Spring Break is just around the corner

Hello, Hola, Ciao, Servus, Guten tag, Bonjour, and Halo!


Pathetically, that is basically the extent of my knowledge of most of the languages I will be exposed to over the next 5 weeks (with the exception of the really practical things I remember learning in German and Spanish: I wonder how far being able to count and say things like "I'm wearing a green dress" will get us...). With plans finalized and our hostels booked, I think we are about as ready as we will ever be to interrail around Europe! The official plans of Sarah, Margy, and I are to start out in Barcelona, then head to Italy (Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice), from there we will stop Vienna, Austria, then venture into Salzburg for a Sound of Music tour on our way to Munich where we will go to a concentration camp and a castle (we're covering the whole spectrum there), and finally end in Paris. After that, I have two more weeks of traveling. I plan to meet up with Tim, Michelle, and Jenni for a week in Croatia then depart of to Ireland before coming back for finals! I'm getting sooooooo excited! I have even started thinking about packing, which is a big step for me! 


Tomorrow is my last day of classes, which is so foreign to me (no pun intended)! I have only had to turn in two projects this entire semester. The rest of my grade depends on my finals -- which don't even start until May 18th. It's crazy how fast this trip is flying by!! I do wish all of you could experience this amazing adventure with me. I will try to keep you updated better. Last weekend three of my friends and I rode our bikes to a beach town named Exmouth. It made me really excited for RAGBRAI when I get back; I have a lot of training to do though! We met Tim and Michelle there and climbed these beautiful red cliffs right next to the ocean at sunset. It was a perfect day! 

Me, Nat, and Michelle: Exmouth Beach

I have been thinking a lot about home, and especially about Grandpa lately. I wish I could be in two places at once, but I am really glad that I have been able to skype with him and that he is getting better. Love you and miss you Grandpa!! 

La Buena Vida

Hola mis amigos! Right now I am dragging through a horrendous Biomechanics Review session feeling sun burnt and tired…It’s totally worth it though! This weekend I was able to go to Seville, Spain to visit my friends Bre and Alix, their parents, and Alix’s roommate Jenny in her study abroad program (who it turns out roomed with a friend of mine last year). Boy, do the Spaniards have life figured out. They eat when they want and sleep when they want; I definitely could have gotten used to the food and siestas. I was not ready to come back to England.

I left early Saturday morning to head to London to take the plane to Seville. My flight got in around noon and I was told to either meet the family at 1 at the Alcazar for their tour of the castle or at 3:30 at the hotel if I didn’t make it on time. The only problem was, I had no idea where the Alcazar was and I have forgotten the majority of my high school Spanish. I ended up running into a couple that spoke English that were walking that way and they pointed me in the right direction. However, it was pushing 1 o clock so I had very little faith that I would actually see them outside of the castle let alone find the castle. Suddenly, I glanced up and saw all 5 of them standing there finishing their first tour! It was amazing luck and I was so excited!!! It was so nice to see familiar faces especially when I was beginning to feel so helpless. I was able to drop off my luggage and go on the tour of the Alcazar with them. It was so interesting. The Alcazar is the oldest castle in the world that is still in use.  After that we meandered through the gardens until we were hungry. Next, we ate a traditional Spanish lunch and I’m pretty sure I’m still full from it!!! After a little walk, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the flamenco. The flamenco performance was not what I was expecting, but it was so interesting. If you have never heard flamenco singing before I recommend listening…and if you’re like me, trying to master it. I was definitely expecting a showy performance similar to Dancing With the Stars; however, it was so emotional and almost somber. It was really interesting. When the show was over and we were walking out, I ironically ran into Claire Roesner, a friend from Orange City. What a small world! That night we went to the Sangria Gardens recommended by the one and only Mr. Rick Steves (such a great guy). It was a chill time and we were able to watch some more flamenco. Ay ay ay!

Part of the Alcazar

Traditional Flamenco Dancing

The next day we went to church in the cathedral. It is one of the three largest cathedrals in the world. I went in not even thinking about it being in another language, but it was so cool to be able to follow along and understand what was happening even when I didn’t know what exactly was being said.  We went to a beautiful park and meandered around all afternoon. After Alix and Jenny caught their bus back to school, Gene, Diane, Bre, and I went to la Iglesia Colegal Del Divino Salvador and the Cathedral. My favorite church was the Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador. It was so intricate and beautiful. However, at the cathedral, I was able to see the tomb of Christopher Columbus and go to the top of the tower that overlooked the city. We finished the day with a wonderful meal and 500 Days of Summer. What more could a girl ask for?

Alix, me, Bre, and Jenny 

Gamma Phi lovin across the pond

la Iglesia Colegal Del Divino Salvador

View from the Cathedral

Cathedral Tower

My last day in Sevilla was perfect…as Bre and I kept repeating over and over throughout the day. The two of us were left to explore the city which was SO much fun! We enjoyed Spanish cuisine and the freedom to order drinks legally. It was an interesting day to say the least. At one point we were walking and there was a gypsy man dancing on the sidewalk, me being me started dancing as we walked by him. Soon enough he had grabbed my hand and was trying to dance with me! All I could manage to say through my laughing was “no gracias, no gracias” because I was scared he would try to charge me for it. Finally he gave up and gave me a big old nasty scratchy beardy kiss on the cheek!!!! (Ew!) After we made a friend (Claudio?) who highly recommends swimming in fountains. Like I said, it was very interesting, but very perfect. We were able to get all of our girl talk in and shop and be weird! It was just what I needed. We finished the day with a delicious meal followed by a dessert of churro con chocolate. I seriously am going to be a chocolate pro by the time I get home! Finally, it was time for me to go home. It was hard to say good-bye to my Brizzle. I am very happy that I was able to go there and see her and her family (minus Nick) though. 

Brizzle y Cla at la Plaza de Espana

Sangria by the River!

Churro con Chocolate

Obsessed with Rooftops

Reunited and it feels so goooooood

This is where the concerned adults should stop reading… My vacation was not quite over yet! I arrived at the airport at 12:30 and my train didn’t leave until 6 so not only was I able to go to Spain this weekend, but I also was able to sleep in a coffee shop in an airport too! It was such an eventful weekend. On top of that when I got back I had a package with letters from GPhi. It was the perfect welcome home. I haven't even unpacked my suitcase, but all of my letters are already up on my board! 

Sorry this is so long! On a final note, I am looking up recipes for homemade American pancakes to introduce my British friends to them! (Did you know they have chocolate chips here too?! Who would have guessed…They made fun of me so much when I asked) I feel like the only way to experience American food properly is in the United States, which I keep telling them. I am going to convince them all to study abroad at Iowa State by the end of June!!!! My crazy friend who is from Scotland, but claims to be from America as well wants me to mention her right now, so here is a shoutout to Nat. Good bye and good night to whoever made it to the end of this crazy long blog! 

Not my typical blogpost

Hello Friends! Right now I am laying in bed trying to make myself nap before I leave to go crash the Haguewood family vacation in Spain this weekend, but I am so anxious I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep! I am so excited to finally be putting my passport to use! I was just thinking about all of you and wanted to let you know how lucky I feel to have each and every one of you in my life. Whether you are heading out on Spring Break or staying home with a jam-packed weekend, I hope you all are able to take the time to think about the little blessings you have in your life (like family, friends, and chocolate!). “Life is too short to be anything but happy!”  XOX, Clare :)

English Life

Hello Everyone! Currently I am sitting on a mini-bus lost in England with 7 other girls on our way home from our (winning) basketball game. I think I have listened to every song on my iPod 4 times already and played Temple Run a bajillion times. I am in desperate need of something to do so I decided to fill you all in on my life. Today we went to Brighton to play our game. We left early this morning for the game, and I was a little anxious about it because I may or may not have skyped Megan until 3:00 this morning. However, after a peanut butter sandwich, a bar of chocolate, a bag of potato chips, and a hot chocolate (I’m really watching my figure…get bigger), I finally had enough energy to play. However, we got to the town 3 and a half hours before our game so we had a little time to kill. We decided that the best way to celebrate the leap year was by swimming in the English Channel! It was so spur of the moment, and we just stripped down our layers and ran in. I think I stopped breathing it was SO cold, but I’m happy that we did it!

Since I have last talked to you I haven’t gone on any crazy trips or anything, but I’m still having a good time. Last weekend Michelle and I wandered around Gandy Street for a little bit. Gandy Street is the alley J.K. Rowling based Diagon Alley off of. It was interesting, but I think you have to have a good imagination to see it. After our little adventure there, we went and met up with the gang at a local pub and watched the England vs. Wales rugby game. Rugby is such an interesting sport, but the only thing I really took from the experience is that I have to meet some rugby players ;)

I also received an AWESOME care package from mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa last week. It was so nice and I demolished all of Grandma’s cookies in 2 days because I gave up cookies for Lent. Speaking of Lent, Ash Wednesday was an experience in itself. I had not had the opportunity to go to the Catholic Church here, so Jenae (my fellow Iowa Stater/next door neighbor) and I looked up where it was and left a half hour early to give ourselves enough time to get there. Well, the shortcut we took ended up not working exactly as planned and we showed up to church twenty minutes after it started. I saw them giving out ashes as we turned into the parking lot and started sprinting and turned and yelled, “ASHES” back to Jenae. Well, the church doors were open so everyone probably heard me and we made it just in time and were the last two to get ashes. After church, I was finally able to skype with Grandma and Grandpa and Grandma gave me the brilliant idea to make applesauce. Yesterday I was not feeling the best and decided to make myself a good meal so I made applesauce along with baked potato soup. I’m so proud of myself! It was so good and just what I needed.

This weekend most of the flatmates are going to Amsterdam, but I’m staying here. I’m excited to catch up on sleep and get to feeling better. (I finally have cold medicine. I found it quite humorous that the British equivalence to Dollar Tree is called Poundland.) On Sunday I’m hoping to make a trip down to Cornwall, a coastal town with a few friends. If the weather agrees, I really want to learn how to surf while I’m down there!  Oh and I just found out that I get to go visit the Haguewoods in Spain next weekend! I’m sooooo excited!!!!!

That’s about all I have! Sorry for rambling, but I’m bored out of my mind. The pathetic thing is that this is only a 5 hour drive and I have a lot more traveling ahead in these next couple of months. I would LOVE song suggestions if you have any…or any fun ways to pass the time! Love you and miss you! Wish you all could come here and experience this with me!