Matthew and Kendall take Italy

This past week my brother Matthew and I went to Rome and Florence while I had a week off of school.

First stop, Rome.

Accommodation: Youth Station Hostel, 3 nights.
We met at the hostel since we were both flying in from different parts of the world.
Once there, first thing was first, get real Italian pizza for dinner. And let me tell you it was delicious!

The next day we set out in the direction of the Colosseum where a lot of the interesting monuments are located.

Since the beauty is too much for words I'll try to show you...

Inside the Colosseum

Monument of Victor Emmanuel II (massive and soooo beautiful)

For lunch we had some over prices okay pasta at this small restaurant that took forever to bring our food.

Roman forum

For dinner we bought some frozen veggies and cooked at the hostel to save some money. Then later went went for some very reasonably priced gelato.

The next day while we were walking to the metro, Matthew informed me that he had decided to rent a scooter.  Of course I was all in because it was helping me fulfill my childhood dream of being Lizzie McGuire. So we got the scooter and were off in the direction of the Vatican.

In the Vatican we went into St. Peter's, of course, and ended up climbing to the top... I mean the VERY top.

the top of that dome ^  

                                                   the view from the top (over 600 steps)

After that we grabbed some paninis for lunch and then hopped back on the scooter to hit the major sites we hadn't seen yet.

Trevi Fountain

Pantheon 

For dinner we had some yummy Mexican food.. and of course margs (because Spain sucks and does not fulfill my weekly need for Mexican food).

The next day it was time to head to Florence so we hooped on a train, my first train to be exact.  Soon enough we were there.  Then we walked to our hotel (that Matthew booked with his fancy discount) which was so nice.  After we relaxed for a little bit we when to get some lunch at a nearby Kebab place which was AMAZING then we got on a bus to the city center.

I think the most notable landmark in Florence is the Duomo.  So of course that is what we went to see.   It is definitely different than other basilicas that I have seen, in that it actually has color and design on the OUTSIDE as well as the inside.  It is gorgeous.

Duomo

Basically the rest of Florence was full of just wandering around and walking into any building that we were allowed in. For this reason it all kinda of blurs together in Florence, we saw a lot of amazingly beautiful streets, buildings, and views.  Here are just a view of the pictures.  

Ponte Vecchio

View from Piazzale Michelangelo

Replica of David in Piazzale Michelangelo 

One of many cathedrals

 For me, though, one of the most exciting parts of Florence was the game of spotting the street art.  Specifically the sign art that Florence is famous for because of the artist Chet Abraham.  ...and we found a lot. Here are my results:

 So that's about it.
If you want to see more pictures I'll be adding them on Facebook very soon.
Two and a half more months till I'm back in the US!
Adios!

Morocco!

This past weekend, Friday-Monday, Alice, Aisha, and I went to Morocco while we had a few days off of school.

Since Aisha has family in Morocco, it was an obvious choice, and well, who doesn't want to visit Morocco?

So on Friday morning we hopped on a bus to Madrid to get a flight to Marrakech.  The bus was about six hours long, but it was the nicest bus I have ever been on so it wasn't too bad.  I highly recommend BAM if you have to travel from Almeria to Madrid... because surely at some point you will, right?

We arrived in Madrid around 2pm and had already set out to get Taco Bell once we arrived.  So we navigated the Metro and after what seemed like ages, we stepped out into the rainy mess that was Madrid.  Lucky, Taco Bell was only about a block and a half away from the Metro stop.

At Taco Bell we all got Crunch Wrap Supremes, based on my recommendation, and I officially initiated the girls into our generation, as this was their first Taco Bell experience.  (I know, Ireland sounds like a horrible place right?  ;) No Taco Bell... crazy.)

After that we went in search of a new phone for Alice without success, and we ended up at Starbucks completely drenched and cold.

After some coffee, bathroom breaks, and a little relaxation, we headed back to the Metro to go to the airport.  (Madrid is a really convenient place with all the Metro connections, one benefit of a big city.)

We soon got on our flight and in about two hours we touched down in Marrakech at about 11:30 their time.  Aisha's uncle was waiting for us in the airport and took us to get bus tickets to Agadir the next day, and then took us to his hotel where he put us up for the night.  It was so nice of him to do this for us for free.  Then Aisha ran out to get us some food and we had sandwiches at about 1am and then went to sleep.

The next morning we had a typical Moroccan breakfast of bread, bread, and more bread at the hotel.  (I'm not complaining about all the bread!) Then Aisha's uncle drove us to the bus station and we headed to Agadir, where Aisha's dad has an apartment.

When we got to Agadir we got a taxi to the Marina, where Aisha's family is.

To Alice's and my surprise, it was a beautiful beach, with plenty of tourists, but not too touristy to not count as Morocco.

When we got to Aisha's family's place, we were greeted by her adorable 2 year old brother, Assim,  and once we settled in her step mom made us some lunch.

Afterward we explored the area and exchanged our money to Dirham.

Then we had another "snack" type meal that Aisha's step mom made for us and went to a cafe to get some wifi before we went to sleep.  

The next morning a bunch of Aisha's step mom's family came over and her brother took us to the souk to do a little shopping.  So we went around negotiating and buying.  Unfortunately I didn't get much because I felt bad for the guy who brought us and didn't want to take to long.  Plus the place was absolutely enormous.  

Then we went to the top of this mountain near the Marina and took pictures, held a baby goat, and Alice and I rode a camel.   It was a fabulous day already.

When we got back there was even more family and friends and a Moroccan feast waiting for us.  

As every meal before, we ate as much as our stomachs and consciences could handle then relaxed for a little nap.  

When we woke up we decided to go out for some drinks and wifi.  That turned into some drinks and wifi and pizza and ice cream, but it was lovely none the less.  

When we got back to the apartment, we had some pasta and played with Assim and went to bed.

The next morning it was time to leave.  :(

So we packed up, had breakfast, and hopped in a taxi to the bus station.

After about four hours we got to the Marrakech airport.  Since we were early, we ate some lunch, shopped around and used up the rest of our Dirham before getting on the plane.

When we got to Madrid we looked around for food in the airport for awhile, then decided to just go to the bus station and get food there.

At around 11 our bus left and we settled in for a long miserable night bus ride.  And that it was.

Finally we got to Almeria, sore and grumpy, hopped in a taxi and by 6am we were all asleep in our beds in Huercal.


After around 20 hours of total travel, a trip to a new country and continent, my soul is happy but tired.  Now I am preparing to go to Italy in just two weeks with my brother, Matthew.  I can't wait to see what the next adventure has in store.

Hasta Luego!