total of 4 in my journey abroad and three of them were in Rome. Berlin's pub crawl was fun and cheap and I met some really cool people, but Rome's pub crawls were just epic. Two out of the three provided two of my favorite nights in Europe. The first, on Friday, was the Colosseum pub crawl. We went with a big group from our hostel and it was epic. This was mostly as a result of the cool people with us and the cool people we met, but definitely had good times all around. We had so much fun I wanted to go again on the second night, but this one simply couldn't live up to the standards set by the first night. Then Sunday came, and one pub crawl supposedly ended in a pool party. I wasn't really down to spend money on one again because I didn't know if it would be cool or not, but eventually I decided to go and definitely didn't regret it. When in Rome...Go on Pub Crawls. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Best Deal</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUd1PZyIj_ID3Z9sngdYsF060NbIykELxZX4DqVzkFu1Iv_A2kAiyvHVloGmNg72DHzeSE_c0VhH8CjJANCa-QCLPAlv-VamWTdippfWSOnbZ0LFtwtIPGx3agOTKWYeUoG_Xd_56Nnlw/s1600/IMG_1743.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUd1PZyIj_ID3Z9sngdYsF060NbIykELxZX4DqVzkFu1Iv_A2kAiyvHVloGmNg72DHzeSE_c0VhH8CjJANCa-QCLPAlv-VamWTdippfWSOnbZ0LFtwtIPGx3agOTKWYeUoG_Xd_56Nnlw/s320/IMG_1743.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510290651665774594" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Tigre.</span> It's no wonder why going to Tigre in Madrid is a guarantee to see Americans. Their deals are reminiscent of the excess Americans love. Ordering any drink in this bar means you'll get a complementary plate of tapas which could easily pass as a meal. For those that don't know tapas are basically a wide array of snacks; from a slice of Tortilla Espanola to Bocadillos to Croquettas to anything they feel like really. Definitely a must for anyone on a budget, Tigre is the place to be. For 5 euros a drink you can't beat it. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Cheapest City</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesJb1h04P9j0fM5DHxY0krbFyOglsfxuCzeZdZiftPvrrDlMJ7i7xMUYWruEnRbFqu1X68_v908WNUrhFeiQYYM-QxCvI6CFXiRyRgzu-A0hz1uTskRdCsfgVw-g3WAcKe6FmeY8AD04/s1600/IMG_2313.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesJb1h04P9j0fM5DHxY0krbFyOglsfxuCzeZdZiftPvrrDlMJ7i7xMUYWruEnRbFqu1X68_v908WNUrhFeiQYYM-QxCvI6CFXiRyRgzu-A0hz1uTskRdCsfgVw-g3WAcKe6FmeY8AD04/s320/IMG_2313.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510291132237840402" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Berlin.</span> Speaking of deals, Spain as a whole is pretty inexpensive in the scheme of things but Berlin wins. On my first night I volunteered to buy three half liter beers for everyone as a result of my free stay with Thomas, and I was afraid when I saw the prices were around 8 to 9 euro per bottle. It wasn't per bottle, however, it was per case and for 9 half liters it was less than 9 euros total. Absolutely ridiculous. No wonder on Friday and Saturday nights literally EVERYONE has a beer in their hand no matter where you are. Take that, an add in the fact that you can get 5 cents back by returning bottles for recycling and you have a ridiculous deal. The public transportation system was interesting too because it fully relied on the honor's system. You could buy tickets but noone really checked them. Food also was really greatly priced and you can get a filling nice meal for less than 10 euros with a drink or two. Clubs ran at around 5 euros entrance fee which is honestly nothing, and the city as a whole just is really affordable. Definitely a good city to be a student in.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Most Eventful Tour (Guides)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBxDtAoN2fRUIx9HC0e0HutHZkUasLCQOEMAXIkZ-2vIei-6ddVVvJrdzKIJh1t1pGpGpL51Up4Fitw_BUhoEl7he9jWqI6qOsTAjGVNhv4lv0c5OkSrQjZhyphenhyphenkKfCQuK4JvvtxGUNMCc/s1600/IMG_0578.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivBxDtAoN2fRUIx9HC0e0HutHZkUasLCQOEMAXIkZ-2vIei-6ddVVvJrdzKIJh1t1pGpGpL51Up4Fitw_BUhoEl7he9jWqI6qOsTAjGVNhv4lv0c5OkSrQjZhyphenhyphenkKfCQuK4JvvtxGUNMCc/s320/IMG_0578.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510291464527961634" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Segovia.</span> Not like I had all that many tour guides, but I figured Segovia earned a mention here. It's a beautiful historic city with incredible buildings, only thing was our tour guide seemed to have it out for us. Everything IES related was only in Spanish and this tour was no exception. Thing is not everyone is on that level of Spanish and giving it was the first weekend in the program, many people didn't feel up for making the effort. Our tour guide responded to this disinterest by claiming some of the students were drunk, rude, disrespectful, etc. He wasn't the only one, another tour group guide commented crudely about us as well. It was bad enough we had to follow around a guide on his own pace, but that was too much. It was interesting and all, but if you're paid to make sure the people are having a good time learning don't claim they're drunk just because they don't want to listen to you. Maybe we shouldn't have talked as much during the tour, but maybe he should have been just more entertaining!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Bar Area</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOyLwOhwZj1dX1Etw9gHiVXelkAfd1ZWSIXLxDV8iuJlQIY-Khl_FYsG8IGA_Iel51-bspnUPDHS9h06yvX-P31cVGsjN_00ytjtYfioBVKBPmvVKAtMMbqDkCqq0R_oBfSonGyYb6HM/s1600/IMG_2656.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqOyLwOhwZj1dX1Etw9gHiVXelkAfd1ZWSIXLxDV8iuJlQIY-Khl_FYsG8IGA_Iel51-bspnUPDHS9h06yvX-P31cVGsjN_00ytjtYfioBVKBPmvVKAtMMbqDkCqq0R_oBfSonGyYb6HM/s320/IMG_2656.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510292078562721282" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Florence.</span> There were a lot of cool bar areas, but on the night of my birthday Nicola took us to a place his friend recommended. We knew we had arrived when we saw hundreds of people grouped around outside with drinks in hand. Next to the river in Florence, underneath one of the castle towers, there was a huge outdoor area filled with bars. It was the happening place to be, and giving the weather it was really a pleasant experience being outside with an amazing view. We ordered "Invisibles", basically a really strong drink that could put Agua de Valencia to the test, and just had a good time hanging out. Really cool and unique.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Best Sporting Event</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg535lObTD7FwB0u2DGICJq7D89xV8xlx6cOshRkPilZQCXxO1k9Y7E4o6o5GDNVKYB6K3LCG5utAkOv9odJEBE6wm8LmOnI9532DxGK98UcpFQUCbZdIedP1re8eP_w7xmQggngZcJHnA/s1600/IMG_3678.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg535lObTD7FwB0u2DGICJq7D89xV8xlx6cOshRkPilZQCXxO1k9Y7E4o6o5GDNVKYB6K3LCG5utAkOv9odJEBE6wm8LmOnI9532DxGK98UcpFQUCbZdIedP1re8eP_w7xmQggngZcJHnA/s320/IMG_3678.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510292383118589906" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Emirates Cup.</span> The Bull Fight was definitely an experience, but when I came to Europe my goal was to watch a soccer match. Thankfully, Greg on my visit to London had purchased tickets for the Emirates cup where AC Milan, Celtic, Lyon, and Arsenal were all playing in a tournament. It was my first match viewing and it was incredible. Despite many starters such as Fabregas and Ronaldinho not even being there, I still really enjoyed experiencing the lively atmosphere (especially Celtic fans) in an incredibly built stadium with a beautiful pitch. We got two matches for the price of one and both were quite exciting. Now, to only watch a REAL premiership game.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Coolest Architecture (City)</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkr4cxCVJ6_7qEdKdhg85Cm1MRO32f7C9KfEWEZd8Zp7YQOppoVI5BAAaOGxth8Vnq44DzmoIng2LMf6arw3UBugcsOX-Y8Fqz6YwQrXmw8VtjX1Qh_pIOw4ajcJT2jHmTCrbHZDMmqM/s1600/IMG_0870.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkr4cxCVJ6_7qEdKdhg85Cm1MRO32f7C9KfEWEZd8Zp7YQOppoVI5BAAaOGxth8Vnq44DzmoIng2LMf6arw3UBugcsOX-Y8Fqz6YwQrXmw8VtjX1Qh_pIOw4ajcJT2jHmTCrbHZDMmqM/s320/IMG_0870.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510292791776372722" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Barcelona.</span> Gaudi is the king of Barcelona. Before arriving, I had never heard the name Gaudi. Maybe because I'm just not that into architecture, but honestly every building that is worth seeing in that city is built by him. It's rare in architecture to have such a distinct consistent look that is incredibly unique. He had exactly that and whether it was in the Parkguele, Segrada Familia, or in one of his random buildings scattered throughout the city you can't help but stop and be in awe at how strange yet attractive each one is. He supposedly was inspired by nature, and each building has some origin in a natural Earth structure. It gives Barcelona a very distinct feel and it definitely had some of the coolest things I've seen as far as buildings go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Coolest Architecture Building</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vl3yku3crktqDo2qxPlQuIKi0bEuVrnwAnjNDXmxnczoYB9IWSWu_f4yUCxCw1LtTrDlfqQ2IIslQvxgWNOkcQyH9f-ory_lFmZTo2lPeYBQLITRgRI0vztRJRl2icDN6RiMbDfgMRE/s1600/IMG_1348.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vl3yku3crktqDo2qxPlQuIKi0bEuVrnwAnjNDXmxnczoYB9IWSWu_f4yUCxCw1LtTrDlfqQ2IIslQvxgWNOkcQyH9f-ory_lFmZTo2lPeYBQLITRgRI0vztRJRl2icDN6RiMbDfgMRE/s320/IMG_1348.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510293431570426674" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">The City of Arts and Sciences.</span> Speaking of buildings, in Valencia there is a MUST see building that is essentially a collection of museums and an IMax theater. These buildings all were absolutely stunning to look at, and they're also quite hard to describe so just look at the pictures and enjoy. My favorite is the Imax theater which is in the shape of an Eye. Or the building that looked like a whale coming out of the water. Stunning.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkzU3oea8XfwJqRmTnFtjITTiV5WijeL7m5Z_-wb8-Wa1wmT7-CDSjsyV99w0TDGaNrEUIs8u3nAw5pyErGGY_KVsJyc7eYPgQsrdcr-bGghQ_zk7w0jjpHkDLtXniEHBCZgFGydaWJw/s1600/IMG_1354.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkzU3oea8XfwJqRmTnFtjITTiV5WijeL7m5Z_-wb8-Wa1wmT7-CDSjsyV99w0TDGaNrEUIs8u3nAw5pyErGGY_KVsJyc7eYPgQsrdcr-bGghQ_zk7w0jjpHkDLtXniEHBCZgFGydaWJw/s320/IMG_1354.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510293116179270402" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">City with best street performers</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlaYfLG2zbQwyXuqEWKpX5UrWjU17Q82RD0g9ckNLmZNwDoDmJI85toBcDtXLZhSPT8tbnH7LrfiRfohsjt2xwr7DhxI5xNMQYyaaHUNe84Ytns_0GObfqfBwXb-u2ISZ375zzSrpgMk/s1600/IMG_0930.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlaYfLG2zbQwyXuqEWKpX5UrWjU17Q82RD0g9ckNLmZNwDoDmJI85toBcDtXLZhSPT8tbnH7LrfiRfohsjt2xwr7DhxI5xNMQYyaaHUNe84Ytns_0GObfqfBwXb-u2ISZ375zzSrpgMk/s320/IMG_0930.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510298974913945810" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Barcelona.</span> Nothing beats sitting at the Palacio Nacional, drinking beer from an immigrant vendor, and listening to some very talented Spanish guitarist. Barcelona is a city centered around music. They had, in my opinion, the highest quality of music performers out of all the cities I visited. Rome had some interesting ones (people blowing bottles for music), Madrid as well (a guy who used his fingers to play drinking glasses), but I just love Spanish guitar music and Barcelona was full of it. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPHuBgEUO6U">This is an example</a>. Not to mention the amazing fountain show that was accompanied and synced to music.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTk4ZR_jDlSFmnSGdmM8MI0Sn1PcdkLyZaoNDh-i323PnmXssoFTI16yblgThJV37jxPhUMVUzHcLGsanLyRuen5wRghHGVSVbgb9Ck2wROBrCTScpe4bwY5HiNxRKtMC-7P6rTX6cOU/s1600/palacio.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTk4ZR_jDlSFmnSGdmM8MI0Sn1PcdkLyZaoNDh-i323PnmXssoFTI16yblgThJV37jxPhUMVUzHcLGsanLyRuen5wRghHGVSVbgb9Ck2wROBrCTScpe4bwY5HiNxRKtMC-7P6rTX6cOU/s320/palacio.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510546094694413410" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Favorite Park</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEo-_jZkC37-5lllbLY2sqyX2m_Szt6H_AE_Nh5VDqTgAZlIR97CB0CNm73mSZXNUE610xNZe-5nvmrxp_Nqb1aYpL62nPiJPxf79ttwZg4eiu9N4wCfX5aZBZy3LbKrhiqPU8ru9-8w/s1600/IMG_0751.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEo-_jZkC37-5lllbLY2sqyX2m_Szt6H_AE_Nh5VDqTgAZlIR97CB0CNm73mSZXNUE610xNZe-5nvmrxp_Nqb1aYpL62nPiJPxf79ttwZg4eiu9N4wCfX5aZBZy3LbKrhiqPU8ru9-8w/s320/IMG_0751.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510293808730120274" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Retiro.</span> Madrid's Parque del Retiro is HUGE. It has everything you could ever want from a park. Not only can you go boating, but you can visit art galleries in the Crystal Palace, see some amazing flowers, or just relax and watch the PDA that Spain is famous for haha. It's a wonderful park, and while I didn't spend as much time as I would've liked in it, I can definitely appreciate it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKB5jmC_mGgYh4NYXfzPbLMgwqiJcMiEmRBI6uZLqwAhemxfGuhUMtg1uYoY7OcAgj6Q53BkRZiZ-l6__4VgG9_6lreFvoeCV0LnDkDVi7YklfzeHZK7-ZY47RT_rqpUDL56o58Cgacjs/s1600/IMG_0752.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKB5jmC_mGgYh4NYXfzPbLMgwqiJcMiEmRBI6uZLqwAhemxfGuhUMtg1uYoY7OcAgj6Q53BkRZiZ-l6__4VgG9_6lreFvoeCV0LnDkDVi7YklfzeHZK7-ZY47RT_rqpUDL56o58Cgacjs/s320/IMG_0752.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510294033837860706" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">City with Best Street Vendors</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6tpBxRKe8v4woVaY6S3i4Mtcbg1-0nqxznZ0WfXb1p2FZ5pAa_Y5nkrchNJ8WGM7OI_jGMcx_0IljSt8wXy145pJpg9G9zaHaNNB2zX6QQllZw2aG-ueat91F4E8YDUZleIKmioZgMU/s1600/IMG_0949.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6tpBxRKe8v4woVaY6S3i4Mtcbg1-0nqxznZ0WfXb1p2FZ5pAa_Y5nkrchNJ8WGM7OI_jGMcx_0IljSt8wXy145pJpg9G9zaHaNNB2zX6QQllZw2aG-ueat91F4E8YDUZleIKmioZgMU/s320/IMG_0949.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510294532472667106" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Barcelona.</span> Street vendors are EVERYWHERE in Europe. You can hardly walk around the street without seeing rip-off bags, sunglasses, or paintings. Just asking someone how much something costs starts a bidding war. It's really intense. But Barcelona had it down right. The street vendors had four strings on each side of their cloth that the items they are selling are arranged on. This is in case cops come, they can just pull the strings and now they have a bag. Pretty clever, but a friend of mine was in the process of haggling with one when cops appeared. Everyone of them ran quickly but my friend was taking her time in deciding on which purse she wanted. Eventually the guy had to just go leaving my friend with a free purse. This isn't the reason they were the best, but simply walking down the famous Las Ramblas shows how much you can get for cheap in Barcelona. Add the other knock off street vendors and we have a winner. Honorable mention would have to go to Madrid on Sundays during El Rastro. This huge weekly market literally has anything and everything you could ever want for ridiculous prices. If it was every day like Las Ramblas, it would've won.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Most Annoying Street Vendors</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcZBHG7pG2JAagtJc1xkZ7q1j-KUyQbJI4n0167HCk1D-WIQGA2Jhdf4jFM44FpxR1Y7fhYX_UHSzQUuWyjaIUvIrtu1oK_pJJlvJUMXBmfvT_4EbHWSyrjMJIrLXmDgaXIazsMSIeUE/s1600/IMG_2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifcZBHG7pG2JAagtJc1xkZ7q1j-KUyQbJI4n0167HCk1D-WIQGA2Jhdf4jFM44FpxR1Y7fhYX_UHSzQUuWyjaIUvIrtu1oK_pJJlvJUMXBmfvT_4EbHWSyrjMJIrLXmDgaXIazsMSIeUE/s320/IMG_2529.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510294760331013746" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Milan.</span> I couldn't believe the nerve of these guys. They'd walk up to you and say "free bracelet! free bracelet! try it on!", and when you try it on they ask for money. If you don't pay them they rip it off you and get pissed. What kind of salesmanship is that? They got personally offended if I didn't want to try on their free bracelet too. Come on guys. You're selling a piece of string that honestly is good for nothing but giving a bad tan line on our wrist. Don't act like ANYONE actually needs this thing. Sell something cool, like knock off designer sunglasses and we can talk.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Biggest Rip-off</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSZrSHfLn7dR4y5fW6s2-9JpF5am4_Wy-0NDEJcb3Gwo-17OuzRHdFyFuW5jWnDPboOuqMIw6iuOQz0X5oXTr_3nKwBsdwOrzyb5miNoTBxV3rVtB0QPWECJ_ACkc_Hv9t3RpxjzqWFg/s1600/dance.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSZrSHfLn7dR4y5fW6s2-9JpF5am4_Wy-0NDEJcb3Gwo-17OuzRHdFyFuW5jWnDPboOuqMIw6iuOQz0X5oXTr_3nKwBsdwOrzyb5miNoTBxV3rVtB0QPWECJ_ACkc_Hv9t3RpxjzqWFg/s320/dance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510548073040143362" /></a>On the topic of street vendors, this one in particular had something actually cool. Basically, next to his boom box he had some dancing disney characters. Funny thing is, these dancing characters were just paper and their legs were strings. They were dancing along to the music. It was insane...how could they be doing that? Corey, a friend was so intrigued he decided to purchase and after some haggling got it down to 2 euros. So he got it, the guy proved that it could dance by putting it next to the other ones and then handed it and told us to not touch the "magical" black parts. We took it back to the hostel, and the second we put it up with music playing on the laptop it fell over. It's legs are strings. How did we ever think it could hold itself up? Those magical black parts were black pieces of paper. Nicola, who had seen those guys a lot growing up in Italy claimed we weren't doing it right and we spent about 20 minutes trying to figure it out before researching and finding out we just got scammed. Those dancing ones were on a very thin string connected between the boombox and his brown bag. It was hard to finally accept those pieces of paper weren't magic, but we just gave it to the son of the Hostel owner and he proceeded to rip it apart. If you see these guys, don't let their Gypsy magic fool you. Honorable mention goes to the Ice Bar in Amsterdam. I paid money to get cold air blasted in my face in their "4-D" experience. That was just painful and unpleasant, and the whole time it was just cold as we listened to "ice-ice baby" and other clever songs related to coldness.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1pbgy4E-q0cVfiSNe7TbUEQwlbU3hE3dthbBKGV0WkwqV1VrZGiBAXYjhXCJQjZorKzvaIZjaqDUdJQoNuzQRD0wNg_H_mOPrYS8xX0LrBuQ4uSonUJHR3hDsmxvlp9j3GJvoreO-Rc/s1600/not+dancing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1pbgy4E-q0cVfiSNe7TbUEQwlbU3hE3dthbBKGV0WkwqV1VrZGiBAXYjhXCJQjZorKzvaIZjaqDUdJQoNuzQRD0wNg_H_mOPrYS8xX0LrBuQ4uSonUJHR3hDsmxvlp9j3GJvoreO-Rc/s320/not+dancing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510548189293590514" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Most Beautiful City</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoHR1D3va-cB5VDJZnGbX5cI3q8wStj5ux8eTgMAA8MWCGW4JJSA7mEKOoVeLeYpMWNM-KY82_OZoOMe8r8Xt94OiopE3hAg98wSYBdUomFzX9hOtndCTpZWM_qN-QQ-C7noLlnhsgsE/s1600/IMG_1102.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoHR1D3va-cB5VDJZnGbX5cI3q8wStj5ux8eTgMAA8MWCGW4JJSA7mEKOoVeLeYpMWNM-KY82_OZoOMe8r8Xt94OiopE3hAg98wSYBdUomFzX9hOtndCTpZWM_qN-QQ-C7noLlnhsgsE/s320/IMG_1102.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510295116904284418" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Paris.</span> As much as it might seem cliché, and as much as I hate to admit it, Paris truly is the most beautiful city I visited. Gold is everywhere, and every building could honestly be a main attraction in any city in the US if put there. The parks are kept up well, there are incredible sights like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. It just wins. Get over it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Place to Watch World Cup Games</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikY4aVluUhsEWSOiLkSdMFUyhBK0VNrf4ZmvMyUXJwXiOyIts2hLHKS7mgaCOhC-VFbgtcAiRhcHTGmm47y9KMsn2b9lFXOzAccebJOe2i0fLw9yqzIguKl06dSL2f-e2Ct-BK3hVmpfA/s1600/IMG_1522.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikY4aVluUhsEWSOiLkSdMFUyhBK0VNrf4ZmvMyUXJwXiOyIts2hLHKS7mgaCOhC-VFbgtcAiRhcHTGmm47y9KMsn2b9lFXOzAccebJOe2i0fLw9yqzIguKl06dSL2f-e2Ct-BK3hVmpfA/s320/IMG_1522.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510295871460240546" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Santiago Bernebeu.</span> I watched games in a lot of different places. The Irish Bar I mentioned earlier definitely gets a mention because of the vibe and free shirts, but nothing beats the energy and atmosphere of the screens in front of the Real Madrid Stadium. I was there for three main matches and it was crazy. One day it even began raining and the fans still continued to cheer as they danced in the rain. I only wish I had been in Spain for the finals, because if I were I would've been right back there in front of the huge screen chanting "Yo Soy Espanol" with all of the other fans. Villa Villa Villa Maravilla.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Place I could see myself living in most</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uF1lkUDjJp3P7XD1Z48HLNJUsjQjUAXTx6JxYP9ZLvFLoCEyoEGjlut2Zb9JteKX9hBzbr6mN428L9APFbzvH-rF22PZHTYPmNtFBW-mrrsFrCLaZwoEOqzTv5U5uJvZOnNppocKIlk/s1600/IMG_3450.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uF1lkUDjJp3P7XD1Z48HLNJUsjQjUAXTx6JxYP9ZLvFLoCEyoEGjlut2Zb9JteKX9hBzbr6mN428L9APFbzvH-rF22PZHTYPmNtFBW-mrrsFrCLaZwoEOqzTv5U5uJvZOnNppocKIlk/s320/IMG_3450.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510296161025679090" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">London.</span> Having not yet been to New York, London just seems like the coolest city to live in. It's so happening all the time, and as a film person I saw that there is a very lively film scene. I loved just going to a coffee shop randomly and seeing a short film festival playing on a screen there as artists of all sorts typed away on their Macbooks. I loved making a movie there (the trailer which you can see below), and I don't know...it just seems like the city has so much to offer. I only scratched the surface. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Most Missed Item</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkL_pu1qaYi6oyDFR8sIO_i5r6E4x7WtyE0yuDcR9pvTEGM2fMzVeGB8gRIWY9YFX-poN8d1xm_V5kOYtHDPCz4p2L4da7Db9VX2CmseE40sNbZKYbJZ69FjWjpOY1PcF2Db2kF6Rye2U/s1600/IMG_2559.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkL_pu1qaYi6oyDFR8sIO_i5r6E4x7WtyE0yuDcR9pvTEGM2fMzVeGB8gRIWY9YFX-poN8d1xm_V5kOYtHDPCz4p2L4da7Db9VX2CmseE40sNbZKYbJZ69FjWjpOY1PcF2Db2kF6Rye2U/s320/IMG_2559.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510296577579790930" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Water.</span> Pandora and Hulu were missed for sure, but how could I not miss complementary water? On hot days it was unbearable, for this whole month I've been back in the US I've made a point of chugging my water before leaving, just because I have extra and can. I couldn't believe I had to ration out my glass of water I Paid for during a meal. It was almost unbearable. I hate paying for water, and I hate even more paying for water that doesn't even last me the whole meal. The few places that actually allow service of tap water serve it warm without Ice and it's pretty bad. The positive is it made me appreciate water as a commodity, but who needs appreciation...I like my water free and cold. Is that so much to ask?!<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Best Beer</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wat7GxblIp7VAOCUrrND5tVr2cDljW1g0b4Pm4at98HGWT6-U0MPmV1r3tcS9DkVl0FZx-3cbQQmvY2yIxlDVSN-st5Pq0vRI-Ku8tde1WwVDgO7ZhQSmrmBMtnBVGDxM3sz5dPxFCo/s1600/IMG_2405.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wat7GxblIp7VAOCUrrND5tVr2cDljW1g0b4Pm4at98HGWT6-U0MPmV1r3tcS9DkVl0FZx-3cbQQmvY2yIxlDVSN-st5Pq0vRI-Ku8tde1WwVDgO7ZhQSmrmBMtnBVGDxM3sz5dPxFCo/s320/IMG_2405.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510296877212592194" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">Berlin (best individual beer: Amsterdam).</span> To clarify, Berlin had the best and cheapest beer out of all the countries, but Amsterdam provided me with the best glass of beer I ever had (and probably will ever have). On my second day in Amsterdam we decided to go to the Heineken factory and at the end of the tour we got a fresh cup of beer that had finished brewing the day before. It was SO GOOD. It's hard to explain, but it was sweeter and just fresher tasting than any beer I've ever tasted. Supposedly the sugar gets less and less strong as the beer ages, but it's not like it was too sweet. Because of this glass of beer, I drink Heineken as much as I can. I'm only chasing the high though, nothing can ever come close. And because I don't feel like making another category, Sangria is amazing in Spain.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccdwdQkaHsXp-19wsldpwrqdIm_e3XRPvocBqafz9c5zq5OjExhyaDOU6Yh69ITMLHOLL89SF0PYbSqIgp2OtbH3iVn_TjU4tAopkBhIny0flENI9DAJHdRAgbsfOOOw8_4M1I-v1mNQ/s1600/beer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjccdwdQkaHsXp-19wsldpwrqdIm_e3XRPvocBqafz9c5zq5OjExhyaDOU6Yh69ITMLHOLL89SF0PYbSqIgp2OtbH3iVn_TjU4tAopkBhIny0flENI9DAJHdRAgbsfOOOw8_4M1I-v1mNQ/s320/beer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510549141716963842" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Favorite Song</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRCby6nsE-kOH4wlaZFx9maOyb9OXA_eTzbDCH_sbioqKQiPT7tH2ytoWMlIw4bgdZqWAfDzJwTk06NzSbi6DV8RB_IwtkxknTAOYC9Cpfgub7NRnm5auet29kuRX_BuDCouv85gxFNo/s1600/IMG_3352.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRCby6nsE-kOH4wlaZFx9maOyb9OXA_eTzbDCH_sbioqKQiPT7tH2ytoWMlIw4bgdZqWAfDzJwTk06NzSbi6DV8RB_IwtkxknTAOYC9Cpfgub7NRnm5auet29kuRX_BuDCouv85gxFNo/s320/IMG_3352.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510297393447447042" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhLOOdI23bE">Shine on.</a></span> There are lots to chose from, from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Z3YrHJ1sU">Stereo Love</a> to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUVCQXMUVnI">Memories</a> to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wavpWRK6IX8">We no Speak Americano</a> (all runner ups)...but as a result of not being overplayed and just being an incredibly awesome song I'd have to go with R.I.O.'s Shine on. It's a song that makes me feel incredibly happy and I'm happy to make this song the song of my summer. I made a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/notes/ryan-turner/european-discoteca-music/422431846703">playlist</a> and really all of the songs will remind me of this epic trip, but Shine On I never get tired of...until I over play it too. I'll give it a few weeks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Favorite Picture Taken</span><br />First of all, I took a million pictures on this trip. To check them all out just go to my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ryandturner">Facebook </a>there's plenty of good ones! This one is a street performer in the Sacré-Coeur in Paris. I took a lot of pictures but finally came out with this one timed just right with the city in the background. On that same note this place would have to go down as the winner for the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Best Street Performance</span> I saw. They had a ridiculous dance performance and one guy even juggled a soccer ball on a telephone poll!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRR5hB4ajSKVEtB8WgIV8BbEY-uVgOPBY6NTWFPvkSgWqBAoli2JY_esFeI6vjkr1e5felg8dB7GalcKxTmcKFA9s4kPS8R0qHMynK2OnY47XnrHwi53BLPuFxRNCrD8xQeceDkxhZKA/s1600/Paris_On+top+of+the+World+Cup_Ryan+Turner.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRR5hB4ajSKVEtB8WgIV8BbEY-uVgOPBY6NTWFPvkSgWqBAoli2JY_esFeI6vjkr1e5felg8dB7GalcKxTmcKFA9s4kPS8R0qHMynK2OnY47XnrHwi53BLPuFxRNCrD8xQeceDkxhZKA/s320/Paris_On+top+of+the+World+Cup_Ryan+Turner.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510233695392431538" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Short Film Special!!</span><br />While abroad I made a total of two short films. One in Cannes (my first stop) and one in London. The first one is an early cut (I'll be doing one more by the end of this summmer) and the second is a trailer for the full length short film that will run around 9 minutes entitled <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.ryanturnerproductions.com/Smile.php">Smile</a></span>. Enjoy!<br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/11896981" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/11896981">La Festival de Cannes't</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1285110">Ryan Turner</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><object width="350" height="221"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YVuEo9gC2cc?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YVuEo9gC2cc?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="350" height="221"></embed></object><br /><br />And finally all of the cities I visited in order:<br />Cannes, France<br /><br />Madrid, Spain<br />Segovia, Spain<br />Barcelona, Spain<br />Paris, France<br />Valencia, Spain<br />Amsterdam, Netherlands<br />Berlin, Germany<br />Milan, Italy<br />Florence, Italy<br />Pisa, Italy<br />Rome, Italy<br />Lecce, Italy<br />London, UK<br /><br /><br />Thanks for reading guys, it's been a pleasure. Feel free to check out past entries and I'll see you on my next epic adventure. You can keep updated on my doings on my website: <a href="http://www.ryanturnerproductions.com ">http://www.ryanturnerproductions.com <br /></a><br />What you should get from this: TRAVEL. Seriously you won't regret it, go see the world, spend that hard-earned money and visit as many places as you can.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-47149275324230627232010-08-04T00:13:00.001-07:002010-08-04T00:33:06.717-07:00Wrapping up on LondonOut of all of the places I've been I have found that London is the most challenging place to write about. Maybe it's because I didn't have as much free time to explore, maybe because the whole week "Smile" was my number 1 priority, but whatever it is I just didn't find time to finish a second blog entry when I was there. So here I am, back in the states, attempting to describe the rest of my London experience.<br /><br />To begin let me properly describe Brixton. In simplest terms it is the ghetto of London. Not that ghetto mind you, but at certain points you might be offered drugs and it's not advised to make eye contact with people on the street. But besides that the area is really nice and diverse. There is a market that serves all kinds of food. Funny thing is that in London I've eaten nearly everything but London food. I had Jamaican, Chinese, Mexican, Brazilian, Japanese, Italian, and KFC and only had a proper English meal twice (once for Fish'n'Chips before Inception and second for an English Breakfast at Heathrow airport). Funny now that I think back that in my first blog entry I mentioned I would want to return to London. I definitely got my wish. <br /><br />Back to where I left off, when I said that we only had one more day of shooting left I lied. As with all movies, time passed by a lot quicker than we could have hoped and we ended up shooting late into Saturday and even a bit Sunday morning. This sucked because we had to 1. Miss Field Day (an annual event in the park that's supposedly amazing), and 2. Miss our friend's BBQ (we didn't actually miss it, we just got back so late we needed to BBQ for ourselves and then ended up being to exhausted from a days work to make the trip out to East London). We still had a nice little wrap party at a pub/club or whatever it was that had a bar and dancing. <br /><br />Saturday also included a lot of traveling to sights to get shots. I was incredibly happy that we shot the leaving scene at King's Cross cause I wanted to take a picture at Platform 9 3/4. To my dismay that platform is actually harder to find than just going between 9 and 10 and we had to move on before I could get a picture. But it was cool to see the station where they shot a few Bourne Ultimatum scenes. <br /><br />Friday night was fairly fun as I got to meet up with Thomas (another friend from Cannes) and explore a different section of the city. Crazy thing about London is that every section of the city has everything you'd ever need. Even Brixton has it's own nightlife, parks, market, and movie theater. So yah traveling to other places usually means staying there for the night because there is just so much to do and experience.<br /><br />Then came Sunday, finally wrapped on the movie and ready to relax. We started out meeting up with Greg's parents then going to the Arsenal game. It was actually a 2 game show with AC Milan playing Lyon first (Tie game) and then Arsenal playing Celtic (3-2 Arsenal which meant they won the Emirates Cup). Definitely an experience and I loved the atmosphere of the stadium. Much like baseball games they have a lot of rituals, but unlike Baseball games they have team specific chants and movements. It'd be hard to learn them all but I did learn one cheer "Ahh-rsenal". That's a great one. <br /><br />Following the games we hit major people traffic that would put LA car traffic to shame. Instead of waiting forever for the Tube we walked to the next station and what sucked is that we were starving and we happened to walk on a street with all restaurants. We couldn't stop though cause we had to make it to the screening of Manhattan in Somerset Square. The Square, when we finally arrived, was an amazing location and we bought a lot of food and brought it in before hand. The movie itself I had never seen, and I thought it was quite good. Only thing was I definitely didn't agree with the Woody Allen 17 year old romance going on and the 17 year old was actually quite ugly imo. Anyways I digress, it was a great experience and it topped off an amazing week. <br /><br />Monday consisted of getting up and going back to Heathrow where it all began, bringing my trip full circle. The flight back was nice, I flew on the biggest plane I'd ever been on and watched a lot of movies and read the feature script I was sent during London. I'm happy and sad to be back in the USA. Right now I'm just tired honestly though, and I wrote all of this in a semi-trance. So hopefully it wasn't too confusing. But I edited a rough cut of "Smile" today and it's looking great! Get excited to see it!<br /><br />So that's it. Back from an epic European adventure to continue my career as a student and finish off the second half of summer. I have a wedding and a lot of movie making to look forward to (As well as gym and attempting to maintain my brilliant tan) but overall I'll be keeping myself busy don't you worry. It's inevitable that the depression of Europe will hit me but I have a new found 21-ness to look forward to and experience here in Cali. I'll be doing one more entry after this one summing up my whole trip and giving out awards so don't sign off just yet. Until next time.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-78727927457927888492010-07-30T18:21:00.000-07:002010-07-30T19:03:51.042-07:00The Old SmokeSo I touched down in London almost 4 days ago and the last few days have been incredibly hectic. Not necessarily physically hectic but mentally hectic for sure. That's what happens I guess when you undertake filming a short while attempting to sight-see and experience a city.<br /><br />So first impressions of London. It's incredibly nice to be back in an English speaking country. I feel strange actually being able to fully communicate what I want to people haha but in all honesty I really do love London. Having never been to New York I feel like London is the kind of city I could see myself living in. It is the center of so many different things and just being here makes me feel important. That and the fact that seemingly everyone is always walking around in suits and work clothes. It's funny how different London is from the rest of Europe. The main difference I've seen is that the normal 9-5 workday seems so structured. They work during that period and right afterwards head to a pub to get some drinks. So walking around the city you literally see hundreds of people standing around outside (another thing, many people take their drinks and stand outside on the sidewalks drinking them) and because they start so early the rest of the nightlife starts early as well. It literally is winding down when people in Spain are just beginning to head out.<br /><br />Sight-seeing in general has been taking second string to Greg and my movie making and I'm completely okay with that. Seems fitting that after three months of nearly straight sight-seeing the final stop is a tone down. Funny also how my first impressions of London being a spacious city turned out to be the complete opposite. The city is ALWAYS busy and ALWAYS crowded. But anyways so the first day I arrived late and we just caught up and planned out the week. The next day was spent sight-seeing and I saw a chunk of the "must sees". The next day was spent shooting for the majority and we ended up getting all of the shots we needed done. Then we headed over to see Inception (great movie as expected) and got ready for shooting the next day. Thursday Greg had to work so I met up with another friend from Cannes: Alexandra. We ended up hanging out and going to get Pho (a vietnamese noodle soup) with her friends at night in Old Town London. Funny thing about the food in London is that it basically is a collaboration of all other foods. The city is so incredibly diverse that you can literally eat anything you want and have pretty good versions of it. For example, I had some great Mexican food the second night there and today I actually ate Jamaican food which turned out to be a lot like Kebabs (jerk chicken wraps are delicious). <br /><br />Getting around the city which is one of if not the biggest city in Europe is the one thing that would get to me. The public transportation is great. Buses run nearly everywhere and the tube is quite effective especially giving you only have to put the oyster card near the censor to make it work, but the city is so huge that it can take up to 30 minutes just to get anywhere. This I'm not used to. I've found that trying to cram in everything would not have been good for my sanity because once you're in one area it would be a decent trip to get to the next. This was true with Madrid as well but the thing was that there were only a few main places to go in Madrid. London it seems like everywhere has something for you and so you honestly don't need to leave and see everything; you can stay in one place and by rounds all you like and then hit up the club if you fancy (I'm already being influenced). But overall I am having a great time and only have tomorrow afternoon of shooting left and then we have Saturday night and all of Sunday packed full of fun--including an Arsenal game, a very unique screening of Manhattan, and a BBQ!<br /><br />So yah the days have been very busy but at the same time kind of relaxing. There were only a few things that I felt I needed to see in the city and the rest of the time I've spent just experiencing what it's like to live here. It's a hectic life (referencing my first statement) but it's one that never has a dull moment.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-18903375688759267852010-07-24T10:09:00.000-07:002010-07-28T04:54:27.729-07:00BeachesSo looking back I figured I'd do a brief explanation of each beach we ended up visiting during the five day stay in Lecce.<br /><br />1st beach- Porto Cesaro. This first one was standard fun in the sun. Nice clear warm water pretty busy and was my first look at the beaches the heel of Italy had to offer. Interesting thing is, there was nearly all families and not many people our age. This didn't really matter cause we spent most of the time getting our sun on but there was a nice castle in the distance. <br /><br />2nd beach- Torre Vado. This beach was the very southern tip of the heel. It was a lot like the first one, bit nicer, a bit less crowded, and my favorite thing about it was in the water, very far out, there would be a patch of very shallow water. Basically if you walk out far enough the water all of a sudden just gets shallower. Pretty cool stuff and you can see people just really far out juggling soccer balls and having a good time. <br /><br />3rd beach-Otranto. We started out by visiting the village of Otranto which had a lot of very cool sights and fit the image of all of the paintings of Italy and Greece you see in the art galleries. The beach itself wasn't named Otranto but it was such a journey to get there and it was so secluded I really don't know if it had a name. By far the nicest beach out of them all it really felt like we were in our own little paradise. The water was incredibly clean and clear, there were very tropical umbrellas that set the mood, and it was on the opposite side of the heel from all the other beaches we went to. Definitely one for the memory books<br /><br />4th beach- Gallipoli. At first glance we were shocked at how dirty and un-beautiful these beaches were. Out of all of them this one had the largest and youngest crowd, but we couldn't figure out why. There were rocks all over even in the water and the sand was littered with trash (keep in mind this is all relative to the last beach). Anyways we decided to stay and I'm glad we did. This beach had THE best waves out of any beach I've been to in Europe. This was helped partly by the wind but Nicola and I spent a large section of our time body surfing and we took breaks to all play cards. Worth a visit for sure.<br /><br />so yah as a whole a great experience. I'll definitely be missing Italy and all it had to offer. Funny enough when I met up with Nicola and Michela's friends none of them spoke English. We had to talk through other means like singing and dancing but it was quite the experience having absolutely no understanding of each other. The last night I got an amazing home cooked dinner from Michela and we got to explore her home city. I'm kind of jealous of the situation she has. She lives on a beach with an amazing view. And at summer nights all of her friends and nearly everyone goes to this strip along the beach of bars to hang out. It's essentially the place to be and you always see your friends there. Never really had that in CV where we have to call up everyone if you want to hang out and go over to their house. I'd love to be able to just go down to an area and be surprised by who's there and have the consistency of just knowing people will be there. Anyways I digress, I've been in London for two days now and I love it as well. Could definitely see myself living here not only because of the language (which is nice haha) but because there is always something going on. Greg, the friend I'm staying with who I met in Cannes, made a good point though. With all of the things going on it's almost too much. There's a beer festival right after I leave, and in a small town you could confidently go there and see all of your friends. but because there are a million other festivals going on it's basically not as special as it could be. <br /><br />Film is also huge here which is a great thing. We had coffee and brainstormed at this lounge below a theater where you could tell there was just an artsy vibe. There were short films playing on repeat and most people were sitting around laptops discussing business or creative aspects of their own projects. I'll write more about London later but sadly my trip is coming to an end. Hasn't really hit me yet and probably won't till about week into me being back but this has easily been a trip of a lifetime. Anyways we're shooting the short today and the rest of the week (which will be mixed in with activities as well around the city). Last night for example we all went out for drinks. Funny thing with London is you don't by drinks you buy rounds. But ok ok I gotta go do some filming. You'll hear from me soon. Cheers.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-79284355350625720142010-07-23T10:54:00.000-07:002010-07-23T11:39:35.145-07:00Livin the good lifeSo I just got back from day 3 of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Following Rome, our road trip headed to the heel of Italy's boot to a city called Lecce. While Lecce might not be famous for foreign tourists, it is one of the hottest spots for Italian tourists looking for vacation. This means a few things: 1. I'm relying on Nicola and his Italian more than ever and 2. This is the most raw real Italian I'll be getting on my journey. Anyways this has been a much needed break from the hustle of tourism and sight-seeing and I've been getting tanner by the day.<br /><br />A typical day in Lecce starts with waking up around 9-10 to hit up the Bed and Breakfast complementary breakfast. Hostels are non existent in this small city but Bed and Breakfasts are cheap and affordable. Our room is incredibly spacious and it is roughly the same price as all the other places we've stayed (WITH AIR CONDITIONING!). Lecce is awesome because it is incredibly close to nearly all coasts and a huge variety of amazing beaches. Each day we've gone to a different part of the heel, and so after breakfast we'd get ready, grab our stuff, and head off to the beach of the day. At the beach we'd go in the water and lay out until lunch, then take a break at one of the bars along the coast, then go back and repeat. Because of the amount of time under the sun a few hours later we usually get some Granita or Ice Cream to cool off and take a break. Then we have one more section of rest/relaxation before driving back to our B&B. The water at these beaches is crystal clear and is a color only seen in the finest of postcards. They've all been pretty busy, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying the amazingly warm Mediterranean and soft tropical sand. <br /><br />Back at the Bed and Breakfast, we take a shower, rest for a bit, then head to dinner. Depending on the price of dinner we'd go and get some Gelato and walk around the city or just walk around the city and enjoy. Lecce itself is even smaller than Florence but it's full of activity. Nearly every night we've been here there has been a concert in their old gladiator stadium. On the streets they have ridiculous sales and lots of souvenirs but I've done my best to resist on my budget. After some walking around we head back to our B&B and sleep to wake up and repeat. <br /><br />I have one full day left of this dream life before it's off to London so I plan on making the most of it. Noone speaks English here so it'd definitely be hard to return without an English-speaking Italian friend, but I'd highly suggest it to anyone who has some knowledge of the language. Lecce is incredibly cheap (for Italian standards) which has been nice. An example of this is that a huge double scoop of Gelato is only 1.50 and they have these tourist menu dinners for 12 euro that have three courses and water included. If you tried to get the same in nothern Italy it would be over 30 or 40 euro. So yah the beach life is nice, and it's been nice to just rest and relax...the perfect way to end an epic (if not a bit pricey) Italian road trip.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-38745664103580673982010-07-20T15:43:00.000-07:002010-07-20T16:10:26.831-07:00For reals thoughWhile the title of my last blog entry was when in Rome, it didn't actually come into full play until my last few days in the city. Living the hostel lifestyle, Nicola and I met all new people and headed off to visit the Colosseum and ruins together. This is great advice btw for all people attempting to go to the Colosseum at some point in their future: head to the ruins first. Not only is it cheaper (you can get the two tickets for ruins and Colosseum together for 2 euros less) but the line is much smaller and you'll walk right in. Another tidbit advice: if you're going to the vatican go in the afternoon and not in the morning: in the morning it's th busiest and in the afternoon we just walked right in. So back to the story: we went around and visited the amazing ruins. Turns out the ruins were not made from age but mostly by people stealing stuff from the older buildings. Not sure if I said this before but the Colosseum is in this state because they took the marble off of it to build the Vatican. This is the same case for the ruins which were nearly all stripped of marble. Anyways another thing I love about Rome is how hilly it is. What I mean by this is that you can see a lot of the city from various places it's not like Barca where you need to climb up to a park to get a view. You can honestly get a view from so many places it's ridiculous. And even at the lowest points you can see the higher points like the Capatolini hill war memorial. <br /><br />So that was fun and incredibly hot. Thank God for the free fountains everywhere. I honestly have never sweat as much in my whole life as I have in Rome. I suppose it's good for my skin (saunas right?) but it really does do a number on your energy. I have also never drank as much water in such a short time and one positive is that because you sweat so much you don't need to pee at all. It all leaks out of your skin. Pleasant huh? <br /><br />Our hostel for some reason kicked us out everyday from 11-4 to clean, but when we got back it wasn't any cleaner. What this meant was that everyday you needed to spend 11-4 in the city which was basically how we always planned our days. So after the ruins we went to hit up a famous restaurant that was supposedly amazing but it was closed :( So we went to a Kosher Italian place and I finally learned what Kosher was. For those that don't know there are a lot of rules, but practicing Jewish people cannot mix dairy with meat and cannot have pork and every meat has to be blessed by a Rabi. The food was delicious, and for the record all Italian food is as good as they hype it...especially if you like pasta. <br /><br />That night was the pub crawl that ended in a pool party. Now, Saturday night was very disappointing. After having a blast on Friday a group of us decided to try again on Sat but there weren't nearly as cool of people and the people that were there for the most part were not really friendly. So it was definitely a debate whether or not we would actually go on Sunday. But...me and another hostel mate decided that "When in Rome" we might as well give it a go (and when do you EVER get a chance to go to a pool party really) so we did and it was sooo worth it. Rome is just during the day as night and the pool was absolutely amazing. Not only that but crazily enough Krysti (a friend from UCSB) was at the same crawl!! I ended up making friends with some Spanish people which meant more practice for me which I loved and the night was definitely one for the memory books. We ended up staying out all night and coming back on the first metro train still wearing bathing suits and towels. Needless to say we were given some funny looks, but not as many as you might expect. Most locals probably understand how crazy their city can be at times. <br /><br />So, after seeing nearly everything the cities sites had to offer, Monday was a relaxing day (a much needed one at that)...but again the "When in Rome" mentality came into play. We walked around for awhile and saw some sites we hadn't seen and then went to a nice park (where we saw the sunset the first night). At this park were Segways. Nicola had long been saying he wanted to try them out, and after some convincing I eventually gave in and decided to do it with him as well. There was about an hour left before our hostel opened so we honestly had nothing else to do, and the park was quite big. Getting Segways, however, proved harder than expected. We went up the man but he said they were all booked and that he'd have to call his boss. Before he could another group (an old woman and a little girl) came up and swooped in front of us, using the girls tears to cut essentially. Not cool. So they got on and were practicing around. The girl was having a bit of trouble not leaning back but that was nothing to what happened to the old woman. As she was about to leave she basically couldn't turn and the wheels hit one of those low pillars that prevent cars from driving and she fell on her back and got scraped up pretty bad. It was quite sad, but Nicola and I got to use their Segways after this incident and that was nice. <br /><br />Segways take a while to get used to to say the least. When you start to go fast the weight shifts and the handlebar gets closer to your body, making it harder for you to push forward. Turning is done by pushing left or right, and leaning also has an effect. They were pretty fun for half an hour and we got to see most of the park. Not only that but we looked pretty cool haha I'm sure you've all seen those people on Segways doing tourist tours. <br /><br />That night we went back to the fountain and got Gelato (of which I've failed to mention thus far). Gelato in Italy is everything you could hope for and more. I've found green apple and pineapple are my favorite mix but there are just so many delicious options and Nicola and I get at least one per day. What's cool about going to these locations is it's really easy to meet people, for example we met a group from Puerto Rico at the fountain. Some of Nicola's friends were in town too and so a group of us went and just had Gelato and enjoyed the amazing location. Can't ask for much more. <br /><br />As fun as the cities I've visited have been, I can't look forward to anything more than Lecce and the beach. Lecce is a large Italian tourist destination, but it will be a nice contrast from the intense amount of walking and sight-seeing I've been doing over the last few months. I do have London coming up, but these 5 days will be clutch in helping me recover AND get my summer tan on. Here's to becoming a new race.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-48353036002006105082010-07-17T08:55:00.000-07:002010-07-17T09:50:45.504-07:00When in Rome...For anyone that loves history...specifically ancient history...this is the city for you. Nicola and I arrived in Rome on Thursday and I have loved every minute of it. I'm glad we're staying for 5 days because this city has so much to see and it's absolutely gorgeous. <br /><br />When we arrived we checked into our hostel. Our hostel has been great and we've met a lot of really cool people. As of writing this most of our friends headed on to their next trip but that just means meeting the next batch! It's located right next to the Vatican and is a decent walk or a bus ride to the coliseum. Anyways so we immediately explored the city a little bit. Can't stress enough how nice it is to be with a fluent speaker. Normal meals in Italy is either pizza or paninis (the only really affordable meal on a regular basis) but both are quite delicious. The hostel life, though, is both awesome and a bit strange. You meet so many different people and spend time with them only to separate a day or two later and most likely never see each other again. I've been doing my best to keep contacts with the people I've met but it's near impossible to do it for everyone. It's really cool though and honestly I think the best way to travel for people my age.<br /><br />That night we all went down to an area on the river and hung out and listened to music and go to know each other (all of us from the hostel). And when we woke up the next day a group of us went to the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. Crazily enough, this was my first museum I went to in my whole time in Europe. It was definitely impressive. The Vatican church was HUGE, almost unnecessarily so. Turns out the reason the coliseum is only half there is because they stole a lot of the materials for the making of the Vatican. Then we went on to the chapel, which was nice because it was such a hot day anything else would have been murder. Everything in the museum was so incredibly old but very well kept up but personally I can only see so many statues and be in awe. Then we went back and rested up for a pub crawl at night at the coliseum! The crawl was definitely a fun time and I think we might be doing one again tonight we liked it so much!<br /><br />Today Nicola and I walked a chunk of the sites of the city. It's crazy how much history one place can have. We saw the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the roman columns, the piazza navona, the trevi fountain, capitoline hill, and we have another two days here and we are going to try and hit up the coliseum tomorrow and there's still more to see! Definitely a lot to look forward to :) look forward to some good picturesRyan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-40645797890609958832010-07-15T10:04:00.000-07:002010-07-15T10:24:22.410-07:00Florence BirthdayFlorence is a beautiful little city. The Duomo is incredibly epic and has one of the largest domes in the world. THey have the oldest bridge in Italy and an amazing lookout point. There, however, is not incredibly a lot to do there. Sight seeing can easily be done in one day. But I had fun all the same for the entire time.<br /><br />Our hostel, Newostel, was incredible. This was my first "real" hostel experience, I say this because in Barcelona our group took up the whole room so it was basically just staying with friends. There were 4 beds to each bathroom and they had a nice little common room where we were able to meet a lot of people and use the free Wi-Fi. Basically our three days started with Nicola and I exploring the city (some aspect) the first day we did a general walk, the second we went to Pisa to see the tower, and the third we hiked up to a lookout point over all of Florence. At night we would hang around and meet whoever happened to be out in the Hostel and then a group of us would head out and go to an outdoor social bar area right on the river (the first night), a dance/karoke bar (the second night), or both (the third night). I loved it because I was able to meet so many cool people every day and from that my birthday was definitely fun.<br /><br />So like I said the first day was exploring and the city is extremely touristic (is that a word?). It's hard to describe how the city looks but definitely check out the pictures. Then that night for my 21st midnight celebration we went out to this huge open bar area which was filled with young locals. It was really cool and unique.<br /><br />Pisa was fun but literally all the town has is the tower and their duomo. More entertaining than the actual tower are all the people attempting to take a "holding up the tower" picture. Then that night for my actual birthday we met up with a friend of mine from Madrid who was in Florence and went to a very cool bar. I sang some Ricky Martin and we got to meet a lot more people there. <br /><br />It's been hot in the past, but for some reason Florence's hot was almost unbearable. When we hiked up to the lookout point it was incredibly tiring; Nicola and I had to take a nap in the shade to regain our strength. Italy is so HOT and HUMID right now it's insane. But no matter it was amazing meeting new friends, celebrating in style, and right now we just arrived in Roma and I'm super excited to see all this city has to see for the next few days. Addio!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-47038660552227923952010-07-11T15:38:00.000-07:002010-07-13T08:58:56.318-07:00ItalianoSo after a stressful little morning involving waking up late (I knew I shouldn't have slept) figuring out how to get to the airport, and an intense 40 minutes, I made it to Milan from Berlin. Milan is a very nice city, the most expensive in Italy. It has little to see as far a sight-seeing goes (besides the beautiful church and a castle) and I actually felt pretty satisfied having seen the city in one day. It's much more of a place to live not necessarily visit, but it definitely got me in the mood for the rest of the trip. So after arriving I met up with Nicola and he showed me around the city. His apartment was really nice but already I can tell that my trip in Italy is going to involve some monstrous heat and lots of sweating. Italy can compete with Madrid as far as temperature goes, and adding the humidity to the mix and you feel sticky and gross after just a few minutes of walking around. <br /><br />The country is beautiful though and that night we watched the big Spain Netherlands game at a row of bars that were floating on the river. Funnily enough they served paella and tapas with our drinks, and while I was very happy that Spain won I was obviously pretty sad not to be partying it up in Madrid. The celebrations in Milan were summed up by a lone couple on a scooter honking their horn and waving a spanish flag as they passed us by. But I can't have everything and I was incredibly excited for the trip ahead of me. <br /><br />I'm writing this now, on my birthday, having been in Florence for 2 days and it is really REALLY beautiful here. I love how every city in Italy has a gigantic church called a Duomo that provides the main attraction. Milan's was beautiful but I really like Florence's. Not only that but the city is just straight out of a postcard. One bridge is one of the oldest surviving in Italy and has a great view of all the mountains. Last night for my 21st we went out with a group from our hostel to a very popular area with the locals. We also got a famous Italian drink called the Invisible which is a very strong drink and needless to say the night was a blast. Today Nicola and I drove to Pisa and saw the tour (taking the necessary holding up the tower pictures) but besides their Duomo and the tower there was really not much else to see. Pisa is a college town and has one of the best universities in Italy and like all other cities in Tuscany it was gorgeous. It seems as though Italy or at least the places I've gone in Italy are a lot more touristy, or at least I hear more English than I've heard in awhile. There are street vendors everywhere (something I didn't miss much while in Germany) selling fake bags and fake rolex's. But with Nicola being fluent in Italian it definitely makes it a lot easier to get around and get what we want. Tonight for dinner we're going to a restaurant that serves legit Tuscany food and I'm really excited and depending on what the people in our hostel are doing we'll definitely be going out again!<br /><br />The rest of our trip is looking super exciting Rome is up next but then afterwards what I'm looking forward to most is Salento which is a beach town and it looks beautiful! After all of the tourism and walking it'll be nice to be in a tropical beach with water to swim in and the relaxing lifestyle. Anyways time to go live up the big 21!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-87266055730770215742010-07-10T11:24:00.000-07:002010-07-10T15:25:02.584-07:00Vasup Berlin?So this trip all started out with me meeting a few Romanian friends at the bus stop in Amsterdam. They actually play a pretty crucial part in the first part of this story. So they approached me and only one can speak English. we ended up talking for awhile and we sit on the bus next to each other. After awhile we all fall asleep and in my dream I dreamt that I had overslept my stop and that I was going to Romania with the group of them. I woke up quickly after and realized that this was a trip from Amsterdam to Berlin and that it'd stop when I got to Berlin and I'd be fine. So I go back to sleep only to get woken up suddenly by my Romanian friends and they tell me that we're at Berlin and that I should get off now! SO thank God I sat next to them on the bus cause I have no idea where I would be if they didn't help me.<br /><br /><br />But anyways the first day was a tour of Berlin where Thomas taught me all of the things I wrote about below. Then that night we watched the Netherlands game on a projection TV at their apartment which was really fun. It's crazy how badly timed to the world cup my trip is...I knew I should've paid more attention to where I'll be during the final because I'm very sad I won't be in Madrid. But Berlin was cool tonight fyi we watched the consolation game and the city is happy with 3rd place...not ecstatic...but happy and it's still pretty crazy right now with fireworks etc..<br /><br />The second day was more touring around the city (to the "posh" area which was actually pretty high class especially with fashion week going on) followed by the big Spain Germany game which left the city pretty upset. It was fun though because I was able to meet up with a lot of new people despite the depressing circumstances. As a girl we met later in this trip said, "The only place it's ok for a man to cry is after a football match". It was a happy and sad moment for me but I'm for La Roja all the way.<br /><br />The next day my friends from California who had visited me in Madrid arrived in Berlin and we all went to the areas of Berlin that Thomas had done too much (for example the top of the Parlament building and a bombed out old church set in the middle of a richer area of the city. This was a blast and we ended up at a bar recommended to us. <br /><br />The next day I borrowed Thomas' bike and explored the city. I tried to find the "Eiffel Tower" of Berlin but failed and had to take the U bahn to get there before I needed to head home. I actually was following a radio tower I thought was the right one but arrived to find that it was only a small radio tower on a tall roof. Very disappointing. But I was able to find a lot of cool stuff and biking in this city is amazing. There is a lane in every sidewalk for bikes (the streets here are very very wide) and they even have a separate bike don't bike sign. It's been really hot here though so that's been the only problem...but after the bike ride I came back to join Thomas for a bbq on the roof-tops of Berlin. The view was amazing even though I had to leave early. Earlier that day my friends and I decided we wanted to go on a pub crawl around the city and it started very early around 8:15. So I headed off to that and the pub crawl was amazing. We met these three girls from Manchester and hung out with them for the majority of the time but we were taken to all sorts of bars. One was in one of the old abandoned art houses and there was live music, fire shows, and lots of other cool stuff. We went to a club afterwards and the Berlin nightlife is just as crazy as everyone says it is.<br /><br />Today was more relaxing. Woke up late, packed up my stuff, went to a beautiful park and wrote some film ideas down, and then came back and watched the Germany-Uruguay game. My fligth is early tomorrow so I'm debating staying up so I don't miss it. Either I'll be going out with Thomas, meeting up with my friends and their host Andre for a drink (they're couch surfing), or meet up with a group of girls we met at the worn down castle. Either way Berlin is amazing and I'll definitely miss it. But enough lamenting...On to Italia!!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-50351856294580721992010-07-08T02:17:00.000-07:002010-07-08T05:56:32.395-07:00Berlin First ImpressionsI love it. Berlin so far in the two days I've been here has surpassed all expectations and, depending on how the rest of the trip goes, most likely will take my pick as favorite city I've ever been to. It's like a mix of Madrid and Paris, with the best of both worlds. It has the history and sight-seeing of Paris mixed with the social and nightlife of Madrid as well as the great public transportation. Thomas (for those of you that don't know he is the friend I'm staying with here) has been amazing and has taken me around to all of the best sights. He's better than a tour-guide and he knows the history of nearly every building we pass. <br /><br />Berlin as most of you know was split into two parts East and West. The architecture of the city reflects this as East side buildings have communist architecture and the west has architecture of France Britain and USA. Berlin is adamant on keeping their history when they rebuild and they have preserved/built onto old buildings while maintaining the older ones historically. An example of this is the wall which has been kept up and has historical pictures and descriptions next to them describing their significance. <br /><br />the city is also very young. Many students come to study here and so the age of people is young, but the city itself is just beginning to become amazing. They have a lot of crazy buildings that were all finished within the last decade and they are constantly adding more. Another good thing about Berlin are the prices. The city itself is one of the poorer ones in Germany and that means the prices are ridiculous. It is not unheard of to get a meal for 2 euros. And just a showing we got 9 .5 liter bottles of quality beer at a store for less than 8 euros. Pretty crazy if you think about it. <br /><br />The city has so much to offer with all sorts of different parts (the higher class downtown reminiscent of the area of Paris I was talking about with all of the fashion designers in contrast to an artist's street where they took old abandoned buildings and turned them into gallerys). Germany is all about keeping a hold of the past in order to make sure the same mistakes are not repeated. They are also into recycling old buildings (old war factories for example have been turned into massive night clubs) and many historic buildings have been turned into museums.<br /><br />Anyways I can't talk enough good about it. I'm sure I haven't covered all parts and I'll go over what I've been doing in a later post but to sum it all up you should not go to Europe without visiting Berlin. It's constantly changing and in a few years it will only be better. <br /><br /><br />BTW: watched the Spain Germany game last night and as many of you know Germany lost which meant many people were sad, but the most interesting thing to me was that there is a tradition in Germany where this octopus will predict which team will win: and it has a 100% record so far for Germany haha. It picked Spain to win and they did and now people don't like Paul the Octopus anymore here. Read about it below<br /><br />http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup-2010/7878270/Paul-the-psychic-octopus-correctly-predicts-Germany-defeat.htmlRyan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-90738876221467237492010-07-06T15:23:00.000-07:002010-07-07T03:16:07.575-07:00Leaving Madrid and AmsterdamI never thought I'd be so sad to leave a city. With Cannes I was more sad for the people and the event, the city just acted more as a host to the wonderful experience, but with Madrid the city it was definitely different. I had grown fond of the various different aspects it had to offer. I was finally fluent with the metro (up until the strike of course) and really felt at home next to the Moncloa stop. Not only that but the people I had made friends with in the city and in the program were amazing as well. All of it was finally coming to a close. Before this moment I didn't understand how people could spend such long periods at each country. I figured a few weeks and you'd have seen everything there is to see. But after this trip I found out there is more to that. There is a difference between seeing all of the sights in the city and actually experiencing the city/becoming a part of it. <br /><br />Anyways so Madrid will be missed and as most of you know the next stop for 3 days was Amsterdam. I was worried at first because I was going to be staying with a friend in his hotel but he was not getting into the city until around 6 while I was getting in at 11 am. Turns out everything worked out great though because I just kept my bags in the hotel while I was able to fully explore that interesting city. Following the Netherlands's victory against Brazil (which I missed by 1 day :() the whole city was decked out in orange attire. The streets were filled with various flags posters and whatever else you can imagine. not only that but the main street and a few others were just having ridiculous sales. Good thing I have good willpower and only bought one T-Shirt (which you can see on my Facebook page). But anyways first (and last) impressions of the city:<br /><br />1. Very multi-cultural city: maybe because it's hard for me to recognize dutch, but the city was filled with people from all over. Not only that but the food outlets were very diverse and you could get whatever type of food from whatever country you want.<br /><br />2. Very innovative city: in the middle of nearly every street there were river canals. All of Amsterdam is rigged with a waterway. What's cool about this is that you can literally take boats to any part of the city you want. Most people were just chilling in boats down the river. The public transportation was also very diverse. Many people bike around, but there is also driving and trams and even trains which go all over. It's very cool and you'll never be without a way to get around. <br /><br />3. Very small city: the craziest part is how much those above transportations aren't really needed for the most part. You can honestly walk anywhere. Before my friends arrived I explored a huge chunk of the city just by walking around. After big cities like Madrid and Paris, Amsterdam seemed much more attainable as far as downtown and other things go.<br /><br />4. Very "free" city: by this I mean law-wise. Funny thing is compared to Madrid you most likely can't get away with a lot of the more obvious crimes (drinking in public ---in madrid many youth botellon or drink in public places, or peeing in public etc.) but instead they have two items legalized which make the city famous: prostitution and weed. Prostitution I'll get to in the next part but the weed is a very interesting matter. Basically around the cities they have coffee shops and those are the only places allowed to sell it. People go into the shops and order what they want, and legally they are only allowed to smoke it within the confines of the shop. A few people smoke weed in public, but after inhaling way too much 2nd hand cigarette smoke in various parts of Europe the smoke from marijuana was far from bothersome. It's an interesting way of doing things, especially since Cali will be voting next election on this very subject. I could see from watching that the business was booming and for the most part if you didn't go into a coffee shop you couldn't even tell. But politics aren't what I'm trying to discuss in this blog haha but definitely a unique experience being in a city such as this.<br /><br />5. A very bipolar city: so basically during the day I figured Amsterdam to be a very cultured quaint Dutch town. At nighttime, however, when walking down the red light district, it is a completely different feel. They call it the red light district, for those that don't know, because in windows that have red lights surrounding them there are prostitutes. They're very much on show, just waiting for someone to come and pay. Not only this but in the streets containing these everything is SEX. There are peep shows, strip shows, and really any kind of show you can imagine involving people. The shops looked intense and all of the neon signs etc. were promoting some sort of sexcapade. The people walking around, nearly all guys, would just go from window to window looking at the prostitutes (who weren't wearing much) and it was quite the experience to see this transformation. I don't know how I missed those particular streets in my tour of the city (at day time they are basically the same without the lights) but it definitely was a surprise.<br /><br />So yah the city was definitely interesting. They had a beautiful park that we bike road through. We went on a boat tour of the city. We went to the Heineken factory where we got to learn a lot about how beer is made and even got to ride a virtual beer ride haha. We went to an ice bar which was quite the experience as well but a little too cold for my liking. And we watched the games at pubs around the city. Our hotel was beautiful and the city was fun. A little too touristy for my liking, but I'd definitely suggest visiting Amsterdam at least once...just to see all of this first hand.<br /><br /><br />PS: I'm really bad with timing my trip. I saw the netherlands-brazil game in Madrid then went to the Netherlands and the spain-paraguay game is on and now I'm in Berlin and the netherlands-uruguay game just ended, but tonight is the Germany-Spain game and I'm watching in Berlin so I'm super excited! Until next time.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-82659037589820535792010-06-30T11:57:00.000-07:002010-07-01T07:29:48.424-07:00Absolute ChaosNothing really can describe this week besides the title I've put above. The last week of programs are always hectic and stressful, but throw in the obligations of trying to pack under a certain weight-limit, trying to solidify plans for the next month, finals, a metro strike (will discuss this later), trying to visit all of the places I haven't yet, and socializing with all of my friends for one last time and we have a week that has been nothing short of intense. Ok so when I left off I was heading to watch the US game I believe. It was a bit sad honestly that we didn't get on...we had the chances but we just didn't have a striker that could finish. We scored 5 goals in this world cup...none of them were scored by a striker. But to make more sense of the chaos that is this blog entry I'll be labeling sections<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Weekend</span><br /><br />Anyways following the game the plans were up in the air. The last two nights had been intense and some friends were going on a bar crawl but we instead decided to try and hit up a local club that supposedly overlooked all of Casa de Campo (a huge park right outside of Madrid). So taking it upon myself I look it up and after hanging out near a botellón (basically a customary tradition of Spanish youth to drink alcohol in public places in large groups) we went on our way. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened. We went down this road parallel to Parque del Oeste (the park right next to our school) and it began to rain a bit. For the past few nights Madrid turned into a lightning storm when it went dark. It was pretty crazy and so this was not unexpected. But on the ground...there were literally hundreds of cockroaches. all over. No joke. They weren't in big swarms or anything but every few feet a cockroach would be scuttling across the ground, sitting on a wall, or just chilling in random places. It was disgusting. strangely enough this was my first experience with real live cockroaches and I am not a fan. I don't even know what do with them... I don't want to step on them cause they are just too ugly and big and it's just disgusting. These things can survive nuclear bombs...I don't even want to begin to mess with that. Anyways it was quite the experience and when we get to where the club was supposed to be there wasn't anything...We asked around but noone knew where it was. We even brought up Google Maps and we were in the right place! ¿Qué pasa? Turns out thsi club was closed roughly a year ago and it no longer existed. All of those cockroaches braved for nothing :(!! Seriously? But despite this it was quite the fun experience...in hind sight<br /><br />So that very same night before going out I locked myself out of my apt. It is a lot easier to do than one might think, my keys are small and the door automatically locks. So I was staying at Mike and Andrew's for that night. The next morning however I FINALLY WOKE UP in time to see El Rastro and go to it. Basically a section of the city on Sundays turns into a HUGE flea market. It was quite the experience an there were people and literally anything you could ever want. I bought my first items in Madrid such as a jersey etc. It was awesome but I'm glad I only went one week...any more and it would be dangerous for my wallet haha. But following this I went back and found out my RA was in Turkey and my Roommate was in Barcelona. So basically I was stuck at my friends until 10pm that night. I had so many plans for the day but the yall fell apart. So much for starting/finishing my essay early or going to this cool party that my friend invited me too at a pool club. Anyways so after a few world cup games in which I'm glad Germany won so I can see a game of theirs in Germany...and I also bought a German jersey so that was cool (sorry England I was rooting for you before I bought the jersey). Finally I get back into my apartment and end the weekend by catching up on all the stuff I was supposed to be doing during the day. This was also disappointing because I wanted to write a script for a potential movie, but no worries.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Week</span><br /><br />So Monday marked the first day that workers began to strike for the metro. The govt is in a crisis and their only option to cut down budget is to cut wages. Metro workers weren't happy...etc.. but basically EVERYONE gets around through the metro. Luckily I live close to school and also luckily the metro was only closed 50% but just the though of the metro stopping was scary. Especially in a week where I wanted to see the rest of the city I hadn't seen yet. After class I finally got to go to the Flamenco class that I signed up for! It was very cool and was taught by an award winning dancer. I love that Flamenco uses rhythm so much and beats and is very percussion-like...made me miss playing percussion a lot. But after that some of the Spanish girls from the club wanted to meet up with all of us and so we all went to the Parque del Retiro to ride on the boats in the lake. it took awhile to get used to rowing haha but after the hour I was definitely a pro. It was beautiful out too and if you ever go to Madrid you NEED To stop by the Parque del Retiro. It's a huge park that is gorgeous with so many things to do. <br /><br />But following this we went back to my apartment and hung out and played cards. I knew I had work to do but meh I would just work on it the next day. And the next day I did...until the metro screwed everything up. On Tuesday the metro closed down FOR GOOD. This ruined all of my plans for the day. Ideally it was class->paper->dinner with friends at a new plaza i hadn't been too-> then game at the stadium with spanish friends. BUt with no metro, noone could get anywhere. Most people couldn't get to class (normally a 20 minute trip became 3 hours) and buses were absolutely overflowing with people. It was horrible. So after the stress passed a group of us watched the huge game at a local bar. It was packed and David Villa (the man on my jersey) once again came through! I've learned a lot of chants to take to other countries when I support Spain such as: Villa Villa Villa, Villa MaraVilla. and Yo soy Espanol espanol espana haha that one isn't quite right but if I say that I at least can chant along and sound similar. So I made a pact to not go to sleep until I finished my paper and finally came through halfway through the night. It was completely refreshing to finally be done and ready for proofreading.<br /><br />Wednesday was the last day of class. I really did enjoy both classes and teachers. Grammar was always fun and our teacher always created creative ways to learn things (such as having a situation on the back of someone and having others give that person advice...mine was that I was too sleepy in class haha I doubt that was chance). Our film professor is very intimidating but he inspires me to try to impress him and the Spanish movies for the most part were quite good. So following class I went back to work, and by work I mean I caught up on sleep by having a 5 hour siesta that was only supposed to be 2 hours. By the time I woke up I had to rush around and do all of things I needed to do (such as laundry and homework for the next day). A group of us were all going to meet at Tigre which I'm don't remember if I wrote about or not. Basically they give you large plates of tapas with every drink. And there was also a free Jason De Rulo concert! Turns out he never showed up, but only stopped by for a little bit anyways and Tigre was amazing as always. <br /><br />Got back home studied for my final the next day. Woke up, took my final, worked out, and here I am today. The metro is finally back up (which would've sucked to get to the airport) and everything is shaping together. I look forward to making the most out of my last two days. Kind of regret booking such an early flight (which means I have to leave at 1 am cause of the metro closing etc. and get into Amsterdam way before everyone else) but not much I can do now. Congrats on sticking through this long essay update and you'll be hearing from me soon!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-76516626839222144372010-06-26T07:03:00.000-07:002010-06-26T08:29:19.242-07:00World Cup FeverSince coming back from Valencia focus has turned completely onto the world cup. Within this last week (including today) we will have had 4 HUGE games. <br /><br />1. Spain vs. Honduras (a blow-out, Villa Villa Villa!)<br />2. USA vs. Algeria (one of the best sporting events I've seen recently, was in an Irish bar with mostly Americans and Englanders were watching their game on the TV in the back and we all just went crazy!)<br />3. Spain vs. Chile (An intense game and it started to rain making it even more intense)<br />4. USA vs. Ghana (we'll see how this goes tonight!)<br /><br />and that's to say these are the only ones I'll travel somewhere to experience, not the only ones I've watched. I will definitely miss the consistency and overall appeal of the world cup when it's over. It provides an unceasing amount of distractions for me which definitely is good for my workload here haha<br /><br />But that's not the only thing that's been happening. As I said in the past, I'm taking each day as if it were my last here and have been filling them up with countless activities. Let me take you through them:<br /><br />Monday was the big night of the Spain Honduras game. Me and my friend Mike and two girls from UNC (his school) who we met randomly on a train in Barca all went to the Real Madrid stadium: the Santiago Bernebeu to watch the game. It was insane! Wall to wall people and a sea of red. Before the game, cause we got there early, people were dancing all around and they had singers on stage and drummers and lots of similar things of that sort. didn't really know the songs they were playing, but I caught on eventually. Of course Spain won and the whole place was in a celebratory mood. But because it was a Monday night and I had school the next day (See? I am a good student) we only stayed out for a bit and then went to a tapas bar for food then went home and crashed.<br /><br />Tuesday was a bit different. I signed up for a Flamenco class but couldn't find it so I ended up exploring the city (don't worry I'll be taking it this coming week). I love exploring and even though I walked more than my feet could handle it was definitely a cool journey. Then came the Intercambio and this time I got a few people from my program to go with me. I reunited with some of my friends from other weeks and met more new people. I met this one Kenyan who makes a living by trading currency, pretty interesting and he was incredibly nice. Funny thing with the Intercambio is that even though it ends at 11 we usually end up talking and hanging out till much later which is good and bad for my school work (good cause I practice Spanish, bad cause of the obvious). Funny thing I've found so far about this trip is how weird it is to meet people you'll probably never see again in your life. I try my best to keep contact info for Facebook but sometimes you just don't and when you say goodbye you can't really say "see you later". Usually in California and elsewhere there is a probability you will run into them later. Here, however, in a foreign country with only a few hours of talking between you it is not really likely that you'll be keeping in contact. <br /><br />So Wednesday was THE DAY. After class I hung around for awhile and went home for a bit then we all went to this local Guiness-sponsored pub to watch the US game. The reason I say Guiness-sponsored is because when you buy drinks you get tickets that you can use to get free shirts! I ended up getting 3 free shirts, but not because of the amount of drinks, but because I unwittingly took advantage of a busy bartender's bad short-term memory. He put a shirt on the table and i pocketed. Then he came back with another cause he thought he hadn't given it to me yet. They give away the shirts like candy though and the bar gets them for free from Guinness so it's all good. My favorite one was a picture of all of the countries and France is saying "Why isn't Ireland with us?". Pretty funny. Then on Wednesday as well I had three more friends randomly show up in the city. The story behind this is entertaining because I knew they were coming but they didn't have a way to contact me. When one of my friends, Patrick was walking by my apt. randomly they saw him and asked if they could use his phone for a call. He said sure and he typed the number they needed to call. Turns out my name came up and both of their minds were blown. Haha so my friends came in and we went to a place called Cien Montaditos (which I might've already talked about) where everything on the menu is 1 euro. Then we got ready and went to a club called Orange which is known for housing foreign exchange students. I met a few people from UCSB here and it was def a fun night.<br /><br />Then Thursday, after working out and going swimming to cool off, a large siesta wiped out my day and I basically just hung around till Joy (which is a club that is free on Thursdays and it plays awesome music). Funny thing is through Alex I keep getting the names of important people to drop and so I told all of my friends going to say they were under Ryan + 15 on Johnny Madrid's list. I'm definitely going to need to transfer this VIP status back to the states somehow. Anyways so Joy was awesome and funnily enough when me and Pat were going to get a drink at the bar we ended up meeting a large group of Spanish girls who were excited to be done with school. Turns out being from California already makes me cooler than the average person and we ended up making friends and hanging out the whole night. Literally the whole night though cause we went to Churros afterwards (not Mexican churros with sugar on them but Spanish churros that you dip in chocolate...delicious).<br /><br />Friday I was woken up by my friends and we all went to walk around a few parts of the city and I showed them around. Then when they left I watched a movie for class (Mar Adentro, starring Javier Bardem, which is the story of a tetra-paledgic (i know this isn't spelled right) who no longer wants to live: good movie. Then we went back to the stadium for the Chile-Spain game. When we got there it was pouring! About 10 minutes of waiting and the rain kind of subsided for kick off and we got a spot on the second screen (not the main one but still cool). The game was crazy and Villa's first goal: a 40 yard chip over the goalie was crazy too. Then at halftime it started to POUR again. All of the fans were dancin in the streets with their flags with the face paint dripping down. We were under umbrellas trying to stay dry. After Spain won (obviously) the Rain started again! It was like the rain waited for the game to begin before stopping and then just turned on during the breaks. Most people gave up and went home but three of us went to a tapas bar and got dry. Later that night we went to Kapital again (this time on a happening night, 7 floors packed with people). Oh and I almost forgot. strangely enough at the game 6 different Spanish people at different points in the night told me I looked like Fernando torres. I've never gotten this before and I'd tell them I don't think so...but many of them wouldn't take no for an answer. One Spaniard told me she loved me haha but I really don't know. <br /><br />This picture is the closest to looking like me I could find: http://www.football-pictures.net/data/media/222/Fernando_Torres_body.jpg<br /><br />what do you think?<br /><br />and now Saturday. I slept in LATE and it was great. About to watch my final movie and then go to the US game and then see where the night takes me. <br /><br /><br />I am really debating what I'm going to be doing the last week (besides finals and my paper of course) cause I've already turned down a few things such as going surfing in Northern Spain as a result of budgetary concerns. There is a cool theme park, but that is expensive, it'd be cool to take advantage of the late daylight and go night golfing, there is a huge graduation party-esque thing downtown tomorrow, I want to go to a Flamenco show, but it's all pricey and i gotta keep in mind the future. We'll see which I decide and how that effects me later. but as you can see I have been making the most of my days here. Tune in next week.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-32037814377071579722010-06-22T16:49:00.000-07:002010-06-22T17:43:20.657-07:00ValenciaSo much to tell! It's sad to think that after this trip I won't be seeing the beach for a long while, but I made sure to take full advantage of it when I could. Valencia is somewhere between Madrid and Barcelona. Definitely a smaller city overall but with the limited time and planned activities I only got a taste of what the city had to offer.<br /><br />Anyways so where did I leave off? Thursday night was fun because I got to meet up with Eric (a writer/producer in Madrid) and we got to talk film and get to know each other. After that IES took over Kapital. To summarize más o menos the whole group of IES met up and went to the most famous club in Madrid: Kapital. This club has seven floors, one being karaoke (where I lost my voice and am still recovering from Backstreet Boys and N'Sync songs) and another of them being a promotional floor for a whiskey where they handed out free t-shirts, hats, and sunglasses. a very fun night overall and early the next morning we were on a bus on the way to Valencia. We stopped on the way for breakfast at some place (I had no idea where we were as a result of sleeping the whole bus-ride) where they had the typical Spanish food: tortillas espanolas, chorizo, etc. and the very special local dish of Breadcrumbs. haha seriously I mean it was built up and all but really they served us fried bread crumbs with some chorizo mixed in. That was the main course and it wasn't very satisfying for me to say the least. <br /><br />So we arrived at Valencia that day and our hotel was legit. It was 4 stars and even had an internet café. The breakfast the next day was probably the best I've had since arriving in Europe (with fresh fruit, bread, eggs, meats, cheeses, you name it). It was also fairly centrally located. The first priority for us was to find a place to watch the USA-England game. After asking around we were led to a very nice bar with a big screen TV. I ordered my first Gazpacho which for those of you who don't know is a chilled tomato soup and it was the best I've had. The game was super exciting, especially since we should have won and all of the people in the bar agreed. But that's for another day.<br /><br />We then proceeded to explore the city a bit. In the midst of our exploration it began to rain and that kind of put a halt on things. We only got as far as this cathedral that overlooks the whole city before we couldn't stay out any longer. The night didn't end, however, as we decided to play some cards in the hotel. I learned/got really good at Spades and a few other games I don't know the name of but it's been awhile since I've had a guys card night and it was definitely good times.<br /><br />What's weird about this trip is EVERYONE was on it so I got to see people that I normally wouldn't see. I ended up hanging out with more or less the same people but it was cool having the whole group together. <br /><br />the next day we went to the amazing Arts and Sciences museum. If you've seen my pictures on Facebook you'll know how good this architect is. Fun fact, a guy at the intercambio told me that the person who designed that is designing the building that will be in place of the Twin Towers. Pretty exciting stuff if that's true cause those buildings were amazing. We started off going to an Imax show which was about mummys. Nothing too special here besides the crazy headsets they made us wear to hear the voiceovers. Seemed a little bit overkill cause they looked like the thing cyclops wears over his eyes. Next up was the aquarium. The aquarium there was supposed to be the best in Europe, but it definitely couldn't hold a candle to Monterey or really most American aquariums in my opinion. It had some cool stuff but we really got to see the whole thing in around an hour. <br /><br />For lunch we got to eat at another nice restaurant treated by IES. On the platter was chicken paella which was served in a monstrous pan. Paella isn't my favorite I realized, even without the shrimp that stare at you, but the lunch as a whole was multiple courses and I always love that.<br /><br />A group of us then headed off to the beach for the first time. It was either between that and a ceramics museum and as much as I like ceramics, nothing can beat hanging out next to water on sand. What's awesome about Europe is how late it stays light. We were at the beach until literally 8pm and it was still fully sunny. Maybe that has something to do with the late nightlife here. I often find myself losing track of time. I also forgot to mention that Ainara (my friend from school) who is from Valencia gave me a list of recommended activities. For night we went to her recommended club which was an open air VIP-esque place. Most of us were pretty tired but we arrived at 1 and it was empty, but 3:30 when we left it was completely packed and people were trying hard to get in. A sample of how late things start here in Spain.<br /><br />The next day was beach only. I got to play a lot of beach soccer and that was a blast if not a bit tiring. The sand/beach in general was a lot better than Barcelona's man-made one but just a different more laid back scene. I also went into the Mediterranean for the first time all trip! Don't know why I just didn't go in before, probably to do with the cold, but it was incredibly refreshing and we attempted to body surf on the little surf it offered. The funny thing was that were supposed to leave at 1pm but it turns out our bus got stuck in a ditch and we had another 2 hours to kill. Most of us had gotten enough sun for awhile though so we just relaxed in the shade and got icecream from Burger King. <br /><br />I loved the trip and it's sad to think how soon everything is ending here (next week is finals). That night I got to visit another friend from UCSB, Cassy, and turns out we were basically neighbors the whole time I was here! Crazy! But that's it for now, sorry for the late update. Tomorrow is the next US game! USA all the way!! That reminds me, last night I watched the Spain game in front of the Santiago Bernebeu (the real madrid stadium) and it was insane! So happy we won, but the crowd was so lively and each goal was like a party! haha I love the world cup.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-75517185360726755432010-06-15T11:14:00.000-07:002010-06-15T18:30:52.204-07:00Midterms and SchoolworkBleh.<br /><br />So since last Thursday despite the amazing trip to Paris I had to legitimately do school work for the first time since last January. Let me tell you, this was no easy feat. For Thursday it was studying vocab etc. which was no biggie but then for Tuesday I had to have read 100 pages...in Spanish...and then answer questions about it from the professor. So ended up taking FOREVER to read just one page (had to translate it to English then when I'm done translate it back to Spanish) and it was a looonnng day. But now I'm free! I went to the Intercambio again tonight and saw some old friends and met lots of new ones like a film producer from Spain who runs the whole thing. She gave me a flier for a thing called VaughanTown (www.vausys.com) which is basically a place in Spain where Spanish speakers pay big bucks to just talk to native English speakers. the English speakers get to meet lots of people and get free lodging for the whole week! If i hadn't planned out my whole trip I totally would have done this right after Madrid! But I guess when I come back to Europe (I'm definitely coming back when my bank account recovers) I'll know that no matter what I'll have a week completely paid for! You also stay in super nice hotels!! <br /><br />But enough of that this weekend is Valencia and before that there is A LOT to do. Now I'm beginning to realize how many things I want to do in such a short time. I'm going to be making the most of every day I have left and my only comfort in leaving Madrid in July will be that I will have a month more of adventures before returning home! Not that I don't miss home, I do, but right now I am legitimately experiencing the most amazing trip of my life and I just don't want it to end...<br /><br />The apartment feels empty now that my housemate Alex has gone, but now it's up to me to plan the events and map out the nights for all of our friends like he used to do. And so far so good! I just met a club promoter who is getting us in free to two different clubs. I know I know studies first, but I'm pretty sure I did good on both so no worries right? <br /><br />Anyways another big news is my professor/friend Chris Jenkins whom I met with in SB gave me a contact in Madrid and this Thursday I will be meeting him for dinner/a drink to discuss film and just to get another great contact. I'm really excited for this and it should be amazing! So much to do so little time and with the World Cup going on (Spain game tomorrow!) at actually decent times: 1:30, 4, and 8:30 it's been hectic to say the least. But not to fear, I've got my itinerary planned out for good and I will be NOT going to Munich and instead am staying the night in a hostel in Berlin and then will be going to Italy on Sunday. That means I will be in Italy for the World Cup final, not sure how I feel about that cause I don't really like the Italian national team and don't think they'll make the final, but beggars can't be choosers! I'm excited either way! That means my full trip is solidified to the fullest extent. It's like living my ideal life and my friend from the Intercambio and I will hopefully be making a simple little short while I'm in Madrid as well!<br /><br />Anyways it's way too late. Gotta get some sleep for the days ahead!!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-75560408259389117322010-06-13T06:10:00.000-07:002010-06-13T17:25:47.539-07:00A la France!Ah Paris, the land of great food, great wine, and basically expensive everything. Out of the trip so far Paris is the city I believe I could return to the soonest. There simply is so much to see. I was telling a friend there: "Take a random building in Paris, and put it into any average US city, and it would be a huge tourist attraction". This held true as everywhere we walked there was some sort of historic landmark or some random thing plated in gold. Also important to point out that I really can't speak French so it was a lot of asking if people speak English. On that same note don't answer gypsy ladies if they ask if you speak english cause they'll hand you a paper asking for money. Anyways, the trip was amazing and I really do love that city. Despite being warned about Parisians and their snooty ways I only came in contact with one or two really obnoxious America-haters (the ticket checker at the Arc de Triomphe saying, "Don't you Americans have anything to see in your own country? Why do you have to come here?") and the rest were quite friendly. We even made friends with a taxi driver who played some B.I.G. on the way over. <br /><br /><br />I think it's also important to point out that when writing blog entries from places I've been I do it to a soundtrack. With Barcelona I was listening to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEt1H9hkHvE">this song</a> and the resulting songs in the related video section. Right now I'm listening to some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qkbWllT8ys&feature=PlayList&p=FF2E4950A68C3799&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1">Ratatouille</a> In order to get the full experience of my blog, therefore, I would highly suggest you listen to these songs as you read. Actually, here's a link to the playlist. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_hdmt4vpBo&feature=PlayList&p=FF2E4950A68C3799&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=1">Enjoy</a>. It starts playing weird songs after like the 10th or something but just replay it from the beginning.<br /><br />Now, without further ado, to the story of my journey!<br /><br />We arrived in Paris promptly four hours late. Surprisingly after over a month in Europe I had yet to experience any delays with flights. Specifically, Spanish flights are known for being late because Spaniards in general have a reputation of being late. So we (meaning Erika, Kelsey, and I who were all traveling together) hung out in the airport for a bit. Crazy enough I ran into a few people I knew either from Madrid or from UCSB and the time passed by a little bit faster. I wanted to get a magazine but the magazines were 8 euro which was ridiculous. We were afraid we wouldn't be able to check into our hotel and Kelsey had a friend studying abroad that we were planning on meeting up with but despite all this we got to the airport and bused into Paris. This is where we first met Sami, the French cab driver who had a taste for East-Coast rap. He drove us to our hotel which amazingly enough was only a 5-10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower! We were all pretty much stoked for the weekend. But after getting ready we headed off in a taxi to meet Kelsey's friend Brendan. He was with a bunch of other students from the Paris program and they ended up being one of the major groups we all hung out with for the journey. We went to a bar and then a club, and that club had the best music I've heard in a club so far in Europe. I know I know that's saying a lot cause I've definitely seen my fair share of clubs, but the throw-back music and the hits they played made everyone scream with excitement at each new song. Needless to say we had a great night and randomly got into Sami's cab on the way back! What are the chances? Well a little later you'll hear my rant about Paris cabs.<br /><br />So we woke up early with plans for the next day and headed to one of the many outdoor restaurants next to our hotel to have a little Petit Dejeuner. It was delicious. Oh! I almost forgot! The weather. So turns out it was supposed to rain all weekend in Madrid and it was likely to rain in Paris too so we were all a bit worried. FriDAY though was absolutely gorgeous with blue skies and sun! It was crazy and we were crazy lucky too but we made the most of it. First things first we headed to the Arc de Triomphe. This gives an incredible view of the whole city. Along the way we saw basically every designer store imaginable. I'm not one on fashion but Kelsey and Erika knew each one and supposedly they're good at making clothes or something. So we walk down the main street to the Arc and, after the rude ticket man, walk up a gazillion stairs and get to see a breathtaking view of the city. 360 degrees of unobstructed views of France; it was amazing. From there we could almost pick out where we wanted to go. I wish I took a full 360 degrees panoramic but no worries another time.<br /><br />So from the Arc (which was built to welcome back Napoleon's troops) we went to the Eiffel Tower. We grabbed a baguette (Turkey too! Turkey is NOWHERE in Spain) and ate out on the lawn in front of the tower. It was so relaxing and fun to watch all of the activity all around. At 3 pm they were starting the bike tour we wanted to do and they met in front of the tower. When the tour leader arrived (a man who's transferring to UC Berkeley this year) we walked to the Fat Tire home and got ready to go. I'm really glad we did this tour cause it not only got us around the city in record time but we got to learn the history too! I tried to incorporate a bit in the captions of my pictures but we learned a lot of really interesting info. Also cool about the bike trip was we got to meet other tourists. This is where we met Shawn, an Australian traveler. During the tour we did something the guide called "dominating" basically meaning taking up a whole lane or sometimes two lanes of the road. This was pretty intense when we went through some main streets and as he said "the honking cars are just telling you to enjoy your tour!" We went as far as the Louvre before we turned around and headed back around 4 hours total for the tour. It was the perfect day for a bike tour and I definitely want to do one in Berlin as well.<br /><br />Next on the list was to meet up and watch the France-Uruguay world cup game! I was really excited to see this in the home country and even though the game itself sucked it was made better by the fans. France is not going far in this tournament if they keep playing that way, but for dinner I had this delicious HUGE crepe. In Cannes I really didn't get many crepes (usually only paninis and baguettes) but the two foods I'll miss most from Paris are the crepes and quiche! Aw I want one right now....Okay back on topic so following the game we went and had some wine on the river Sienne right next to the Notre Dame and across the way there was some sort of concert. A lot of people were packing the stairs and the musicians were playing American cover songs. After the wine (which is ridiculously cheap and delicious) we went to another bar/club and spent the rest of the night there. The nightlife in Paris can't really compare with Madrid...but it was still really fun with the whole group from the other study abroad in Paris. When we left we tried to hail a cab (this is the story I was talking about) and guess what? All of the cabs passing were FULL. We stood at a taxi stand for literally 30 minutes and not one cab stopped. We weren't the only ones, and people were trying to go further up to get a cab but to no avail. There were literally NO cabs for anyone. the only chance was to stand at a place where people got off and then try and get the cab driver to give you a ride. We really didn't know what to do. To make matters worse, it started to rain! So we were wandering around in the rain trying to find a cab when a million were passing but none were empty. Really disheartened we went to get hot chocolate and some warmth back and ended up passing out for an hour at the cafe. when we tried again luckily Erica begged a taxi driver to take us and we got back home. Absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe they have such a bad taxi system in Paris!<br /><br />The next way we all went separate ways. Erica and Kelsey went to a museum and I hit up this Russian Festival they were having in front of the Eiffel Tower and the open market festival a little distance away. Erica ended up coming and meeting up with me at the Louvre and we then randomly ran into Shawn underneath the Louvre. Fun fact of the day: there is an entire shopping mall underneath the Louvre. Next to that pyramid? An Apple store. So all three of us then went to Notre Dame cathedral. I didn't go in and if I came back to Paris I would definitely make a point of going into more museums and cathedrals but I definitely wanted to spend this trip exploring the city. Then, supposedly next to Notre Dame there is an amazing ice cream place that has a million flavors. After spending forever looking for it we got some ice cream that to me at least seemed just as good and then we relaxed in the park and listened to a band.<br /><br />Erika then went her own way and Shawn and I decided to go to the Sacre Coeur a huge cathedral up on a hill. The view up there was stunning and the cathedral lived up to the hype. It was a long walk up but it was completely worth it. My favorite part of the cathedral was its street performers. One man was juggling a soccer ball up on a light pole. Another group put on a dance performance. I wanted to spend forever up there but had to get back for the game and dinner so I headed back to the hotel. <br /><br />We all met up with the other group again and had the most amazing dinner ever. Up until this point we'd kind of avoided the nicer places, but Kelsey, Erika, and I all made a pact to have one fancy meal while in Paris. I had this salmon with rice that was served with this amazing sauce. I want to eat that forever. Then we went to the back of the Eiffel Tower to watch the big USA England game on a big screen. It was crazy putting together the idea of sitting behind the Eiffel Tower surrounded by people drinking wine and eating baguettes while watching one of the most anticipated games of the World Cup. We couldn't go into the main area with our food and drinks so we stayed outside the gate but it was still an experience. I was really happy with the score, even though we got a bit lucky with Green's mistake. Most supporters were American but there was a huge American England fight in the main area that broke out in the middle of the game. I thought the French didn't like America, but turns out they don't like England even more. Also of note: the Eiffel Tower sparkles for 5 minutes every hour. Originally the bulbs were put in for the new millenium and they were only supposed to last a year. But after the response they put in 10 year bulbs which will be ending soon. Just another fun fact from the bike tour. Anyways I'm heading to Mexican food now but I'll try and read over later to see if I missed anything. Au Revoir!!<br /><br />PS That's basically it. and update on trips: Munich is out and I will be staying in Berlin until the 11th then I found a cheap trip to Milan. PS is 30 pounds less or more than my baggage? Cause I'm afraid my bag will be too heavy for Ryannair when it's all set and done. aw enough worry. Good night!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-38558268317207323182010-06-09T15:07:00.000-07:002010-06-09T15:48:57.462-07:00FoodAfter spending some time recovering from Barcelona it was straight back to school. My classes pass quickly and are all very interesting. My grammar class is made fun by our teacher, an incredibly nice Lady who does yoga frequently (connection maybe?). My other class we get a lecture for 30 minutes and then watch a movie so far the movies have been fairly good but the only problem has been my recent spell of narcolepsy which hasn't failed to have me a little bit tired in the morning without fail. But despite this I've had a good time and have a midterm tomorrow in grammar: wish me luck!<br /><br />Monday night I signed up for a cooking class and it was well worth it. We learned how to make tortilla espanolas (which are essentially potato and egg tortilla esque things that are deliciosu), paella (a typical spanish dish with seafood rice and peas), and a desert tortilla. All of it was delicious! Then on Tuesday it was a friends bday and we went to the Cave Bar again that I talked about and ordered the Leche de Pantera. Then tonight was the 1 euro special at a local chain restaurant where we can get all kinds of food and dishes for only 1 euro each. Definitely going to become a weekly thing.<br /><br />The last few days it's rained which is an extreme change from the usual burning heat of Madrid. Hopefully it doesn't rain in Paris...from the people I've talked to (French and not) the Parisians have quite the reputation built up for them haha but just check back sunday to hear all about it.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-54869065917013628042010-06-07T04:44:00.000-07:002010-06-07T13:57:17.646-07:00How to get into fancy placesSo I get back into Madrid from Barca around 8pm on Saturday with plans of having a chill night maybe playing poker at a friends apartment. Alex, however, of course convinces me to come out using the excuse "I'm only going to be here for a week more". Alex, for those of you who don't know, is my apartment mate. So we ended up heading back to the place I went the first week called Penthouse. Only thing is on weekends it's a lot more busy and a lot harder to get into. We had two girls in line ahead of us and we asked them to ask him in Spanish if our group could go in with them but, because some of us were not dressed as nice as they want us to, they said no. It could've really been for any reason but either that or because we were a large group of guys with only one girl. <br /><br />Anyways...so we could've done two things: waited in line and tried again (this could potentially mean missing a few dozen minutes of our valuable night) or try to look for another entrance. Alex was on top of it and went around to search while we waited. He came back and got two of us to follow him and all we had to do was act cool. Turns out Alex, who is fluent in Spanish, convinced the man that he didn't know any Spanish and that he was supposed to meet his dad inside the hotel. Alex was very angry and impatient and so the guy had no choice to let him and us in. All the while he is yelling into his phone in English with noone on the other line. My job and my friend Matt's was just to act frustrated and anxious, I kept glancing at my watch and looking around...and I got really into character haha it was quite fun. <br /><br />So we get into the hotel and have no idea where to go, but we can't let that on. Turns out there was a wedding going on and we walk right through it in our search for an elevator (but none of us drop character). Then Alex goes up to a worker and yells angrily at him saying the elevator is slow and that he needs a faster one so we get directed into the elevator. We finally get to the elevator and then another group was there, an older couple. They put their card in and press 5. It lights up. They look at us and we have no idea what to do cause we don't have a card. So we press 7 (which is where the Penthouse bar is) and it doesn't light up. They laugh and when it gets to their floor we think the gig is up. There is no way we are getting into the bar even after all of this. <br /><br /><br />Suddenly, as soon as the doors close, the elevator begins to rise. We reach the 7th floor to find people leaving! We made it! Haha I thought I'd share this story because after all of the work the beautiful view and vip status of the bar was that much better. Cheers for now.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-86717876461269836292010-06-06T13:18:00.000-07:002010-06-06T13:46:27.530-07:00Travel ItineryAlright so here it is, officially a breakdown of my next few weeks of traveling for all of those wondering. UpIt is relatively open at some points of the trip and not open for others so if you have any questions just contact me!<br /><br />June 10-13th : Paris<br /><br />June 18th-20th : Valencia (trip included in IES)<br /><br />July 3rd-5th : Amsterdam (IES officially over)<br /><br />July 6th-10th : Berlin (Get in the morning on the overnight bus)<br /><br />July 10th-12th : Munich (this is the plan for now, but could change)<br /><br />July 12th-26th : Italy <br /><br />July 26th-August 2nd : London (Get in at 8 pm)<br /><br />Then fly home on the 2nd of August!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-42160090125381631912010-06-06T05:03:00.000-07:002010-06-06T09:11:23.511-07:00Barcelona TripAww what an experience, I can now see why people claim Barcelona is their favorite city in the world. After some bumps along the way (Mike and I forgot to get the information for where we were staying and had to scramble around to call the girls who had booked it) we finally arrived on Thursday morning and were immediately breath-taken. Compared to Madrid, Barcelona is touristy. By this I mean you are more than likely to run into plenty of Americans/Australians/really anyone who is just visiting for the weekend. I can see why though cause the city is beautiful. The second we left the metro (which is not as good as the metro in Madrid...but not many metros are) we immediately see one of the Catalonian architect Gaudi's famous buildings. My goal in coming to Barca, as it is with any city I will be visiting on this trip, is to experience as many things as I can in the time allotted. A quick glance at a tourist stand gave me an idea of what I would need to see during this trip and by the time we had left we had seen nearly every major tourist attraction that the city offered. But that will be covered later. Within the first 5 minutes of our Barca trip though, we had already checked off the list one of Barca's many attractions. <br /><br />It's hard to explain the architecture of Gaudi. I marvel at how one man can make buidlings that are so original and yet all have a unifying look. He supposedly has revolutionized many different forms of architecture as can be seen by his unique looking columns. <br /><br />Anyways so we got to our hostel which was nice. We had a room of about 12 and 8 of them were from our group. It had a nice view and was about a 15 minute walk to Las Rombas (the main street) and 30 minutes from the beach. It's funny how many repeat stores there are all over the downtown. I counted 4 H&Ms within a few blocks of each other. But the first day was all about the beach, and at the beach we were bombarded by salesmen and got free passes to clubs later. Even more than Madrid there were street venders everywhere and they weren't afraid to ask you 10 times in 5 minutes if you wanted something. My favorite part was the street music which was awesome. It felt very island-like but sometimes there would be some amazing Spanish guitarists and very unique instruments. <br /><br />That night we went to meet up with Katie and Jordan, Katie who was my friend in High School and Jordan who is my friend in college! They told us all that we should do in the next few days and then we went to this club called Opium which turned out to be very very nice. It was kind of a club/lounge and to get in you had to be wearing fancy clothes. That closed up our first packed day but the adventures were just beginning.<br /><br />The second day was focused on sight-seeing. As our only full day in Barca we made sure to go to as many places as possible. We stopped by the breathtaking Park Güell which was designed by Gaudi. It had some crazy architecture and at the very top was a view of the whole city. Absolutely amazing. Then we walked for what seemed like forever to the Segrada Familia. This AMAZING cathedral was designed by...you guessed it...Gaudi. Supposedly it's been in construction since 1880 and they just recently opened a small section to the public. The inside was just as stunning as the outside, and when it is finished I have no doubt it will be one of the most amazing churches in the world. For dinner we all ate in a family-style Spanish restaurant that was recommended by Katie and Jordan. We ordered all kinds of Tapas and pieces and shared and it was delicious. <br /><br />Then from the restaurant we walked for what seemed like forever (again!...I swear we walked the whole city) to reach what we were told was a light show. What it turned out to be was a huge Palace lit up with fountains on either side and right in front of the grand staircase was a monstrous fountain that every 30 minutes would play a show synced to lights and music. This felt very Disneyland-esque and the entire scale of the show left us awe-struck. The palace was actually in front of the Olympic village so we got to see the torch and the stadium too. My favorite part of the night was sitting and having drinks (provided by some of the vendors haha) at the top of the palace while listening to a Spanish guitar player. Not to end the night early, we then went to ANOTHER club which after some navigating finally found (forget the name but it sounded like Auto Zone) which had different rooms each with a separate theme. <br /><br />Saturday was chill, and this is where I got serious sun. We just went to the beach after walking another one of the main streets. The street performers here (the people that ask for coins and then do something) were all crazily unique. One was a guy that looked like Ronaldinho who juggled a soccerball while balancing on a ladder. Anyways so we get to the beach and oh yah, I forgot to mention the beaches are all topless here in Europe. Was definitely not used to it but I can't complain (unless you count the fully nude old man just walking around). But we then ate lunch at this hole-in-the wall amazing sandwich place that was so packed we had to push through people just to enter. The food was cheap and amazing, and after the rest of Barcelona I needed exactly that. The city is much more expensive than Madrid which makes me just dread having to pay for stuff in Paris (which I will be traveling to this coming week) but it was completely worth it. <br /><br />As much as I love Barca though, it's nice to be back in Madrid where I can safely drink tap water and not have to worry about being tempted to buy from shops and get distracted by beaches. I am so tan right now.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-9810401204894224882010-06-01T13:58:00.001-07:002010-06-01T17:00:10.301-07:00Keeping to my wordI feel so weird writing so soon after my essay. I've come to accept the fact that I will have way too much to write about for one sitting...and while I let it sit there will be even more to tell until I just have to pick the best of the best, or en la realidad solamente the one's I have time to write about when I decide to sit down and pump it out. But today is a new day, even though it's tonight...it's today somewhere in the world as I found out when I stayed up till the metro re-opened last Sunday. <br /><br />Anyways onto the news. Watched my first Spanish film today, it was called El Viaje del Carol. At least that's what I remember off the top of my head. Once I'm on a roll typing I'm too lazy to go and check cause I'll get distracted. It was quite good, and quite sad. It reminded me of those older American movies we used to watch growing up like the one with Elijah Woods which had them in a tree house. Very descriptive I know, but watchagonnado.<br /><br />So yesterday I went to this cool thing called Intercambio which is at a bar near the center of town. Alex and I went there and it's basically a place where foreigners and locals go to meet and talk and practice language. It was really cool even though it wasn't as crowded as other weeks supposedly. I was able to meet a lot of really amazing people form all over the world and that was just from our little table. I'm definitely going to be going back every week!<br /><br />Then today after class (explained above) I went to the Palacio Real and guess what?!! My camera was out of batteries. As much as I love my new camera, it should give me a little heads up before it dies. The last time it ran out of batteries was on the LAST DAY OF CANNES when EVERYONE was together at the going away party! It picks literally THE WORST TIMES to tell me to change the battery pack. Come on camera, don't just die on my give me a little notice. Rant end. So the Palacio is basically this amazing palace (don't worry I'll be stealing other people's pictures) where the King and Queen lived up until the 1930s. We got to take a tour given to us by this softspoken very enthusiastic Spanish woman and we got to see all sorts of rooms decked out in incredibly royal fashion. Not only that but nearly every ceiling had paintings on them done by famous painters. Don't worry, I couldn't have taken pictures of this stuff anyways but it was still quite frustrating. <br /><br />It's been incredibly hot here in Madrid as of recently and not California hot, this hot literally melts humans. It's not even up to what it could get, and I'm glad I'm going to Barcelona this weekend (in case you didn't know I'm going to Barcelona this weekend) cause it'd be absolutely unbearable otherwise. I think it actually shrunk my clothes when I put them out to dry. <br /><br />Well that's it for now, it's funny because I know I've missed talking about so much but it's nothing compared to the usual and I need sleep. So enjoy the more frequent update, I won't be doing another one until Sunday but expect another picture update. I'll at least try and keep one thing consistent. Stay cool.<br /><br /><br />PS: Watch Memories of a Murder (i remember that title!). A South Korean movie that now is officially one of my favorites of all time.Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-21688919828114402012010-05-29T05:34:00.000-07:002010-05-31T07:32:45.870-07:00La Primera SemanaThe first week in Madrid has been nothing short of amazing. I absolutely love this city for a few reasons. Firstly there is simply so much to see. Each new place I have gone in this city has had something that would be worth a unique whole trip just to visit. Secondly, the nightlife. Madrid's night life is incredibly unique to me. When most parties and clubs in America (or France for that matter) would normally close, Madrid just starts. Most nights have been having friends over for a few drinks around 11. Heading to a bar around 12 and then heading to a club around 1 or 2. Clubs in Madrid don't close until 5 or 6 am so that means the nights could run pretty late. <br /><br />As of recently my productivity switch has been firmly set in the off position. I like to say I'm either extremely productive or extremely unproductive, and with the burden of the two heavy weeks at Cannes plus the adjustment to the new Madrid lifestyle I have been nothing short of lazy and unproductive. This, however, is unproductive on a mere "work/academics" scale. As far as socially/touristy scale my life has been off the charts. The people in the program are all awesome. On Friday we all went to a club called IndepenDANCE and at a certain point in the night all the lights turned out and it became a black-light dance party. The music in Madrid is quite entertaining. An example of this would be how a bar could play Ghostbusters Pitbull, then Mariah Cary within a few minutes of each other. Seems like they're quite a bit behind on American pop music and there is this one Spanish song they always play. I'd search for it on YouTube but I'm not much of a fan and don't want to have to listen to it again to find it. Stereo Love is the title if you're interested.<br /><br />Also on Friday: Segovia was amazing. The program included a daytrip to Segovia and the history and architecture of the place was astounding. You can see some pictures up on my Facebook, but the sheer magnitude of some of the buildings just left me in awe. the trip was one of our pre-scheduled IES trips. Segovia itself is a very tourist location but definitely worth the visit. Following the trip we went to lunch at a very nice Ranch which was AMAZING. Everyone in the previous program stated that this lunch is the best one of the whole session. We had fresh chicken, tapas, salad, and a ridiculously good desert that had the hint of a roasted marshmallow. I'm really happy with IES as a program. Relative to others we have an awesome apartment, great planned trips, and plenty of opportunities to do other things around the city. I'm taking a tour of the Palace tomorrow and am signing up for cooking and Flamenco classes. Guess you'd expect nothing less from a program that is populated mostly by Ivy League students.<br /><br />Not to slow down the pace, we went on Saturday to un Corrido del Torros, or a Bull Fight. While I'm not a big fan of killing animals for sport, I came away from it with a newfound respect (thanks in part to wikipedia entries read from a blackberry). Basically there are 6 bulls killed each time. The audience throughout the course of the fight is a judge. they were quite angry for awhile because some of hte bulls weren't up to par with what they like. It starts with a testing of the bulls strength. The Matador has a team, and each one has their own specific jobs. As they get the bull to run around he sees the strength and speed of it. Then they bring out horses (girls did not like this part) that had armor on and the bull would run at the horses. This would tell the matador what side the bull favors. Here they would also create a wound on the bull to begin to weaken it. Then these other guys came with sticks and would run at the bull and stab it in the back. This wouldn't really hurt the bull but it would aggravate it. finally the matador and bull face off and the matador tries to make some sort of dance with the bull. Here is where the crowd will get crazy if the matador is good. After the bull is tired, he lines it up and kills it with one blow. There you go, now you don't need to visit a bullfight I just described everything that happens! That'll be 25 euro<br /><br />Sunday was a recovery day from the week. I slept in very late as a result of the crazy night before (we stayed up until the metro opened to save money) and my friend Mike and I tried to get into a game in the Santiago Bernebeu or the stadium that Real Madrid plays in. Basically it was old AC Milan players vs. old Real Madrid players. Some of the bigger names were Zidane and Figo. Unfortunately we hoped getting their early would get us one of hte 5 euro tickets but no luck. There is no such thing as scalping in spain which meant despite getting one ticket for free we could not get in and just watched the game in a bar. But just the setting of the 80K person stadium was experience enough. The metro was jammed with people on the way over and there was an incredibly energetic aroma around the whole block. Can't wait for the world cup! Note to Spanish dudes: mullets are not cool.<br /><br />Anyways after my first week I'm starting to find that Madrid is a city that is ALWAYS happening. Literally everyday there is something that you can do that is completely new. While I wlil be traveling I love this city and want to make sure to get the most out of it! I haven't even covered half of what I've seen but I'll try and not let it go so long next time...sound familiar...before I post again! Nos hablamos pronto!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-16213052054718599082010-05-27T04:26:00.000-07:002010-05-27T06:21:10.579-07:00Bienvenidos a MadridSo after a long night in Cannes I finally made it to Madrid. Instantly I can already say that I love this city. After taxiing over to the city I reached my apartment and especially in the context of my place in France, the Madrid flat is AMAZING. There is so much space it's almost ridiculous. It's 2 bed 2 bath and not only that but there is a washing machine and a living room and a pretty sweet view (we're on the 6th floor).<br /><br />My housemates are really cool and I've been recently hanging out with Alex who knows the city up and down and has been here since January. We've been going all over the huge city and each section has something new and amazing to see.<br /><br />The IES Program itself seems really well organized. On orientation day we were walked through everything we would need to know and we were treated to lunch. This Friday we're traveling to Segovia as a group and the group itself has a lot of cool people. I'm the only person from a Cali school, but most of the other students are from ivy league or others like UNC. My classes are also good, Spanish is basically the same as it is back in the States but our teacher is really really cool. And the film class is interesting cause it's going over the basics of cinema in another language. I have free internet as well so I'll be much more easier to contact. Except as most of you know if I'm not incredibly busy then I'm incredibly unproductive thus why it has taken so long to write in this blog.<br /><br />First impressions of Spain:<br /><br />-It's incredibly nice to be able to communicate with the natives in their native tongue. My Spanish is not incredibly good but it's good enough for nearly anything. <br /><br />-Spaniards aren't as mean to us Americans as the French are but it'll definitely be challenging to meet some locals<br /><br />-The architecture is stunning all over the place, it has dozens of buildings that in America would be the centerpoint of one city.<br /><br />-the food is good. Lots of bread once again, there is a kind of sandwich called a Kabob which is really really good but besides that they have lots of foods with Chorizo and bread and tortillas espanolas and tapas and other fairly delicious foodgroups.<br /><br /><br /><br />so yah I'm having a great time. Last night we went to a bar called Penthouse which overlooks the whole city and it was really beautiful. Luckily I have people tha tknow how to get around but the public transportation here is really good. Like BART but it comes every 3 or so minutes. <br /><br />Anyways I'm about to take a nap then get ready for the long night ahead of me. The lfiestyle here is to not leave the house till after midnight and that'll take some getting adjusted to. In France it was non stop but with all of the free time in Spain I definitely need naps, or will for awhile. I'll keep all of you updated better though I promise. Hasta Luego!Ryan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568777592559154755.post-61352068689167631522010-05-23T03:59:00.000-07:002010-05-24T05:20:34.954-07:00Last Days in CannesToday is the final day of the Cannes festival journey and wow has it been a blast. Despite a semi-slow start, this whole experience has given me invaluable contacts and tools that I will be putting to work for years to come. Definitely happy I went through it and I'm incredibly excited for the next adventure to come: Madrid.<br /><br />But before I go off to Ethpanya, there's some things to fill you all in on. The flip video is done and you can all see it here: <br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/11896981"></a><br /><br />I'm happy with how it turned out but I will be editing together another cut in a bit with some added funny content that I couldn't fit into the 3 minute time crunch. Turns out that the winners of the contest were all experimental art films which were good in their own respect but there was no way my film was going to be picked in the long run. I'm just happy I was able to make it with Godfrey and it was definitely a blast to shoot. <br /><br />On Friday night there was a huge party for all Short Film Corner members on the beach with free drinks and food. It was awesome and I met even more people there, it was cool getting an actual invite and being on the list to a pretty big event.<br /><br />Last night I was planning on going to Monaco, but I decided against it last minute. Nicola still came down and we were able to get a drink and go to dinner with all my friends before he headed back. I've justified not going 1. To spend the last night of the festival with the friends I'd met and 2. To go to Monaco when I can actually afford to. To make up for it Nicola and I went to the casino and I won 20 euros at Roulette! <br /><br />So a large group of friends and I went to this nice place up in the hills of Cannes and after that a few of us went to the Black Pearl, a pretty VIP bar where a couple that had recently gotten engaged had bottle service. Very legit. I'm going to miss the always looming promise of free incredibly VIP parties at all times that we might not be invited to but know are there.<br /><br />The final day was very emotional. I went to the beach for the first time all trip with the roomies and the Mediterranean was incredibly cold yet refreshing and I attempted to battle the farmer's tan that has been looming during work as a result of having to wear shirts all day. But it was relaxing, the day was our first day off and so a lot of people traveled but the main event was at 6pm: the going away Ampav party. This was a blast, and it was because of this party and the resulting parties that I almost missed my bus in the morning. My alarm became incorporated into my dream. It was a bad combo. But I've made it in. And I have free fast internet!! Look forward to many more updates in the future. CiaoRyan Turnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03082501012435937221noreply@blogger.com0