Paying to sign my life away

The jump!!

After doing the 007 Goldeneye Verzacsa Bungee Jump of 720 feet, the highest in the world!

This weekend has gone down in my "life book" as the most adventurous one ever! We headed for Milan bright and early Friday morning where we were met by an Italian bus driver who drove us two and a half hours to Bellinoza, where we were staying for the night. Never in my life did I expect Switzerland to be so stunning. Everywhere you looked you saw rolling hills, enormous mountains, and running waterfalls. Words can't even describe it's beauty. Our hostel, the Istituto Santa Maria, turned out to be amazing and conveniently located directly next door to an old castle. For only 30 Francs a night, we were able to stay right in the center of the town while having amazing views of the beautiful country right from our bedroom windows. Once dropping off our luggage and grabbing a quick bite to eat, the adventure to the Valle de Verzacsa began. Let me just tell you, this was the must nerve racking hour of my life. After about an hour of winding roads and jamming out to pump up music, we saw the first sighting of the dam. The Verzacsa Dam is a 220 meter piece of concrete and the highest bungee jump in the world. From here on out, the doubt began to settle and the butterflies began. After signing a 'death contract' and recieving a disturbingly quick run through on how to do the jump, we were all strapped in and ready to go. The jump was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced, but probably not something I will be doing in the near future. The only word I have to describe it is euphoria. Basically the whole crowd counts down from three, where you are then instructed to do a swan dive off of the platform they have provided. For the first five seconds of the jump, your heart about comes out your mouth and you feel as though you may be dying. Once you are able to feel the bungee cord and realize that you aren't falling head first into the ground, you began to actually enjoy yourself and are overtaken by a sort of peacefullness. That is, until you realize you are hanging 220 meters from a dam and have some work to do. We were then instructed to pull youself up into a seated position (which might I say, is almost impossible) and then hook yourself onto the safety latch which then pulls you up. Although the jump lasted only for about 10 minutes, I think it was the longest ten minutes of my life. Out of all 22 jumpers in our group, everyone did it, not one backed out. It was such an amazing experience and I am so glad I got to share it with such a great group of friends.

So obviously we had an early night, all of us in bed and asleep around 10 (the earliest I have gone to bed since I have been here.) We then had to wake up around 6:30 AM and catch a bus to our next adventure...canyoning. We met the guides at a small little clubhouse where we were given three layers of wetsuits, repelling gear, and helmets. The groups were divided between the fast and adventurous ones to the more laid back, scaredy cat ones. Obviously, I was in the second. We then took a gondola up to the top of the mountain where the adventure began. Basically, to describe canyoning, it is treking through rivers and woods where you reach multiple waterfalls and jumps that you must complete. We started off at the "easy" jumps of only 20 or 30 feet and eventually led up to a 65 ft waterfall where we were then instructed to repel down. Never in my life did I think I would be able to do something like this, but surprisingly, I think I did quite well. All of us did, and more importantly, we had an amazing time. Despite the freezing waters and severe exhaustion, I can vouch for everyone when I say we would definitely do it again. The canyoning lasted three hours, the last half hour being a strenuous hike down the mountain. The guides were very interesting people who are definite thrill seekers and really made it easy for us to have a good time.

After some lunch by the river, we headed to the train station to catch a train to Locarno, the city centre. Considering we had to be at the Milan airport by 6 AM, we decided to pass on a hostel for the night and just party until our flight. We arrived to Locarno around 4 PM, giving us about twelve hours until we had to leave for the aiport. Luckily we were able to find an amazing park right on this beautiful lake where we took naps, popped a few bottles of wine, and just relaxed.

Overall, an amazing weekend in Switzerland, a place where I will definitely be going back to (hopefully with mom and dad)! Such a beautiful country with so many things to experience. Now as our Europe experience dwindles down, the feeling is very bittersweet. Although I am very excited to head home and see my family and friends, I have definitely grown to love it here. I have made so many memories that will last a lifetime, met people I know I will be keeping in touch with for the rest of my life, and learned so much about myself in the process. I want to thank everyone for keeping up with my blog and staying in contact with me, it has been so fun hearing from everyone! Love you all and can't wait to see everyone back in the states. Until then, hasta luego :)

Viva Valencia

Peniscola, View from the Templar Castle

Field Trip to Pago de Tharsys Winery

Reading in the Riverbed Park

The last week or so in Valencia has just been so amazing that I can't even begin to explain how sad I am to leave this beautiful city. After a hectic weekend in Roma, it was just so great to come home and relax with the roommates. We started our weekend off by heading to the discotecca, Luna Rossa, a massive four story club located directly on the beach. Although drinks require a down payment, they are worth every cent. We spent the majority of the night on the dance floor with the locals learning moves I've never even witnessed before. By 7 AM, the booze was wearing off so we decided to take the party to the beach and watch the sunrise. This was definitely one of my favorite nights in Espana so far and something I will never forget.

Rather than sleeping away our hangovers the next day, a few of us decided to wake up and head to the Riverbed Park across the street. Words cannot even describe how amazing this place is. It is a 10 mile long stretch of colorful trees and flowers where all of the local Valenthians do anything from take a leisurely nap in the grass to practicing Tai Chi in the fields. We were able to find an amazing climbing tree where all of us found our little niche and read our books and listened to music. It was a perfect ending to a fabulous weekend in Valencia and now my favorite park in the world. Since then, I have been going back as often as possible and plan on purchasing a canvas and some paints and spending a day there expressing my creativity (a.k.a. drawing stick figures).

We had a pretty busy upcoming week of school, ranging from seeing Slumdog Millionaire in Spanish at the theatre to visiting the vineyard of Pago de Tharsys with our Food and Wine class. The vineyard was beautiful and definitely a memorable experience. We were able to actually witness the workers picking, fermenting, freezing and bottling the cava (a Spanish champagne) and then were able to finally taste it. It was a very small vineyard, but made it a comfortable and intimate experience where we were treated like royalty. Although I decided not to purchase any wine or champage, I was able to pick up a little something for mis padres :)

Although it was a busy school week we were still able to make time to hang with Mr. DiPasqua, who were in town visiting after spending a week in London. After missing my parents so much, it was so great to see him and get a big bear hug. After some delicious meals at some of our favorite tapas bars and endless bottles of wine in the plaza, we were all pretty ready for our weekend trip to Barcelona. Unfortunately first, we had to witness the slaugher of the Magic in Los Angeles. The only good thing about our night was the fact that FSU was able to convince a local bar, Max Max, to stay open until 7 am in order for us to watch the game "live." Rather than sit around and watch Dwight Howard suck it up, the entire program decided to get extremely drunk and trash the place. It was a ridiculously fun night with all of my fellow students, but needless to say, Max Max will not be inviting us back. Rather than sleeping in the next day after going to bed around 8 AM, we were all forced to wake up and take a bus to Peniscola, a beach town about three hours a day. Normally, this trip would have been an amazing one with gorgeous views of the Meditteranean and huge templar castles to explore but the hangover just killed it for all of us. That, and the fact that it rained the whole day. Even still, Peniscola was a very cool little town and I am very glad I was able to make it.

The next morning, bright and early, was our train ride to Barcelona to meet up with Mr. DiPasqua. After a three hour trip (where we obviously slept the whole way) we were greeted by an amazing hotel, the Fira Palace with a double bed for each of us and huge walk in showers. After spending some awful nights in some real crappy hostels, this place felt like the Ritz. Barcelona was an amazing city and one that I will definitely be visiting again. We were able to tour the Sagrada de Familia, a church they have been building for over 100 years and don't expect to be finished until 2030, and other amazing sights. The food was amazing, some of the best seafood I have ever eaten in my life, and the conversation even better. I am so thankful for such an amazing weekend with Mr. DiPasqua and it was definitely a trip I will never forget.

So this week is a pretty relaxing one, consisting of lots of cramming for our final exams, considering we haven't really been doing much with school lately. Dominique and I are planning on going to the market in the morning and cooking dinner for our roommates tomorrow night. We are planning a white fish cooked in a tomato sauce with mussels, shrimp, and fennel (complements of Ina). This Friday we leave for Switzerland to hopefully bungee jump off of the world's highest bridge in Interlakken, the same jump done by James Bond in Goldeneye 007. Watch this video and you will probably pee your pants for me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69NtkkwSl4s)! On Saturday we are waking up and going canyoning, something that Katey highly recommended, and I am so excited, as long as I am still alive after the jump. Wish me lots of luck, I wish all of you could be with here with me. Love you all and miss you tons, although still not enough to come home just yet. Until next time, hasta luego.

He Volviendo (I'm Back!!)

Whew! It has been a very busy week and I am sorry for not being able to update until now! Last weekend, Nick, Dom and I headed to Rome to meet Tyler and Meg after hanging out with them in Valencia for a few days. The trip started off a little bumpy, mainly because our hostel we booked turned out to be quite the dump. This is where we learned, you get what you pay for. It was Hotel Pop Inn, and let me tell you. It was anything but poppin. Fortunately, we were given a private three bedroom room, to avoid creepy foreigners staring at you in your sleep. Unfortunately, we had to share a very small, disgusting bathroom with about 10 other people. Not to mention, the place didn't have air conditioning. I don't know if you have been to Rome in the summer, but it is hot! Very hot! Needless to say, we probably wouldn't have been able to go to sleep at night if it wasn't for the endless amount of wine at dinner. In Rome, we did all of your typical tourist things, and then some. We had some wine at the Trevi Fountain, visited the outside of St. Peter's Basilica, went to the Pantheon, sat on the Spanish Steps, etc. It was a beautiful city, but definitely a busy one. My favorite part of Rome was obviously, the food. Dominique was lucky enough to celebrate her 21st birthday here, and we went to a delicious restaurant called Spaghetteria and I had some of the best pasta I have ever had in my life (Clam linguini). We also ate at the infamous, Osteria del Gallo & Osteria 40, two of Mr. DiPasqua's favorite spots. It was a great trip, and very fun to be there with Meg and Tyler.

Next came Madrid, where we were meeting the rest of our program for an all inclusive trip for the week. We stayed at a place called Hotel Regina, and let me tell you. This place was the Ritz compared to Pop Inn. Considering none of us had been brave enough to step foot in the showers in Rome, we were way over due and spent our first night having super hot showers and relaxing in bed. The next morning, the program chartered buses and took us to a few monuments. The first was the Valley of the Fallen, or should I just say heaven. This was the most beautiful place I have ever been to in my life. It was a huge church built on top of a mountain and on both sides are the buried soldiers killed in combat. We were given a tour of the church (which was breathtaking) and then some free time to explore. If I could have had it my way, I would have stayed there forever. It was just absolutely gorgeous. Next we went to Segovia, a small town a few hours outside of Madrid. This is the town known for the Suckling Pig (Mario Batali and Gwyneth Paltrow came here on their show On the Road Again)! It was a really cool city with some gorgeous monuments and such. We were given a tour of the Royal Palace and even got to eat some suckling pig of our own.

Once returning to Madrid, the partying began. Madrid is a very big city (I would compare it to Chicago or New York) with lots of great nightlife. Lucky for us, the big champions game was going on in Rome on Wednesday, Barcelona vs. Manchester United. We started off the night at a flamenco show and dinner provided by FSU. We were given a three course meal consisting of grilled vegetables, chicken and potatoes, and chocolate cake. Not to mention, open bar! The flamenco show was amazing and not like anything I have ever seen before. Almost like a combination of salsa dancing and step. It was so cool to experience such a cool tradition and definitely something I want to see again. So after too much wine and sangria, we all made the trek to a bar that FSU had arranged for us to watch the game and have super drink specials (2 for 1's all night). We were able to watch Barcelona take the championship, 2-0, and celebrate along the way. But the night wasn't over yet. After this bar, we all decided to head to the discotecca around 2 to dance the night away. The place was the size of a mansion and just gorgeous. Although drinks were averaging around 9 Euro a glass, we all managed to have an amazing night. Our program directors even came out with us (Ignacio and Alicia) and I was lucky enough to have a shot with them that was literally, on fire! Two firsts for me...drinking with my teachers and a shot on fire.

A very rough morning after such a long eventful night, but we were up at 9 o clock to check out of the hotel. We were headed back to Valencia, but stopping in Toledo along the way. Toledo is known for their gold and sword making, and is a fascinating little town. It is high up in the mountains and is surrounded on three sides by a river and huge wall (this was to protect them from battle during the war). In order to even get to the city, we had to park our bus and take about six escalators up. It was such a cool place with some amazing views of the mountains. So after a few tours of the town, churches, and parks we made the trek back to Valencia.

Now I am home, sweet home and happy to be here. I never really thought that I would be calling this place home, but it is so nice to have a home base after doing so much traveling. Instead of taking a trip this weekend, we have all decided to take it easy and stay in Valencia. Today we are playing a little bit of futbol (our program director rented out the nice fields across the street) and then headed to the beach for some rest and relaxation, and maybe some beach volleyball. Hope all is well back home. I am missing every one of you guys more and more each day. Keep up with the emails and updates, I love it. Ciao!

Mallorca, Spain

What we woke up to every morning

Watching the sunset

Wow is all I can say about the beautiful island of Mallorca, Spain. Going to a paradise island with beautiful beaches and weather has always been something I've wanted to do, and this honestly fulfilled me for life (although I am definitely going back). We began our journey by ferry, leaving late at night, and not arriving in Palma de Mallorca until 8 am. Originally, we were very worried about this so called ferry we knew nothing about, but after arrival to the port terminal, we were blown away. The ferry turned out to be somewhat of a cruise ship, with a huge bar and cafeteria and very nice seating for foot passengers, allowing us to get some shut eye. After muchas cervezas, we were all finally able to fall asleep.

Leaving the ferry, we ran into some English speakers (who ended up being Canadians). These people were Courtney and Stephanie, two 18 year old girls backpacking across Europe for six weeks. Fortunately, the girls were amazing and not to mention hilarious, and will definitely be long time friends of ours. Since none of us really knew what we were doing or where we were going (aka winging it), we decided to join forces and take a bus up to Alcudia (the north of the island) and find a cheap hostel to share. After bartering with the Spanish woman, we were able to get two apartment style rooms at a place about 200 meters from the beach for only 10 Euros a night. Dominique and I shared a room with our new Canadian friends, while the boys shared another. The place had an amazing pool, great spacious rooms, and a gorgeous view. Things honestly couldn't have worked out better.

We headed directly to the beach, where the view was literally breathtaking. Look to your left and see the gorgeous mountains, look to your right and you see the crystal clear Mediterannean. Although pretty cold for a Floridian like myself, the water was so refreshing and calm. Thats when the partying began, and did not stop until late last night when we made it to bed. After a few nights of karaoke with the locals, discotecas until 6 AM, and wine and cheese on the beach while watching the sunset, I am completely in love with Mallorca. Not only did we make some new friends for life, but we also formed a very close bond between all of us. This weekend is very close to going down as one of the best of my life, and I really hope I can take my family back to Mallorca someday so they can see it for themselves. I will be adding some photos/videos to the blog, but for the full album you will have to hit up Facebook...trust me, its worth it.

Tyler and Meagan are arriving in just a few hours from London to stay in Valencia until Thursday. From then, we are all taking a trip to Rome to celebrate Dominique's birthday! Considering Nick and Dominique have been there before and know all the great places to eat, I am expecting this weekend to be great. Although on Monday we must part from Tyler and Meg, we are then flying straight into Madrid rather than Valencia. We are meeting our program there for the week for an all inclusive look at the beautiful city. This means no classes for a whole week! Wooh :) Although a break from school will be nice, I am enjoying my classes incredibly. Intermediate espanol is tough, but so helpful. Today we learned to sing a song in Spanish, and plan to perform it at the local karaoke bar once we've got it down pat. My food and wine class is what you would expect, if not better. We received our very own wine glass and have a tasting of one red and one white each class. In just a few weeks, we are taking a bus to a vineyard not too far away to see how they make the wine and purchase a bottle for ourselves. I know that everyone back home is jealous, but I miss you all so much! Please keep emailing and sending pictures, it really does help. Mom and dad, possibly send me some pictures of you guys and Cody? I am praying for him <3 Hope everyone is doing great, and I would love to hear from each and every one of you. Until next time, buenos noches.

Spanish Cuisine

Dominique and I's new boyfriends

So after a few failed attempts, it seems as though we are finally finding the right places to eat. We have come to find that wandering out of the main areas (the plazas) and into the back alleys, you are more likely to come across cheap and delicious true Spanish food. Dom and I have found our new favorite cafe, consisting of delicious cafe con leche and horchatas (a Spanish drink consisting of almonds, cinnamon and vanilla) and delicious doughnuts. The cafe has no menu because everyone that goes in is a local and has been going for years. Through excessive hand gestures and pointing, we were able to figure out what is good.

Nick was able to find us a delicious tapas bar, Bougedilla de Gato, a few blocks back from our home. It is a local favorite, and now one of ours. For only $50 (split between five of us) we were able to get around seven tapas, all so delicious. To my surprise, my favorite was either the bull tail or the deer chorizo, both exquisite. After splitting a bottle of delicous red wine with Dominique and people watching, we were able to make it to the local pub by midnight. As the picture above shows, Dominique and I made friends with tons of Bilbao fans (Don't worry, they weren't all that old). Tonight at 10, there is a huge futbol game between Barcelona y Madrid and the fans are everywhere. There wasn't a moment last night when I didn't hear either team chanting their cheers. It is a huge rivalry, and red and white is taking over the town. Even as I sit here now writing this blog, I hear outside the window "Bilbaooo Bilbaooo Ours Ours Ours." Although it is starting to get pretty annoying, I still love it.

We were able to make it to la playa the other day, although it wasn't the best of weather. We are headed to Mallorca (an island 3 hours off the coast) on Thursday night. Dominique and I will be traveling with all of our boy roommates, so don't worry, we will be safe :) We are taking a ferry and staying in a hostel on the beach. I am sure I will have some pretty pictures to post! According to a magazine, Mallorca is listed under the Top 10 Beaches of the World, so obviously I am thrilled. I am very excited for next Monday when Tyler and Meagan will be arriving to Valencia. From there we will embark on our adventure to Rome for Dominique's birthday. Although I am exhausted day to day, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love it here. Miss you all.

Great Day in Valencia

Valencia 3 Real Madrid 0

Yesterday was the most eventful day yet! We started the day off at the last bull fight of the summer, one of the craziest things I have ever seen in my life. It begins with all of the matadors coming out in their cute little outfits and waving to the crowd. Then each matador goes behind their posts to hide from the bull while one takes the center of the ring. There are four sections of the fight. First, the matador runs the bull around the ring to test its speed. Next, the men on horses come out to taunt the bull and test their strength. Thirdly, the matador stabs the back of the bull in order to numb the area in which they will kill it, and lastly, the matador stabs the bull in the spine. If he hits it in the right spot, the bull will die immediately. But unfortunately, a few of the matadors yesterday did not hit the right spot and the bull had to be stabbed multiple times until it died. Depending how the matador did, the audience waves different color scarves (white being the best, yellow being the worst.) Overall, a very cool experience, but definitely a one time thing.

After watching four bulls, we headed straight for the futbol arena to see Valencia (4) vs. Real Madrid (2), which was chaos from the start. There are hundreds of police wearing very heavy gear with helmets and guns out and ready. After having our bags checked and being pat down, we were able to head for our seats (the last row in the entire arena). The game was one of the coolest things I have ever seen and fortunately, Valencia won by 3. This is one of Spain's largest rivalries and it was a sold out game. You can imagine how crazy it was to witness. After the win, we headed straight for a bar to celebrate and waited outside to see the players leaving the arena. Nick was fortunate enough to get his jersey autographed and Dominique a picture.

We made it home by two (which is early for Valencia) and figured it would be a good idea to get some shut eye. We were awoken at 5:30 AM by a band marching through the streets right outside our window, with hundreds of people following them carrying flags. They were headed to la Plaza de Virgen for the 'Passing of the Virgin' ceremony at 10. A great weekend in Valencia, and I look forward to starting school this week! Hope everyone back home is doing great. Happy Mothers Day :)

Guest Appearance, courtesey de Nicholas.

Hola mis amigos! Es mi primero post. I miss everyone but not enough to come back now. We partied last night and I saw the sun come up. It was a little depressing because I slept until 4. We went to a market yesterday and it was wild. There were all kinds of fish and things that I have never seen before. We walked about 40 miles through the city doing various things. All we wanted to do was eat paella and go to this bar Max Max. We did neither. We are going to see Valencia beat Real Madrid tonight so watch it in the homeland and watch for us! Now since my time is limited for the day I have to go. Adios!