It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This week they finally lit up all the Christmas decorations that are hanging around Granada, which made me very happy because I did not want to leave without seeing the city all lit up and festive-looking.  It definitely feels like Christmas here now with all the plazas decorated and people out busily buying last minute gifts.  

However, I can't believe that tonight is my last night in Granada and that tomorrow I'll be in Edinburgh.  I'm also super excited because I checked the weather reports and it should be snowing while we are there and maybe also in London...I might finally get a white Christmas!  Since I won't be able to post anything till I get home, I hope that everyone has a great Christmas and I can't wait to see you all so soon!  

Monday in Granada

Today marks my last official week in Granada (and also the start of finals) and I can't believe how the time has flown.  I must say though that I am getting very excited to see my family again and to see how much my lovely little nephew has grown...I think I might just have to hold and snuggle with him all day long when I get back! 

Back when he was just a little guy!

Rome, day 3

On our third and last day in Rome, we finally got to see inside the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.  We spend at least two hours between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, and probably could've spend more if we wouldn't have been so hungry for lunch! 

Doug contemplating the hundreds of gladiator deaths that occurred there...

Rome is simply amazing!

Cool tree

Underneath where the colosseum floor would have been.

This picture is from the Trevi fountain and look at all those people!  No matter where we went in Rome this weekend, the crowds were unbelievable.

So after seeing the Colosseum and walking around the city some more, we headed back to our hostel and then we were off to the airport and back to Granada...well, I wish it had been that simple.  Actually our flight in Rome ended up being over an hour late, so we missed our bus in Madrid to take us to Granada.  So when we finally got to Madrid at about 1am, we ran to the bus station to catch the last bus for Granada at 1:30am.  Luckily, we made it and we able to sleep somewhat on the bus (it is a five hour bus ride from Madrid to Granada) before arriving back in Granada at 6:30am...it definitely was an adventure!

Rome, day 2

On Sunday we saw the Pope... we woke up early and made our way to Vatican City so that we would be there by twelve, when he addresses the crowd from his window.  

Can you see the nuns? (There are some by the fountain!)

Saint Peter's Basilica

Inside the basilica

The crowd anxiously waiting to see the Pope.  I loved how one group of people brought balloons to grab the Pope's attention! 

The Pope, or as we call him in Spanish...el Papa

The river Tevere, with Saint Peter's Basilica in the background.

After lunch we went to the Pantheon.

Creepy Pantheon fountain statue

Then we headed over the the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, but by the time we got the Colosseum entrance to by our tickets, they were closing, so we had to go back the next morning.  The ruins though were breathtaking to look at, by far my favorite part about Rome, and it was really funny because there were men on the street playing some sort of wind instrument and trying to sell their cds, but the music gave the whole experience a really epic feeling since they were playing songs from Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Doug's panoramic of the Roman Forum 

We ended our day at the Spanish steps and saw an amazing sunset... along with the rest of Rome since it was so crowded that we could barely move!

Rome, day 1

Saturday night, our first night in Rome, we decided to see the famous Trevi Fountain since it was close to our hostel and we were all pretty worn out from traveling.  It was absolutely amazing, much bigger than I imagined, however the pictures of it didn't turn out that well...so I'll just post this one.  But I did throw I coin in the fountain so I guess that means I'll be going back to Rome, which is fine with me!

Florence, day 2

Fortunately, the weather was considerably better for our second day in Florence and the sun actually was out for most of the day...which made the temperature seem much warmer and we were able to dry out our soaking boots!

We went back to Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge in Florence, and did some window shopping and people watching. 

On the Ponte Vecchio there is this statue that is surrounded by a cast iron fence, and on apparently couples come and place a lock on the fence with their names written on it, what a cute idea!

After crossing the bridge we walked down to this wonderful park called Giardino di Boboli.  It was so beautiful with bare trees and orange leaves covering the ground.

Then we got some delicious pizza and calzones at a place across from Il Duomo (pictured above) and continued to walk around the city until we had to leave to catch our train to Rome!  Overall our time in Florence was great, and I especially loved all of the little markets set up throughout the city so much that out of the places I have traveled to so far, I think that Florence has the best markets!  

Florence, day 1

Since the weather on our first day in Florence was rainy and slightly unpleasant, we just ended up walking around the city and then up to Piazzale Michaelangelo to get a nice view of the city. The pictures are a little gloomy and grey because of the rain...

Views from Piazzale Michaelangelo

Pathway to Piazzale Michaelangelo

Ponte Vecchio

Piazza della Signornia 

Milan

Due to a overbooked train from Milan to Florence (which the tren Italia lady assured us wouldn't happen) we had to spend six and half hours in the Milan train station from 12am to 6:30am to catch our next train.  It was the coldest night of my life, but at least it makes for an interesting story!

Italy

Early Monday morning I returned from my trip to Italy, which was absolutely beautiful but also a little interesting since we had some travel mishaps along the way, however since I'm super busy this week studying for finals and finishing a paper, I'm just going to post pictures of what we did each day with little explanations.  

I hope that you all are having a great Thursday and I can't wait to see everyone in a couple of weeks, I can't believe how fast time is going by! Love you all!

Shakespeare and Company

Shakespeare and Company was by far my favorite little shop that we found in Paris.  It's a little english book store with such a homey feeling that is located along the Seine and facing Notre Dame.  I could spend hours in there, especially since I was with my friend Lexi who reads constantly and has tons of cool recommendations for me.  The shelves are filled from top to bottom and then there's just stacks of books piled up in the corners and under the stairs.  After looking downstairs for awhile, we headed upstairs where all the used and antique books are located.  There is even a writers cubicle, reading room and an antique typewriter for you to write down your thoughts!  

Sunday and some macaroons

Jardin des Plantes

An entrance to Place des Vosges

On Sunday, before heading to Sacré-Coeur, Doug and I walked around Place des Vosges and then headed down to a lovely park named Jardin des Plantes.  Although it was a cloudy day, it was still beautiful to walk along the Seine down to the park.  I was also surprised to see the amount of people that were roller blading along the river.  The park had various little museums and exhibits, but my favorite part about it was that in the southern part of it there was a little hill that had a labyrinth leading to a gazebo that looked out on the cute Parisian apartments.

After strolling around the park for a little while, we made our way to Pierre Hermé, a macaroon shop.  Doug and I got a little pack of four macaroons to share.  I picked one that had dark chocolate and raspberry and then another that was marrón.  Doug picked coffee and rose (he liked it but I think that the chocolate flavors are much better).  They were so cute all packaged up in their little bag and everyone in the shop was so nice, definitely worth the stop!