November 2012

November was a crazy month filled with traveling. The destinations were:

MILAN, ITALY Nov 1-3

Otherwise known of as my solid 48 hours of eating.

Buffalo Mozzarella and Fresh Tomatoes

Pasta with Mushrooms

Tiramisu
Plaza Duomo by Day

Main Cathedral of Milan

Italian Coffee

Fresh Mozzarella and Sausage Pizza

EVOO

Pizza Carnage

Castello Sforzesco

Pietà Rondanini di Michelangelo

Silverware di Sforzesco

Shell in Sforzesco

Inside the Cathedral of Milan

Milan's Fashion District

Window Shopping in Milan

Milan Clock

Milan To Do List

CÓRDOBA, SPAIN Nov 11

Cordoba, Spain is the land of the famous candy cane arches (otherwise know of as the horseshoe arches of la Mezquita – Catedral de Córdoba). We visited it for a guided day trip and basked in the beauty of the ancient city (and some amazing cheesecake, go figure). Cordoba is yet another example of the threefold influence of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity in southern Spain.

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MADRID, SPAIN Nov 16-18

I made quite a few trips back and forth from Granada to Madrid over the semester thanks to my French visa, but this particular weekend was my favorite. A close friend from college flew down from Paris and we spent the weekend being as stereotypically Spanish as we could. Of course, we did well.

El Palacio Real

Cathedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena

City Tour by Night

City Night Tour 2

Parque del Buen Retiro

Buen Retiro

Palacio de Cristal

LAS ALPUJARRAS, SPAIN Nov 23-24
Las Alpujarras is a region in and around the Sierra Nevada mountains of the south of Spain. My program planned a special trip up to the top of the Sierra Nevadas for Thanksgiving, or “Dia de Dar las Gracias.” Despite an hour long bus trip that I thought was going to be my undoing, it was a fantastic experience.

The Bus Ride from Hell

Don't Look Down

The First Trek

The Houses of Las Alpujarras

Homes Sweet Alpujarras

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Long Haul

Flamenco Show

December 2012

December was a chaotic month of final exams, last minute plans, and frantic packing. But I did squeeze in one unforgettable trip to Morocco, Africa.

*Note* Click on the photos to read descriptions!

MOROCCO, AFRICA Dec 6 – 9

I could write a novel about my short trip in Africa, which I got to experience thanks to the amazing program Morocco Exchange (http://moroccoexchange.org) but in the interest of brevity, here are the highlights:

Moroccan Market

Camel Riding

Moroccan Beach

Chellah

More Chellah

The Eel Lady of ChellahRural Homes in Morocco

Sunrise Over Chefchaouen

Morocco was nothing short of amazing and I will always remember it for the great people I met, their wonderful and warm hospitality, the delicious mint tea (I think I averaged about 8 glasses of that a day), the culture shock, and the thought provoking discussions we shared with students, peers, and locals.