Granada: The Big Pomegranate

Granada is world famous for the amazing and spectacular Alhambra Palace, but few people know the meaning of the city. Granada is the Spanish word for “pomegranate”. According to legend, the pomegranate is a sacred fruit for the Jewish people because it has (allegedly) 613 inside each pomegranate and there are 613 commandments in the Torah. A quick Google search will tell you that that isn’t exactly true. Still, you can see pomegranates everywhere, from the street signs to the pebble-work on the ground.

Like many places I’ve visited and will visit in Spain this year, I always think, “How have I been in Spain for three years and not been here?” Not going to Granada isn’t exactly my fault — their train station hasn’t been linked to major cities in three years while they try to ready the station for the AVE. So to get there, I took the high speed train from Madrid to a small town in the Málaga region, then boarded a bus to take me to Granada. Of course, you can get to Granada by bus, but I hate buses. (I get carsick.) Pero por fin, I had arrived in Granada.

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Welcome to YouTube: My Journey to Speak Italian

It’s been a pretty quiet summer from me. I came back to the United States for the summer to get out of that Madrid summer heat. So, this summer has been a lot of working to pay off my credit card before I go back to Europe and snuggling with my dog.

Well, since I haven’t been doing much, I decided to start a new project. My parents and I decided to go to Italy for our Christmas vacation. Why not learn Italian? So, I’ve downloaded a podcast (Coffee Break Italian) and I have a workbook.

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Escape to Sintra

Part of the reason I waited so long to go to Lisbon was so that I could have the opportunity to go to Sintra. I wanted to really have an experience so I packed FOUR sites into my itinerary. Sintra is town just outside of Lisbon that is filled with mansions, castles, and palaces. It’s an easy day trip and it’s sure to take your breath away.

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Lisbon: The Basics

It took me three years of living in Spain to finally make it to Portugal. I always thought the flights were too expensive or that the train took too long … it was just cheaper to go to another country. Finally, finally, I thought it was time to stop making excuses and just go. Man, am I glad I sucked it up.

I originally wanted to go to both Lisbon and Porto, but due to a lack of time and an increase in airline prices, I decided to only go to Lisbon. That was a great choice because it gave me enough time to see the city. Well, actually, there are still so many things that I want to do. I guess I will just have to go back again.

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Princess for a Day: Neuschwanstein Castle

There’s something about a castle that I’ve always admired. Maybe it’s the history, the story behind the castle. Or maybe it’s just the hope many little girls have of being a princess. No, I’m still not bitter, Prince Harry.

Neuschwanstein Castle has been on my list for a few years now, mostly because it serves as the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland in Los Angeles. (The castle at EuroDisney is slighty different.) But once you hear some more history about the castle, it makes it even more fascinating.

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Lessons from Vienna

I’m fresh back from my vacation through the German-speaking countries! Vienna was great and I got to meet up with a friend there to make it even better. It’s a gorgeous and historic city, but there are some lessons I learned while in Austria.

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Four Things I Will Never Get Used to in Madrid

I’ve now been living in Madrid for nearly six months. It’s not too much different than living in the US other than the fact that I live in an apartment in the center of the city. Unlike the rest of Spain, stores are still open on Sundays, I go for my runs, and I go to work. However, there are some things that I’ll never get used to, no matter how long I live here.

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A Parisian Christmas

Being back overseas means getting to spend a Christmas abroad. This year my parents and I had decided on going to Paris for Christmas and London for New Years. To be honest, Paris is one of those places that I know I needed to go to but didn’t really have much desire to visit. The main reason I wanted to go to Paris was to go to Normandy and see the D-Day Beaches. We booked a tour, but unfortunately our tour was cancelled ten days out.

Once we decided on our destinations, we had to decide our order. Should we do London first or Paris first? Unlike London, things are actually open on Christmas. If you’re looking for a European destination at Christmastime, Paris is a great place to go for this reason. The trains and metro are open, which is fantastic! We used them both several times on Christmas day.

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