Spain!!!

I can’t believe we’re already on our fourth port!! This trip is going by way too fast… BUT I still miss my friends and family back home. Anyways, Spain was absolutely amazing. I really need to find a different adjective to describe everything, but that’s all I got right now.
So we ported in Valencia, Spain for the first two days. Day one, my friends Liv, Hanna, Kelsey and I walked through the markets of Valencia and we bought some really great fresh fruit and saw other interesting items that they sold. At one vendor they were just selling piles of snails. One of the locals noticed us taking pictures and he started to laugh and picked up one of the snails and posed for a picture. We definitely stuck out like a sore thumb. After, we went and ate A LOT of tapas (which are absolutely delicious and I already miss them) and we had churros with chocolate dipping sauce. Then we went to Oceanographic which is one of the largest aquariums and science centers. We saw a huge variety of oceanic animals and we even saw a dolphin show that was surprisingly a lot more fun than you'd think. Unfortunately, soon after we got back to the ship I started feeling really horrible and I had to go to the medical clinic to get some medicine and I had to stay in day two of Spain. But it wasn’t a complete waste because I found some wifi and got some work done, so it was a productive day.
That night, the ship left that port, and we sailed to Barcelona. We arrived in the morning and I was starting to feel better so we made a great day out of it. In the morning we HAD to go to Dunkin’ Donuts (for Liv because that’s her thing) and then we walked around Las Ramblas and the markets in Barcelona which was awesome. We bought our postcards and our gifts for friends and family and we had Paella and sangria! When I get back home I’m gonna have my dad figure out how to make paella the way they do in Barcelona (get ready Dean). Then we went to the Segrada Familia which is one of Gaudi’s famous works that is actually still being built. It was started over 150 years ago and they're still working on it! It was honestly one of the most beautiful sites to see. I also got my mom one of the most beautiful crosses I've seen thus far on this trip.  We also bought futbol (soccer) jerseys because that night we went to a Barca game!! It was the largest field program in semester at sea history. So basically over 300 college students flooded three sections of seats in this game and we were absolutely the loudest and most obnoxious people there. Im not gonna pretend like I know a lot about football in Spain because I know it’s a big deal to them, but I think I understood most of it and I actually got really into it and had a lot of fun. (They sold hot dogs but they really weren't that good :/). Liv and I were still feeling a bit under the weather so after the game we headed back to the ship and watched a movie.
The next day I had a field lab in Barcelona for my Popular Musics class. I’m pretty sure that day had to be one of my favorites. We went to this different part of Barcelona that was by Las Ramblas but it had a whole other feel to it. It almost felt like the San Francisco of Spain. We walked through these tiny alleys down streets where cars couldn't fit and saw so many interesting locals. We went to this recording/dance studio that had a front door that was only four feet tall and we listened to three artists play instruments and sing for us. All three artists were so interesting and it was so amazing to be able to talk to them about their lives and how music plays a huge role in their lives. After we went to a record store and talked to other local musicians who showed us this small little club where they have parties every weekend and they just play original music. I recorded almost all the songs they played for us and now I can’t stop listening to it.
Later in the evening, my friends and I went to this fire running festival that was… interesting. I say that with hesitance because it really wasn't what I expected. We were thinking that it would be a huge festival, but it just turned out to be a bunch of semester at sea students. The beginning was slow but then all these people in devil costumes came out with sparklers and fireworks and we had a really great time. I have a video of myself running through it that I will post eventually. After the festival we went to a local bar with a huge group of friends and had a relaxed night.
The next day was our last and I spent half of it with Liv shopping and the last half we had to be on the ship. Overall, Spain was absolutely amazing (despite being sick a little). Europe has been awesome but I’m pumped to finally change continents. Morocco here I come!!!!

Greece!

Okay my friends. Get ready for a long post, but don't worry it's pretty interesting (at least I think so). So I spent the first day of my trip in Greece in Athens. We went to the Acropolis and Parthenon, Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Zeus, the National Library, and the University of Athens. We were really trying to hit all the tourist spots before we did anything else. While we were walking around we happened to pass the Parliament and got to see the changing of the guard! And to top it off I had an AMAZING Greek salad. 
Day two was definitely not my favorite due to the fact that I had a field lab for my environmental studies class and we went to a water treatment plant and a wind mill farm. Despite how boring it was, I got to eat Gyro for free. And when is free food not good?! 
Okay here's where it gets interesting. 
That night my friend Liv and I were supposed to take an overnight ferry to the island Crete. However after really thinking it through and getting slightly lost to the port station, we didn't go to Crete. Instead we met up with some other friends who were taking a 5:30am flight to Santorini. So Liv and I bought our tickets that night, walked to the airport in the pouring rain (and when I mean pouring I mean POURING), and slept in a McDonald's booth in the airport. We only got an hour and a half of sleep there until the McDonald's worker woke us up and said we weren't allowed to sleep there. It was about 3:30 by then so we just stayed up with our friends until the flight. I would've slept on the plane but 45 minutes wasn't enough time for me to really catch some rest. Once we arrived in Santorini it was 6am and we realized we had no idea what we were going to do and we had no place to stay. So we sat on a rooftop and watched the sunrise trying to figure it out. We then decided to go to a beach and take a nap because we were all extremely exhausted. We went to the black sand beach and took a good hour long nap. Still not knowing what to do with ourselves we decided to go to a cafe and grab some food and wifi. By that time we figured out a villa we were going to stay in with 14 people that had the most beautiful view of the island and had its own private pool! We headed to our place to lay by the pool and relax and get ready to go out to the town. We shopped a bit in Santorini and had an amazing dinner. Oh and we also got fish pedicures?! (That’s when you stick your feet in a tank with a bunch of fish that eat the dead skin off your feet). For the first minute I couldn't stop laughing, but after it actually was really relaxing and I enjoyed it. I am recommending this to all my friends! It was definitely something I crossed off my bucket list. That night I went out with my friends and again didn’t get enough sleep. However, it was actually a really cool time and I got a lot closer to my friends Liv and Brian. 
Day two we didn’t get up ’til it was time for lunch. So we went back to town to have our last Santorini meal before we had to take an 8 hour ferry back to Piraeus. The ferry ride really wasn’t that bad. I had originally planned to sleep the whole time, BUT my friends and I were a little sidetracked. The majority of the time was spent playing this card game called “Hearts” and it was the most confusing and difficult game to learn. After a few rounds, I got used to it and I loved it. Basically our ferry ride consisted of really intense card games, mediocre burgers, and random tv shows and movies. We got back to the ship around 12am and somehow still had energy. So, of course my friends and I decide to go out. It was a pretty fun night and we sat by the water for a bit and just talked. We didn’t get back until around 3am-ish. Now that would be okay if we didn't have to wake up early the next day, but we did. So after about 3 hours of sleep we’re back out in Athens trying to do some last minute shopping before the ship left. Thinking it was going to be a warm day, Liv and I wore our summer clothes that both included a white shirt. Yet we didn’t know it was going to rain that day. White. Shirt. Rain. Not a good combination. It was still pretty funny, but we went back a bit early and got ready for the ship to depart Greece. 

This trip is definitely gonna be one to remember and I’m so happy with how it turned out. However, I had to pay the price for the lack of sleep I got. Whenever I don’t get enough sleep, I get sick. So, I got sick, and I still am sick. I got a nice fever with congestion and a cough. Now I’m finally getting some sleep and a LOT of medication. Trying to get better before Spain (I’m so stoked for Spain). 
Also, a reminder for people; if you need to contact me, please email rachel.richens.fa15@semesteratsea.org 
If I’m on the ship I respond pretty quick BUT remember I’m about 9 hours ahead of you guys until I move closer west (and I’ll let you know my time changes as they occur). 
Thanks for reading the super long weird post!! Time to say Hola to Spain! 

Croatia!!!

Hello again! We just got back from Dubrovnik, Croatia yesterday evening and it was absolutely amazing. I know on my itinerary it says that Istanbul was supposed to be our second port, but due to safety reasons we had to change our destination to Croatia. At first, I was slightly bummed out because we were really excited to go to Istanbul, but Dubrovnik turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Our first day in port, I was able to walk the famous wall around the Old Town of Dubrovnik and was able to see some amazing views. The old town (where we spent most of our time) had plenty to do and we were busy almost every minute we spent there. We went snorkeling by a nearby island where we saw an old shipwreck and all types of fish and octopi. Afterwards, we swam in a small lake that housed a cave. It was pretty fun, although I worried I'd step on a sea urchin the majority of the time. 

The rest of the day was spent relaxing on the beach and we were able to watch a sunset along the water, in addition to visiting some of the islands of Croatia. BUT, we did get stranded on this beach. The boat (which we paid for) that took us to this small beach, was scheduled to pick us up at 6:30pm. Turns out they forgot about us,  leaving us stranded. We ended up just calling a taxi and later demanded a refund for the boat ride we never received. They only gave us half back but it was still pretty funny. 

Our Air B and B had a HUGE number of stairs and we basically walked up and down those stairs several times a day. And they were literally called the “stairway to hell”. Like it actually read that at the top of the stairs. I better have some great legs by the end of this trip. 

Over the next few days we went kayaking, swimming, and out to some really great restaurants in Dubrovnik. Along with that, we spent a day in Montenegro, which is actually a completely separate country from Croatia, but only a two hour bus ride. It was a very scenic, peaceful place and a good change of pace compared to the business of Dubrovnik. 

On our last day, we spent time on the island of Lokrum which I think was my favorite part of  Croatia. It was a peacefully cute island (it also had a nude beach but we don’t have to get into that).

Overall, Croatia was amazing and I’m actually really bummed that we’re leaving. BUT we’re now on our way to Greece, so I’m extremely excited. We only have two days to plan for our time there and I’m trying to write an essay. Wish me luck!

 

Crazy dreams and peanut butter?

Life on the ship has returned to normal since we left Italy. It’s smooth sailing from here to Croatia despite the thunder, lightning, rain, and wind we going through right now. I thought today was going to be a great day to lay by the pool ,and do some homework, but it is actually the coldest day we have had on the ship. I would drink some warm coffee, but their version of coffee tastes like watered down coffee beans.

Sleeping has been exceptionally weird lately. My cabin has no windows. So when you turn off the lights, it’s pitch black. Sometimes I can’t tell if my eyes are opened or closed. Because of this extreme darkness, I tend to wake up very disoriented and I’m never sure which way is up or down. So basically, every morning, I have a small panic attack because I forget where I am. Last night the weirdest thing happened to me. I had this crazy dream that I was locked inside a box, banging on the door trying to find a way out. When I woke up, I was surprised to realize that I was out of my bed banging on my own front door.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?! I don’t think I've ever slept walked in my life, so I guess this is a first for me. I don't think I mentioned in my last post about how I was stuck in an elevator while in Italy. It was an EXTREMELY small elevator with a cage around it and my friends and I were stuck on it for a few minutes because it stopped in the middle of two floors. Luckily, we were able to get out. But maybe this experience had something to do with my dream….probably.

Despite the weird dreams, I always have my peanut butter to look forward to. The food on the ship isn’t necessarily good or bad, but the giant pan of peanut butter and bananas they keep out are my favorite. Peanut butter is my new desert. Maybe the peanut butter is causing the weird dreams?

I’ve also begun taking yoga every morning on the deck, while watching the sunrise. I wish I could describe the experience, but it’s one you have to experience for yourself.
I am very excited to go to Croatia and have already planned to go snorkeling and take a day trip to Montenegro! I’m still trying to figure out the rest of my trip but I am sure it will all work out!

It’s so crazy to think that we’re already onto our next country. See you in two days Croatia!