Ciao Bella- Roma, Venica, Florenza, and Milan

We had been planning this trip for over a month and some prior to the day we were set to leave. So all 9 of us were more then ready to leave that night of November 26th as we loaded the bus for Santander at midnight Wednesday morning in order to catch our flight at noon that same day. The adventure started before the plane even took off. I had been sick prior to the trip having caught the flu from the little boy I had been teaching English to for the last few weeks. So I missed three days of school and went to the doctor in order to be able to make up the tests I was to miss because of it. But lucky for me November 26th my body decided to make a recovery and I was feeling much better and was able to make the long trip.
We arrived in Santander, Spain around three hours or so after we had left San Sabby our bag in hand and faces that couldn't have looked more dead tired. Setting down in the bus station with plans to wait around for a while before heading to the airport we hoped to possibly catch up on some Z's before the flight a few hours later on. We soon found that both the airport and the bus station closed around 4 in the morning leaving us to venture off together through the darkened streets of Santander. Stunned, tired, and with little idea of where to go we began our search for a hostel for the few hours we had left in order to spend them in warmth and somewhat comfort. The search took around a good hour or so but we finally found a place that had room enough for all 9 without costing us an arm and a leg. It turned out that the other six decided that having less then four hours left of night, and less then three hours until the airport opened that they were going to continue to spend the night outside exploring what was left of Santander, and possibly (if they got tired enough in the quiet and seemingly empty town) huddle together and sleep somewhere leaving Gloria, Casi and I to the hostel. And so we grabbed a few extra hours of sleep woke up and headed to the airport ourselves meeting up with the other two thirds of the group. It wasn't soon after that our flight began to load and we paused only momentarily in our weary mided states to take a quick group shot in front of the plane and as the plane took off our excitement gathered and rose. And in less then two hours we had arrived. We had arrived in the heart of history itself, where past meets present, and the ruins of our ancestors leave behind a story to be discovered. We had stepped off the plane in none other then... ROME, Italy.
It was everything I'd expected it to be and everything I didn't all at the same time. It both met my expectations and disappointed them in one giant swoop. The out skirts of the city where the airport had been located seemed like your average big city to me, graffitti, highway, slummy, etc. But once we reached the inside it was like walking back in time if only for a moment, but as you turned to see a big office building you realized only in Rome. Ruins scattered about the cities inner limits and historical statues, figuresque landscapes, classical arquitecture, it seemed like it was a scene playing from a movie and I was the staring role, forelorn traveler lost in the midst of a dream only there was no accidents, no commical lines, no tear jerking moments, and most of all no knight on his white stallion galloping to wist me away into a Roman sunset. *sigh* It was your normal tourist vacation, but a moment in a dream none the less.
Our first evening in Rome was spent traversing the city in search of the random, small side street where our hostel was located. It was then that I realised the Italians for the most part spoke English rather well, adored it when you spoke to them in broken Italian, but hated it when you tried communicating in Spanish thinking that the two were so close that they would be able to understand you. (This of course depends upon each person as well as not everyone is the same but for the most part. And they love you for trying Italian more then anything.) After finding the hostel and settling in a little my stomach decided it was hungry and decided to announce that and so we set off in search of a small place to grab a quick snack of a bite as we had made plans with a friend of Jessica's who was currently living in Rome to eat dinner in an authentic Italian place. And we didn't have to venture too far to find one either as right around the corner from our hostel was a small but awsome little pizza shop in which we bought pizza by the slice. I had a regular one that was sort of like a garlic bread and another one that was also really good as well. After that we split off into groups. My group went to continue on and traverse the city a little just to see what was around the hostel and also in search of a grocery store where we might pick up some snacks for the trips over the following days. So Matt, Gloria, Erica, Silvia and I headed out and about while the others went back to the hostel to get ready for the dinner later on that evening. After finding Matt what he was looking for at the grocery store we too headed back to rest up some and get ready. After all was said and done we headed back out to where we were to meet up with the friends for dinner passing by all sorts of monuments and other things of which we had no idea of their importance just knew they were important and cool. We snapped several pictures along the way until finally we made it to the meeting point met up with Jessica's friend and had dinner at an authentic Italian restaurant where I had Gnocchi and Chicken Cacchitorri. After a long and wonderful dinner we headed back to the hostel to rest up and wake up for a long day in Rome the next day.
The next day we started off at the Vatican City exploring the various artwork and heading down to the Sistine Chapel where we were awed by the famous paintings of Michel Angelo, Da Vinci, and Rafael. Casi and I finished relatively early so we went and grabbed some lunch at a local restaurant before moving on and heading over to the Colosseum. I know little factual information of the Colosseum but what we saw was utterly amazing. The floor of the original had been taken away so that we could even see the quarters where the slaves were held during that time. To see something withstand so much time was what had to be one of the more amazing parts about it. But walking through the gates at the front and into the actual colosseum was like taking a walk into a time machine and going back through time. It would've been at this part of the movie that the character would've had flash backs to a time when the colosseum had been filled with spectators and royals alike all to watch as people battled it out to death. All this before jumping back to the present and giving a softly spoken woah and continuing to walk around the reminents of the past. After the colosseum we continued to walk around the city and see what was left, ruins and other Roman artifacts as well as pretty fountains and buildings before grabbing dinner and making our way back to the hostel to prepare for the travels the next morning to Florence.
Hopping on an early morning train we arrived shortly afterwards in Florence, checking into another hostel. We ran into a short problem here when no one answered the bell we'd rung several times in hopes of getting into the hostel and checking in. Decided that perhaps they were on break for lunch we decided to take our bags and go to a near by cafe for lunch and come back after having enjoyed a delicious meal. Thus is what we did. But upon our second arrival we still received no answer as we rang the door bell and a small sort of panick began to sink in on everyone wondering if perhaps we'd booked a hostel that no longer existed. But lucky for us a girl staying in the hostel found us on her way out and told us that the check in was across the street all along. A unanimous sigh of relief was heard as we released a breath none had even known they were holding and we made our way to check in. After that it was exploration time. Casi, Silvia and I split from the group as they didn't wait for us as we walked into a pasta shop to buy casi some real italian home made pasta to take home. After that we made our way and scavenged Florence for all it had to offer. We saw the very famous Cathedral de Fiore (Cathedral of Florence) with the D'uomo that I'd studied only a few weeks earlier in art class. It was created to have a double dome structure or a dome inside of a dome in order to hold it up since in the beginning of the churces creation it was 42 meters of empty space. It was then finished and painted beautifully on the inside. After that we saw the famous fortress, the replica David Statue by Michelangelo (it's a statue of David from the bible his hands and feet are very disproporsional, also learned about that in art class as well) as well as some other statues, and famous fountains, afterwards we ventured through the streets to the riverside where we captured a very famous night view of these houses and restaurants built into the bridge. We were even lucky enough to be presented with a rainbow as we went to the square where there was a famous clock tower. Of which I have a picture. The day ended with some excellent dinner and preparations to leave again the next morning for Venice the city on the river.
After a good nights sleep we left and arrived in Venice which lived up to it's name as it was really a city literally built in and on the river. walking down the streets we followed along the riverside to the actual ends of the city and we saw just what you'd expected with a little twist. Of course we met the sea but across the sea was an island looking thing (it was really far away and it was foggy that day so my geographical skills are short to begin with can't blame me if I'm not exactly sure what it was) and leading to that big piece of land was a train track. Across the middle of the water was this raised train track and trains running across it. It was very interesting to see. After that we made our way through seeing all the top sights of Venice including St. Micheli's square, the clocktower, the cathedral etc. But we even took some back streets into a residential area when we really had no idea where we were going and literally walked over ALL of Venice. We made a stop near the opera house and listened as a student of the art was giving her rendition of a famous opera a title of which of course I had never heard knowing absolutely nothing about opera. Dinner was a quick grab before heading back to hostels for the night while five out of nine in the group pulled another all nighter on the streets. We had planned to take a night train that evening to Milan in hopes of not having to book another hostel only to find out there were no night trains and the station closed around midnight. So we had to book another last minute hostel this one costing a little more then the other one but none the less it was cold and I was not crazy enough to stay out all night at a bar or a club and then huddle in a doorstep untill the train station opened up the next morning.
The next morning the four of us who'd stayed in a hostel awoke to a warm shower and made our way to grab a nice hot, but quick breakfast, before catching our final train in Italy over to Milan. Milan was disappointing. After arriving I was already to head back to Spain. It was a dirty city that came off as trying to be like a New York (after all it is the fashion capital of the world) but a much dirtier NYC and I love NYC. It could also have been weariness of traveling kicking in but I think even if I went back I wouldn't like it, not as much to do or see there and price wise it was a major goucher in the pocket books. So our stay in Milan was short lived and we spent it traversing the cities shops and at the Christmas market street fair like thing that was going on while we were there before heading to the airport and arriving back in San Sabby late Sunday night to begin another long and dreadful week at school.

Halloween Photos (better late then never)

Cathedral in Biarritz.
The point at Biarritz just outside the beach area.
I don't really know what this is a park or something but it was pretty.
The lighthouse on the beach in Biarritz.
The beach.
It was a bridge inside the caves.
Me in the caves.
The caves.. wooh scarey.
Looking down inside the caves.
The steps leading to the caves where I scared the crap out of Gloria... buwahaha.
The entrance to the caves.
The sign of the town with the witche's cave.
The town itself. So quaint.
Horses... neigh.
This was a cute little waterfall/river we found during our hike through the Pyreneese.
The bridge.
Another cute little river/falls thing.
We're roomates who share everything including the border of France and Spain.

The "mini" train we took to the top in the beginning of our advenutre.
The view from the top, that's the coastline in France I think.
Group photo. Left to right is Alex, his gf Diamond, Me, Erica, Casi, Gloria, Eva, Hollis, Robin and Jessica.
Another group shot. L-R again, Me, Casi, Erica, Gloria, Hollis, Robin, and Jessica.
Roomie photo.
Another view from the top.
Somewhere in Spain.

How Time Does Fly

At first I was seemingly so religious to post to this thing, doing my best to post at least once a week, but the story of my life if I had one would be titled LOCA!! Seeing the world is a lot busier then I could've ever imagined. So much happens and I do my best to mark it all down and keep in my memory as best as I can, but sometimes life happens so fast that things just go woosh, literally! The last couple of weeks were nothing short of hectic either. Mainly school keeping me busy.

The last couple of weeks worth of lessons have imporved immensly and Pablo was finally able to speak in a full English sentence and I felt extremely accomplished that he'd come from nothing to something in such a short time. Two hours a week in only six weeks or so seems pretty darn good to me. He can now say what he'd like in English with the verbs to want, to like, to have. We created a christmas list to Santa Klaus (Papa Noel) (Santa Klaus is the German word, Papa Noel is Santa in Spanish but Spaniards don't actually celebrate Santa as much as they do the Three Magic Kings or Reyes Magicos.) So we wrote one in English to Santa saying what he'd like for christmas and then one more in Spanish for mom to send away to Santa. This took up quite a bit of our time and afterwards we went over words for different toys and foods and transportation. The best accomplishment was when he only watched tv for the last ten minutes instead of a whole hour like he usually did. Over all I felt accomplished until his mother called me yesterday to tell me (or so I think at least) that my services would no longer be required for the last few weeks I'm here. She mentioned something about him learning too quickly and enrolling him in English classes. From accomplished to fired in a matter of days... oh well.

That wasn't the only event of the past. Last Saturday after my last update, that would be November 8th, my roomates Tom and Casi as well as myself and Tom's Spanish friend Gisa went out to what is called a Cidraria where the alcoholic version of apple cider is barrelled. It was an expensive but most delicious venture as we were welcomed with open arms and open taps into the stocks of 10 foot tall barrels filled with the delicious liquid as well as a four course meal consisting of chorizo, tortilla (the egg version not the mexican version) with bacalao (a fish, don't know what kind), steak, and a desert of cheese and membrillo (a hard jelly like substance almost like cranberry jelly except apple) and walnuts. But of course all the cider you could drink. Needless to say the people were very warming and welcoming (can't help but wonder if this wasn't because of the influence of the cidra) and several pulled Casi and I into pictures. This also makes me wonder what they were thinking the next morning when they went to look at the pictures and saw two random blonde females standing next to them with awkward smiles on their faces.

Sunday after that was once more a study day as most Sundays are. The next weekend chose to be filled with surprises. Casi and I had made plans to take a trip somewhere since at that point in time we had little time to travel around Spain before the Italy trip. At this point two weeks. So we planned to try and take a trip via bus to Valencia. Well when I went to buy tickets that Friday morning the bus was full and so that idea was quickly shot down. So instead we took a trip the next day to Bilbao where we shopped, and shopped, and shopped some more. We ventured through almost every shop Bilbao had to offer. Then we met up with my very good friend from MUC who is teaching English in Bilbao, Spanish Kyle Borowski. He then took us on a guided tour of the city and introduced us to roasted chestnuts before taking us back to the bus station and wishing us well. It was a very enjoyable trip and well worth it, not just for the shopping or the tour, or the chestnuts even, or the delicious spanish style buffest we discovered for lunch, but for being able to see an old friend and talk about old times once more and have someone understand what you're talking about. It was very nice. And again another Sunday of studying. It was during the week that followed after that in which I'd made so much progress with Pablo.

The weekend afterwards and prior to this week (November 22-24) was nothing over the top either. I'd once again made plans to travel with my roomate, this time Tom instead of Casi, to Pamplona. One of Spains more historical cities. But once again plans changed as we went to the bus station to find that the office that sold the tickets was closed and wasn't opening till later and it made the trip not worth it so we ventured back home to enjoy the evening at home. Most of that weekend was spent reading. I finished a book called Parable of the Sower (author unknown) as well as the first of four Twighlight books the other three of which I will finish eventually. The rest of Saturday was spent shopping (this time of the grocery kind) and Sunday was spent filled with delicious smells and Casi and Stefanie kitchen time as I like to call it. Casi and I teamed up to make a homemade Thanksgiving Dinner in honor of the greatest group of roomates who all get along amazingly well you'd think we were better then family. We cooked a whole chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, pumpkin pie (completely homemade mind you) and banana bread. The boys were overly thrilled with the tastes, sights, and smells that greeted them that evening and told us both they'd never had and probably won't ever have another Thanksgiving comparable to this one.

Monday I proved stricken with a 30 hour flu of sorts and went to the doctor in order to get a note so that I could make up the test I had in one of my classes on Monday. And as today proves a healthy (I'm feeling completely replenished after sleeping almost two days straight) Tuesday evening ten my time we are packed and excitedly awaiting the hours until we leave for Italy. Our trip will take us to Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, and Milan, five cities four days. And as we will arrive home Sunday late evening I will have many pictures, and thus a bountiful of stories to share, along with the memories of a lifetime. This next chapter shall receive a special title. I think we'll call it something along the lines of 9 teens take over Italy... needs some work but you get the idea. And as they say when in Rome, Ciao for now!!

Semanas Pasadas, Hay Muchas

Semanas Pasadas, Muchas (I know)

Although it would seem that with so many weeks having come and gone there must’ve been something keeping me so unbelievably busy that I was not able to update my blog. Truth be told a good 75% of the time I can say in all honesty, was just normal school, not much happening. But as of Halloween weekend something actually did happen. A lot of something’s truth be told. I always have Fridays off to begin with but this Friday everyone in USAC was given the day off in order to be allowed to take a group trip to various places along the Spanish/French border. And so that is exactly what I did.

But before I get into the interesting trip across the border I should start with the fact that there is currently a fourth person occupying our humble abode. Another girl, named Casi, who was also put with a family in the beginning. Hers turned out to be the worst as she ran into countless problems with the family she had been staying with. The final straw broke the camels back and she walked into the USAC office and broke down and was then allowed to move in with us. Giving me a new roommate, one I actually get along with really, REALLY well. Unlike past experiences. It’s a great situation for everyone and we all get along great. This occured around two weeks or so ago, I’m not exactly positive on when.

Well Friday rolls around and Casi and I are the only two out of four going on the trip and our day started off with a five minute almost sprint to the bus as we’d woken up kind of late due to lack of sleep the night before. For which we have several people to thank, namely our neighbors. We were thankful to see the bus still loading and we hopped on to catch our breath before we were off to a town in the very border of France the name of which escapes me but while there we took a 30 minute “Mini Train” ride up the huge mountain where we captured amazing pictures of the whole Basque Country. (For those wondering it’s in both Spain and France and though they have tried several times to make the seven provinces that make up this country into it’s own, it has never worked out. San Sebastian/Donostia is one of those seven provinces thus the reason why people here speak Spanish and Basque.) From the top of this gigantic mountain like hill we could see all seven provinces at once and the beautiful beaches that occupied some of them. (So look forward to those pictures).

After the ride back down in which several of us were huddled together and others had complained of the “cold.” Of which I think I’ve become immune to being from Ohio, but there were some from Idaho and such that experience severely cold, if not colder, winters then those of us in Northeastern Ohio. Anyways We all huddled around while I listened to chattering of different kinds (including teeth and chit chattering). As we arrived at the bottom it was time for a much needed potty break where I discovered a toilet never before seen. At first I thought I’d walked into the men’s bathroom, but it was confirmed to be the woman’s bathroom when the USAC coordinator Patricia walked in behind me and relayed the story of such a strange invention. The standing toilet for woman is the only way to describe it. Part of me wishes I would’ve taken a picture but alas I did not. But for any woman whose tried peeing while standing (like a male would) you know it’s not an easy feat but this thing made it look like it was supposed to be such an easy thing to accomplish. Its image will forever haunt me, laughing at the challenge I so quickly turned down.

After a quick potty on a regular toilet Casi and I decided to take USAC’s advice in trying a famous postre (desert/pastry) while we were down at one of the shops. In French it’s called Gatoue Baske, in Spanish Postre Vasko, and in English Basque cake. And being in France it was required to order in French... who’d a thunk right? Well a lot of people didn’t realize that, and at first I’d forgotten until it was my turn. But several people thought I did so well that they asked me to order for them as well. Guess I know a little more French then I thought I did. Laurence would be so proud... After purchasing two of the postres for myself and Casi, we then purchased two more for our boys back home who were sadly missing out on the various deserts and adventures of that day. After I’d placed enough orders in French to last me quite a while (I even explained numbers surprisingly, thank you sixth grade French never thought I’d actually remember let alone use what I’d learned there.)

After desert for breakfast or mid day snack how ever you prefer to call it, we then went off to hike through the Pyrenees and over to the town where we’d spend the rest of the afternoon and eat lunch. The hike was around two miles long and I found that I was completely in my element. I was at the head of the group running through the forest even though I was at an altitude not familiar, and my breathing staggered at my times and my chest felt tighter then normal but I was unnaturally happy hiking through the forest. At one point Casi and I stopped to take a picture of us sharing the border of France and Spain of which will be posted as well.

After a wonderful hike we stopped for lunch in the town of Zurragamurdi where we would be spending the rest of the afternoon. Lunch consisted of a huge salad with tuna, boiled egg, tons of other interesting veggies, and a semi Italian dressing. The first real dressing I’d had since I’ve gotten here. After salad was lamb and French fries. I’ve learned that through my time spent here they eat French fries at even the most “fancy” of restaurants and it’s the side dish that goes with everything. After that we were given ice cream for desert before we headed out to go exploring in the museum of witch’s and then afterwards the witch caves.

Having run around almost all morning on very few hours of sleep I was already fading on energy but the museum couldn’t have been much more boring even if I’d been awake to know what was going on. Then it was off to the caves in which I ran around another mile or so being the only one in the group to see all the caves had to offer in under twenty minutes. And that was about the time my camera started to drain on battery. But I was still able to capture some quite beautiful pictures. I also managed to scare Gloria out of her wits a few times by jumping out from around corners (not on purpose of course) I was just running around exploring. She said I looked like a kid in a candy shop.

It was after this when we loaded the busses that I was completely ZONKED. I passed out for the hour or so ride to the French town called Biarritz. It was absolutely beautiful even in the rain. We spent about an hour or so there in which Casi and I strolled down the beach took a few snapshots and then shared a strawberry crepe and I once again spoke in French. It excited me to go to Paris and see how well I can really do speaking French since no one (or very few people) actually speak English and nobody even understands Spanish. Japanese is of course out of the picture. After then we arrived back home in time for the Halloween festivities taking place that evening in Pate Vieja but I crashed shortly after arrival and was disappointed as I’d been looking forward all week to making a fool out of myself at Karaoke that evening... another time perhaps...

Saturday proved an eventful day as well as we were to celebrate Gloria’s birthday that evening. That afternoon I spent on a walk around the city with Erica, grabbed an ice cream as we strolled along the beach and enjoyed the nice weather. We’d originally set out to get tickets to the horror and fantasy film festival that has been and will continue to be going on for the next week or so, but unfortunately one of the bank’s machines decided it would be funny and eat Erica’s bank card disabling her from getting money out that day and as well buying the tickets to the festival since it required a bank card. But not to fret because she was able to purchase them earlier this week.

That night began at Gloria’s apartment where her roommate, Eva, had made sangria in hopes of getting Gloria to have her first alcoholic drink on her 22^nd birthday. And she did, and I have a picture, and she didn't really like it. Afterwards we ate dinner at this extremely nice Chinese restaurant, Gloria’s pick of course, where I had a Japanese beer to drink as well as some delicious orange duck, great rice, an assortment of oriental appetizers, some good stir fry, then some awesome home made ice cream and awesome tea that tasted like they’d actually put roses or some sort of flower in it. After dinner we went out and spent the night dancing till my feet hurt. And the rest of the weekend was spent studying like crazy for the big final in the second of three spanish classes in one semester. And as the week has flown by and it’s already Friday I sit here and can finally breath a sigh that it is the weekend.

Wednesday and Thursday were rather crazy days. Every Wednesday I tutor an 8 year old named Pablo in English. The first few weeks were kind of rough gaging how much he knew and what I could teach him as his mother refuses to allow us out of the same room let alone out of the house and I have very little to no materials to work with so I make do with what I can. This goes on from 6:15-8:15 every week and for the last hour or so we usually wind up watching cartoons like Ben 10 and Code Lyoko until it’s time for me to go. Unfortunately the cartoons are dubbed into Spanish and there is very little practice that get’s done once we start watching the tv. But lessons have improved none the less and I do believe he is learning.

Thursday was just as crazy as after classes I had arranged a meeting with my new intercambio Bakarne which means lonely in Basque apparently. And she took me around the city on a walking tour in parts I actually hadn’t seen before and thus was very grateful to get to see. Afterwards we rested at an Irish pub and drank some juice before going to a bookstore near the cathedral Buen Pastor and parting ways. After the meeting with the intercambio I came back home for about an hour before heading out once more to meet up with Erica, Gloria, Jamil and Eva (Gloria’s roommate) for dinner at a restaurant near Erica’s house for Paella. Erica and I split a veggie Paella while the other three split one with chicken in it. After dinner we’d bought tickets to a Japanese movie which I had been hoping and praying would be in Japanese. It was a great movie don’t get me wrong but it was in English and I was sorely disappointed to note that it had not been in Japanese. But it was still well worth it anyways. Afterwards I arrived home got on Skype for a little while and wound up passing out for the rest of the evening. Beginning my next weekend in San Sebastian.

Fotos de la Gran Viaje (Bilbao y Barcelona!!)

The yummy nachoes we ate.
Gloria and Robin shopping at the stalls near by, Robin´s face is histerical.

Outside the stadium after the game.
The group that was outside playing music and we were dancing.
Another shot of the musical group.
the puerta to Sangrada Familia.
The Sangrada Familia or church of the knights templar

That´s the score at the end of the first half.
Just a shot of the whole team. I didn´t have to zoom too much to get this shot either... ;)
Another shot of the team.
Final score end of the second half.
Me after the game I´m all smiles what can I say I was happy.

Action shot, Barcelona is the blue and red btw.

Gloria was so happy she found a shirt with his name on it.
See how happy she looks.
Me again at half time, it´s kind of a funny looking picture though. But you can get an idea of where are seats were in this one too.

Gloria was debating whether or not to drink the jasmine shot at the chinese restaraunt cause she doesn´t drink alcohol period.
Me and my jasmine.
All four of us at the restaraunt.

The seats in the stands are yellow and spell out FC BARCELONA.

This is a pretty church we visited in Barcelona.
The puerta.
I was bored, he was smiling what more can I say.
Robin and her shot.
That´s a double but I´m not sure how to delete photos once I´ve put them up there.

Pretty indoor garden in the church right side.
Left side.
Robin and Erica on the Columbus steps.
Me and Gloria on the Columbus steps.
The pretty church.

Random wall in the plaza.
The pillars of the church.
This guy was playing abba songs on the panpipe outside the church.
The plaza.

This was in the ice cream store in the farmers market, looked good even at 8 in the monring.
She was so happy to find this stuff cause she´s been wantingto make real mexican tortillas for us all. YUMMY!
This is one of those men pretending to be statues sort of thing.
Same guy different angle.

This is the farmers market.
The ice cream store in the farmers market. Making you drool yet? Keep going down...
The aisles upon aisles of the farmers market.
the ice cream store.
Yes the ice cream store.

Water works outside the Guggenheim Museum.
Group photo outside the museum with the bridge in the background.
The sign.
My bus ticket.
The never ending steps to the hostel.

Illegal photo number one. The electrical things have words in Basque, English and Spanish running up and down them.
Illegal photo number two. They´re called statues of venus.

To the right of the museum down the river is the pretty bridge.

The church across the street of the museum.
To the left of the museum.

Grande Perrito made of flowers.
The museum
Big spider thingy.
I tried to take a photo with him, but wasn´t very nice.
Illegal photo 3.

Royal palace in Bilbao turned government building.
It looks like a pineapple.
The group I ate lunch with at the french spanish café.
Paella, yum.
desert.

Me and the old oak tree.
Cool graffitti.
Statue in the middle of Bilbao.
The cool metro system.
Shot of the pretty church from the bus.

Inside the oak building thingy.

Baby oak tree to replace the old oak tree.
Erica and Gloria look up and wave.
Pretty ceiling.