Just in case you were wondering:
(Yes, this is still the problem foremost in my mind.)
How to pronounce the cause of the travel paralysis in Europe.
You're welcome.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
And it goes on
Words I have learned today in Spanish: volcano, erupt, eruption, ash cloud, and stranded. Thank you, world.
Edited to add, courtesy of my friend Mia:
Edited to add, courtesy of my friend Mia:
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Dammit, Iceland
So, Eyjafjallajoeku-whatever (honestly what kind of name is that, even, there are way too many 'j's in there), if you ruin my trip to London on Thursday, something drastic is going to happen. Ryanair has already canceled all flights to/from the UK through Wednesday. I have the sinking suspicion that I am going to be severely disappointed next weekend. ICELAND, WHY.
On the bright side, the BBC headlines have been great, in a horrible way: "Volcanic ash spreads more travel misery across Europe," "Europe flight misery to drag on," "Hundreds flee Icelandic volcano," "Ash imperils bone marrow patients" (not a funny side effect, certainly, but sort of a ridiculous headline nonetheless), "How volcanoes have shaped history."
Still. Not funny, Iceland. Seriously.
On the bright side, the BBC headlines have been great, in a horrible way: "Volcanic ash spreads more travel misery across Europe," "Europe flight misery to drag on," "Hundreds flee Icelandic volcano," "Ash imperils bone marrow patients" (not a funny side effect, certainly, but sort of a ridiculous headline nonetheless), "How volcanoes have shaped history."
Still. Not funny, Iceland. Seriously.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Casablanca
So Morocco is an amazing country.
I went with my Islam class and everything was organized for us. It was a wonderful break, because that soon after spring break I could not have dealt with trying to plan activities or remembering how to get back to the hotel; it was nice to just show up in the lobby by a certain time every morning and then get herded around all day. Also, everybody in Morocco speaks French, which made my life significantly easier (you get much better deals if you barter in French instead of English, it seems.)
Our first stop was Casablanca.
Seeing the contrast between the rich - very rich - and the very poor so close together is exactly what you see when you travel to Mexico or the Dominican Republic. When it's luxurious, of course, it's very luxurious.
Stunning mosque by the sea.
Because Muslim art never has human figures, they apparently got very good at making astonishingly beautiful patterns.
If you throw a rock anywhere in this country you hit history. Look, ruins!
Arab baths.
I am sure this will surprise nobody, but one of the things I was most excited for was the food. It did not disappoint... more on that later. More pictures from Rabat, Meknes and Fez coming soon!
I went with my Islam class and everything was organized for us. It was a wonderful break, because that soon after spring break I could not have dealt with trying to plan activities or remembering how to get back to the hotel; it was nice to just show up in the lobby by a certain time every morning and then get herded around all day. Also, everybody in Morocco speaks French, which made my life significantly easier (you get much better deals if you barter in French instead of English, it seems.)
Our first stop was Casablanca.
Seeing the contrast between the rich - very rich - and the very poor so close together is exactly what you see when you travel to Mexico or the Dominican Republic. When it's luxurious, of course, it's very luxurious.
Stunning mosque by the sea.
Because Muslim art never has human figures, they apparently got very good at making astonishingly beautiful patterns.
If you throw a rock anywhere in this country you hit history. Look, ruins!
Arab baths.
I am sure this will surprise nobody, but one of the things I was most excited for was the food. It did not disappoint... more on that later. More pictures from Rabat, Meknes and Fez coming soon!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Spring break, part 3
¡Barthelooooona!
Es decir, en pocas palabras...
La playa
Sitting on the beach
Los parques
Napping in parks
¿GAUDÍ?
Looking at some crazy Gaudí creations
Lo que necesito
Paella and coffee are basically all I consume in this country anymore
Pasamos por las calles
Seen from the streets
Hasta la madrugada
Nighttime discoveries
Barcelona, nos vemos...
Es decir, en pocas palabras...
La playa
Sitting on the beach
Los parques
Napping in parks
¿GAUDÍ?
Looking at some crazy Gaudí creations
Lo que necesito
Paella and coffee are basically all I consume in this country anymore
Pasamos por las calles
Seen from the streets
Hasta la madrugada
Nighttime discoveries
Barcelona, nos vemos...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)