SELFIES WITH MUST-SEES

it wouldn't be a twenty-first century euro trip without selfies to document the sighting of each monumental must-see along the way.

(disclaimer: no selfie sticks were used in the making of this photographic compilation)

^ big ben || the london bridge ^

^ notre dame || the eiffel tower ^

 ^ jardin du luxembourg (paris) ^

^ the louvre ^

^ the eiffel tower at night: on top || from a distance ^

^ arc du triomphe || the love lock bridge ^

^ the mona lisa || the colosseum ^

^ the colosseum || vatican city (with the pope peeking out of a window in the background!) ^

^ authentic italian pizza || authentic italian gelato ^

^ the trevi fountain (under construction, womp womp) ^

^ the city of naples, italy || mount vesuvius ^

^ the alhambra (granada, spain) || the strait of gibraltar (from tangier, morocco) ^

^ a moroccan camel ^

^ plaza de espana (barcelona, spain) || la sagrada familia (barcelona, spain) ^

this maybe wasn't quite what my mother had in mind when she requested i "please remember to get pictures with me in them, too, to balance out the abundance of scenic ones!" but i've gotta admit, i sure am glad i have these quirky, hardly-flattering-yet-rather-characteristic photos of myself on some of my most memorable days in europe. checking cities and experiences off of my bucket list one selfie at a time!

rachel's random rules for nailing selfies with must-sees:
1. it's all about the angle. forget the selfie sticks and get creative with your camera-tilting, head-tilting, entire-body-tilting... hey, it can be hard to get an appropriate balance between your face and the famous monument at hand. hard, but not entirely impossible. accept and embrace the challenge.
2. get excited. FACIALS. even if you're feeling a little underwhelmed by the sight of the colosseum and the scaffolding surrounding 65% of it, use your angles  and facials  to work it for a decent photo. my go-tos: the over-excited open mouth laughsmile and the smize.
3. fearless = flawless. feel awkward taking a selfie with an inanimate eiffel tower situated an entire three blocks behind you? who cares! set free your inner tourist. pull that big map out of your fanny pack while you're at it! you're there to see and experience those things, so make the most of your time and leave with no sad travelly tourist regrets. 

CAFE MOCHAS DO A GIRL GOOD

i just consumed the closest thing to a cafe mocha that i've been able to find since my arrival in europe and i have NEVER FELT MORE LIKE MYSELF than i do right now. two pips for strong coffee combined with a sugary milky goodness and a big blob of whipped cream on top.

*licks lips in one suave, satisfied glaze-over, takes a slow step forward, clears throat*

i have prepared no better acceptance speech after being rewarded the biggest bogus blogger bestowal (because that is absolutely a thing) than the following:

i have been so consumed by my easy effort to soak up every last bit of studying, exploring, traveling, communicating, interacting, and just living  in this beautiful country that i've seemed to somehow neglect some of my favoritest, happiest of past times (like blogging, for one) and for that, i am truly sorry.

and then i chuck up the deuces, drop the mike, turn on my heels, and casually saunter off stage like the true free-spirited rebel that i like to think i am.

for what it's worth, i've stuck to my promise about journaling (almost) every day, and have an entire book's worth of memories and thoughts and happenings jotted down that i have full intentions of eventually transcribing to my little online diary here for the public world to read. with time, my friend, with time.

so hi! it's now november. (!?!) wow! welcome november. fall cliches like pumpkin spiced lattes and ugg boots and cold weather with dead-leaf-littered pathways do not exist here in granada, spain and for that i am grateful. the weather's been stubbornly hanging around in the 70's for the past few weeks and as the locals would dramatically declare, "this is extremely unusual and we're experiencing our second summer for the year, we might as well up and forget about winter and hop straight to spring!" as much as i'm loving this gorgeous warm weather, i'm ready for changing seasons. the grass is always greener on the other side though, isn't it? the things i would do for a piping-hot cup of hot coffee as i snuggle up in a chunky sweater and fuzzy socks, some trashy hallmark movie on the tele and the sweet aroma of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies filling my nostrils and consuming my thoughts.

chocolate chip cookies! another thing that virtually does not exist in spain.

wanna know something that does exist in spain? the carhartt brand. yes, CARHARTT. yes, like the kind your dad and grandpa pick up at blaine's farm and fleet or theisen's home - farm - auto store to wear while they're out doing chores on the farm. wearing carhartt here is like a high-end fashion statement embraced by the elite and admired by all (and giggled at by the farm girl from the iowa). silly, right?

isn't it fascinatingly mind-blowing to think about the millions of people who are existing and living and thriving in this big world around us, and maybe they're doing life a little differently than we do but their way works, too, and is normal to them while ours would be considered "different"? but different doesn't mean wrong or worse. it's just a variation. like one of life's various algebraic equations that could be used to get the same answer.

mr. snuffles at the cafe bar next to me would like the world of rachbug's ramblings to know that colds exist here, too. and they get rather revengeful during climate shifts. i think each of us international students could second and third and one-hundredth that. *passes mr. snuffles a kleenex with my phone number written on it because he's actually quite handsome.*

well i suppose this post had no significant purpose other than to publicly announce that yes, i am still alive and functioning and well and spain and i are madly in love and i wanted to make sure to get all of that superficial weatherly talk garbage out of the way before we dig deep into the real stuff. i'd like to take this opportunity to open the floor for questions - is there anything about my current state of being that you're just dying to know? the food, my schedule, the people, traveling, etc? anything specific that tickles your fancy? my potential love interests, perhaps? ha i see right through you, we'll just clear that one up right now and put out the big fat NO, but i've developed some solid lifelong friendships and fallen even deeper in love with myself  (and i mean that in a very non egocentric way!) and confidently learning and embracing who i truly am, quirks and all, and that's what counts, right? i intend on getting around to all of these topics and more soon, but i welcome your questions and curiosities and love, of course.

enjoy what's left of your weekend! 

GRANADA CENTRO

i've compiled a bunch of clips of many of my favorite little frequently-traveled pathways in granada.

enjoy :)

A NIGHT IN MALAGA

i started this post saturday night. it went something like this:
"it's saturday night in granada, spain, and instead of primping myself in preparation for going out for beers and tapas, i'm laying in bed eating corn nuts and watching parent trap. pajama-ed and bra-less.

my hands though. MY HANDS. they're ready to party. intricate arabic henna on the right. a couple of brand new statement rings on the left. and all ten fingernails freshly coated in my brand new glossy grey nail polish. i feel like a woman."

the hands. the hands.

forty-eight hours later, an entire sunday and monday duo have come and gone, and i'm back in bed after the most relaxing day, happily full of love and joy and the pringles and chocolate croissants that i desperately hiked halfway across town for. and while the rest of me is lookin' a little haggard my hands are still looking fierce. nary a paint chip! a chip-less forty-eight hours is a success in my book.

we start classes on wednesday, so naturally i am throwing myself a bit of a pity party as i mourn these last few precious days of summer, even though deep down i realize i'm lucky to have had an entire month longer of vacation than most. and i really  realize how fortunate i am to have spent these last few months traveling the world. i wouldn't trade these experiences for anything - not even a silly summer extension! however tempting that seems... ;)

after our group trip to morocco (which i may or may not eventually write about, along with the other 614 things on my "bloggity" list [and yes that list actually exists and yes that's actually what it's entitled]), we had a six day vacation that we could do with whatever our little hearts desired. many turned around and traveled onward while a few of us chose to stay close to home. i was honestly excited to have an extended period of time to explore granada at my leisure and fancied the idea of going on a quick little getaway to a nearby city - an excuse to get out of town without straying too far or dealing with the stress of plans/means of transportation/budget/etc. come friday, my friend frances and i ended up doing just that. we did a little research thursday evening, booked a hostel, threw a change of clothes in our backpacks, and were off to malaga by friday morning.

we decided to forgo any real "planning" (which i've learned easily leads to over-planning and ultimately, some serious travel style-cramping) and just go - we hopped on the city bus we were *pretty* sure would end up at the bus station; arrived without previously checking the granada - malaga bus schedule and grabbed the next available ticket; had the address of the hostel but no real directions on how to get there. the type A in me never thought i'd be saying this, but i actually really enjoy traveling this way. it's so much more relaxed with minimal pressure or expectations, which makes it that much easier to really take in the surroundings and enjoy the journey rather than focusing on the destination.

malaga is a relatively big city on la costa del sol of the mediterranean sea. considering it's the sixth largest city in spain, we were surprised to find it's fairly easy to navigate by foot. only once were we tempted to stray from walking and that's because we saw horse-drawn carriage tours. ;) a dream-come-true for the little princesses within us that have yet to grow up. (our reality of life-as-a-poor-college student held us back, however).

when we arrived in malaga on friday morning, we walked straight to the pablo picasso museum. neither of us are die-hard fans, but seeing as picasso was born in malaga, how could we not, you know?

even though photos weren't allowed in the museum, i couldn't help myself but to do a from-the-purse-sneak-and-snap, just because i was feeling a little rebellious and this portrait reminded me of hana #crazycatlady.

after the museum, we went and explored the alcazaba and castle of gibralfaro, a royal fortress and ancient moorish ruins, respectively. it reminded me of a simpler version of the ahlambra - lots of little twists, turns, and narrow corridors leading to the unknown with a random garden or fountain stuck here or there, and the most beautiful overlook of the city.

friday night we treated ourselves to a fancy italian meal of garlic bread and hawaiian pizza and filled in the cracks with frozen yogurt as we walked along the port, window shopping and people watching. it was surprisingly quiet for a friday night, so we took advantage of the lazy, relaxed pace and were in no hurry as we weaved our way back to our hostel.

as frances and i were settling in for the night in our eight-person co-ed dorm, we were commenting on how we'd yet to have met our roommates when we heard a round of giggles coming from outside our door. the door handle jiggled as someone attempted to open it. frances and i exchanged looks as we watched the struggle unravel; the door finally swung open and our eyes were drawn to those who were entering: two blushing, young oriental girls, followed by a tall, dark, handsome, freshly showered, argentinian william levy lookalike. so that's what all the fuss was about. frances and i were no better composed, quickly turning into gushing little school girls, melting into drippy puddles of infatuation every time he spoke. (brag moment, fernando, or levy, as we appropriately coded him, slept on my bottom bunk. i know. he slept under me. i slept on top of him. [LOL i'm sorry grandma! someone please clarify this for her if she's confused! love you!]) after a little introductory chitchat, i learned that he spent his senior year of high school as an exchange student in des moines. iowa! fate most definitely brought us together, and seeing as i didn't even get his facebook information, i'm trusting fate to reunite us again in the future so we can fall in love, get married, etc. ;)

on saturday morning we toured malaga's cathedral, walked the winding side streets until we found a place to stop for lunch (this time, chinese ;) where we took shelter as it started to rain, which turned into our cue to head back to granada.

the highlights of our trip were most definitely the large quantities of non-spanish food we consumed (italian, oriental, you name it), the cute boys we encountered (mr. museum and our hostel roommate, william levy's more attractive argentinian twin), the sweet treats we always found an excuse to make room for, and good conversation. it was the perfect way to ring in a new school year. 

INTERCAMBIOS

through the central college study abroad program in granada, students are required to have an intercambio. an intercambio is an organized group session between us (native english speakers) and a local spanish-speaking student with whom we can practice our spanish that also wants to practice their english. we met our intercambios last week and were organized into our groups of five of our students to one spanish student. during our first program, we met and got to know our intercambios over tapas. "going out for tapas" is very common in spain - a tapa is a small plate of free food that you receive with the purchase of any beverage. almost all restaurants offer them and the tradition makes for a great social outing for minimal cost. often times you don't get to choose your tapa, but i've yet to be served something i didn't like. different dishes i've gotten include croquetas, a tangy potato salad served with olives and onions and dressed in olive oil, breaded fish bites, french fries, mini burgers, spanish tortillas... if you can imagine it, it's probably been tapatized!

(and that concludes our spanish culture lesson for the day ;)

so yes! our intercambio! and tapas! at the same time! an authentic experience, it was. our intercambio is tamara, a kind, bubbly, caring spaniard who studies and has perfected the english language and loves meeting new people. the perfect kind of intercambio.

our group, from left to right: frances, tamara, me, hana, bethany, genevieve

we're required to meet with our intercambios one weekend a month, but are encouraged to spend time together outside of the designated meeting time. we didn't waste any time taking this suggestion seriously and made plans the next night to meet up and go out with our intercambios. tamara brought an irish friend who brought german friends and we ended up hanging out in a mass of very superficially different people who quickly learned they actually had a lot in common. it was a neat opportunity to learn about each other and compare and contrast our different cultures. and a personal feat: i got to show off my impressive german skills. (okay the germans were anything but impressed. don't tell my professor. i tried).

not long after our first intercambio experience, hana and i had a discussion about what a beneficial thing the intercambio set-up will be for both learning the city and practicing the language. in that moment, by some magical twist of fate, we were approached by a sweet spanish girl named devora and her mom one afternoon as we were leaving our latest class session in the center for modern languages. they'd set out on a mission to find a foreign english-speaking student (or lucky for her, two ;) that would be interested in having an intercambio. in devora's case, she is out of college and currently works as a cosmetology school teacher and has decided to independently continue her english studies on the side. as we had been eager to make more local connections, we promptly agreed, swapped contact information, and proceeded to get to know the pair as we walked home for lunch.

we had our first get-together yesterday morning. hana and i met up with devora and she took us to one of her favorite local cafeterías for cappuccinos, juice, and toast. devora practically transformed into superfriendtourguide right before our very eyes! she made a mental plan and took us on a little excursion, weaving us through all of the best moroccan shops, up to the city's famous royal chapel, and hiked us all the way up the mini mountain, near the ahlambra, into a beautiful scenic garden called carmen de los mártires. i was panting, sweaty, and buzzing with caffeine by the time i reached the top, but all of that faded as i took in the serene, charming, secluded area tucked into the mountain with its breathtaking view of granada. i'm eager to return with my journal and a sack lunch and spend a day meditating there. (ha so! apparently spanish raquel meditates. it seems fitting?).

so that both parties are able to get some solid second-language communication practice in, we typically alternate languages: hana and i will speak in spanish and devora responds in english, etc. if we get stuck or have questions, we sometimes clarify in our native tongue, but we do pretty well using circumlocution and elaboration. it's such good practice and i for some reason feel less nervous and more relaxed in this setting and have an easier time casually conversing than i do in the home or classroom settings. i'm hoping that with time my anxiety and nerves will ease up and i gain more confidence in speaking in these more formal environments, too.

i already feel i've been so blessed by the connections made here in granada, both with my fellow classmates and the locals, including my host family. i'm hoping to continue to broaden my horizons and expand my network so that i have as many opportunities to (have an excuse to go out to eat, grab coffee, go on an adventure. i mean!) improve my spanish as possible. that is why i'm here, after all! ;)

SPANISH RAQUEL

churros con chocolate - spanish raquel's kryptonite

spanish raquel can always justify a midday gelato and an early evening pastry (typically a blueberry muffin, but when spanish raquel is feeling wild it's a chocolate croissant).

spanish raquel eats jelly on her toast.

spanish raquel doesn't complain about the +85*F heat because mexican raquel reminds her that it could be much, much worse.

spanish raquel loves all things pistachio flavored. doesn't that scream sophistication? pistachio.

spanish raquel walks everywhere, and as a result, not only gets in an impressive amount of daily exercise, but also has seen and learned to navigate the city. two-fer!

spanish raquel embraces the nightlife by going out for tapas - and likes it.

spanish raquel has worn a regular bra every day for over a week. here's to not looking like a slobby american in work-out clothes with no intention of exercising.

spanish raquel misses her loved ones in the states, but is so thankful for wifi, instant messaging, and skype.

spanish raquel speaks with the accent of a mexican raquel and is understood by no one.

spanish raquel is learning that, with this slower pace, she can afford to slow her pace, for she's no longer racing to catch up with the long-legged folk.

spanish raquel is always craving chocolate. always.

spanish raquel loves trying new things, meeting new people, learning new ways, and going on adventures, and is thrilled to have the next three months to continue doing just that.

HOLA FROM GRANADA!

hello hello hello and a big fat official HOLA from granada! 

hana and i arrived in granada last saturday afternoon after a thirty-three hour long traveling marathon across europe, and i must admit, it's nice to be adopting a slower pace and settling down into our new "homes" after practicing a nomadic lifestyle for the last three weeks. doing some pre-semester traveling was one of the smartest moves we could have made - not only did we not get slapped in the face with major jet lag during our first week of orientation (even so, we're still exhausted), we've had some time to acclimate ourselves to european time, food, and ways of life; which, while they're not standard across the country, we were able to form more concrete expectations coming into it, which has been comforting. not only that, but we saw/did/checked off so much from our bucket lists (eiffel tower! london bridge! roman colosseum! bing bang boom!) that we don't feel the pressure to squeeze each of those different trips in over a free three-day weekend. i'm thankful to have that time now to stay close and explore this city and all that it has to offer.

classes don't start until october, so we're spending the next few weeks getting oriented. our orientation schedule for this and next week is designed to help us navigate and get to know granada, bond as a group, and brush up on our spanish skills in preparation for our language level exams and the start of classes. this week has completely exceeded my expectations for each of those categories. the instant language immersion has been initially so overwhelming, but rather than beating myself up over the stress of how unattainable fluency feels in this moment, i'm trying to focus on the fact that this "spanish" spanish (specifically the accent/phraseology/etc.) surprisingly not as impossibly complicated as i expected. one day at a time! *dramatically yoga inhales... and exhales...*

let's have a superficial conversation about the weather now, shall we? this granadan weather! it's bipolar in the most lovable of ways. while they're on the tail end of summer here, they say that this weather is unusually hot for this time of year. the day temps peak around 90*F, but drop to a glorious mid 60*F overnight, making for a cool, brisk morning walk to our meeting place. while the afternoon walks to class can get a little heated (literally), i, for one, vowed to never complain about the heat after living in mexico and two, love a good excuse for ice-cold gelato.

granada itself is a beautiful, romantic little city. it's active and buzzing with the energy of a big city but gives off the quaint, comfortable vibe of a small town. i've accredited this to granada being made up of (or seemingly so) many interconnected little neighborhoods, each with their own personality, that are so easy to get lost in. i'm fascinated by the strong arabic/moroccan influence here and am anxious to learn more about it from a historical aspect.

a few favorite/memorable moments from this week:

- meeting my host family. i live with a senora named pilar in her apartment. her son, diego, and his sons (mini) diego (9) and julio (6) live with her too for the time being. they are the sweetest, most inviting family and i already feel "at home" with them, even after just a week. and those boys, golly! they bring so much energy and life to our little set up. thanks to them, my spanish vocabulary relating to all things snakes, dynamite, tricks, sports, etc. is rapidly increasing. boy stuff! i knew my placement was fate when little diego turned on naked and afraid during our first breakfast together. ;)
- the most obvious initial cultural difference (besides the language, obviously): the pace of daily life. everything and everyone here moves much more slowly than we americans do. they take their time getting from point a to point b, enjoying the journey rather than focusing on the destination, which i genuinely admire. i must admit, however, it's been a true test of my patience. for example: over the course of a few days, i spent a total of almost eight hours trying to acquire a local cell phone. granted, much of that time was spent (power) walking (with a purpose, and sticking out like a sore, hurried thumb. i'm trying to take it down a notch!) to different stores, but upon arrival it's clear that customer service situations (this goes for restaurant environments, too) are anything but rushed. interactions are easy, casual, conversation-based. story time!: we were waiting for an unusually long time, even by spanish standards (spandards, if you will), at one phone store, and the woman in line behind us was starting to get very impatient with the wait. she made her irritation very clear through loud, exasperated sighing and stamping of the feet via dramatic weight-shifting. she finally got so fed up that she flung her hands up in the air, simultaneously grunted whilst spinning around and proceeded to march off. she was so flustered that she neglected to pay attention to the fact that she was moving faster than the invisible sliding glass door, and walked right smack into it. she literally bounced off, leaving a greasy forehead smudge on the door as a little token of her oblivion, and then waited for the door to actually open before stumbling out. i couldn't help but chuckle. it was a simple reminder that my seemingly-overwhelming day could have been worse. ;)
- we have gotten lost so many times for the most ridiculous of reasons, but i've quickly learned that's the best way to see the city. i try to intentionally get (safely) lost at least once a day.
- the sidewalks and pathways are made out of a smooth, slick marble-like material (i can't wait to experience that in the rain...) so when dogs on leashes refuse to walk for some reason or other (which tends to happen quite frequently), their owners will just drag/slide them down the slippery walkway. i don't know why this is so entertaining but it is?
- so much bread! i have no self control when it comes to bread!
- i found a small little bakery owned by the sweetest woman and i've quickly deemed it "my bakery." she sells neopolitan croissants that are filled with dark and white chocolate and they're to die for.
- i was so worried about not knowing anyone in the program prior to signing up and arriving, but it's turned out to be the biggest blessing. i feel like i've known some of these kids forever and i'm so thankful (and excited!) to get to spend this crazy semester with them.

okay, that's enough words for one day! i'll soon start filling you in on all things london, paris, rome, munich!

reaadyyyy and break!