Hey everyone,

I finished up the semester at school earlier this month and just got back from a two-week trip to Italy and Spain. More specifically, I visited Florence, Venice, Rome, Madrid, and Barcelona. My girlfriend studied abroad for four months in Florence, so instead of returning with her classmates, she extended her return date for another two weeks. I flew out to Frankfurt, Germany and connected to Florence. The trip was awesome, especially because I've never been to Europe. I took a ton of pictures for each city and put them up on Facebook if anyone wants to take a look. Since there was so much to do and see it'll be difficult keeping this short, but I'll do my best.

Florence lived up to the hype, and although it was full of tourists, the architecture, atmosphere, and food were all great. The best restaurant we ate at is called "La Giostra", and I think is pretty famous. The waiter suggested vienerschnitzel (sp?), but failed to mention that it could probably feed a family of six. The food was all amazing and I definitely recommend it if any of you travel to Florence. Also, Gustapizza had by far the best pizza I've ever tasted. We saw the really famous stuff like Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), the David, etc. The David was impressive to say the least. Seeing pictures of it online or in books really doesn't do it justice. In person you can't help but appreciate how massive yet detailed the thing is. I stood there for a long time just wondering how the hell one person could create something so itricate with his bare hands.

Next was Venice. My oldest brother studied abroad there when he was a college student, so I had an idea of what to expect. Luckily, the weather was perfect. Now that I mention it, we somehow had no rain whatsoever for the entire trip. We stayed at a small bed and breakfast and the owners were really friendly and helpful. The San Marco Piazza was the highlight of the city for us, especially at night. We decided against a gondola ride for a couple reasons. One, the gondaliers usually came off like salesmen which turned us off. Two, gondola's are more expensive per minute than renting a private jet, so we didn't feel like becoming part of that particular ripoff. In any case, the shop-filled, winding backstreets of Venice made the city really exciting to walk around. I admit we did get lost for a little despite having a map. If any of you go there and don't get lost at all I'd be really impressed. Or maybe we're just directionally challenged.

After Venice, we took the train to Rome. My mom was born there and has a cousin who permanently lives in the city. She let us stay at her house for three days, cooked delicious Roman cuisine, and even took us to a local favorite trattoria. My girlfriend and I ended up sneaking there for lunch the next day because we liked it so much. Of course we saw the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and Vatican City. Again, pictures really don't do these places any justice. It seems like these things were just dropped from the sky into the middle of a busy city, and it makes for an indescribably cool effect. Just like the David in Florence, I was amazed by the intricacy of the Sistine Chapel. It's ridiculous to think that one person (Michelangelo) did all of it himself.

We flew to Madrid now that we were done with Italy. Thanks to the metro system, we saw a lot of this city. The most beautiful part was probably the Retiro Park, which is like a Spanish Central Park in some ways. We tried our first tapas in Madrid, which are basically Spanish appetizers eaten at any point during the day. Some places were far and away better than others, but overall we were not very impressed. However, we were only there for two days so obviously we didn't get to try a whole lot. The Piazza's and Gran Via were additional highlights for us. On Gran Via, we went into a McDonald's that seemed to be carved out of a luxurious hotel. The walls and stairs were all marble, and it was complete with chandeliers, an upstairs, and a bizarrely rich feel. It was the polar opposite of most McDonald's I've seen in the States. We also went to our first soccer/futbol/calcio game! It was Real Madrid's final home game, and they lost to Mallorca. They didn't play exceptionally well, but the fans were so enthusiastic and the game was exciting. Canavaro did a final lap around the stadium after the game and threw his jersey to the fanatic home section which was cool.

Barcelona, our final stop, was probably my favorite city. We were within ten minutes walking distance of the beach, and the weather was 80 degrees and breezy the whole time. It is a very bright, energetic city. The architecture and youthful feel made it extra fun. On the way to the beach, where women are often topless (culture shock for me), we saw a 100% nude man walking down the main street. We were right behind him so we got to enjoy the hilarious reactions of all the people lining the streets at the outdoor restaurants and shops. The best part of Barcelona was the night of the FCB vs. Manchester United Champion's Cup Final. We went to a locally favorite British pub called The Black Horse. Since we got there really early as suggested, we landed two bar seats right in front of the television. To start the game Manchester was crushing Barcelona in posession time, and as I was saying it didn't look good so far for Barcelona, they scored on their first shot. Later Messi connected on an unbelievable header and the bar went nuts. I got to drink lots of great beers , like Carlsberg, Pilsner Urquell, Newcastle, Stella Artois, Foster's, and Quilmes. Quilmes was the only one I've never heard of and I ordered it because most people there were drinking it. It's Argentinian and actually ended up being my favorite. After Barcelona won 2-nil the streets weren't quiet even at 5 in the morning. I was a bit drunk so I promptly joined the cheering and screaming in the streets. One place I'd especially recommend to eat in Barcelona is La Fonda, which was very reasonably priced and delicious. We got our first paella there and loved it.

I tried to only write about the main happenings on the trip but it's tough. The two weeks flew by and I feel like I only saw a fraction of what those cities have to offer. We wanted to do a bike tour in Barcelona but the big soccer game overrode it. I think the next time I visit Europe I'll do several bike tours because it seems like a great way to learn about the cities, see the most important landmarks, and meet other people. The U.S. dollar sucks so the Euro spending got really expensive. With a couple exceptions though, I think we did reasonably well in not spending an unnecessary fortune. The European lifestyle did seem much different than it is in the U.S. I felt much more relaxed and that the people valued leisure and family on a higher level. Despite the hassle of long flights, I can't wait to go back. I may even look into the practicality of living somewhere over there for a short time after college. I love the U.S., but it'd be cool to be free from having to always live within the to states. I know there are some comprehensive language courses so that could be another option.

I think that's plenty for now, but if anyone wants to talk further feel free to PM me, email me, or send me a message on AIM!