Q&A Spring Break Style

It's here! The Spring Break Post! And all thanks to the lovely, talented, and totally loyal Liza Manfred. Let's get to it.

1. What was the ratio of hours spent in transit to hours spent in cities? Basically, was it worth it?
Well, simply, yes. The whole trip was totally worth it. However, I could have dealt without the flight from Florence to Madrid to Barcelona. I didn't investigate the options since I tagged along to this spring break plan a little late, but apparently this was the cheaper option than flying straight to Barcelona. We had to leave Florence at around 8am and then change terminals in Madrid (which is the biggest airport I have EVER seen - we took two different buses on got on a highway to get between terminals. It was ridiculous). We then spent 2 hours chilling in our gate and then flew to Barcelona. I also would have rather taken a train from Barcelona to Madrid, but again, apparently it was cheaper to fly at 6 in the morning...

But we certainly had a TON of time to explore the cities. If I had to do it again, I would have cut out Florence and spent an extra day in Barcelona. I also would have done it in May. It was freezing EVERYWHERE. Kind of a negative question to start out with Liza...

2. How many articles of clothing did you bring? Laundry? How big was your bag?
- 2 pairs of jeans
- 7 t-shirts
- 2 dresses
- 3 cardigans
- pajamas
- sneakers, boots, and flip-flops (for hostel showers. You never know...)
- a towel
- lots of socks and underwear

I didn't do any laundry. Everything was pretty grody by the end, especially since everywhere we went people smoked like chimneys, so all of my clothes smelled like I walked off the set of Mad Men. My bag was this pretty sweet suitcase that doubles as a backpack from L.L. Bean, so it was big enough to hold the things I needed, but small enough to fit on my back. This trip was an amazing view of the types of things people travel with. The most impressive was probably when we were walking to the train station in Venice, we saw this guy who had a backpack on that could have doubled as a body bag. When he had it on his back, it literally went about a foot over his head. It was quite the feat of physics that he could actually stand up straight.

3. You said it was busy and not exactly 'vacation'. Better? Worse? Explain.
Since I've grown up with the idea that "vacation" is waking up, going for a run, sitting on the beach, playing a little golf, having happy hour, eating dinner, and doing it all over again for a week, this definitely didn't fit into that definition. We woke up, packed our crossbody bags, put our walking shoes on, whipped out or our maps, and set out for epically long days of sightseeing and exploring. And when we didn't wake up and do that, we woke up and got on a bus or train that took us to the airport. I went through five security lines in a span of 8 days. I don't know how you do it, Dad.

But to answer your question, not better or worse, just different. I think the main difference was that instead of being recharged at the end, I was exhausted. Everyday I was on sensory overload - the sights were different, the smells were different, the food tasted different, even the sounds of the cities we visited all had their unique characteristics. It was tiring just trying to take it all in.

4. How much did you miss Liza?
Sooo much. No one in my group knew that I didn't function very well before I had my coffee. It would have been nice to have you there to explain it to them...

5. What are hostels like? Sketch? Awesome? Did you have to share a bathroom with people you don't know?
The hostels were all very different. The Rundown:
VENICE: A quaint hostel right by the Rialto Bridge. We had to go through three different doors and up four flights of stairs to get to it. However, they made us breakfast in the morning and it was very clean and quiet.
FLORENCE: A modern hotel. A well-appointed kitchen, clean rooms, blow-dryer in the bathroom. For 10 euro a night. It was a steal. We think it might have been a drug-dealer's front...
BARCELONA: What you think of when you think of a "hostel". The rooms were tiny tiny and had nothing but steel-framed bunk beds and lockers. However, there was a huge common area with a bar, computers, pool table, etc. When we were checking in "Brown-Eyed Girl" started playing and the bartender yelled, "the first person to sing along gets a free beer!" I sang. I got free beer. I was in love.
MADRID: This was probably the weirdest one. It certainly had the most comfortable beds, but it was definitely a converted doctor's office. It was on the 6th floor of a building that also had a lawyers office and a psychiatrist's office. But it was close to where our friend who showed us around lived, so no complaints.

6. Did you buy anything in Florence? Was it cheap?
I bought a scarf, but the best purchase might have been the change purse Conor got. It may sound unnecessary, but every time the boys sit down here, change falls out of their pockets, and unlike in the states, coins are pretty valuable here. He loves it. And all the money he doesn't lose in the couch anymore.

7. How many times a day did you think about Liza?
432842704958304958304913984713 times 385247502841893109347204857. 9 days, Liza!

8. Biggest difference between American cities and European cities?
I would say that even the big cities in Europe are far more walkable than any city in the States. In America, they just assume that you will be driving a car. Here, all of the maps are directed at pedestrians that may be using the underground rail system (if the city has it). Venice doesn't even have cars. Their taxis are boats. Ridiculous.

9. Does it really rain all the time in London?
Well, they always predict rain, so if it is raining you say, "Well, they said it would rain." But if it's nice outside, you're pleasantly surprised. The weather here is a total mind game.

10. Why can Frankenstein be described as a "hybrid fictional species"?
I don't think you want to read 1500 more words...

Well, that was ridiculously long, but it's done! Please either leave a comment with more questions or just e-mail them to me if you have them!