Feliz cumpleaños Adam Rossi!

Today is Adam Rossi’s 21st (or 12th — according to the candles that Cheryl bought him) birthday! In the United States this would normally be a big deal but in Europe turning 21 is just like any other year. Because we love to have a good time we wanted to make sure that Adam experienced a wonderful birthday evening and day. Here are a couple of the things that I think made Adam’s birthday a once in a lifetime, unforgettable and unique experience.

1. Birthdays are usually associated with gifts. Though Adam may not have gotten a room full of wrapped presents, he did receive something special from his roomie and fellow jersey boy, John. Since they already have the jerseys and the soccer cleat keychain the only thing they need to be professional futbol players is a soccer ball. So of course, John finished the deal and bought Adam a soccer ball from one of the local stores. Adam was as happy as could be and spent the rest of the night tossing the ball back and forth as we all walked down the streets of Madrid.

2. We may be in Spain but that doesn’t mean that you can’t hear a little birthday tune when it’s your birthday. Thanks to Nichelle, who requested two songs at the club, Adam was serenaded by surprise to an english version of Happy Birthday followed by his new favorite song (and the Jersey Boys theme song) “Hey Soul Sister” by Train. Needless to say it was one of the happiest moments of his life.

3. Today was the first day that we took the metro to class. Greeted by Nancy, our on-site director, and Karl we navigated the subways (even with a few minor construction closings) to the University where we will be holding class a few days of the week. There, we met Antonio (a professor at the University and friend of Karl’s) who opened the classroom for us and even decided to take class with us! Class consisted of the first steps of visualization, learning how to draw. Though Adam’s birthday fell on the first day of class, how lucky is he that his homework is to sketch a picture? Best class ever!

4. This morning we were also told to wear comfy shoes and anything but a skirt. Nancy and Karl had a surprise up their sleeves for us and we had no idea what they were planning. When they met us at our Hostal this morning to show us the way to class they informed us that we would be touring the city of Madrid. Not by bus or by bike but by SEGWAY! The futuristic looking two wheeled motorized machines that propel forward by the weight shift of your body. Just yesterday we saw some wheeling around the town and asked Karl if we would be doing that and he replied that “No, not this year it was just too expensive.” The segways were a great way travel through such a fast paced city. Weaving in and out of streets amongst the other walkers and drivers we were able to zip through the city with ease. I’m sure when Adam was young he never imagined himself riding around Madrid on a two-wheeled major horsepower machine. The segway tour guides were very informative and filled us in on a lot of the historical places in Madrid. They even took us to Europe’s largest palace. The back of the palace (which has a sort of secret entrance that even Karl had never seen before) is absolutely immaculate. With a front yard as big as a golf course and somewhere over 2,000 rooms in the palace it is definitely something that Katie Dalebout would call a “wonderland.”

4. To top off our afternoon we ended our segway tour near the Plaza Mayor and had lunch at a little cafe where we all ate not-so-little bocadillas. Filled with salmon, ham, cheese or chorizo, we all left the restaurant much more refreshed and content. We also couldn’t resist the temptation of the ice cream stand on our way out of the Plaza. It’s a birthday, there has to be ice cream right?

It’s only a little after 7pm here in Madrid, so according to the Spain’s way of the day there is a lot of life left to the night. Luckily for Adam, his birthday can be celebrated even longer than normal if you add in Michigan time. I am not sure what we have in store for us the rest of the day but I know that it will be a birthday like he’s never expected. Because a birthday’s a birthday no matter what the age and no matter where you are.

Here’s a video that includes everything from the birthday gift giving to the segway tour around Madrid. Enjoy and be a part of Adam’s birthday!

CLICK HERE

Moments

We have less than four weeks left in Spain. We’ve been here 11 days. We have homework due tomorrow (don’t worry, it’s not much) and we leave for Madrid on Saturday. Some of us only have two more years left at MSU and for some of us, this is our last summer vacation before having to be what I call a “real person.”

What will we do when we get back? Who will we see first? What things will be put on our to-do list? I may just be speaking for myself, but these are all questions that are buzzing around my head day after day. However, as I sit on my twin bed after spending a day of seeing amazing art and beauty I can’t help wonder if maybe none of those worries are really that important right now.

We are in Spain. We’ve had 11 days of adventures and are fortunate enough to have over three weeks left of our trip. None of that matters either. What matters is today. The moments that we are experiencing right now. The breathing in and out of the Mediterranean air and the joy of being surrounded by such unique individuals. I’ve realized (with the help of others, I’m not a genius!) that this experience is one that I will never have again, and one that I need to fully treasure. I need to enjoy every second of the day.

Whether it’s watching a boy finish a rubics cube in the time span of one metro stop to the next (yes, this DID happen this morning and yes, we did all applaud), or listening to the 4,000 pipes of the organ that sit in the historic and breathtaking Palau de la Música. Every moment is just as important as the next and it would be disappointing to think that I spent my time sitting in the balcony of the Palau de la Música pondering what job I will search for after graduation.

That being said, today was full of beautiful moments. One of my favorites was walking into the Fundació de Joan Miró (the museum of Joan Miró, a Spanish artist) and seeing the unbelievably large piece of artwork that reached from the ceiling to the floor and was intricately sewn to create the largest blanket I have ever seen.

Another moment that I treasure would be stepping out of the metro station in search of a good cafe and finding the cutest restaurant, Buenos Migas. We all agreed that they had the best pasta salad, pizza and quiches that we’ve had since arriving in Spain. We even had enough money left over for gelato!

Another moment that is worth remembering would be the tour of the Palau de la Música, a concert hall designed in the Catalan modernista style by the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The site is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and today over 300 concerts are held in a year that range from symphonic and chamber music to traditional catalan music. The acoustics are impeccable from the marble floors to the ventilated ceiling and is known as the garden of stone. With the carved muses and roses and giant stained glass ceiling, it was truly one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in Barcelona. (I’m still mad that I couldn’t take any photos).

And lastly, I’d have to say the most satisfying moment of the day would be when I walked into the B-3 kitchen at 9:30 tonight to find all of the MSU Spain “gang” eating together at a large table (except Laura E. who is trying her best to beat her cold, you can do it Laura!). There were two plates of noodles, a delicious salad, bread and oil and a multitude of other snacks filling every inch of the table. Everyone pitched in to create a collaborative and delicious dinner before beginning our homework.

Our group is truly special and they are constantly inspiring me to enjoy every moment that I am here. I am not going to worry about what happens when I go home, and in fact, I am not even going to worry about what I will do tomorrow. I am going to be present in the now and soak it all in as if this moment is the only moment I have.

Here is a video to showcase the moments visually. Enjoy!

VIDEO – moments

Ciao, Abbey M.

Because They Say a Picture Speaks 1000 Words…

Today I took 223 photos. Since last Thursday I’ve taken 645. You can say that is a bit much but it’s hard to keep your camera down in a city that is so beautiful! Since writing is not my specialty I’ve decided to create a photo collage/video for you to view and experience our second day in Barcelona. We visited places such as La Segrada Familia and the historic Parc Guel, all of which were created by the famous Spanish architect, Gaudi. We rode atop a bus from 10:30 a.m. until about 5:00 p.m. We all have sunburnt noses and a lot of stories to tell. I hope this video gives you a glimpse into the adventurous day that we all shared together.

DISCLAIMER: The video is on youtube so the quality may not be as great as I hoped. Also, if you are watching it and realize there is no music playing, that is probably because youtube took the music off. I apologize and encourage you to play your own music while you watch to make it even more enjoyable. Thanks!

Ciao, Abbey M.