Our little tent that slept 3 of us....I know it’s been a while since I last got in touch with you all but since then unbelievable things have happened with me. You first have to hear my story.
So last Sunday, first time in my life I went to a soccer match (don’t be so surprised, I am not a sports person). I had no intension of going to this game but when I saw (from my room window) everybody in Copenhagen (and I mean everybody) heading towards this one general direction, I asked my dorm mates what was happening , first I got the stares and then finally they told me that there was this big soccer match in Copenhagen stadium (not far from my dorm) and that’s where all the people are going. To impress other people and hide my ignorance, I managed to get a ticket and joined the crowd. It turns out that it was totally worth it. I had great time, even though I did not know what was going on in the field most of the time. It was nice to see Copenhageners screaming.
I came back yesterday after spending three days in Brussels, Belgium which has the headquarters of European Union institutions. Three things about Brussels that I would remember forever are Belgian Waffles, chocolates, and people. There is a lot of diversity in Brussels; you would see people of all ethnic backgrounds there. One of the first things I did was to get a waffle as soon as I arrived in Brussels. There are three kinds of waffles (maybe more), one has sugar inside, one has sugar at the top and the third one is the fancy one where you can choose to put different toppings on the waffle, they are absolutely delicious. I definitely recommend Belgian waffle to everybody who goes there.
Brussels is a small medieval city with quite a few touristy places, modern EU buildings, and all kinds of museums. The official languages are Dutch and French.
Grand Place: The first thing to see is the Grand place or the market square, which has a breath taking view. The buildings are model of classical architecture, with fine works of art and splendid view. This square is probably one of the most visited sites in Brussels.
Manneken Piss: It is a little statue of a boy “satisfying a natural desire” (according to my tour guide), the statue itself is really small but it is the most famous landmark of Brussels. You would see different versions of it all around the city and in touristy shops. This little boy saved Brussels city from fire.
Chocolate Museum: There is a chocolate museum not far from the Grand Place, where they show you the way chocolate is made in Belgium. A lot of chocolate of cocoa materials come from African countries. The museum consists of three floors that have demonstration of chocolate making process. It was a bit disappointing to see it from inside but we got free chocolate samples.
City Museum: Located in the market square, a city museum has the different clothes of Menneken Pis from all the countries around the world. The museum also has different art pieces of the grand place and other beautiful sites of Brussels.
Museum of instrumental music: This was one of my favorites, there are five floors in the museums and it has all kinds of musical instruments dating as back as the early 11th century. You can walk to an instrument and also hear the music sound of it in your headphones. There were instruments from India, Japan, China, Ukraine and different other countries. Only thing about all these museums is that they only have Dutch and French translation, so sadly enough there is no English description of all the things presented.
Sightseeing buses: Being a tourist, it was crucial that we pop on one of the tourist buses in the city and have a brief tour of the city. It was a one hour-long tour of all the important parts of the city. It was totally worth it. They had “pop on and pop off” policy, so you could buy the ticket once and then get off the bus whenever you like and get back on the bus whenever you see it again.
Atomium: Another famous symbol of Brussels is this Atomium. It looks very unusual and has an importance of its own, it is not a pyramid or a tower but is rather an arbitrary collection of metallic balls. It was an icon of World fair of Brussels in 1958; it really is the pride of Brussels.
On my way back, I ended up missing my flight from Brussels to Copenhagen, because of the new time change in Europe (my friend did not know about it) so we missed our plane, I found a great alternative which was a bus ride from Brussels to Copenhagen. I would not complain, I not enjoyed the beautiful landscape on my way but also caught up with my sleep. I have a lot to cover before I go on my spring break.
Hi Hi
Atomium
Belgian Waffles
Grand Place
A beautiful evening
Copenhagen soccer
I arrived in Barcelona on Thursday night (so happy I got to miss my two Friday classes), checked into the hostel, and had a WSA “meet and greet.” About 20 excited, American study abroad students from Seville, Spain, Paris, France, and Limerick, Ireland came to Barcelona for a great trip. That evening we enjoyed a few tapas at Sagardi and Italian gelato.
Friday morning we headed out for a walking tour of Passeig de Gracia, Casa Mila, and the Block of Discord. This walk incorporated Gaudi’s most famous work, including the Casa Batllo. I was so excited to Casa Batllo, as I’ve wanted to take a picture of it for over two years now!
It was absolutely extraordinary and very interesting to see Gaudi’s mosaic modern builsings with curved balconies next to the traditional art nouveau buildings.
We grabbed little “mouth bites,” petite sandwiches, en route to the Sagrada Familia for a picnic. Then, we got to skip the line and enter the church, designed by Gaudi. I’ve never seen such intricate, well-thought-out design before I saw the Sagrada Familia.
Gaudi’s work is so comprehensive that over 300 workers everyday continue building the church to complete Gaudi’s plans.
It’s quite an impressive cathedral with 26 naves and plans for 18 spires. Catalans hope that the church will be finished in 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death.
From there, I visited Parc Guell, Gaudi’s famous attempt at one of the first gated communities. While it never realized its goal, the park is a must see (and free)!
Gaudi’s work, to me, is so new and fresh. He was very imaginative and created abstract work.
Later that night, we left the hostel for paella and sangria at Tasca I Vins. It was great paella and the closest meal I’ve had to shrimp and grits in long time!
Saturday we headed out to ramble on Las Ramblas. Las Ramblas, a good pickpocket spot, was filled with mimes and open-air vendors selling t-shirts, flowers, microchips, magnets, and more.
It was very crowded, but we slipped into the Mercat de la Boqueria. It was filled with produce, fish, vegetables, spices, dried fruits, nuts, chocolates, tiny cafes, and so much more! I enjoyed fresh strawberries, eaten with a mini pitchfork!
Later that evening we left for a tapas crawl and night out on the town. I find tapas to be irresistible now! I love the idea of getting to try a few bites and sample appetizers.
The combinations of the tapas were great- fried goat cheese with blueberry jam, chorizo sausage, stuffed red peppers, crab, and more. The sister restaurant of Sagardi had so many tapas to choose from!
When you’ve finished eating, you simply hold onto the toothpicks that were stuck in the tapas, show them to the barista, and pay. It was a great way to mingle with everyone on the trip as well!
That night we also went to the Pipa Club where you had to buzz to enter the club on the 3rd floor. It was an intimate, cozy place where you felt like Sherlock Holmes.
We rounded out our last day in Barcelona with a trip to the Cathedral and a free afternoon for the beach. I loved walking through Las Ramblas to La Marina and watching the sailboats leave the harbor.
I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend shared with a great group of people. It was relaxing, fun, and exciting! My weekend student adventure (WSA) to Barcelona will be one of my most memorable study abroad trips.
I’m off with IES to Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania on Thursday! Traveling is contagious!
My Lovely Roommates 
Our Class at a Stage Fighting/Theater Class
On another note, I have somehow managed to strain my Achilles Tendon which is sooo annoying because I walk everywhere here and the doctor told me to completely immobilize it. So for a compromise, I have decided to adopt a pretty snazzy walk/limp. I am going home next weekend for Carolina Cup (so excited!) so hope to be completely better by then!
Until next time!! Hope all is well in South Carolina!!
Oh! What a wonderful finish to a pretty good day! Despite it being overcast and rainy in addition to being slightly sleep deprived and leaving my key card in my room, I just got something that brightened up my whole day.
I received my first letter from home.
Let me tell you that no matter how comfortable you are in a new environment or how things seem to be going well, a letter from home means a lot. It shows that you are being missed and that the person who sent it cared enough to go out of their way to actually write and mail it.* So, Kaitlin, thank you so much for thinking and caring about me. And yes, if ever we have access to a surf board and the ocean, I will gladly teach you how to surf.
Now, I would gladly welcome more mail filled with information about your life, funny stories, or encouragements. However, do not feel obligated to mail me (I know how hard it is to be motivated to send off mail, especially overseas). Here is my address:**
Allison Tolbert
5-17 Flemington Road
North Melbourne, VIC 3051
Australia
*I would like to apologize to Megan: Megan, I am so sorry that I failed to get a letter to you while you were in Bolivia. I let myself get sidetracked and distracted. Since being abroad I know what it means to get news from family and friends. I am so glad you are my friend and if you go abroad again, I will not neglect you. Love you! AKT
**Before anyone official starts freaking out that I gave my mailing address online, do not worry. People already know that I live at RMIT Village in Melbourne, it would not be hard to do some research and figure out where it is. Also, no one knows my room number AND it is now a gated community. So, everything is fine!
Here is my beautiful letter! It definitely lightens up the room!
Here it is with my photos of family and friends!
We’ve seen the first signs of spring in Freiburg! The forsythia is in full bloom and the daffodils and violets scattering the green of Freiburg are opening. I took advantage of the gorgeous weather, walking to class and running along the river and lake.
Wednesday was a long day! I woke around 5:30 am for a class trip to Geneva, Switzerland. There, we met with officials and economists about the activities of the United Nations on Trade and Development, the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Trade Organization.
I found the program to be long and overly simple; we did not get to talk about complicated, “hot” issues such as the no fly zone in Libya or the trade effects on Japan with respect to the current crisis.
However, we did eat an unbelievable lunch at the UN. The cafeteria is over-the-top in every respect! I had duck with bamboo shoots and rice, but you could also have food from one of the other 10 lines offered. When we left, each student was given a glossy folder, pamphlets, and over 50 loose pages to take with them on the UN. I know what the UN spends their money on….
We had a few hours, really only 1½ hours, to explore downtown Geneva, Switzerland. These Swiss know luxury! Geneva is the most expensive city in Switzerland and the 4th most expensive city in the world. It was gorgeous, in every respect, with fountains, flowers, art nouveau architecture, and more.
You found only the most expensive designers for clothes, shoes, watches, etc.- Chanel, Armani, Celine, Omega, Rolex…. I saw so many Lamborghinis, Bentleys, and ridiculously expensive luxury cars. After our short downtown time in Geneva, we made the 5-hour trip back to Freiburg. I wish we had more time to explore, but I’m glad I’ll be going back to Switzerland, to the lesser expensive cities Lucerne and Zurich!
Since our European Union program has kept us busy traveling and working, I decided I needed a “time-out” in Baden-Baden, Germany. Baden-Baden is a high-class resort town in the northern part of the Black Forest. The city was Germany’s grandest 19th- century spa resort, where royalty and aristocrats would come to soak in the mineral baths and play at the casino. It was the perfect place to unwind and enjoy myself!
When I arrived Saturday, I took Rick Steve’s self-guided walk to the grand casino built in the 1850’s, Trinkhalle, the Catholic Church built atop the emperor’s spa, the Marktplatz, around the Baths Area, and more! The Catholic Church, built above a spa, has a musty smell and the floor stones conduct heat from the water below. It was really interesting to go there! I wouldn’t have known about it if Rick didn’t tell me!
Near the Baths Area is a water spigot called the Fettquelle, where you could taste the hot spa water. It didn’t taste that great, but it once was a source of hot water for locals.
I strolled along the same street where Mark Twain, Russian princes, and other famous people stayed when they visited Baden-Baden. Also, I meandered through Lichtentaler Allee, along the Oosbach River, past mansions, tiny footbridges, tennis and botchee ball courts, and flowers. It was beautiful!
Back near the town center, I ate at Café König, “the place” to bring your poodle and people watch. I enjoyed tea, served on a silver tray, a zucchini omelet, and the BEST black forest chocolate cake (chocolate mousse was a layer of the cake).
Afterwards, I made my way to the hilltop that overlooks Baden-Baden. Unfortunately, the funicular to the Summit of Merkur was closed in March. So, I took a “mini-hike” through the Black Forest and walked through “Paradise,” the high-rent district of Baden-Baden.
All of this led up to my desire to visit Baden-Baden, for the rejuvenating Roman-Irish Bath, Freidrichsbad. Freidrichsbad is “the place” to get pampered.
Marble, painted tiles, brass columns, stained-glass windows, and other elegance surrounds you. The entire 17-step process is about 3 hours, complete with steam rooms, cold baths, warm baths, whirlpools, a brush massage, crème, heated towels, and a sleeping chamber.
The attendants made sure you were relaxed and had everything you needed; they even tucked you in the sleeping chamber! I could do it over and over again. It was wonderful, relaxing, and rejuvenating! 
To end the night, I enjoyed a recommended cozy restaurant Weinstube. The trout with almonds and leeks melted in my mouth! It was a wonderful way to end my fantastic trip to Baden-Baden.Next week, I will be taking a trip with Andy Steves, president of Weekend Student Adventures and Rick Steve’s son, to Barcelona, Spain. Should be quite a different pace, but exciting nonetheless!
