Last and Final Trip: ITALIA

Hi all,
This blog will most definitely be one of the hardest to write, as I was in Italy for a week, and visited so many historic and beautiful cities. The excursion started out pretty rough, as we had to be up at 4 AM on Thursday morning, and slept a total of ZERO hours due to some girls partying and laughing in our apartment. This was not easy, as travelling with no sleep is extremely difficult, and sleep is not easy to come by when you are travelling. We got to the airport on time, and realized that we were on the same flight as 2 of our girlfriends in our program, and would be in Rome and Florence on the same nights. We arrived in Rome and went straight to our friend Lindsay's apartment, who we go to Cal Poly with, as we were staying with her. After we put our stuff in the apartment, we reunited with Nicole and Kelly, and another friend named Taylor who studies in Rome. Taylor was awesome and took us around Rome, which made it possible to see as much as we did.
We started the day visiting the Colosseum, which was great to see, and very historical. We walked around the surrounding of the Colosseum, and refreshed are memories about the history behind the historic monument, which I will not get into via the blog. We then ate our first Italian meal, and a family owned restaurant nearby the Colosseum. Absolutely incredible pasta sampler, which was 4 different types of pasta, and of course, red wine. The meal was so amazing, and so fun. Although we were enjoying our meal, we needed to visit many more sites. We then went on a turbo mission around Rome, visiting sites such as the The Pantheon, the roman ruins, and Piazza novana. These sites were all very beautiful and amazing to see, and I would love to show you pictures of each and everyone of them.
After this long day of exploring Rome and all of its historical monuments, we needed a quick nap before heading out for a long night. We decided to pick up pizzas near Lindsay's house, which was a great midnight snack to come home to. The nightlife in other European cities does not compare to the nightlife in Barcelona, but is also a great change. We went to 2 different bars, one called Sloppy Sam's, and the other called Scholars. Scholars was a great Irish bar, in which we spent both nights there, singing and enjoying a live band as well as great music played by a DJ. Nate and I, were lucky enough to be accompanied by 2 young ladies, so the night was even that much more enjoyable. HAHAHAHA.
The next day, Friday, was one of my most favorite days of my experiences abroad thus far. We woke up in the morning, and met up with our friend Nicole (Kegley) who studies in Barcelona. One of the best purchases/investments we made throughout our trip was booking a private tour of the Vatican, in which a lady walked us around the museum and the Sisteen Chapel. For a total of 3 1/2 hours, we had an amazing and funny tour guide who talked through a headset, in which we all had sets as well. This was so funny, as the tour guides code name was Alpha, I was Beta, Nicole was Zeta, and Nate was Foxtrot. We made the tour of such a historical monument not only memorable, but a great time as well. After spending about 4 hours in the Vatican and the Sisteen chapel, we decided to treat our self to lunch, and Vino Tinto (Red Wine in Spanish.)
Unfortunately, the afternoon was altered as the weather drastically changed, and it began to pour outside. My friends and I made the most of the situation, and decided to watch movies and cuddle on the floor of Taylor's apartment, very funny pictures. For dinner, we went to Alfredo's restaurant, which is where Alfredo sauce was created. Very expensive meal for just Alfredo Pasta, but very authentic and an experience in itself. After dinner we went back to Scholar's bar for some drinks and company, but did not stay out late as we departed early in the morning.
Saturday morning, we departed at 7 AM for Florence. Florence was such a small but amazing city, in which I will definitely return and visit again. We stayed at one of the nicest hostels yet, with a pool and sauna, and great/new/clean facilities. After we checked into our hostel, we started on our excursions of Florence, as we only had 1 day. Following Nate's lead, we were able to visit many of the historic and artistic museums and cathedral's, and were also able to visit The David. NOTE TO ALL: DO not take a picture of the David. Of course, I did, and was nearly thrown out of the museum. I just played dumb, and said I did not speak English, Italian, or Spanish, so they did not do anything. Very funny. We ate a delicious lunch in Florence, and conversed with a few locals, which is always fun. After such a long and productive afternoon of walking around, we were in need of a Siesta (Nap in Spanish.) After our nap, we met up with our friend Nicole again, who was staying at the same hostel. We then went to one of the best restaurants I have ever been too, with the most delicious Italian food. All of us ordered starters, pastas, and one of the most amazing meat dishes I have ever tasted, which was covered in a Balsamic cream sauce. Absolutely amazing. One thing I will really miss about the European culture and my experiences abroad is the amount of time spent during meals, drinking wine, sharing stories, and just having a great time. It was one of my most favorite meals, and the name of the restaurant is Acqua 2. If your ever in Florence, you must pay that establishment a visit. At around 1 AM, we were forced to leave the restaurant due to the amount of public affection being exhibited by the couple sitting next to us, Europeans are not afraid to show their compassion and feelings in front of others....
Sunday, was by far one of the most memorable days of the entire European trip. With the help of my cousin Jana, who previously studied abroad in Barcelona, and a few other friends, I was recommended to visit a town in Italy by the name of Cinque Terre, which means Five Villages. This was absolutely one of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced, along with Fiji and Interlaken, Switzerland. The five villages are all coastal, and there is a 6 hour hike along the coastal mountain side in which takes you to all the villages. The villages are all extremely small, and not very touristic, and have the most breathtaking views ever. Throughout the coastal mountainside hike, Nate and I came across several obstacles: A rock slide that happened earlier that day (not very comforting), tons of mud, lots of fallen trees, and a lack of sleep/energy. Putting all obstacles aside, it was so nice to spend the whole day with such beautiful surrounding, stopping and taking in the views and reflecting on our experiences thus far. What an amazing day. After the 6 hour hike, which we had to finish in pure darkness (not smart), Nate and I returned to our "different hostel." When we arrived, the hostel owner said he would be there in 20 minutes, and made us stay in an apartment. Of course we get there, and there is absolutely no toilet paper, so we have to use a be day, very interesting..... yet European. So many funny pictures, and beautiful ones of our hike, so please be sure to ask me about them. Nate and I were extremely tired, so after a quick dinner we went to bed around 9PM and froze are butts of, with no heating in the abandon apartment building.
Monday morning, was not one of the smoothest days abroad. Thus far, our trip was flawless, but this day was full of mishaps, or as we like to say "TOUGH PILLS." We had to wake up around 6 AM in order to leave Cinque Terre on a 5 hour journey to Venice. However, our train to Venice including 2 stopovers, in which both of our trains were delayed, and we did not make it to Venice until 3 PM, with great weather. Unfortunately, in Europe, it is almost pure darkness by 5PM, which meant we were not going to have much of a day in Venice. Then, the mishaps would not stop, although turned out to be a great/hilarious story. Our original hotel, was damaged to the recent serious flooding, so our hotel was switched, which took us over an hour to find. To our dismay, our new hotel, was called Romeo and Juliet. Immediately upon hearing the name, I warned Nate and let him know I felt it was going to be an interesting experience. And that it was. Of course, Nate and I were placed in a very exclusive and elite couples only hotel, and were placed in one of the only 6 rooms in the hotel. Each room was designed in a different way, and ours was the mirror room, as mirrors surrounding the king sized bed, and were above the bed and in the shower.
This was absolutely hilarious, and depressing. We made the most of the afternoon, enjoying the only nice weather we would experience for the rest of our trip. We ate dinner at a very Venetian restaurant, which is not the Italian food we are used to. However, the local-ness of the restaurant was great, and we then headed back to our hotel. This was tough, as we were kept up by our fellow suitemates, who were expressing their love/compassion for one another. However, we made the most of the experience and just laughed it out.
On Tuesday, our final full day in Italy, we were blessed with incredibly foggy weather, in which 5 feet visibility was pushing it. We decided that we would take boats, the only mode of transportation in Venice as it is completely surrounded by water, to some of the surrounding islands. First, we visited Murano, where Venetian glass is created/made. This was extremely interesting and a great place to purchase gifts for the family. We were also able to witness an exhibition in which they were making glass right in front of us. We then visited another island, which was amazing, called Burano. This is the picturesque Italy, with the very closely connected colored houses. I have some great pictures of us in Burano. We then ate an Italian lunch, and enjoyed the company of an odd group of locals, who are have never travelled off the small island.
Tuesday night was odd, as we were kind of lonely. Venice is a great city, very surreal as it is completely surrounded by water, and you must take a boat anywhere. However, I would say that it was the most romantic city I visited, and not easy to be travelling with one guy friend, although I love him dearly. However, we ate dinner and crashed early, as this marked the end of journey, for good...
Wednesday we woke up early, toured around Venice, visited Saint Marks' square and the cathedral, and were able to witness the flooding. Although catastrophic, it was amazing to see, and I felt sorry for the shop owners. Venice was the most surreal city of the trip, but definitely not my favorite.
I arrived back in Barcelona on Wednesday night, and went straight into work mode, as Thursday marked one of the biggest academic projects of the semester. Although I did not dedicate as much time to the project as I normally would, we scored a 95%, the highest grade in the class. For the project, my partner Bryan Barth, who is my roommate and I, were consultants regarding investments in China. I learned a lot about the country of China, as well as important information regard foreign direct investments, which I really enjoy. Since Thursday, I have been living up my last weekend in Barcelona.
I have had the BEST TIME ever, and have extreme mixed feelings about coming home, but cannot wait to see my family and friends who I have missed throughout the last several months. This trip has been so life changing: Academically, Personally, and so full of fun. I was talking to one of my roommates last night before we went out to a club, and really reflected on my last several months. As much as I have travelled, partied, drank, ate, and such... I have learned a lot. Not only academically and through some of my classes, but about myself and who I am. Sorry for the long blog, I will update the last and final blog on Thursday night after my finals, which I am not too worried about. I believe I will end up with 3 A's and one B+, which is great, and keeps my GPA where I want it. Love everyone.
-B

Back in Barcelona

Hey everyone,
I have gotten some e-mails wondering where the latest blog post about Italy is. Well, believe it or not, I just got home very late last night, as we extended our trip. It was by far the best/most amazing trip throughout Italy, but I do not have the time to post the blog right now. In a few hours, I have one of the biggest presentations of the quarters, in which I will be talking in front of group of 40 people, about potential investments in China. My roommate Brian Barth and I have been preparing this project for several months, and I hope it goes well. I will be sure to update you all later tonight about Italy as well as my feeling on our presentation.
B

Thanksgiving Week In Barcelona

Hey everyone,
Cannot believe I am writing this, and have less than 3 weeks less untill arrive back in Los Angeles. Surreal, with both negative and positive emotions. I am actually up early than ever in Barcelona, as I am trying to work on my final International Business project before I leave for Italia. As for my week/weekend in Barcelona, it was filled with both some academics, and a lot of time spending with friends and enjoying the company of the many amazing/cool people I have met abroad.
I spent the beginning of my week recovering from my long weekend in Paris, and began really preparing for one of my biggest assignments all quarter for my Comparitive Economics course. The project was on Corporate Social Responsibility, exploring its positive and negative consequences and implications. I was extremely impressed with the way the project turned out, and was told by several of my classmates that they enjoyed my presentation. However, this instructor is extremely critical and foreign, and I was unsure whether or not he enjoyed it after his comments. However, after class, he commented on my thorough research and told me that I did a great job, so that was a nice Thanksgiving gift.
Believe it or not, I have not been homesick once since leaving on the first of September. Thursday was definately weird, but I did not feel homesick at all. Of course I missed my family, but my roommates and I made the most of this once in a lifetime Thanksgiving in Barcelona, and decided to cook an eloborate meal at Aribau, which is the name of our flat. The roommates and I went to Corte Ingles, which is the one and only department store in Barcelona, which has everything, including a full service grocery store. We purchased a turkey, and goods in order to prepare stuffing and mashed potatos. Our meal, although our cooking space was limited, turned out fantastic, and was awesome to sit around our kitchen table and reminice about the last several months. I will have to say, I will seriously miss living with such a great group of guys, and always having the BEST TIME EVER.
The rest of the weekend was pretty mellow, except for Thursday night. After our Thanksgiving meal, we went to the most exclusive nightclub in Barcelona, on the house. One of my friends, has been on a few dates with the owners son, so we were able to sit VIP and drink for free at Sutton nightclub, which is unreal. I will definately share some stories with those interested. Friday, Jim, Clark, and I, showed a visitor many of the touristic spots around Barcelona, and then decided to take the night to relax, and went to our first movie in Barcelona, James Bond: Quantam of Solace. It was SO nice to be able to sit in a movie theater with popcorn and soda, and just relax. I cannot even tell you. This trip has been a trip of a lifetime, but the LEAST bit relaxing. Not complaining at all though.
Saturday, a few of the roommates and I went on a pub crawl, which was great because we were able to visit many of the historic bars around the city, and party with many people. I did not get out of hand, as we were meeting Jim's parents in the city, which was awesome. I will definately show you some pictures of the pub crawl, as my name was Pablo and you MUST see my outfit. Very funny. That night we went to a very unusual restaurant, which is based from the country Senegal, which is in Africa (Akon's hometown). This was very cool, and the atmosphere was unreal. So cool to explore local spots, when they are nice to you(not always.)
The weeks go by faster and faster, and the days seem to be 2 hours long. I need to focus on my China Project, in which I must talk to a group of 45 students as if they are potential investors in the Chinese economy, and give them a full picture of why/why not to invest, and which are the emerging and profitable markets/opportunities. Academically, I have been exposed to many different learning/educational tactics, which has been one of the highlights of my experience. Although much easier and less workload than Cal Poly, the perspectives from International professors has been unique, and I will forever remember some of the information and knowledge I have been exposed to.
Its already Tuesday, and I leave Thursday for Italia. I will be gone for a total of 6 days, which is my longest trip. I was supposed to end my Italy trip with one night in Venice, but they are experiencing one of the biggest floods in history (Check it out on the Internet,) so i think I am going to have to alter my trip. I will provide a long update upon my return. Untill then, have an awesome week/weekend and you are all in my thoughts. I hope each and everyone of you had an awesome Thanksgiving. See you in a couple of weeks(hopefully.)
-B