Cadiz, Spain

Hello all!

      It has been nearly a week that I have been traveling around in Spain. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time while I was here even though most of the days we experienced heavy rainfall. The first day me and a few friends decided to go to Sevilla and experience the Spanish tradition of Bullfighting. It was the last fight of the season and had the best matadors (which are the men who have a bull running at them)... it was INSANE! There was a total of nine bulls who all ended up dying at the end of their rounds. I am not sure of my feelings regarding what I saw... but I do have to say it was a very culturally important night for the people of Spain and that made me feel privileged to be attending.





The second day September 24th me and my friends went to La Linea in order for me to scuba dive the next day. La Linea is the border town to Gibraltar and it was the closest city that we could get to because Gibraltar is owned by the British and they are not "getting along" enough to provide transportation to and from.  The bus ride was about 3 hours long  and once we arrived we walked around that town to see what it had to offer. It was an interesting place... On the 25th me and my dive buddy went scuba diving in the Strait of Gibraltar... It was an amazing opportunity. We saw many fish and wrecks. The wrecks we dove through were navy planes, boats and funny as it is.. there was a truck that was at the bottom. It was a good time. We were done around 2pm and decided to go back take a nap, eat some food and have a nice cold beer! Man scuba diving was such a workout because of the current that i woke up the next day with sore muscles... I mean... even my fingers hurt!!!!!!

This is where we dove


On the 26th we decided to pay for a tour which took us up the rock of Gibraltar. This rock has a lot of history behind it more specifically during WWII it was used as a way to shoot boats coming into the bay. It was amazing... we toured what was called "the great seige tunnels" Which were used for people to hid out and do surprise attacks on people also we toured caves. The one we specifically toured was used as a hospital for the soldiers and those who were injured in war. One of the best things about the Rock of Gibraltar was the monkeys! YES, there were wild monkeys running around on the rock! They would jump all around on the cars and even onto peoples shoulders! I just loved it!

OH MAN!! I HAVE SAD NEWS!

Hello everyone,

     I am sure that many of you are more aware of what is going on in the Middle East right now than I am. But because of the Anti- American protests going on in the Middle East and Northern Africa Semester at Sea has decided to cancel our port of call to Casablanca, Morocco because of some recent riots happening in the city. I am sad that I will not be able to visit this country as it was one of the many ports I was looking forward to going to. But it is more important that we stay safe. Below I have attached the new itinerary for these countries.....

    It makes me so mad that people think it is OK to put people down like this. Thank you for freedom of speech but darn... this action and actions similar to this is just plain sad.

Cadiz, Spain
Port of Cadiz Bay Pza. de España, 17 Berth: TBA	Arrive	September 23	08:00
	Depart	September 28	20:00
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands
Puertos de Tenerife Av Francisco La Roche, 49 Berth: TBA	Arrive	September 30	08:00
	Depart	October 1	20:00

 
Here is a new map also....

Fwd: Portugal

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” – Samuel Johnson

Hello everyone!

     Portugal was pretty amazing! As many of you know I spent the whole time at the beach. I had to soak up the sun and swim in the ocean that has been teasing me for the last month! It was so gorgeous. The first day we walked 3 hours to the beach when we realized that we could hop on a train in order to get there. So we did not have much of a beach day that day.. but it was still wonderful none the less. The beach we went to was in a city in Caiscas (I don't know if I spelled it right). The sidewalks of the city were blue and white stones and the buildings were small but painted a whole bunch of different colors. We decided to get a bottle of the Portuguese Rose Wine and sit on the beach to watch the sunset! It was absolutely breathtaking. I tried to capture the beauty but my camera did not do it justice...

     The next day we went back to the beach and hung out there all day! BOY do I have some good tan lines now :) The water was so cold.. you could hardly stay in it for very long. Once we had enough of relaxing we rented paddle boards and paddled around the harbor for a little.... let me tell you... that was a great workout! We left the beach after sun down and decided to see what the night life was like. So we went to a bar where we met some really friendly guys. They took us around the area and showed us where the best places were to hang out. It was a great night.

    The third day we went to the Oceanarium... which is a huge Aquarium. It was wonderful. The had a whole tank for just sea turtles! So of course I had to hang out there and watch them until my friends dragged me away. But there was a wide variety of sharks, fish, otters and octopi. I was kind of bummed out that they did not let you take any pictures.. but I guess it was for the best. We left there just in time. By the time we got back to the ship we had 15 minutes until "on ship time". If you are late you have to stay on the ship longer in the next port. I really failed on taking photos. I have about 10. I was waaaay to distracted :) I also was kind of bummed that we did not travel around Lisbon very much... it just means I will have to come back....BUMMER! It was such a beautiful area.

Well here are some pictures!

{GMST}39|.0486|N|10|3.10685|W|Almost to Portugal|Next Lisbon!{GEND}

Almost to Portugal!!!!!!!!!

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote: to travel is to live.”
-Hans Christian Andersen

Today while walking around my floating home I came across the quote posted above. I have been reflecting on the last couple weeks and how lucky I am to be able to experience a variety of different cultures and countries while meeting extraordinary people along the way. I know how much of an opportunity this is and I know that I have been doing everything imaginable to get everything out of this experience I can. I have seen many beautiful sites that I didn't know even existed. I have gained knowledge in the world as well as learned things about myself I didn't know before. I have lived and learned more in the last few weeks than I would have ever thought possible!

For those who have not seen where I am living... I was able to capture this picture while I was in Antwerp, Belgium. I decided in December that I wanted to participate in Semester at Sea. And with a lot of work and dedication I was able to pull it off... of course I couldn't do it alone.. SO THANK YOU a million times over to everyone who supported me both financially and emotionally!! I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

Sailing on the beautiful waters

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson

Today has been a wonderful day at sea. I woke up to  a beautiful sunrise. The sea looked like waves of silk. It was gorgeous!  Class went on as usual. We talked about interesting topics like herbal medicine in Cultural Anthropology and Festivals celebrated in other countries in Public Performances. After class I went to work in the Field Office and was busy like usual.. I finally got a minute to take a step back and look at the world in which I live in. The ocean is such a gorgeous color.. it is dark and light blue mixed with some turquoise. Oh how lucky of a girl I am. It is amazing what you see and think about when you take the time to stop, look and listen to the world around you! I miss all my friends and family so much! I wish you were all here to experience this adventure with me!

 Much Love from the middle of the Atlantic!!

Pictures from Amsterdam

This image is what made me fall in love with this city!

This is Amsterdam's National Monument

This is their Royal Palace.

Pictures from Antwerp, Belgium

CHECK OUT THE DETAIL!

This is their Cathedral

This is one of the entry way into the Cathedral

South Hampton, London, England

This is what my month looks like! Only 7 classes this month!!


This is the London Eye. It is the third largest Ferris wheel in the world. From the very top you are able to see all of London. Of course... you all know me.... the swings right next to the Eye was a must to go on... they go almost as high!
And this lovely this is BIG BEN!


This is the Houses of Parliament. This picture does not do it justice... This place is like 3 blocks long!

A few Ireland Photos

     This is what Galway, Ireland looks like!


This is a building in the center of Dublin. It houses all the government meetings.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oh Amsterdam!

      While the ship was docked in Antwerp, Belgium for a week the students were allowed to travel to neighboring countries like the Netherlands, France, and Germany. Me and a friend decided to see what Amsterdam was all about. So we decided to spend three days/nights there. It was definitely a sight to see. I never thought it would be such a beautiful area. There were so many wonderful buildings as well as monuments and palaces. Just like all the other European cities I have been to on this adventure the architecture of this building was amazing. The train we took to get there was similar to the one in the movie Eurotrip.. It had cabins which held six passengers and were enclosed... it reminded me of trains shown is some of the older movies. While we were traveling there we met a man from Sydney, Australia who had us laughing the whole two hour ride... which made it go by super fast! The minute we got there we were on a hunt for a place to sleep.. we eventually found a hotel in our price range. So we booked it, went to the room to set our backpacks down then went to walk around the town. There were so many people on the streets it was difficult to get from one place to the other. One thing that stuck out to me was the main mode of transportation was bicycles. So when crossing the street not only did you have to look both ways to see oncoming cars, you had to watch out for bikes, scooters and trollies which all had their own lane to drive in.. but thank the lord they drive on the correct side of the street or else I would have been in major trouble!

    On the second day we ventured around until we ran into the Anne Frank house. For those that don't know or don't remember her and her family went into hiding during the Holocaust in the attic of a home in Amsterdam. This home was turned into a museum which people are able to see how they lived and read their stories. It was a really emotional tour. I have never read the Anne Frank diary, so it was all new to me, but while I was walking through the house it amazed me how they lived. One room contained a bedroom, living room, kitchen and study. The whole time I was thinking how much I take for granted back home. After the museum we decided to get lost in the city and see life like a local. So we rented bikes and cruised through the city.. Once we decided we were done being lost.. my excellent map reading skills got us back to where we started.  On the third day we took a city tour which showed us all the major buildings which was nice, ate lunch in a local park and hung out the rest of the day. That evening we decided to be brave and go to the red light district. That was interesting. Pretty different from what we see at home. Needless to say we didn't spend much time there.  All in all Amsterdam was a beautiful place to hang out. I would definitely love to visit again!

Antwerp, Belgium

Can anyone say chocolate and waffles?!

     We arrived in Antwerp on September 10th. The very first thing I had to do was find some waffles and chocolate.. and boy did I succeed! There was a little restaurant in the middle of town that served real chocolate waffles. They were amazing.. so amazing it didn't last longer than a minute on my plate! I planned to hang out in Antwerp on the first day and see what the city was like. It is such a beautiful area with a lot of history behind it so there were a lot of monuments, cathedrals (Kathedraal as they spell it) and castles. Antwerp is known for its Diamonds.. so being a girl I had to go see what the fuss was all about. Mom and Dad relax.. I didn't buy any! After I experienced Diamond Central. I found an elevator/ escalator that went underground and then under the river that cuts through the city. It was a really interesting situation..  much better than walking over the bridge! On the other side of the river is where all the parks are. I went to what they called Graffiti Forest which was a park that use to be a wasteland until 2008 when it was cleaned up and turned into an area where people from all over the world have come and painted on the walls. It was a site to see... it was such beautiful art compared to the graffiti we see in the US. Antwerp was such a quiet city. The city doesn't wake up until around noon which threw us all off guard. There were many times that the only people on the streets are Semester at Sea people. It made for a nice time to be a tourist!

This is a picture of Stradhuis which is also known as the city hall.

Almost to Belgium!

Hello everyone!

On my last post I didn't proof read and said I was going to
Dublin for chocolates (thanks mom!) but in reality I am on my way to
Belgium now! We will be arriving there in the morning... I am pretty
excited! This is the longest time I will spend in port. I have made
plans with a lot of friends tonight and it sounds like it will be a
pretty busy week. Tomorrow (Monday) we will be hanging out in Antwerp
all day and seeing what the city has to offer. Tuesday- Friday I will be
in Amsterdam ( YEAH BUDDY!) to see what that area is all about :) Friday
afternoon we will venture back to the ship. Saturday morning we all will
venture to Brussels because we heard there is a lot to do and see! I am
soo excited to share my stories in a week! I will not have my computer
with me. But I will try and access wifi off friends computers! I love
you all! Stay tuned to see what Belgium has to offer!

South Hampton (London), England

Hello Mates!

I have arrived to England! Our boat docked in South Hampton on the
5th. There is not much to see here so a couple of friends and I decided
to spend our time in London. We took the train to London and when we
arrived our first mission was to find our hotel. Conveniently but
unintentionally we walked past the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben,
Buckingham Palace, and the London Bridge. I was amazed by all the
detailed architecture around the city.... Even the light poles were
beautiful! We eventually arrived at our hotel after a 3 hour walk..
relaxed then went to dinner where we met some locals who showed us
around town. That evening we went to were all the clubs are and
experienced that for a little where I unintentionally ran into some
Queens guards! The next day we toured the city by foot just to see what
it was all about. I was thoroughly impressed with my map reading skills.
We didn't get lost once! During our walking adventure we went on the
London Eye which is the third largest Ferris wheel in the world. You
were able to see the whole city of London. It was amazing... thanks for
the recommendation Leann! London was a beautiful city with many things
to see. There was never a dull moment! The next day the 7th we ventured
to Stonehenge. It was amazing to me that there were these rocks placed
in such an artist way and know one really knows why they are there.
There of course is some theories but there is no definite answer!
Tonight we will be leaving South Hampton and venturing on to Dublin! YAY
for some chocolate!!!

Stay tuned!

Galway and Dublin Ireland!

Hello all!!!!

WOW! Ireland was absolutely amazing!!!! I will most definitely
be back! I arrived in Galway on the 31st of August. It is such a
beautiful area with a lot of history behind it. There was still a lot of
the medieval buildings and architecture around the town. It reminded me
a lot of Boulder, Colorado. It was a college town and felt like it had
the same set up. The main city took place on a couple of streets. I am
sure you will not be surprised when I say that there were more pubs than
shopping. The first day in Galway I took a walking tour of the city
which was helpful because I gained a general knowledge of where
everything was. It was wonderful. The next day (Sept. 1st) me and a
couple friends decided to experience real Irish coffee before heading
out to the Cliffs of Moher. It was such a spectacular site to see! Once
we returned we had to experience the pub life.... that was fun! The ship
debarked on the 31st so me and my friends traveled overland to Dublin.
It was a three hour bus ride but allowed us to see the country side.
Once we arrived in Dublin we decided to go back to the ship to chill out
for a little. It didn't last long.. soon enough we were back roaming the
streets! While we were in Dublin there was a Navy vs. Notre Dam football
game. It was so packed it felt like the city streets of New York. It was
a good time there as well. I didn't do much site seeing because
wondering around the city was interesting enough for me. I walked past
the local college (Trinity College) and down to Temple bar (which is
where all the tourist hang out) I decided to find myself some
traditional Irish pubs which is where I hung out most of the night. The
next day (Sept. 3) I ventured out to see what more the city had to
offer. It consisted of restaurants, shopping and pubs. The Irish people
where so friendly and willing to show us around the town. It was
definitely weird compared to back home. Ireland has become my new
favorite country!

I love and miss you all so very much!! xoxoxoxoxoxo