Day 1:

With the immense stress and difficulty of trying to find an internship for the summer…while studying abroad…on a ship…with no internet access, I decided to dedicate an HOUR of day 1 in Takoradi to finding reliable wifi to finally apply for some internships – so sorry that the beginning of this post completely lacks entertainment.

To start the morning off, myself and a girl named Carley decided to just take a taxi into town and wander around for a bit.  When we arrived, our welcome was the complete opposite from what it was in Accra – locals acknowledged us and smiled, but they definitely weren’t expecting us, and they didn’t bother with trying to get us to buy their product!!  So that was a breath of fresh air.  The markets in Takoradi were also entirely different from the markets in Accra.  They were clearly designed for locals, filled with fresh fruits, veggies, fish, you name it, and they were more food-based.  We actually ended up getting lost inside because it was absolutely ginormous and there was very little room to walk.  So many locals became so excited when they saw us, many saying hello with a huge smile across their face 🙂 After passing a few too many whole raw fishes with their heads still attached, we eventually found our way out!

We ended up stumbling upon this incredible store, Woodin, that was filled with beautiful, brightly colored cloths, stacks upon stacks of them, along with elegant dresses, skirts, tops, bags, and more!  If we would have been staying in Takoradi for longer than 2 days, I would have LOVED to get a dress/skirt/top custom-made, as there were so many patterns and colors to choose from.  However, I did come across the cutest skirt that had different colored triangles all over it, and I decided that it represented Ghana perfectly, so I bought it!  Favorite purchase so far.

Like mentioned previously, I had been soooo stressed out over trying to find a summer internship.  As crazy as it sounds, you truly sort of have to put your life on hold when doing SAS, as contacts with the outside world are rather slim picking while at sea.  Carley had to book some things for the next port, and I clearly needed to submit some applications, so we headed to a hotel for lunch and some (paid for) wifi.  I was only able to complete 3 internship applications during this time, but it definitely took a ton of weight off of my shoulders and helped me relax a little, so all was good.  (So sorry for this very lame portion of the blog)

After the hotel, we headed back to the ship, as we both had field programs early that evening.  My field program was “Pick-Up Soccer with Locals”, and it was so much fun!  It was awesome getting to play soccer again, especially against some very talented players.  Our game was held at a tech school, and while talking with some of the students/players, they were saying that their school puts such a high emphasis on education that they actually don’t get to play soccer very often…we would have never guessed.  One of the boys also told us that he is studying to eventually become a mechanical engineer, but this wasn’t his choice, and he’s actually not very fond of the idea.  It’s crazy to imagine not having a choice or even somewhat of a say on what you’re going to spend the rest of your life doing.

There were actually quite a few really skilled players from SAS, so at times it was actually quite a competitive game!  There were plenty of bystanders and fans watching once the rest of the students got out of school, and many came and mingled with us.  They were very interested in learning about us and our stories.  Many also came by with notebooks and asked us to write down our names so that they could add us on Facebook – Ghanaian students LOVE Facebook.  It was great just being back on the field after not really playing since high school, and especially playing in Ghana; unreal.  To top it all off (and not to toot my own horn or anything), I actually scored the game winning goal off of a header!  Everyone was so excited and came and jumped on top of me afterwards.  Ok I just completely made that whole part up for some dramatic excitement – sorry not sorry.  After the game, a bunch of us participated in a shoot out, which was a ton of fun!

The next day (and our last day in Ghana), a group of about 10 of us decided to go visit Cape Coast Castles, as they are incredibly rich with history and an absolute must see when visiting Ghana.  So we all piled in taxis and were on our way quite early in the morning.  When we were about 20 minutes away from the castles, we were stopped at a police barrier.  These are usually really nothing to worry about, but this time ended up being different.  When the officer came to the window (usually just checking the car and making sure that the driver has an adequate license, occasionally asking for a small fee), he immediately began giving our driver a hard time.  We weren’t entirely sure what it was for, and we obviously couldn’t understand their native tongue.  Things got heated rather quickly, and eventually our driver had to get out of the car.

Long story (somewhat) short, we sat in a non-air conditioned car in the blazing Ghanaian sun for 45 minutes before we were finally able to get the attention from a nearby officer who didn’t seem to be concerned whatsoever with our wellbeing.  He somehow managed to get our driver back to our car, and we were back on our way.  We felt so bad for our driver, and we felt even worse after he explained to us that they had forced him to pay a ridiculous amount of money, simply because we (white foreigners) were in the car.  Although we were warned about the corruption within the police systems in Ghana, we were all pretty taken back by this.  At the end of our trip, we made sure to pay our driver extra for the hassle.

The drive along the coast was absolutely picturesque: the sun was shining, we were driving right alongside the ocean, and the breeze was blowing in our hair.  Ghana taught me so many things, but on the top of that list is to always appreciate driving with the windows down, it truly is so much better than A/C (even if A/C wasn’t even an option in our case LOL).

Attempting to put my experience at the Cape Coast Castles into words is tough, so bear with me.  Just standing there took you back in time and you couldn’t help but attempt to even briefly begin to imagine what things were like then, without actually beginning to understand it whatsoever.  It was painful to think about the fact that millions upon millions of African citizens were displaced during these times, and only about 6% of them were brought to the U.S….SIX percent.  Yet the only history of slavery that we even somewhat begin touching on in our schooling systems while growing up is what occurred in the U.S., such a minuscule portion of it all.  The sights, smells, and the words of our guide were so surreal and genuinely sucked the wind right out of you.

It’s truly not something that one can put into adequate words.  Towards the end of our tour we got to exit the “Door of No Return”, which was disheartening to imagine.  I witnessed the immense sickness that many people in our tour group were feeling.  Tears were brought to the eyes of many, just reflecting on what was and what could have been if people had just stood up for what was right.

At the end of our tour, the guide showed us the plaque that included the phrase, “May humanity never again perpetrate such injustice against humanity – we, the living, vow to uphold this.” and he continued with expressing deep concern regarding the prevalence of current-day slavery (of all kinds).  He pleaded that we not let this continue.

Love from Takoradi,

Bri

Day 1:

I think it’s fairly safe to say that the first day in Ghana was overwhelming…to say the least. Great, but overwhelming.  Although our ship docked in Tema, mostly everyone on the ship had plans to make it to Accra, Ghana’s capital, as our port city was basically just an industrial/fishing location.  SAS (Semester at Sea if you haven’t caught onto the lingo yet), was kind enough to provide us with a free shuttle going directly from the ship to Accra, so this made transportation and safety that much easier.

So regarding the first day, everyone I had talked to had field programs through SAS, so I figured that I would just get on the shuttle right away in the morning and hope that people would be willing to let me join them! This was huge for me because I am normally awful at initiating conversation, let alone intruding people’s plans…but I did it and it all worked out great – go me!  I asked a group of girls if I could join them for the day and they were more than willing to accommodate for me 🙂

While en route to Accra, I could not remove my eyes from the bus window.  The sights of Ghana are truly not something you can put into words, and they are not something you could ever imagine – in the best way possible.  YES, there were plenty of women walking along the streets carrying things on their heads, and YES it was remarkable.  I have so much respect for these women.

From the second we stepped off of the shuttle, we were completely bombarded with local “vendors” trying to sell us “their” craft.  I put “their” in quotation marks because none of it is actually handmade by them, even though they constantly ask you to come look at “their” paintings, or “their jewelry, it is all factory manufactured, and nothing is really much different from one vendor to the next.  You genuinely could not walk 2 feet without being pulled in one direction or another.  I was called “cowboy girl” (not entirely sure if this makes sense, but just go with it) because I had a floppy beach hat on?? Lol it was just an overall interesting day.  I also made the mistake of telling one of the vendors my name, and 5 minutes later he returned with a bracelet with my name embroidered into it, obviously expecting me to pay for it.  *Note to self – never tell strangers your name, even if you’re just trying to be friendly*  One of the things that I heard from locals a lot was, “black and white, we are like a piano”, which was a simile I had never heard before.

P.S. I don’t want this post to sound like a bunch of complaining/”negative reviews”, because all in all, Tema was SO incredible.  I’m just trying to be completely honest and give you the lowdown of all of my experiences – the good and the not so good.

Our group wanted to go to this Art Center that my professor and her sister, who are actually from Ghana, had recommended (the Busia sisters are absolutely incredible – they deserve an entire blog post in itself).  This center was essentially a market full of handcrafted goods, but again, sadly many were factory produced and the products didn’t really differ much from one stall to the next.  As an introvert, this experience was a bit of a nightmare, as “just looking” is not even close to an option.  At one point I tried explaining to the vendors that I would be a lot more likely to purchase something form them if they simply allowed me the time to browse on my own, and they responded with “You’re in Ghana, that’s not a thing here” – touché.  The culture is just so entirely different from anything I had ever experienced, which is completely expected, I was just unprepared for how intense it was going to be.  Ghanaians are the friendliest people I have ever met, which oftentimes results in no personal space or “me” time.  Some of the vendors offered to give us drumming lessons which was really awesome!  You could tell how excited they were to show us something that they had so much pride in.

For lunch we went to The Republic, a restaurant owned by the nephews of the Busia sisters.  I ordered a traditional red beans and rice meal, which was SO cheap and SO yummy.  The sauce it came with was the best part, and the meal was honestly rather comparable to fried rice and shrimp sauce – YUM.  We then went to a nearby grocery store to stock up on snacks for the ship (a theme among my travels).  All in all, the markets and Oxford Street (the “Main Street” of Accra) are both experiences that I’m glad I got to take part in, no matter how draining they were.

We took the 5 PM shuttle back to the ship, which ended up taking about 3 hours because roads and traffic in Ghana are really no joke.  There is only 1 main road for getting out of the city, and we happened to leave during prime “rush hour”.  I really didn’t mind though, as I had nowhere to be, and I ended up sitting next to a girl who I have become good friends with since then!  Sometimes the most unexpected things can result from the most unideal circumstances 🙂

Brittany and I bonded off of our love for Diet Coke (she had a can in her hand when she sat down, so of course I had to make a comment), and the rest is history.  Yes, I am completely aware of how bad Diet pops (sodas for all you non-Minnesotans) are for you, but honestly, what isn’t bad for you these days??  I rarely drink it anyways.  Sorry for this very unnecessary and extensive defense of myself and Diet Coke, I’m done now.

We talked l i t e r a l l y the entire ride back, so we got to know each other pretty well.  We actually ended up making plans to travel in India together during this convo, so how cool is that?!  Just another reason to love Diet Coke 😉

After getting back to this ship, I locked myself in my room and laid in bed all night.  I think I ended up falling asleep at about 8 PM from being so socially exhausted.

Day 2:

The following day was a total refresher and exactly what I was looking for in Ghana.  I got super lucky and was able to buy a “Village Experience” field program from a friend very last minute.  We had the privilege of visiting the Togorme Village, and it was absolutely incredible.  “Togorme” means “under the river”.  You could tell that the people of the village had been preparing for us for a while, and the whole experience just made me so happy.

They welcomed us with traditional music and dancing, and then even let us join in at times.  Our dancing abilities were clearly terrible, and they got a huge kick out of us, oftentimes not being able to hold back their laughter – it was hilarious!  Part of the experience was a naming ceremony, and since I had bought the field program from someone else, the village had prepared a name that was fitting for her birthday and her birth name, but I still wanted to take part in it, so I did!

Before the naming ceremony began, they completed a traditional prayer ritual, which was really cool to witness.  The naming ceremony consisted of getting called up one at a time to be given a traditional name, which was based on your birth name, along with the day of the week in which you were born, as this is very significant to them.  They explained what each name symbolized and the importance it held in their culture.  The name that I was given was “Yaa Bubu”, which means respect.  They also placed a handmade beaded bracelet around your wrist, and they even gave us each a handmade clay pot with both your birth name and new name painted onto it.

After the ceremony was over, and we had embarrassed ourselves enough with our dancing abilities (or lack thereof), two women demonstrated how they make the very pots that they had given to us.  Some people from our group were even able to try it out themselves!  Key word: “try”.  The process was rather long and difficult, but the women made it look like a breeze.  It’s so crazy to me how talented these people are, and how they are truly able to make something out of nothing.  The pots are made out of clay and ground up stone, and an Aju leaf is used to help form the rim.  The black color that the pots have is natural, as it is made from the smoke while the pot is being “baked” in the fire.  It was explained to us that the food that is made in these pots oftentimes ends up with many different spices in it, as the pots absorb the spices from previous meals.  They said that no family’s meal is comparable to the next, because it all depends on what was made in the pot the night before!

We then got to walk through a bit of the village, and we ended up at the spot where women do Kente weaving, a cloth-making art.  On our walk, children would randomly come alongside you and grab your hand without saying a word – it was the sweetest thing ever.  A boy named Harris grabbed my hand, and after a few minutes of shyness, he asked my name.  After trying to converse with him a little more, I realized that “What is your name?” and “How old are you?” were really the only English he knew.  His company was all I needed.

The Kente weaving was absolutely unbelievable.  It consisted of such a detailed, intricate, lengthy process, and it was crazy to believe that this was how they make their cloth.  This was obviously not their only source of clothing, as much is store bought and shipped form all over, but this is how they produce their traditional patterns and garb – it was all so beautiful, and it truly was a talent.  I ended up buying a piece of patterned cloth that had been previously woven, and I am oh so glad I did.  Such a great day to be remembered by such a beautiful piece!

When loading up the bus and preparing to leave, the children stood alongside it and waved with smiling faces.  I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to visit this village and simply see their way of life, rather than trying to provide a few hours worth of volunteer work that oftentimes does more harm than good.  Nothing against those that choose to do these sorts of things, I just do not fully agree with myself taking part in such.

On our way back to the ship we stopped at a local restaurant for a late lunch, and it was delicious!  We had fried fish, rice, veggies, and more.  To top it all off, they gave us the most amazing chocolate ice cream for dessert, as cocoa is one of Ghana’s leading exports!  It was a great day.

Love from Tema/Accra,

Bri

Valencia was so nice because it was far less “touristy” than Barcelona.  It is pretty difficult to try and experience the actual Spanish culture when you are in a city that is highly funded by tourism.  For example, it was very very rare to meet a local in Barcelona that couldn’t speak English, whereas in Valencia, it was very very rare to meet a local that could speak English.  This was definitely a cool dynamic of the trip, as I was able to put my 5 years of Spanish to the test, even if I wasn’t always entirely successful (sorry Profe Ehrmantraut).

My first day in Valencia was occupied by a field program (basically a pre-paid trip that is entirely arranged and planned by Semester at Sea), which was titled “Highlights of the Valencian Countryside”!  I didn’t sign up for many field programs in advance because I was told that oftentimes once you meet people, you will want to travel independently with them, but I booked one for Valencia because it was so early on in the voyage.

We took about an hour and a half bus ride to the countryside, allowing us to see some wonderful mountainous scenery along the way.  On our way up the mountains, we passed through some very cute, quaint towns.  One of the villages we passed actually hosts bull runs, and many areas have protective gates around them to stop bulls from causing any destruction, but ultimately from escaping the village.  At one point we were even able to get off of the bus and take photos of the beautiful Arenós Reservoir, which is surrounded by trees and mountains, both perfectly reflecting off of the water!  I took this opportunity to try and pretend to be “reckless” for once by taking a photo hanging over the edge (photo below), when there is really no drop-off beneath me.  Yes I am weird, but yes I started a trend and other kids followed in my footsteps afterwards.

Eventually we made it to the the Montanejos “hot” springs, Fuente de Los Baños, which were our final destination.  I say “hot” because they were actually lukewarm at best, but it was still awesome nonetheless.  Arabs chose Montanejos to build thermal baths because water is of grave importance to Muslim culture, and the village contained a number of springs.  These Arab baths were used for relaxation and gathering places for people to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  The water was completely clear, which is definitely not something I am used to swimming in Minnesota lakes.  You could see all the way to the bottom and all the fishies swimming below! We swam around for a while and I even tried my first attempt at some underwater GoPro footage since the water was so unbelievably clear (key word – attempt).  It was nice to relax after all of the hustle and bustle of Barcelona!

On our bus ride back to the city, we stopped in one of the small towns to have a late lunch. We chose a restaurant with a balcony-type patio that had an awesome view overlooking the town – I should have taken a photo but sometimes I get “tourist” stage fright and am afraid that I’m going to look too much like a tourist hahaha.  I ordered a “tapa”, which is simply the general word for appetizer, which consisted of fried cheese balls with a jelly-like dipping sauce, which was actually a rather good combo!  I also got this really awesome toasted sandwich that was basically a Spanish BLT aka YUM.

Once we reached the more urbanized area of Valencia, we got to see some incredible modern architecture.  We were informed that they were designed by the very famous and talented architect, Santiago Calatrava. (continue reading to learn more about these later)

Once we returned to the ship, I met up with a girl from my Social Problems class (Allie) and two other girls that she was with (Lexi and Kayli)!  We went into town and walked along a strip of restaurants along the beach, where we saw the most elaborate sandcastle I have ever seen, and eventually ended up at cool outdoor restaurant.  We had an awesome waiter who we got to chat with for a while, and I was able to get to know these girls a little better 🙂

The next morning (and last morning), Allie, Kayli, and I ventured into town.  We grabbed a quick breakfast of pastries – I love European breakfasts because pastries galore.  We all wanted to go check out the area full of the awesome modern buildings that I had previous day, which is called Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, or “The City of Arts and Sciences”, so we made the 40-minute trek there, as the weather was absolutely beautiful!  These buildings were truly incredible and none like I have ever seen before.  What I love about Spain and Europe in general is how much they have preserved old buildings, but these modern ones were a sight to see!

The buildings located here are called L’Hemisfèric, El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe, L’Umbracle (bridge), L’Oceanogràfic, El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, L’Àgora, and El Pont de l’Assut de l’Or (bridge).  L’Hemisfèric (1998) contains an IMAX Cinema, planetarium, and laserium (laser light show), and it is also known as the “eye of knowledge”, which makes it the centerpiece of the City of Arts and Sciences.  This building is surrounded by a large water pool where people can actually kayak or roll across the water in one of those hamster ball type things (sincerely apologize for having no idea what this activity is actually called).  El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe (2000) is an interactive science museum that was designed to resemble the skeleton of a whale, and the exhibits inside are designed more as entertainment than an actual educational experience.  L’Umbracle (2001) is an open structure bridge that includes a landscape filled with plant species that are indigenous to Valencia, such as lavender, rosemary, honeysuckle, and palm tree.  L’Oceanogràfic (2003) is an open-air oceanographic aquarium, and it is the largest in all of Europe, containing over 42 million liters of water, dolphins, belugas, sharks, walruses, penguins, and over 500 other species.  El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (2005) is an opera house and performing arts center dedicated to the scenic arts and music.  L’Àgora (2009) is simply at event center that hosts concerts, exhibitions, conventions, and even sporting events such as the Valencia Open 500.  Lastly, El Pont de l’Assut de l’Or (2008) is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Turia riverbed and connects Minorca Street and the south side.

Although this entire area was in the heart of the city and was filled with modern architecture, there were also plenty of green spaces, biking/walking paths, and flowerbeds that gave it such a relaxing feel.  While leaving the area we actually saw a bride and groom walking to get wedding photos taken – talk about a cool venue!  On our walk back to the ship we visited some shops and stopped and got incredibly delicious (and incredibly overpriced) frozen coffee drinks, but I was having iced coffee withdrawals after not having it for a month, so it was well worth it.

Well my crash course of Spain has officially come to an end, and my time in Europe has come to a close!  But actually, we did not have nearly enough time in Spain….Next stop: Ghana!!!!

Love from Valencia,

Bri

YAYAYAYAY our first port is finally here!!! Despite arriving 5 hours later than planned due to some crazy weather while on the ship, we made it.  It was just our luck that the gloomy/rainy weather would continue into the first day of Barcelona, but I was just ready to be off of the ship and I was so excited to see the first of many places, so I continued my raincoat-wearing trend and was on my way!  The majority of my first day was filled with a field class for my Social Problems course.  Field classes are basically field trips, and each course you take has one somewhere along the way throughout the semester.  This was perfect, because the field class consisted of a guided tour throughout much of Barcelona, so I was able to see what the city had to offer and actually learn about everything along the way.  Since the tour was for my Social Problems course, is was actually put on through a social enterprise that helps integrate homeless people back into the workforce by providing them with the opportunity to become tour guides.  That being said, our guide was previously homeless.  However, under the government’s standards, he was never actually “homeless” because it only lasted 23 days and he was never addicted to drugs or alcohol…yet he was without a home.  Interesting how they classify these things!  This all being said, a portion of our tour was dedicated to showing us different highly populated homeless areas, along with different resources offered to them throughout the community.  However, we were also able to see Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter!

Las Ramblas is a street about ¾ mile long that is located in central Barcelona.  It is lined with trees and is most easily described as a pedestrian mall, filled with shops, restaurants, cafés, and plenty of beautiful architecture.  We stopped in the most beautiful market along the way, which was filled with the most vibrant and beautiful foods, ranging anything from raw fish to macaroon gelato sandwiches…yes I got one (brownie flavor), and yes it was wonderful.  Like an ice cream sandwich, but better.  Even the candy they were selling were so detailed and colorful, it was insane!

The Gothic Quarter is located in the center of the older part of Barcelona, and it includes many historical aspects, including the remains of the city’s Roman wall.  Here is where you can also find the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia, or Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, which we very briefly stopped at.  The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, and it was built mainly in the 14^th century.  It is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona (hence the name), co-patron saint of Barcelona, who endured martyrdom during Roman times according to Catholic tradition.  No matter how many cathedrals I see, I’m still blown away by how detailed and intricate they are, especially for having been built so long ago!

About halfway through our tour, we stopped at a café for drinks.  Of course I had to take advantage of the opportunity for free coffee, so I ordered a “café latte” (no they’re not just lattes here), and it was delightful, just as all European coffee drinks have been.  Here, we also got to meet the owner of the social enterprise, and it was so cool getting to hear all about her dreams and aspirations for the organization.  Our tour guide explained to us that out of the hundreds of homeless people he met during his time on the streets, only 7 of them ended up getting jobs.  Homelessness is a growing epidemic in Barcelona, and with all of the resources and aid available, many choose to abuse the system.  So it is the owner’s dream to help people become self-sufficient and feel like contributing members of society, which should ultimately reduce the currently growing numbers.

After the tours were over, we had an included dinner at a restaurant called Rossini, which ended up serving us a very “Americanized” meal, but it was delicious nonetheless!  It was a three-course meal consisting of either soup or salad, chicken or a burger, and sorbet or crème brûlée for dessert.  The whole time walking around and also sitting at dinner gave me the opportunity to get to know some of my classmates better, especially since it’s so early on in the voyage!

For the second half of the night, I met up with a girl who had introduced herself to me the night before, along with one of her friends.  Her friend actually ended up being from MN too, which was super ironic!  Since they hadn’t eaten dinner yet, we decided to go down to the marina area to find a restaurant.  This area is where all the nightlife is, so it was pretty packed with people.  We were able to walk alongside the beach on the way there!  I’m bummed I never got to visit the beach during the day when the sun was out, but it was cool being able to hear the waves (as if I don’t hear enough waves living on a ship).  We ended up settling on a seafood place, and the server asked if we were famous….lol #blondesinSpain.  A little bit later, a huge Bachelor party from France came up to our table and started asking us where we were from, what we were doing there, and yada yada.  They were absolutely blown away with the whole Semester at Sea program and found it to be the most fascinating thing ever that this was even a thing!  They were fun to talk to and gave us some entertainment for the night.  This was also my first “European farewell” encounter, which consists of kissing each other on the cheeks when saying goodbye, which was pretty funny.  Pat was only a little hurt when I told him 😉

The following day was spent with the same girls I had been with the previous night, and we decided to just explore around Barcelona!  We really only had one “must” on our agenda (especially since we had to be back on the ship decently early to leave for our next stop), which was Park Güell.  The park was built between 1900 and 1914 by a renowned architect, Antoni Gaudí, who is known as the “face of Catalan modernism”.  This park is a reflection of his naturalist phase, which consisted of inspiration from organic shapes, hence the mosaics.  Unfortunately, we weren’t able to purchase tickets to get into the “Monumental Zone” (terrace and parts containing mosaics), along with Gaudí’s House Museum, because there were no openings until way later into the day, but we were still able to walk around the park area and see some pretty rad views of the city, along with some outside mosaics!  Also, let me mention that the weather was absolutely beautiful this day, so that was awesome.

After walking around the park for a while, we headed back to Las Ramblas.  We were walking the streets on a Saturday, so it was crazy to see how popular this area is!  It was absolutely packed with people.  There are street vendors set up all over, big name stores, smaller shops, numerous places to eat (indoor or outdoor), and plenty of people watching – my personal favorite.  Our last stop before heading back to the ship was a super market, and it was definitely necessary.  After craving chocolate for two weeks and having it only once, I discovered an obsession that I never really knew existed.  I picked up seven different types of chocolates (I am ridiculous, I know), along with some other snacks to hold me over for a while on the ship, and I was a very happy camper.

It was crazy being in Barcelona only weeks before the vote for independence of Catalonia.  This was very much prevalent while we were there, as I was able to capture a square that had buildings on one side with the Estelada flag (symbolizing Catalonia as an independent nation), and buildings directly across from it hanging the Spanish national flag (representing anti-independence views).  Our guides were not able to talk about it much as it is indeed an illegal vote that will take place, but they explained that there are very differing and strong opinions amongst the two sides.  Luckily there were no violent protests while I was out and about, but my heart is with the country and keeping things as peaceful as they can be despite trying to make change!

Follow me as I explore another area of Spain!

Love from Barcelona,

Bri

P.S. I sincerely apologize for how unnecessarily long these are, I have a problem with writing too much

Ahhhh the day has (almost) arrived!!  In less than 24 hours, I, along with almost 600 other students, a bunch of lifelong learners (adult education/travel experience), and an entire ship crew from all around the world will be embarking on the adventure of an absolute lifetime.  Tomorrow is just the start of our 4 month-long journey, visiting 11 countries, and experiencing things I never thought were a reality for me, let alone possible.  Tomorrow I will be stepping onto the MV World Odyssey, and I am über excited.

Of course with excitement comes nerves, fear, and some second-guessing.  I have been planning for this since I submitted my application, roughly a year ago.  I first fell in love with this program almost two years ago.  I’ve been filling my mind up with knowledge of what this semester is all about, yet I still feel completely and utterly unprepared.  Not in a sense of ensuring that I have packed all the necessities, or that I won’t know what I’m getting myself into with each country we visit.  I feel unprepared for how this time will affect my life, how I view things, how I understand things, and how much I will grow in such a short amount of time.  I am unprepared for all of the wonders that I will encounter along the way.

As stated previously, I am 100% without a doubt, a total homebody.  I see myself as “thriving” when I’m in the comfort of my own home, surrounded by my family and loved ones.  When I’m feeling drained, I take time for myself, reflecting on recent occurrences, and indulging in things that I love to do.  I consider myself to be a very independent person, and I have never been one who feels odd doing things on my own.

So why do something as crazy and out of my comfort zone as this?!  I never have.  How do I know that I can’t thrive in unique social settings if I’ve never tried?  How do I know that I won’t fall absolutely in love with one of our ports, and end up feeling that deep desire to return one day, showing my loved ones the place that once stole my heart?  Semester at Sea is a program that I discovered, fell hard for, and ultimately assumed that it just would not be possible for me.  Once I realized that it was out of reach, I experienced a feeling that I had never felt before.  I felt a burning desire to make this program possible, and I did everything I could to make it happen.  That’s when I knew that this was something I had to do.  That’s when I knew that I had it in me, even if it was hidden deep deep inside.

I’m completely aware that I will miss home at times, plenty of times.  When it’s loved ones’ birthdays, and I’m unable to even call them, I’ll feel bummed.  When it’s Thanksgiving and my entire family is together, stuffing their faces with the best meal ever, I’ll definitely be experiencing some serious FOMO (fear of missing out).  BUT, this is only four months.  I already know that it will absolutely fly by, and I want to be able to take everything in as it happens.  One thing that I plan on working on while abroad is living in the moment.  I far too often catch myself stressing over past events, and worrying about what will happen in the future.  I believe the best way to get every possible aspect out of this program, is to absorb it all, and take it in for what it’s worth.  I really love listening to what others have to say, hearing stories, and understanding what they’re trying to tell me, so I am confident that I will return from this semester with more knowledge and appreciation than any other growing period in my life.

Anywhooo, enough with the soft and sappy stuff.  As one would assume, our lack of internet connection while on the ship is definitely a thing.  Our one means of communication is by “seamail”, so if you would like to stay in touch, feel free to send a message to briana.johnson.fa17@semesteratsea.org 🙂

Love from my very last hostel for pre-travel (Hamburg),

Bri

Surprise, this was our next stop!!

We decided on Berlin because it was the perfect “middle-man” stop between Dresden and Hamburg, our final destination for embarkation (kind of).  We didn’t end up getting there until about 10:00 pm, so we just got settled into our hostel for the night.  Our first night in Berlin, we stayed at Plus Berlin Hotel & Hostel.  It was definitely the nicest one so far, and the best part?  It was the cheapest one by a ton!!  Still not really quite sure how that works out, because it’s located in a pretty touristy city, and our final hostel located in a not so touristy city was 4x the price, but that’s Europe for ya!  Hostels are a lot cheaper than hotels in most cases, but I would definitely recommend doing your research and finding the most affordable, yet the most trusted and reliable places to crash.  Some will throw in extra fees for towels, locks, and sometimes even bed sheets (that you’re required to buy), so make sure to look into those sort of things if you’re planning on traveling and staying in hostels while doing so!

We ended up rooming with two awesome girls, one from the states, and one from New Zealand.  Taylor was super pumped about the girl from New Zealand, because she wants to move there some day and is absolutely in love with the place!  We were able to exchange stories and reason behind traveling in Germany, and it was really cool getting to hear about their travels up until this point.

We slept in the next morning, and I was finally able to get a good night’s rest, which felt i n c r e d i b l e.  Butttttttt, we had forgotten to take one thing into consideration – check out time.  It wasn’t until about 11:00, as we were about to head down to the lobby, when we got a knock on our door saying that we were supposed to check out an hour ago…oops.  They ended up not even charging us the late out check out fee, which was super awesome of them!

We started off our afternoon at 2 different cafés, one for coffee, and one for brunch.  We both adored our drinks, but we were a little disappointed in the food we ordered   We ordered a French toast meal, and I was so pumped because I figured they’re close to France, so they have to have some bomb French toast, right?! Just kidding, that wasn’t my logic, but I assumed French toast never really turns out bad…it ended up just tasting like bread.  But hey, this was our only negative food experience while traveling Germany for a week, so I cannot complain!

We unintentionally ended up running into the Berlin Wall, which was beautiful in so many different ways.  The area that we walked along is the longest stretch of the remaining wall, and one side was completely filled with amazing artwork done by very talented artists, each with a completely different style.  The other side was covered with personal stories of victims of what the wall stood for, which was absolutely chilling.  The wall was both a physical and social barrier that divided West Berlin from East Germany from 1961 until 1989.  The wall’s purpose was to prevent mass defection and emigration that had marked the communist Eastern Bloc and East Germany during post-WWII times.  Being able to walk up and down this once “dividing force” of Germany is hands down an experience that you must take part in at least once in your life.  The symbolism hidden within in the art, and the very detailed aspects of the stories on the other side gave me a feeling that I have never felt before.  This all made me think back to a piece of wall art that I saw in Dresden that read, “Love doesn’t know borders”, which can be interpreted in very relevant issues all over the world.  It’s incredible to me that they took something so exclusive and turned it into an inclusive piece of artwork that is now viewed by people from all over the world!

After asking for food recommendations from a staff member at our hostel, we decided to head to a famous food stand called “Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap”.  We were warned that we would be waiting in line for about 45 minutes (which we did), but it was absolutely worth it once we tried our first bite.  I got the vegetable and meat kebap, and it was also coated in cheese and Greek yogurt…highly recommend!  Mustafa’s is a world renown Turkish kebap truck, and it one of those places where the meat rotates around on a machine, and they shave it directly off onto your tortilla!  The food sold there is considered Turkish, but the business was created in Berlin.  If you’re ever in Berlin and willing to wait in line for about an hour for food, GO!

¡Adíos pre-voyage, hola España!

Love from Berlin,

Bri

Our altered itinerary led us to the very hip city of Dresden next!  We decided on here because Taylor had heard about this incredible bridge that was located just about a 45-minute train ride (…) away.  We arrived to the city by bus (so much cheaper and a way easier travel process), and we chose to stay in Lollis Homestay, another hostel.  This hostel was very different from the two that we had previously stayed at.  It was unique, with each room taking on a different “theme”, and it was incredibly artsy – as the rest of the city.

After settling in, we immediately got ready and took to the town, as we knew we would only have a few hours to actually explore it.  We were both in need of some food, so we decided to just wander around by our hostel in hopes of finding something (this is a common theme while traveling we discovered).  Eventually we stumbled upon a burger joint (very American, I am aware), and oh my goodness, this was exactly the pick-me-up that I needed.  The menu consisted of some pretty hilariously named burgers, my favorite being the “Notorious P.I.G.”.  I ended up being lame and getting your standard cheeseburger, but it came with cucumbers (YUM), tomato, salad (this is what Europeans call “lettuce”), ranch, and burger sauce – it was delightful.

That night we basically just wandered around some more, explored the city center, and oohed and awed at all of the graffiti that is truly viewed as an art form there.  We checked out some shops, got our much needed chocolate fix from a local market, and encountered plenty more “German stare downs” as we would like to call them.  We still aren’t quite sure as to whether it’s because they know we’re Americans, or it’s simply not customary to smile at each other when walking by, but almost every person we have encountered while walking just stares at us with a blank expression…We have officially decided that “Minnesota Nice” and “Southern Hospitality” do not exist here.  While walking the streets, just as the sun was setting, the sky began filling with hot air balloons, which was definitely a sight to see.

The next morning, we woke up early, as we were determined to go and see Bastei Bridge before we had to take off for Berlin.  Of course this traveling experience would not go without a little delayed start and a bump in the road, but we have learned to embrace those J We were told to talk to the people at the train station about which ticket to purchase in order to get to the bridge, but when we told the two workers about where we wanted to go (a very popular tourist spot), neither of the ladies had any idea what we were talking about, mind you they also spoke no English.  Eventually they told us a city and sold us tickets, and we hopped on the train, still not entirely sure that we were going to end up where we were wanting to.

We actually ended up RIGHT next to the area that we wanted to be, so it ended up the ladies knew what they were doing after all.  The only way to reach this bridge, along with the rest of the small town, is by crossing a river via ferry.  The view from the other side was breathtaking, so I was eager to see what the view from atop the mountain would be.

The hike took us a little over an hour, as there were numerous “viewing” spots along the way.  About 90% of the way up is where the bridge is located, and it was absolutely incredible.  There really is no adequate way of putting it into words, so I’m not even going to try.  See for yourself in the images below! (insert nerdy history segment here à) The bridge is located within the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, and it towers 194 meters above the Elbe River – the body of water that we had to take a ferry over in order to access the mountains.  The rocks of the Bastei took their shape from water erosion over a million years ago, and this is what makes it so astonishing to look at…they are so old, yet in such pristine condition.  The bridge was originally built in 1824, but it was made from wood, and the current sandstone bridge replaced the it in 1851.  We ended up visiting Bastei at the most perfect time of year, as it is right after peak season, so it wasn’t even nearly as busy as it normally is.  The big tourist spot it is, the hike is normally jam-packed with people.  So we got pretty lucky there!  After we got back to the bottom, we rewarded ourselves with some bratwurst – it was well deserved.

Read my next post to see where we decided to make our next stop…:)

Love from Dresden,

Bri

***disclaimer – this is a blog focusing on a mishap during our trip, aka it’s not very entertaining

If you read my “Ready for Takeoff” blog, you saw what our itinerary was intended to be…from Füssen, we were planning on heading to Lucerne, Switzerland.  However, long story short, one train delay led to the next, and eventually we realized that it wouldn’t be possible to make it to our hostel in time for the latest possible check-in.  Navigating the train stations is difficult enough, and adding 90+ pounds of luggage to the equation, while genuinely trying to sprint throughout the station, was simply not happening.

Despite the stress and chaos, there were a few moments that kept me hopeful and made me very grateful.  While sprinting through the station, keeping all my luggage intact was definitely quite the struggle.  As I was lugging everything up the stairs, a man and his family suddenly approached me.  The man grabbed one of my bags, while his daughter grabbed the bottom of the one I was carrying.  They spoke no English, and I wasn’t quite sure what language they spoke, but once we got to the top of the stairs, all I could say was “thank you” over and over and over again.  The whole incident left me teary eyed.  I had been so frazzled and consumed by a moment of distress, and these people had absolutely no reason to help me, yet they did.  This definitely gave me a nice refreshing mindset, and it was the driving force behind getting me through the rest of the traveling for that day.

SO, we finally decided to just head back to Munich, which ended up being one of the stops on the train we were actually able to make…LOL back to where we started.  But all in all, we ended up being A-OK, and we were back in a somewhat familiar place.  Luckily the hostel that we had stayed in previously had rooms available, and we actually ended up having some luck for the day, as they gave us our own room….no roommates, complete privacy!!!  I cannot express enough, the staff at Wombats in Munich are incredible.  They were so understanding, so accommodating, and they genuinely made us feel at home.  Wombats Munich, you guys rock!!

Our night in Munich was spent recuperating and deciding what we wanted to do with the rest of our pre-travel.  There’s really no exciting content in this post, but I figured I might as well talk about it all – good and bad!  My next one will be better, I promise.

I think this helped me realize that I need to focus more on the big picture, and the fact that I get to travel the world for the next 4 months.  I am incredibly appreciative of being given this opportunity, and I hope you find some entertainment in reading my rambles 🙂

All in all, things happen for a reason (as cliché as it sounds), and both Taylor and I agreed that we will definitely find reasoning behind our change of plans.

Love from Munich (again),

Bri

Dear Munich,

I sincerely apologize, but Füssen takes the cake for now.

Sincerely,

Bri

Ok but actually, this town was i n c r e d I b l e.  It was different from Munich in so many ways (Munich still rocked though), but it was mainly because of the smaller, more rural city vibes, rather than the hustle and bustle of the much larger city of Munich.  The moment we began to see the mountains while on the train, we both got so excited.  The views from the train were beautiful enough, so once we were actually able to explore them up close, we were in awe.  The photo that I captured right off the train (so tourist, I know), truly reminded me of Harry Potter, which was awesome because I ❤ Harry Potter.  This simply set the mood for the rest of our time in Füssen – pure bliss.

One thing we quickly realized about traveling across other countries, is that we normally rely on Google Maps a lot more than we probably should.  Take away the internet connection, add a little language barrier in there, and boom, you have two very lost-looking, young, American tourist girls who have probably been the laughing stock of far too many locals.  I say this now because instead of just asking for help with directions at the train station, we let our pride get in the way, thoroughly believing that we could navigate with the directions we had.  ANYWAYS, it didn’t take us long to run back to the train station (well Taylor did while I waited with all of our bags HAHA), and we then had no problem finding our place.

Apologies for the large tangent, and now onto the fun stuff.  In Füssen we stayed at a hostel called Old Kings Füssen Design Hostel, and it was so quaint, homey, and a lot more private, which was a nice change.  The owner was the absolute sweetest woman ever, and she recommended that we try a short hike called Kalvarienberg!  We quickly settled in and then grabbed the map that she drew up (finally learning), and took off for the trek.

While walking, we crossed the Lech River (via bridge of course), and we were able to see a pretty cool view of the mountains, along with some very dark clouds that were headed our way.  Luckily it only rained for a few minutes, and then ended up getting rather sunny.  Apparently the water of the Lech is normally a turquoise color, but unfortunately it was a lot murkier due to the cloudy weather and change of seasons.

Just a few minutes from the starting point for our hike, we began to hear what seemed to be a very powerful rush of water.  Once we turned the corner, we realized that we had come across a ginormous waterfall, completely surrounded by a forest full of lush trees.  This waterfall is actually part of the Lech River, which runs throughout Germany and Austria.  The force was so powerful that while walking across the bridge, you get misted from the water far below!

We then continued to our hike, which ended up being rather quick on the way up, but definitely tiring nonetheless.  It was steep at some points, but it is pretty manageable for those of all ages and abilities.  Throughout our trek, we encountered a number of different chapels and religious monuments, all of which related to Jesus and Christianity.  Unfortunately all descriptions were written in German, so I wasn’t able to fully understand much of what was written.  A majority of the monuments looked very old, but they were preserved well.

After about 30 minutes of almost non-stop uphill movement, we had made it to the top.  Both of us managed to wait until we got there to look out over the city, and man were we glad we had waited.  This view was hands down one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.  One side was overlooking all of the buildings of the town, while the other side was the most breathtaking view of the mountains and lake, and you could even see the castles (Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau) hidden in the mountains.  Pictures simply could not do this image justice, but we definitely tried!  There was one that I was able to capture (pictured below), where a cross that was placed at the peak can be seen next to a bright light shining through the clouds, which sent chills up my body from feeling the spiritual connection.  We encountered a plethora of groups of people while completing this short hike, even a fellow American, and it was cool to see so many people out and about, actively enjoying their Sunday.

That night we decided to get dinner from an Italian restaurant (we were craving pasta and pizza, ok?), and the whole experience was rather interesting.  The second we walked in, the waiter grabbed English menus, and we realized that they truly can detect us from one simple glance.  We discovered that the waiters/waitresses never come back to check on you/how you like your food, which technically doesn’t really even matter, because you don’t tip them anyways.  Which is another thing that continues to be so odd to me.  Lastly, I order water almost every time I am out to dinner (back home), and the fact that WATER is 5+ Euro just blows my mind.  Every other beverage, besides some of the alcoholic ones, is way cheaper than water…..something that we genuinely NEED to survive…..don’t even ask how upset I am about this.  Germans like their beer, I like my water.

*random blurb but I don’t know where else to put it* One of the girls that was staying in our hostel has as roommate at Gonzaga who is from Mounds View, MN!!! What are the odds.

The next morning, we knew that we wanted to take a short bus ride to go see Alpsee Lake!  Our original plan included seeing both castles as well, but with a 1 o’clock train to catch, we decided that it would be best to play it safe (lol…..) and allow plenty of time to get back to the hostel to grab our luggage, and then get to the train station.  We went and got a quick breakfast consisting of a pastry, a sandwich, and 2 cappuccinos (where we discovered that bees absolutely love me – joy), and we hopped on the bus to the lake.

While on the bus, we created a very strict schedule for how much time we were going to allow ourselves to walk up to the lake, walk around and see the lake, and then walk back down to catch the bus (we both like to be prepared/organized, even if you disagree).  Even though we weren’t going up to either castle, we were able to see both of them from afar while we were walking to the lake, and they truly are beautiful.  Neuschwanstein is actually the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s castle, which I thought was pretty neat!

Hohenschwangau

Neuschwanstein (really really small in the middle)

Now the lake.  My oh my, I have never seen a more breathtaking body of water before.  The water was almost entirely see through, and it went from a bright blue, to a deep blue, and then into turquoise-green color.  Surrounding the entirety of the lake were the mountains, which made the backdrop even better.  Of course the weather was incredible too, making it that much harder to leave such a picturesque scene.  Apparently you can rent row or paddle boats too, which I definitely would have wanted to do if we weren’t battling with time.

After taking in all of the beauty and snapping all the pictures we could, we headed back down to the bus pick-up spot, with 20 minutes more than we thought we needed.  But little did we know…..(yes I am making this blog post a cliffhanger).

Love from Füssen,

Bri

After paying 12 Euro for a train ride that should have been 1.50 Euro, and somehow managing to turn a 10 minute walk into a 30 minute one, we finally reached our hostel in Munich!! When you’re not the best at public transportation in the states, it makes it that much harder when you’re in another country, where language barriers are oftentimes unavoidable.  We stayed at Wombat’s City Hostel, which I would highly recommend!  It’s located in a perfect spot, within walking distance of the city center and plenty of other things to do.  It’s also very hip and modern, with the coolest lounge areas (picture below), and the staff are all SO friendly and helpful.  For my first hostel experience, this definitely set my expectations pretty high for future ones!

We arrived in the morning, and we weren’t allowed to check into our hostel until that afternoon, so we dropped of our bags (yes this was a little frightening for me, as I had everything that needed to last me the next 4 months in these bags), and we headed out to walk around the streets of Munich.  The first thing on our agenda was to find a café for some breakfast and of course…..COFFEE!!  During our hunt near our hostel, we encountered sooo many Mediterranean food places, and could not find any trace of authentic German food.  Eventually we settled on a café/bakery where we both got our boost of caffeine.  I got an amazing chai latte (S/O to Peggy), and after my experiences in both Italy and Germany, I have come to the conclusion that European coffee is just way better – something about the thickness and frothiness (just pretend that’s a word).

After finally getting settled into our hostel, we set back out onto the streets, but this time, we headed for the city center, also known as “the heart of Munich” in search of The Glockenspiel.  The Glockenspiel, or more formally known as “Rathaus-Glockenspiel”, is located in Marienplatz, which is the square of the city center.  Every day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16^th century, truly entertaining the mass crowds that surround it during these times.  The top half tells the story of the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V, and the bottom half represents Schafflertanz (the coopers’ dance).  The coopers (barrel-makers), are known to have danced throughout the streets of Munich to persevere through the plague of 1517.  Although I overheard a tour guide telling her group that the Glockenspiel is one of the most overrated tourist attractions in Europe, I’m glad we went to go find it.  It was definitely just as beautiful and gigantic as it looks in pictures.

We then continued to explore more of the city center, which is filled with tons and tons of shops, along with plenty of food options, and some incredible architecture – which is something I can definitely appreciate, as the architecture back home is just blah.  We also realized that Germany is genuinely such a “melting pot”, home to people from all different cultures, which was cool to see!  I think one of my favorite things about traveling internationally, is being able to see how different the way of life and the norms are from place to place.  The style, habits, trends, and actions of others is definitely something I pay attention to while traveling.

After hearing about some sort of church where you could climb and see almost the entire city from atop, we knew we had to see what the talk was all about.  After some trial and error (most likely going to be a common occurrence), we discovered that this building is known as the Church of St. Peter, and we eventually came across it!  After climbing 300 stairs, we made it to the top, and it really was pretty incredible.  We had a great view of the Glockenspiel, and we were able to see a vast majority of the city.  Like I said earlier, the architecture in Europe is so much more interesting than that of the U.S., so this was a cool sight to see.  Also, I am terrified of heights, so this was a big move for me – go Bri.

While wandering about the city, we came across the most wonderful smell, and once we turned our heads, we knew where it was coming from – a deli – and the smell was coming from freshly made bratwursts!!  Immediately we knew it was destiny, so of course we went and bought some.  I have always been the biggest brat fan, so this was a delicacy.  They were absolutely delicious, and definitely enhanced the “German” experience.

This day had consisted of 18+ hours of travel, so we had a pretty early night in Munich.  We hung out around the lounges of the hostel a bit, and we actually met quite a few other Americans, which was kind of cool!  After falling asleep at about 10:00 (anyone who knows me knows that this is insane), both my roommate and I managed to wake up at the exact same time (12:30 a.m.) from the jetlag, utterly confused as to how it wasn’t already morning time.  Jetlag is no joke you guys.

Hope you enjoyed my first actual destination post!! Stay tuned (or don’t).

Love from Munich,

Bri