Madrid - Day 2

Our last day in Madrid was very relaxing.  We originally wanted to leave the city of Madrid and find some wineries near by, but we didn't have any luck finding any.  It also didn't help that we couldn't speak any Spanish, and had trouble when we called different places. 

Instead of going to a winery, we found a bike rental shop near our hostel, and decided to rent a bike for five or six hours.  Since we were staying in Plaza del Sol, it was very difficult to ride our bikes.  There were so many people around, we had to walk our bike until we got away from the craziness.  In the middle of the big highway type road, there was a sidewalk type path, and it was pretty empty.  We managed to escape the JMJ people, and were able to ride our bikes freely.  We went about half a mile, and then realized that we had no idea where we were, and did not know what was around.  We explored a few blocks, and then decided to turn around.  We btoh brought our books, so we headed back towards the large park.  When we first got there, we thought the park was really small, because we could only find the part that we walked around in the day before. 

Since it was so hot out, Robin and I got some ice cream and found some benches to sit on.  We read for about 45 minutes, and then decided to go exploring.  We found out the park was HUGE!!  We found this really cool building that was made mostly of glass.  There was also a nice pond with a fountain in it, and turtles and swans!!  We enjoyed watching the turtles crawl around.  After taking pictures, we got back on our bikes, and started riding around some more. 

When we were done exploring the park, it was time to find some lunch. Of course we decided to get lunch during Siesta time, so it was a challenge to find where to eat.  After hiking up huge hills, we found a little bohemian place.  Robin and I both got a tomato type kind of soup, but it was a little different.  The soup was really good!  And it was cold, perfect for a super hot day.

After getting lost, and finally returning our bikes, Robin and I wanted to find the Royal Palace.  We didn't realize how difficult it would be to walk to the palace.  There were so many JMJ people, we were literally squeezing through on the sidewalks.  Once we found the Palace, we were very impressed.  The building was gorgeous.  We would have loved to gone inside, but the line was incredibly long!  We did not feel like waiting for hours, so we took a few pictures, and then headed back.  En route, we stopped at really cute wood store.  They had all these amazing toys made out of wood, as well as fans.

Across the street from the wood store was an amazing market.  We walked in, and the first thing we see is a dessert display.  Everything looked so good.  There were fountains of chocolate and different pastries.  Before deciding on anything, we wanted to walk around and see what there was.  We found coffee stands, wine stands, meats, cheeses, sushi, and bread.  Everything looked so good, but we knew we wanted dessert (considering we've already had so much cheese and meats).  And of course to go with our dessert, we had to get some wine.  America needs to have these markets.  They are so relaxed.  People can get whatever food they want, and just hang out, drink and talk.  Maybe I have found my new calling?  Opening a market?

When we were done enjoying our fabulous food, we went back to our hostel to pack up and get ready for our trip back to America.  We couldn't decide where to go for dinner, so Robin and I decided to start walking in a certain direction, and see what we could find.  When we walked out of our hostel, we ended up in the middle of a huge protest.  It was insane.  Apparently people in Spain are starting a revolution since they are not happy with the president.  People were also protesting against the Pope.  People created signs fighting for abortion, and equal rights for homosexuals.  They were also getting into fights with the JMJ people.  Apparently the president spent 50,000 euros to host the event, rather than using the money for people with Autism.  While walking to dinner, the police were starting to shut down streets.  Luckily we found a restaurant and enjoyed one last meal.  On our way back to the hostel, police had closed off the plaza we needed, so we had to walk a different way.  Luckily we were able to find our way back.  

And that was our trip in a nutshell.  It went by way to quickly.  I am ready to start planning my next trip for next summer.  Two weeks away, hopefully in Greece.  I am happy I have found a new tradition!

Sammy xoxo

Madrid Day 1

I am going to skip writing a complete blog post over our day in Valencia.  We arrived at around 10 AM and spent most of the day at the beach.  Since we were there on August 15, everything was shut down due to the holiday, Feast of the Assumption Feast of the Assumption.  It has something to do with the Virgin Mary.  Robin and I basically roasted on the beach for a while, had dinner, and then took the train to Madrid.  It was a relaxing day, and we enjoyed hanging out the beach. 

Let me preface by saying I feel really bad about Madrid.  Robin and I barely planned out our days in advance, we couldn't figure out what to pack for our days there, and we had no desire to buy souveniers from the city, wanting to buy gifts from the rest of the cities we visited.  For some reason, Madrid did not live up to our standards before we even got there.  And to be completely honest, I don't think it lived up to our standards after we visited as well.  Before arriving in Madrid, we heard from a few people that it was a lot like New York City.  "Great" we thought.  "We traveled across the world to end up in a city just like New York". And the first night we arrived, we weren't proven wrong.  As we exited the metro, the first thing we saw was a KFC, just what everyone wants to eat when visiting a foreign country.  To add to the excitment of the KFC, our directions to the hostel told us to keep walking until we saw a Starbucks.  Yes you read that  correctly.  Our hostel was right next door to a Starbucks.  It took a lot of will power, but I kept myself from buying a carmel frappacino.

While we were in Madrid, there was a huge event called "World Youth Day".  It is a big event celebrated every three years.  The people who go on this pilgrimage celebrate Jesus and get to encounter the Pope.  Over 1 million people were expected to attend.  The city was CRAWLING with these people.  Most were under the age of 18, chanting and making music.  It would have been fine if they didn't literally invade Madrid.  Every where we went, we saw JMJ shirts, and heard their singing.  It was hard to walk anywhere.  Since it was so crazy, our first day was spent hanging out at the large park.  It is kind of like their Central Park.  There are little places to get ice cream all over the place.  There is also a pond near the front of the park. You can rent paddle boats and go around the pond for a little while.  That was fun, but it was so hot!  When we were done, Robin and I got ice cream and sat near a stream.  We were able to put our feet in the water, and cool off a bit. 

After hanging out at the park for a bit, we decided to start walking back to the Hostel.  We wanted to relax a little before getting ready for dinner and a flamenco show.  On our way back to the Hostel, we tried to go into a few different souvenier stores.  It was kind of impossible because there were so many people stuffed in!!!  We still managed to get a few gifts.

For dinner, Robin and I went to this place called Museo de Jamon.  It's basically a big meat place, but they also serve food.  For 2 Euros, we got a sandwich, place of paella and a glass of wine.  Not going to lie, after that meal both Robin and I were a little tired of paella and sandwichs.  That's all we were really eating while away.  When we were done with dinner, we decided to walk around a little bit, wanting to get dessert.  We managed to find a large square filled with restaurants.  We walked around until we found a place that served cheesecake, which is what I really wanted. 

Done with dessert, we went to go watch our Flamenco dance.  Let me tell you how awsome the show was!!  The dancing was so amazing, and the music they make with their hands and feet.  It felt like I was watching the Spanish version of an Alvin Ailey show.  Each dance had a story to it.  I also really loved how the music was performed live, on stage.  I wonder if they have any flamenco shows in NYC. I would love to see one.

That was our first day in Madrid.  I still can't believe I've been home for almost a week already.  I am ready to go away again.  Now I just have to figure out where to!

Sammy xoxo

Roma - Day 2

Our second day in Roma started early, just like the first day.  We had a walking tour of the old city at 10 AM.  We wanted to get breakfast beforehand, so we left our hostel early and headed towards the Coliseum.   Seeing it in person is unbelievable.  Robin and I walked out of the metro station, and it was right there.  We just stood there for a few minutes staring at it, and taking pictures.  Seeing the Coliseum was probably my favorite part of being in Roma.  

Quickly we grabbed a bite to eat, and then started to look for where our tour was leaving from.  Apparently we went to the wrong spot, and the tour was about a 30 minute walk from where we were.  We waited for the bus, but after 10 minutes we got the feeling that it wasn´t coming anytime soon.  We ended up taking a taxi over.  I was very scared to get into a taxi.  The drivers in both Spain and Italy are very intense.  You thought cab drivers in NYC were crazy, just come here.

The tour we took was our favorite one.  We were able to walk throughout Rome, and we heard about the history of the city.  We got to see the Pantheon, a coffee shop Julia Roberts ate in, Fontana di Trevi, Venice Palace, a part of the city that had not been built over, the plae where Julius Cesar has been murdered and cremated, and the Coliseum.  I enjoyed every minute of the tour.  It ended at the Coliseum, where our tour guide told us about the place and it´s use.  Then she collected the headsets, and we were free to go where ever we pleased.  Robin and I wanted to hang out in the Coliseum for a bit.  For a place with so much burtality, we were pretty relaxed.  We walked around for a few minutes, enduring the heat and taking pictures.  After a while, we decided to go into one of the many caves, and just hang out for a few minutes.  They were nice and shady, and pretty quiet for such a busy place.  

Leaving the coliseum, we headed towards the Jewish Ghetto of Roma.  It was a little hard to find since its such a small area, but we found a great place to eat lunch.  I had lasagna with meat sauce, and it was very good.  I usually never have lasanga, but it sounded so good, I couldn´t resist.  When we finished, we looked for the old Temple.  We did not go inside because it was expensive, but it is a huge temple.  I would love to see what it looks like inside.  

Not sure what to do next, we decided to go look for the Boca Della Verita.  For those of you who have seen Roman Holiday, do you remember the scene where Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck put their hand in the stone mouth?  Well thats what we wanted to do.  Walking there was kind of annoying, since it was so hot out and there were barely any trees, but we made it.  There was a line outside of it, a bunch of people were waiting to take pictures.  The line took about 20 minutes, and then it was finally our turn!  We were only able to take one picture each, but it was definetly worth the wait.  It makes me happy knowing I was where Audrey Hepburn was.

Luckily there was a bus stop right outside the Boca Della Verita, and we caught a bus going back to the hostel.  We wanted to take a little siesta since the heat knocked us out.  After our nap time, we went back out towards the Trevi Fountain, Plaza Navona and Campe Di Fiore, one more time.  We took the metro to the Trevi Fountain, thinking that Campe di Fiore would be near, but we were wrong!  We ended up walking for about 45 minutes looking for this place.  However, once we found it, we were so happy!  There were so many cute restuarants, and so many people walking around.  We found a cute restuarant, and order our last meal in Italy.  I ordered a gnocchi dish, and was very pleased.  Shockingly, our dishes were pretty big, and neither one of us could finish our dinner.  It was a little disapointing, but at least the food was delicious.

We started to head back towards the Fountain di Trevi because we heard it was beautiful at night.  On the way, we walked through Plaza Navona and got to watch an artist make a picture with spray paint.  I video taped one girl, and can´t wait to share it with everyone.  It´s pretty impressive what they are able to do.  We also walked past the Spanish Steps, and heard an opera.  There were too many people to see anything, but the steps were covered with people, and a man and a woman were putting on a show.  Robin and I sat for a few minutes on the sidewalk listening, but there were just too many people.

Upon finding the fountain, Robin and I sat around it for a few minutes, taking pictures and taking in the scene.  When we were done with that, we just went back to our hostel.  We had to get up at 3:30 the next morning to catch our flight back to Spain.  Even though I was upset by how commercial Rome was, I still can´t stop thinking about it.  I could see myself living there.  Italian is such a beautiful langauge, and the city is so old.  I would def. be happy.  

Tomorrow I will be posting from NJ about the rest of my trip.  Saddened to have to leave, but excited to share my pictures with everyone. 

Sammy xoxo

Roma- Day 1

Let me preface this by saying I enjoyed Rome more than I expected.  A lot of people told me that Rome was dirty, had a lot of pigeons and the men were always cat-calling women.  Needless to say I was shocked at how clean Rome was, barely any pigeons, and I guess there were so many tourists, all the Romans were hiding. 

By the time Robin and I started planning our days in Rome weeks ago, we just wanted to finish as quickly as possible.  We picked out things that we wanted to do, and just put them into a list.  We then looked to see if there were any tours that we wanted to do.  The first day we did a three hour tour of Vatican City.  We were so happy to have picked this tour because Vatican City is very overwhelming.  With the tour, we were able to skip the line into the City.  The first stop inside the walls was the Vatican City Museum.  Thankfully we had a tour guide.  There is so much to see, we would have been there for DAYS.  The guide showed us paintings that she deemed important, and gave us explanations.  We were also able to see courtyards, and hear the history of the city being made.  While in the Pine Cone garden, we heard about the Sistene Chapel and how Michaelangelo painted the whole thing standing on a scaffolding.  She explained some of the pictures on the celing, and how they were to do with the Bible.  She also told us how he didn´t have room for some pictures, and that is why the stories are not all in order.  The guide also told us about the Last Judgement.  One person in the painting is a picture of the Pope at that time.  There is also a picture of Michaelangelo in there as well.  

To get to the chapel, we had to walk through a few really long halls.  We got to look at tapestries and paintings of maps.  They were really pretty, but I was more interested in the ceiling.  One room had a ceiling that was completely painted, but it looked like there were carvings.  The other room had a ceiling that was carved out.  I could not take my eyes away from it.  

We finally arrived at the chapel.  It is so overwhelming.  There are so many different paintings to look at, it was hard to take it all in.  There were also so many people in there.  I constantly heard the guards shushing people.  We were also not allowed to take pictures, so that guards were going around yelling at people.  I found a seat on the edge, and just looked all around, trying to focus in on some sections.  Once outside the chapel, we went to go see St. Peters Cathedral.  This Cathedral is HUGE.  It was designed to hold 60,000 people.  Since this is the place for pilgrimages, it had to be able to hold everyone.  The guide told us that every 25 years a special door is opened.  People from all over the world come to visit and ask for their sins to be abolished.  They get to go through a special door that is only opened that year.  

Inside the church was amazing.  There were huge statues every where, as well as many paintings.  It took them 120 years to build this church, but honestly after seeing it, I would have expected longer.  Robin and I could not imagine starting to build something and never get to see the end result.  Those people were very dedicated.  It´s amazing to think about everything that was built so long ago, and they didn´t have any help.  There were no big machines.  It was all done by hand.  I get the chills just thinking about it.

Our tour concluded inside the Church.  We were free to continue walking around on our own, or leave.  Robin and I walked around for a few more minutes, looking at some of the statues.  We also went downstairs where the bodies of the popes were burried.  

When we left Vatican City we were not sure which way to go.  We also wanted to get lunch.  We started walking around the area surrounding the Vatican City.  As we left, we walked past these large columns.  They were to represent the open arms of the Vatican City as people doing pilgramages walked through.  It was hard to find a place that was not too expensive, but we finally found one.  I got a pasta with pesto sauce, and Robin got a pasta with white cream sauce.  She was very impressed by her dish.

After lunch, we decided to go and see the Spanish steps.  We took the metro there.  Right in front of the steps was a large fountain that people were sitting around.  There was also a spout on the end with fresh water.  Even though you can´t drink the tap water in Italy, there are fountains all over that have fresh water from streams.  Let me tell you, the water was amazing!  I wish I had known earlier that I could drink it.  While at the fountain, I decided to spill out my bottle water (since it tasted so bad) and refill it with the stream water.  Once we rested a bit, we headed up the Spanish stairs.  There were so many of them, especially in the heat.  The stairs are made out of marble.  At the top of the stairs was a small chapel.  We went in for a few minutes, but wasn´t impressed.  It was a little smelly, and after seeing such great Church´s we were disappointed.  On the way back down the stairs, we heard two little boys ask their parents the importance of the stairs, and why they were called the Spanish Steps.  Their parents did not have an answer, and Robin and I were pretty disappointed. We wanted to know how the stairs got their name.

Robin and I did not know what to do after seeing the Spanish Stairs.  We had a tour planned for tomorrow, and not much on our list.  We decided to just walk around and try to find a square called Campe de Fiore.  During our search we found the Fifth Avenue of Rome and the Fountain di Trevi.  Let me tell you, the fountain is beautiful.  It is in a small oval shaped square.  The actual fountain is HUGE.  I didn´t realize how big it was going to be.  There are steps near it so people can just sit and hang out.  Some people tried putting their feet in the water, but they got into trouble.  We also saw a man allow his dog go into the fountain to cool off, but of course he got into trouble too.  The only bad thing about the square is that it is built up with random stores.  There were two gelato places, which was fine, but then there was also a souvenier shop and a clothing store.  I wish the area had been a little less commercial.  But that is Rome for you. 

Leaving the fountain, we continued to look for Campe di Fiore.  Eventually we gave up and found a cute little place to have some wine and cheese.  It was on a side street, and very relaxing.  My only complaint is that cars should not have been allowed down the street. Our table was placed in the street next to the sidewalk.  When cars drove past, it looked as if we were about to get hit.  Done with our snack, we decided to go back to the hostel for a bit.  The day was really hot, and we had gotten an early start to the day.  We wanted to rest up, especially since we were going to go to the bar in our hostel that evening. 

All in all, our first day in Roma was very fun.  I enjoyed getting lost in the city, and seeing what it has to offer.  The old buildings are gorgeous to look at.  I keep wondering how difficult it was to install electricity and plumbing in those places. 

I will try to write about day 2 in Rome tomorrow. 

Sammy xoxo

Lucca & Pisa

Hola Everyone!  I am back in Spain.  Valenica to be exact.  Robin and I just had a siesta on the beach for an hour and we are over heated.  We came to an internet place to get some cold air, and relax a bit.  Since we are here, I figured I would write about our day in Lucca and Pisa.

On Friday we left Florence bright and early and took an hour train to a small town called Lucca.  It´s part of Tuscany, and it is a small town within a wall.  The wall around the town is 4 kilometers, which is like two and a half miles.  We chose this town because we heard good things about it, and we heard it was fun to ride bikes.  Neither Robin nor I have rode a bicycle in the past ten years, but we thought it couldn´t be too hard to start again.  We found a little bicycle shop right near the train station, and the owner was a cute little old Italian man.  He let us keep our huge backpacks in the back room, and we got to pick what color bicycle we wanted!  I got purple and Robin had red.  We had to take a few minutes to get used to riding a bicycle again, but once we got the hang of it, we were able to cruise all around!  The only difficult part was that we had to ride in the street, with all the cars, and crazy drivers.  At first it was intimidating to be riding where they drove.  We walked our bike´s to a spot that was less crowded.  However, as the day continued we got more comfortable on our bikes, and were able to ride in the street like pros. 

We started our bike ride by finding a place to get lunch.  We found a cute little cafe in the middle of a square and had panini´s.   They were good.  The panini´s were different than the ones we have in America.  The cheese wasn´t melted completely, and the bread wasn´t as toasted.  This way was better because I was able to taste the mozzerella much better.

After we ate, we took our bikes to the top of the wall.   There are no cars up there, and you can see down onto the city, as well as outside the city. Robin and I had so much just riding around!  I forgot how exciting bicycles can be, and I will totally be buying one when I return home.  En route around the wall, we pulled off and stopped into a large square.  It had some restaurants and shops.  The shops were really pretty.  They had a lot of ceramic things, and I was tempted to buy everything.  However I am traveling with a huge backpack.  Guess I will just have to go back and do some shopping.

After riding around for a bit, we returned the bicycles and caught a train to Pisa.  It was not a long ride, and we had about an hour and half to see the tower and get back to the train station to go to Roma.  Let me tell you, we never hauled ass like that before.  We basically had to go all the way to the other side of Pisa to see the tower.  I learned a few things.  1.  Who knew that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually a bell tower?  We didn´t actually know what it was used for until we saw it next to a church.  2.  It is REALLY hard to get pictures of you holding up the tower.  There are just so many people around walking.  When you think it´s clear to snap a picture, someone walks in front of you or right behind you, ruining the picture.  It is also really hard to find the perfect spot to take the picture where it looks natural.  Robin and I tried to get a few pictures holding up the tower, but it didn´t come out perfectly.  We didn´t mind though.  We were more interested in wanting to know the history of the tower. 

Walking back to the train station, we wanted to stop into souvenier shops, but couldn´t find any.  I was upset that it was hard to find souvenier shops, but I was also impressed that Pisa is able to keep part of their city tourist free.  Next time I go back to Italy, I would love to spend some more time exploring Pisa.  I love looking at all of the old buildings.  It is so weird to think that a few hundred years ago those buildings were brand new, and were being used on a daily basis for anything and everything.

Stay tuned to hear about our last few days in Italy....Roma!! 

Sammy xoxo

Florence

Finally a computer!! let me preface this by saying i sm on an ipad...and it is the most annoying thing to type on ever. i want to warn you nowthat there wi,l be lots of words spelt wrong andhorrible punctuation. okay, here i go. time for floence!! (also, let me add that our hostel mates are blasting the beatles & its beyond fabulous. i coukd do without their singing though.)

so we arrived in florence on thursday morning at 6 am. even though we were exhausted, we wanted to get the most out of the day. we checked in at the hostel, changed and washed up. we wanted to get to the uffizi gallery early because we heard there are long lines. there was a long line, but we decided to wait anyway. the sign said it would 60 to 90 minutes. they lied! it took us 3 hours to get in. by the time we got in, we were starving and a little grumpy. we enjoyed looking at the artwork, but we didnt know what we were looking at. some of the explanations were not descriptive enough. we snuck in some pictures.

by the time we got out of the museum, we were starving. luckily there was a restaurant right across the street from the museum. i ordered a pizza. all the food has been so good. i dont u derstand how people who live here are not over weight.


the restaurant was by the ponte vecchio, or the old bridge. it is a pretty cool bridge. it is filled with jewlery stores on each side. when we got over we found pitti palace. not sure what it used to be used for, but now its a museum.you can go inside and see the furniture. there is also a large garden in the back. it has secret hide outs. it was for people to meet their lovers secretly. however,we did not go into the palace or garden. we had to get back to the other side of the bridge to see a church by 430. the outside of the church was amazing. we were hoping the inside would be just as nice but we were disappointed. the outside was not very decorated. plus after seeing the san marco basillica, this was far behind in wow factor.

when we were done with the church, we headed over to thd bell tower. if you went to the top you were able to see the whole city. i climed 414 stairs to get upthere, and was very pleased with what i saw. i am so excited to show off my puctures. when i walked back down the 414 stIrs i headed back over to pitti palace. i only had an hour until i had to be back to get our train tickets for the next morning. i decided to see the gardens since i didnt have that much time. it was beautiful. there are really nice sculptures and good views of the city. . i woukd like to go back to florence and see inside the palace.

when we figured out ourtrain situation, we went to get dinner. i finally got rissotto. it was so good. i am craving more of it now!! we alsohad a really good pinot grigio. i hope theyhave it in the states.

all in all, one day was good for florence. its a beautiful city with amazing historic buildings and artwork all over. however i think one day was the perfect amountof time. they also need to get rid ofthe cars in all the squares. after visiting venice, i dont know if i will ever be okay with cars in cities.

much love

sammy xoxo

p.s. i am glad youre all enjoying my posts. i love getting responses!!!

Venice - Not for the Weak

Sorry I haven't written in the past few days.  It was hard to get computer time.  It is now 7 AM, and we just arrived in Florence a little while ago.  Long story that I will eventually get to later.  Now time to share Venice, a city that is not for the weak.  

We landed in Venice on Tuesday morning at around 12 pm.  When we had our bags, we needed to figure out how to get to the island of Venice.  Turns out you have to take a boat to get there.  This boat is not like the ferry.  It is not a high speed boat.  It went a little too slow for my liking, and kept stopping at way too many places.  It took over an hour to get from the airport to San Marco's Square.  It's pretty crazy to think about a whole city being built on water.  There are men that wheel the trash somewhere to dispose of it.  Boats come into the town filled with products, like a truck, and deliver them.  The ambulance has to use the water to get anywhere and everywhere.  It's definitely relaxing to be on the water constantly, but I am sure it is hard to live there.  

Anyway, we got to the island, checked into our hostel, and then walked around the city.  We did not really have a plan.  We wanted to find the Rialto bridge before night, but otherwise, there was nothing else we wanted to do for the night.  It was perfect.  Venice has all these narrow little streets that just keep connecting with each other.  We got lost about every five minutes, but didn't mind.  Once we found the Rialto, we kept walking.  I also found a beautiful mask for myself!!  The whole day we kept stopping into stores to look at the different masks, and I finally found one that I loved.  I am so excited to hang it up in my room.  I just hope it doesn't freak me out.  I have yet to try it on, and I can't really stare at it for a long time without getting creeped out.  

We found a gondola and decided to take a ride for 30 minutes.  Our Gondolier was hilarious.  He told us about some of the sites, but then he also kept asking about what we were doing later, and if we are all going to hang out.

Robin had also been having cell phone issues, and our Gondolier helped us out.  He spent about 10 minutes after the ride calling the phone company, and talking to them in Italian.  He also whipped it out his Iphone 4, and tried googling the issue.  After we got all the answers we needed, he took us part of the way back to our hostel.  We were hoping to have hung out with him afterwards because he was so nice, but we ended up loosing him.  The people here are so nice and memorable.  They make the trip a lot more exciting.

We enjoyed a very good dinner at a jazz bar.  We both got pasta since we hadn't had any yet.  The pasta here is so yummy!!!  It is al dente, and their sauces are made perfectly.  I am not going to be able to eat pasta when I go back home.

That was our day number one in Venice.  It was so peaceful.  I can totally get used to not having a car for a few days.  It was so relaxing to walk everywhere.  However, if you are not a big walker, and get tired very easily, I would not recommend Venice.  There are areas you can sit in, but it usually takes awhile to find them.  Also, the only way to where you have to go is either walking, or finding a large area of water and hiring a water taxi. 

Day two started off pretty early.  We wanted to make a tour for 9:30 AM.  When we got to the ticket place, I couldn't find the paper with the reservation.  We decided that we will go to an internet cafe and reprint it, and then take the 2:30 ferry.  Surprisingly we did not get too lost looking for the internet place, but when we did find it, it was closed.  A lot of the stores in Venice don't actually open on time.  I guess it is part of their relaxed lifestyle that I am not accustomed too.  So while we waited for the place to open, I went to go get my very first cappuccino.  It had more of a coffee taste than I expected, but it wasn't too bad.  Now I have to taste espresso. 

With the tickets printed, we headed over to San Marco Basilica.  We had seen a long line outside of it, but it turned out people were only waiting about fifteen minutes.  We used our line time to take pictures of the square, and the church that is huge.  I need to learn how long it took them to build the church, and how they built it.  It's crazy the things they were able to do with no cars, electricity, cell phones, etc.  The inside of the church was just as beautiful as the outside.  I highly suggest looking it up on line.  I was not allowed to take pictures inside.  

Across from the church is a tall bell tower, Campanile Bell Tower.  It is 60 meters high.  On top, you can see the whole island.  It is a breath-taking view.  While we were up there, the hour changed and we got to see the bells chime, very loudly.  It was really cool.

We grabbed a yummy lunch and then headed back towards the main water for the tour.  The tour took us to three islands.  Murano, Burano and Torcello.  Murano is where they make the glass blowing objects.  We were able to watch a demonstration.  It was pretty awesome how they work with the melted glass.  I was able to record it, and cannot wait to show it with everyone.  We did not have time to really visit the island, but it seemed like a nice small place.  Hopefully they are not over run by tourists.

The second island was Burano.  This is the island where they make lace umbrellas.  Robin was able to buy one while we were there.  This island is gorgeous.  the houses are all bright colors.  I wonder who was the first person to decide to paint their house a bright blue, or green, or pink or purple.  They are a genius.  My only issue would be deciding what color I want my house to be.  Again, we did not get much time to explore the island, but from what I saw, I loved.  I could picture myself retiring there.  Living right on the water reading my books.  Sounds like perfection to me!

Last was Torcello.  Apparently only 15 or 20 people live on this island.  When we got off the boat, we had to walk a ways down to see the church on the island.  It was cool, but there is really nothing else on the island.  Our tour did not get back to the city until after 6:30 and we wanted to catch a 7:27 train.  We still had to get our bags and then travel to the other side of the city.  We missed the train by a few minutes.  The next train was not until 3 AM.  So to kill time we got some dinner, and bought a bottle of wine.  We were able to sit outside right by the water drinking and talking.   It turned out to be a great night.  I loved Venice, and hope to get back there in the next few years.  I would like to explore the non-touristy parts of the island.  

Now off to the Uffizi Gallery!!  

Ciao

Adios Barcelona

The more I see of this city, the more I fall madly in love with it!  I can move here and barely know any Spanish right?  Right!  Today was a busy day, and I took lots of pictures.  When I started on this trip, I thought having an SD card that holds 2,000 pictures would be fine.  Who knew that Barcelona alone would be about 1,000 pictures.  Now I need to go back and delete the really bad ones, and pray that I will be able to survive on this one SD card.  (BTW, who is going to help me make a really good scrapbook with all these pictures??)

Anyway, back to today.  Robin and I left the hostel a little after 9, and went across the street to the ¨supermarcado¨.  We bought a loaf of bread, ¨jamon¨and ¨queso¨(aka ham and cheese).  We took it with us and went to go visit Parc Guell.  Getting there was a hike.  Literally.  We got out of the Metro, and had to walk a few blocks.  Than all of a sudden you see a huge hill, with lots of stairs and escalators.   Yes, this hill was big enough for escalators.  By the time we got to the top, we were drenched in sweat, but had fabulous views of Barcelona. 

When we entered the parc, we walked down a windy, dirt road.  In the middle, there is a large square with a really cool bench surrounding the whole thing.  The bench is decorated with mossaic tiles.  This square has a really great view of the city and water.  The first thing we noticed when we saw the square was all the men selling different items.  They had their blankets spread all over the place.  As we were taking pictures of the view, the men start grabbing their things and RUNNING.  They disappeared in a heartbeat.  Apparently it is illegal to sell items there.  Eventually the cops found them, and I believe gave out tickets.  Quite a show. 

After taking pictures, Robin and I sat down and made our breakfast/lunch.  It was very yummy, and definetly something I will be doing in the near future. Making sandwiches seems more exciting in a different country than home.  Once we were done, we continued down the parc.  We walked down stairs, and saw:

Anyone know where this is from??  In Season 7 finale of America´s Next Top Model, the last runway was done at Parc Guell.  We did not know this beforehand, and as we walked in the gates, I stopped dead.  I turned to Robin and said that this is so familiar, and that I thought it was in the show.  Another girl, who was American, said that she agreed with me.   So of course, since we were on a runway, I decided to pose.  The side of the wall also has these nests jutting out.  We got to do some rock climing to get into them.  Getting out was a little bit of a  challenge, but exciting.

Next we continued down the stairs and found this large square area, but it was covered.  There were about 50 columns in rows, and if you looked up, the whole ceiling was mosaic´d with whtie tiles.   Then in the center, there were a few designs with colored mosaic´s.  Now I know where we get the word ¨gaudy¨from.  Gaudi def. liked to show off, and get his work noticed.  He was brilliant, and when I build my own house, I will be modeling it after his artwork. 

After taking many pictures, we finally found our way to the lizard.  If you google Parc Gaudi, the lizard is usually the first thing that will pop up.  It was fun seeing it, but there were so many people around it.  We were able to get a few pictures of it, and then moved out of the way of the crowds.

After Parc Guell, we headed back towards Montjuic.  There is a section in the part called Poble Espanyol.  This area was built in the early 1900´s for an international fair.  Originally, Spain was going to tear it down afterwards, but thanfully they left it.  It has beautiful architucture, nice squares, and nice artisan shops.  In many of the stores, you are able to see the artists working on their craft.  As we walked around, we found this cute little wine place.  They have bottles of wine for sale, but they also had a few small tables for people to sit and drink and eat.  We each got a glass of wine (for less than 3€), and some Catalana bread.  The bread has tomato juice squeezed on it, and then olive oil drizzled on.  It was so good.  I love the food here!  This was also our first and only meal that did not include cheese.

When we finished at Poble Espanyol, we went back towards La Rambla.  The statue of ¨Christopher Colon¨has an area on top where you can look out on the whole city.  We did that quickly.  Even though we saw many views of the whole city, I enjoyed getting to look down on La Rambla, and being close to the water.  Back on ground, we walked down La Rambla, stopping into souvenir shops and exchanging money.  We had to get to a cooking class by 6, so we were able to walk lesuirely.  While waiting for the class, we stopped off somewhere to order chocolate churro.  First they brought out a cup of melted chocolate.  Being us, and impatient, we started drinking the hot, melted chocolate.  Finally they brought out the churro´s.  They are a little different than the ones in the US.  These churros were smaller, and they did not have sugar or cinnamon sprinkled on.  They were basically just fried dough, and you dip it into the melted chocolate.  It was really good, but did not hit our sweet spot.  The chocolate was a little bitter.

At 6 we went to the meeting place for the cooking class.  At least we thought it was a cooking class.  Walking into the back of the restuarant, there were two tables set up with wine glasses, sangria, cheese and meat plates, and potato plates.  It all looked and tasted very good.  Instead of us doing the cooking, a chef cooked paella for us right in front of our eyes.  He told us what to do, and explained why we did each step.  While the paella was cooking, a bartender came back and taught us how to make sangria.  Apparently you´re not supposed to load  your sangria with wine, but with other alcohols and fruit juices.  The food and sangria were delicious, and hopefully I will be able to attempt paella at home (yeah right!!)

We finished dinner at 8:30, and it was still light outside.  We headed towards the beach to sit out for a little bit.  At that time of day, the beach was still pretty busy.   We were able to sit out for about 30 minutes, and then we decided it was time to go.  We still wanted to visit a few more places.  We took the Metro and then walked around the city to see a few buildings by La Casa Batillo, and then we went and saw La Sagrada Familia Church.  This church is huge and beautiful.  I believe it is the tallest point in the city, and we were able to see it from all the mountains, and Christopher Colon.  It was great getting to see it lit up at night. 

I guess you can say we made the most of our time in Barcelona.  There are a few more things that we would have liked to havdone, but in two and a half days, we saw a lot, and enjoyed every single minute of it.  Plus, in a year or two I will be living here full time, so I will be able to visit the sites whenever I want. 

Next stop Venice, and I will be sure to update everyone tomorrow night.

Sammy xoxo

Barcelona day 2

Hola again!!  Day two has come to an end.  We have one more day, and then it is off to Italy for us.  I am very sad to be leaving Barcelona.  I could see myself possibly staying here for ever.  There are mountains near by, a beach and a city.  And all can be reached by taking the Metro.  How fabulous is that!  However, I am wondering where the people of Barcelona live.  Most of the places we´ve been were very touris-y, and I would go crazy having to battle the streets with so many people every day. 

This morning we left our hostel at around 10 AM.  Robin and I had trouble waking up considering we did not get much sleep the night before.  Right from the hostel, we went to the old city.  It was really cool.  There were a bunch of small squares in town, some in front of churches, others in front of state buildings.  Since we were starving, we found a cute little cafe to eat.  We both had a ham and cheese sandwich on a croissant.  It was so good.  The cheese in Barcelona is yummy!!!!  I am pretty sure every meal has included ¨queso¨.

When we finish breakfast, we tried to search for a certain church.  There were supposed to be singers outside of the church at noon.  It took us an hour to find the church.  In the process we found a place that served fresh squeezed juice (very good), a few cute souvenir shops, a church and windy roads.  We finally found the (right) church, but there were no singers!!  But  the church was pretty cool to look at.  It was the first church of Gaudi.

After taking pictures of the church we decided to search for the Picasso museum.  The museum is free the first Sunday of every  month, and every Sunday after 3 pm.  We thought that since we are in Barcelona, we should go to see some Picasso.  It did not work out very well.  When we got to the museum, the line went on forever.  Literally forever.  We started walking towards the back, and then we started to debate if the line was worth the wait.  We asked people in the front of the line how long they had waited (about an hour), and then we looked at brochures.  The brochure showed a few pictures, but nothing special.  We decided that we would skip the museum since we have the Met at home, and we did not want to spend our time in Barcelona standing in an hour long line.  Instead, we remembered that one of our bunk mates told us about Museu d´Historia de la Ciutat de Barcelona.  It´s a museum about the history of Barcelona, including an underground path with an old laundry place, wine making place, and the remenants of a church.  Robin and I really enjoyed this.  Not only did I think it was cool because people used to make wine there THOUSANDS of years ago, but on three stones I found Hebrew writing.  I also found a Jewish star carved into a stone. 

Leaving the museum, Robin and I realized we were starving, and needed food quickly.  We headed towards Las Ramblas again, and found a really good restuarant.  We both got sandwiches and had our first glass of Sangria.  I am pretty sure I will be dreaming about that lunch tonight while sleeping.

We continued down Las Ramblas and caught the Metro going to Montjuic.  This park is HUGE!!!!  There are two parts to it, the upper half, and the lower half.  Taking a cable car, we went to the top of the mountain.  On the tram, we were able see the whole city.  The ocean, the buildings, the churches, the mountains.  What a view.  At the top, we went to a military castle.  Again, another amazing view.  They also sell alcohol up there, so it was very relaxing to just see the city and drink beer.  When we were done ¨viewing¨, we decided to take a walk around the castle, ending back at the cable car. 

At 9 pm, we went to Magic Mountain, which is part of Montjuic, but all the way at the bottom.  There is a large fountain there, and in the evenings they have a fountain show.  It is nothing like the one in Atlantic City, but it was beautiful none the less.  We sat on stairs, and were able to see most of the city.  The water show was really pretty, and there was music in the background.  The first song they decided to play was the overture of the Titanic song.  We were a little confused, but then decided to start singing with the music.  When the show was over, we came back to the hostel, and had dinner.  It was such an amazing day, and I am so excited for what we planned for tomorrow.

Lots of love from Barcelona!!

Sammy xoxoxo

Hola from Barcelona

Hello everyone!!  Since I haven´t bought a journal yet to write about my trip, I figured I would write about my first day in Spain here.  Excuse all the typos and extra symbols, it is going to take me a while to get used to this keyboard. 

Robin and I arrived in Madrid this morning at 10 AM Spain time, 4 AM USA time.  It has been one long, exhausting, fabulous day!  We got through customs really quickly, got our bags and then headed over to the train station in Madrid.  The city of Madrid was not what we expected it to be.  Since we wanted to be by the train station, we didn´t really get to venture very much.  We saw a few overpriced diners, and that´s about it.  Our very friendly cab driver told us that Madrid has 6 million people living there, and that it was very beautiful.  Hopefully when we return, we will be able to see the beauty.

Luckily we were able to switch our 1:30 train ride for a 12:30, and arrived in Barcelona around 3:30.  We were a little unsure about the location of our hostel, since it was siesta time, no one was out, and all the stores were closed.  But once we walked into the building realized it is a great place.  The building is very modern and friendly.  There is a kitchen here if we wanted to cook (HAHA), the bathrooms are pretty clean, and the lockers are nice and big so they hold our huge backpacks along with anything else we have. 

We quickly got changed and then headed out on the town.  Our first stop today was Las Ramblas.  Since we were starving, we decided to head over to a small market area.  We thought there would be cooked food, but it was all fresh produce and uncooked meats (my fav!).  However, there was a restaurant, so we grabbed a quick snack there.  After taking pictures in the market, we walked down Las Ramblas.  On the lower half of the street, tents were set up with people selling items.  We continued walking and found the statue of Christopher Columbus, water, and the aquarium.  We decided to skip the aquarium since we heard it was pretty expensive, and instead decided to walk around.  It was def. the best choice.  We went and sat by the water for a few minutes, and then started walking some more.  We found ourselves in the middle of a huge music festival.  Bands were set up all over, playing and dancing.  We sat and watched two groups perform.  I videotaped one, and can´t wait to show it to everyone.  They were so much fun.  After watching the bands, we continued walking and found the beach!  We decided that we are going to go back tomorrow and hang out on the beach, since tonight we were more focused on getting to bed early (altho that did not happen).

On our walk back, we found a cute place to eat right near the beach and close to one of the bands playing.  They had a special: seafood paella and a glass of wine for €15.  The food was really good, and the wine was delicious!  We finished eating dinner at around 9:15 and it was only starting to get dark.  I am excited to take full advantage of the long days while I am here.  After dinner we decided it was time to head back to the hostel and rest up for tomorrow.  We walked along the beach, and managed to miss a turn somewhere and ended up at the W hotel.  We found that it has a gorgous view of the ocean, and we will be going back tomorrow.  After finding our way to the main street, we managed to get on the tram and arrive back at the hostel.  When we got to our room, we were able to meet some of the people staying with us.  They seem nice, and have shared some information with us that you will only learn after making mistakes in a foreign country. 

All in all it was a very relaxing day, and I am excited to see what tomorrow brings us!

With much love from Barcelona,ç

Sammy xoxo

T-7 Days until Spain & Italy

With only seven days left until we leave for Spain and Italy, Robin and I finished planning our trip.  For Madrid, we have come up with things that we want to do, but we haven't actually finalized it yet.  Let me know what you think!

Day 4

• Fly to Venice
• Tour of Venice Islands (Murano, Burano, and Tocello)
• Campanile (Elevator Ride)
• Walk around Saint Marks Square

Day 5

• The Basilica at Saint Marks
• The Doge's at Saint Marks
• The Rialto Bridge
• Gondola Ride

 Day 6

• Ponte Vecchio
• Boboli Garden/Pitti Palace
• Uffizi Gallery
• Florence Wine Tasting

Day 7

• City of Lucca 
• Bike Ride around the City
• City of Pisa
• Botanical Garden
• Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Leave for Rome

·      

Day 8

• Tour of Vatican Museums, Sistene Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
• Tour of Ancient Rome
• Fontana Di Trevi

 

Day 9

• Spanish Steps
• Catacombs
• Campo de Fiori

·  Day 10

• Fly to Valenica, Spain
• City of Arts & Sciences
• Rent Bikes
• Beach
• Leave for Mardrid

Days 11 & 12

• Plaza Mayor
• Puerta Del Sol
• Cava Baja
• Royal Palace
• Telefrico (tram ride)
• Meseo Del Prado
• Chueca
• Retiro Park
• LaRotanda (Palace Hotel)
• Flamenco dancing?
• Bull Fighting?

Day 13

·      Leave for America =(

T-16 Days Until Spain & Italy

Today I met with Robin, and we started to work on our itinerary for our trip.  Before starting, we said to each other that we weren't going to bog ourselves down by saying we have to see EVERYTHING.  Instead we made a list of what we would like to do while in Barcelona (using your suggestions), figured out how much time each place would take, and then looked at the map and started planning our days.  It took us a good three hours to plan two and a half days in Barcelona, not including places to eat and where we are staying.  Below is our itinerary.  Please let me know what we need to do in each location.  And if you have any suggestions of where to eat, they would be very helpful!!

Day 1

Arrive in Madrid at 10:05 AM

• Train to Barcelona (arrive around 3:30)
• Las Rambla
• Mercat de la Boqueria
• Barceloneta (beach)
•  L’Aquarium de Barcelonita
• Maremagnum (AKA Bars)

Day 2

• Barri Gotic
• Sardana singing outside of cathedral at noon
• Meseu Picasso
•  Montjuic
• Military Castle
• Poble Espanol
• Light Show

Day 3

• La Sagrada Familia
• Passeig de Gracia
• Parc Guell

Happy Graduation to Me!!!

In 59 days (and 8 hours), I will be boarding a plane to go on one of the most exciting trips of my life.  For my graduation present, my parents are sending me to Spain and Italy for 12 days!!!!  I am going with someone I became very friendly with while student teaching this past semester.  We both spoke about how much we wanted to go away to Europe, and we decided we should go.  Thankfully we have supportive parents, and they think this is an amazing trip that we are going on (and they are willing to give us money). My friend and I have started to plan out our trip.  We are flying in to Madrid, and spending two days there. Then we will travel to Barcelona for three days.  After that, we are flying to Venice for two days.  We will then head down to Florence for a day, and then move on to Rome for two days.   I am so excited for this trip, it is all I think about.  

As I prepare for my trip, I need your suggestions.  Many of my friends and family have been to Spain and Italy, and now I am asking for your help.  What are some things that I MUST do while I am in the two countries?  What is your one best memory from Spain and/or Italy?  Also, are there some things I need to eat while I'm away?  One friend told me that I have to drink Cappuccino's in Rome (even though I don't like coffee).  Any other suggestions of what else I should try?  I am excited for all your suggestions!!  And I will be back in a few weeks to ask you more questions about what to bring with me.

P.S. Send me your addresses if you would like postcards =)

The List -- Summer 2011

Thanks to Facebook, I found a list of "206 cool and random things to do when summer heats up in NYC".  I went through the list and picked out the ones that seem fun/interesting to me.  Let me know which ones pique your interest, and we can plan to do them together!!

Chill out: 206 cool and random things to do when summer heats up in NYC

BY: DAILY NEWS 

1. Get to an outdoor movie. From DUMBO to Hoboken to Socrates Park to Riverside Park to the roving Rooftop film series, catch a flick while enjoying the New York night air. More than 200 movies will play out between now and Aug. 20. (rooftopfilms.com)





2. Escape to the zoos. Beyond the Bronx and Central Park … the Queens, Prospect Park and Staten Island zoos make for great escapes, whether or not you are entertaining children or out-of-town guests.

3. Read  "The Help" out on Aug. 12.



4. Go climb something. A small secret, but the largest ropes course in the tri-state area, the Alley Pond Park Adventure Course on Winchester Blvd. in Queens, is great for group parties and for solo climbers. But it helps to be in shape, unlike me.



5. Get peaceful. Visit the Chinese Scholar's Garden at Staten Island's Snug Harbor.



6. Free art, free river view, free air. Riverside Park's great Art in the Park program goes from 58th to 70th Sts., June 1-4. (riversideparkfund.org).



7. Take a bike on the 6 train to its final stop in the Bronx, then ride all the way out to City Island for a cool drink.

  (I would need to buy a bike for this, but I'm not opposed)

8. Ride a bike out to Owl's Head Park at the southern end of Bay Ridge, then walk it out to the end of Owl Head's Pier. Here you'll find the broadest possible view of the entire New York Harbor.



9. Walk to Pier 66 in Hudson River Park, at West and 26th Sts. and grab a meal at the Frying Pan. It's a funky old restored boat that also provides the sole reminder of the pre-gentrified West Side park. The restaurant/bar doubles as a nautical museum of sorts. (Open late May through August).





10. Attend the opening of the second section of the fabulous High Line Park. The park's midsection, set to open this summer, will stretch from 20th St. (where the park currently ends) to 30th, along 10th Ave. For updates on the opening, check thehighline.org.



11. Stargaze on the High Line. Every night in the warm months, from dusk to 9:30 p.m., the park will feature a free lecture on stargazing from the elevated park. It's hosted by the Amateur Astronomer's Association. Find out more at thehighline.org.



12. Listen to Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" CD, whose singles will surely dominate this summer's airwaves and dance clubs. It arrives May 23.

13. See candy-colored pop star Katy Perry perform her first national arena blowout show, at Nassau Coliseum June 17.

 **Can't go to this performance, but I'm pretty sure she is playing somewhere local on June 19 too***

14. Eat your way through New York City Restaurant Week. (All dinners are $35, lunches, $25.07). The deal is in effect July 11-24, though these things tend to get extended.



15. Rent one of those free kayaks at Pier 40 at Houston and West Sts. The rub? You have to stay between Piers 39 and 40. But that still leaves lots of room to bask in the rare view of the city while bobbing on the water.



16. Hit up Red Hook to try the vendors, plus get a slice at nearby Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pie.



17. Sit down for Pichet Ong's dessert tapas at Spot (St. Mark's) and try his new Bangkok Classic Menu at Qi Asian Eatery (Times Square).



18. Chase down all the summer treat trucks, including Kelvin's Natural Slush, the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and Coolhaus. While we're on the topic of ice cream, customize a Popsicle at People's Pops (Chelsea Market).


19. Have a boozy brunch at Agua Fresca in Harlem, where $10 gets you a savory or sweet Latin-influenced dish and sangria.



20. Chow down on the best BBQ in New York at Madison Square Park's annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party on June 11 and 12.



21. Take some great photos of Manhattan and the Hudson River up at Fort Tyron Park, then make your way to the Little Red Lighthouse in Washington Heights.



22. Do a food crawl through Flushing Mall before it closes next year.





23. Try all the crazy stunts, including tightrope walking and flying acrobatics, at the New York Hall of Science's "Circus!" exhibit, running June 11-Sept. 4.



24. Zip-line through the Alley Pond Park Adventure Course.



25. Visit the Astoria Market, Queens' answer to the Brooklyn Flea, and see what their artisans and food vendors have to offer.



26. Grab your bike, then head to the Caesar's Bay path in Brooklyn.



27. Try the Throwdown-winning dumplings — and the steak and eggs Korean-style that we once featured —at the Good Fork in Red Hook.



28. Explore Snug Harbor and the art scene in St. George, Staten Island.



29. Score an amazing designer deal at an upper East Side thrift shop.




30. See "Through a Glass Darkly." Before she was an Oscar nominee for "An Education," Carey Mulligan came undone exquisitely on Broadway in "The Seagull." In this dramatization of the 1961 Ingmar Bergman film, she plays a young woman fresh from an asylum. Friday-July 3, New York Theatre Workshop.
.



31. Shakespeare in the Park. The annual theater freebie is one of the great joys of summer in the city. Two lesser-done works, "All's Well That Ends Well" and "Measure for Measure," will be performed in rep. June 6-July 30, Delacorte Theater.



32. Royal Shakespeare Company in rep. The renowned troupe's takes on "Romeo and Juliet," "Julius Caesar," "As You Like It," "King Lear" and "The Winter's Tale" promise to be royal treats. July 6-Aug. 14, Park Avenue Armory.



33. "Zarkana." Human pretzels. High-flying daredevils. A new acrobatic spectacle from Cirque du Soleil. Starts June 9, Radio City Music Hall.



34. New York International Fringe Festival. It's the 15th annual presentation of the annual theater sampler. Dozens of events and theater to talk about. Starts Aug. 12 at venues around Manhattan. (fringenyc.org)

.



35. "Rent." Jonathan Larson's Broadway hit returns ... to Off-Broadway. Starts July 14, New World Stages.

  **THIS IS A MUST!!!!  I WILL BE GOING TO MORE THAN 1 PERFORMANCE***

36. "Death Takes a Holiday." The Italian play that inspired the Brad Pitt movie "Meet Joe Black" gets a musical makeover by Maury Yeston. Starts June 10, Laura Pels Theatre.





37. "All New People." Last summer, Zach Braff acted Off-Broadway in "Trust," a play about S&M. This year, the comedy he wrote is about a man who tries to get away from it all on a desolate island. Starts June 28, Second Stage.



38. Explore Governors Island. Each season it's gets a little more built up, but it maintains that Rod Serling-ish, land that time forgot appeal. And there's a great view of the Lady with the Lamp.



39. Summer road trip to Lake George for a black raspberry cone at Martha's Soft Serve Ice Cream. A long drive — but worth it.



40. Catch a sunset at Race Point in Provincetown.



41. Get some culture — on the grass. The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series begins July 11 at Central Park SummerStage featuring three rising Met stars: soprano Angela Meade, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and tenor Dimitri Pittas. Other locations: July 13 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Later recitals in Crotona Park (July 19), Clove Lakes Park (July 21), Socrates Sculpture Park (July 26) and Jackie Robinson Park (July 28). (metoperafamily.org).



42. Laugh out loud outdoors. Jim Gaffigan, newly minted Broadway star thanks to "That Championship Season," returns to his bread-and-butter — standup comedy— and performs in Central Park on June 29.



43. Munch a lobster roll at Mary's Fish Camp on Charles St. in the West Village. It's as sure a sign of summer as flip-flops and seersucker.



44. Go to the Top of the Rock — the observation deck at Rockefeller Center. When the city empties out in the summer would be a good time to go.



45. Hit the bike trail along the Hudson River every chance you can.



46. Go to the new Yankee Stadium to see Derek Jeter get his 3,000th hit. A late-June home stand, starting on the 24th against the Rockies and Brewers might be a good place to set up for the record.
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47. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge and then get a pie at Grimaldi's.

48. Ride the Staten Island ferry 10 times in a day. Why? Why not?

 *I can only do this with Jen*

49. Eat seafood and ride the trolley on City Island.



50. Visit the New York Aquarium to cool off with the seals on a hot day. It's another excuse to go to Coney Island.



51. Stargaze at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

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52. Play 18 at the Dyker Beach Golf Course and then go and fix your swing at the pitch-and-putt at the golf center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. (golfnyc.com)



53. Enjoy the Museum Mile Festival on June 14 (museummilefestival.org).



54. Watch "The Hangover: Part II," which is going to be awesome and horrible at the same time.

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55. Catch the 4Knots Music Festival at the South Street Seaport on July 16.



56. Kayak Newtown Creek.



57. Attend Washington Square Music's free concert series. Shows are every Tuesday at 8 p.m. July 12-Aug. 2.



58. Go celeb-spotting on the High Line, said to be a "perfect point" for star sightings. Every Tuesday dusk-9:30 p.m.





59. Visit the Hester Street Fair, an indie-fair darling held every Saturday.



60. Take a free class at BeFitNYC the first Monday of every month throughout the summer.



61. Enjoy the Summer Streets. Park Ave. and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park are closed to cars for people to stroll Aug. 6, 13 and 20.



62. Head to the 33rd annual Thunderbird American Indian midsummer pow wow at the Queens County Farm Museum on Little Neck Parkway July 29-31.



63. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. One of the most quintessential things you can do — grab a cone and go!





64. Get to the Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj superconcert at Izod Center, Aug. 5.



65. Take the NYC 3 Hour Summer Sunset Cruise Aug. 4 at 8 p.m.

66. Leave work a little early to relax at the HBO Bryant Park Summer Movie Festival, Mondays starting June 20 at 5 p.m.



63. Bike to Roosevelt Island for beautiful views and no traffic.



64. Sip deliciously overpriced cocktails on the back porch at Mulberry Project.



65. Hang out at the tiny pool (it's still a pool!) on the rooftop bar Jimmy at the James Hotel.





66. Bring friends to Spritzenhaus Beer Garden in Greenpoint.



67. Down buckets of beers at the Frying Pan at Pier 66 in Chelsea.

 * I love how they say buckets of beers.  This is right up my ally*

68. Have lunch at Tom Colicchio's Riverpark overlooking the East River.



69. When the High Line's Phase 2 opens, sunbathe and picnic on its new elevated lawn.



70. Find the city's very best running trail as you train for the Marathon. Help: Which one has the best breezes? Water fountains? Hospital access?



71. Have a drink on the back porch of the Boat Basin, which gives you a front-row seat to watching runners and bikers along the Hudson River Greenway. There's nothing like laughing at their outfits and such while the only workout you're doing is beer curls. Plus, the Basin makes a great burger.



72. More reasons to finally get to Governors Island: free bike Fridays, art exhibits, great concerts, beer fests.



73. Go to Eataly's new rooftop beer garden/patio and enjoy the views of Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building at night. Get gelato on the way out instead of waiting in a line around the block for a Shake Shack concrete.





74. Sample 100 different beers at George Keely's bar on the UWS and join their 100 Beer Club.



75. Paddle a canoe along the Bronx River (bronxriver.org).



76. Watch Tom Cruise in "Top Gun" on — where else? — the deck of the Intrepid at the May 27 launch of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum's outdoor film series (intrepidmuseum.org; 1-877-957-7447).



77. Take the IKEA water taxi from downtown Manhattan to Red Hook and the Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge (waterfrontmuseum.org).



78. Channel your inner Ariel at "The Little Mermaid," at Players Theatre in Greenwich Village (literallyalive.com; 212-352-3101).



79. Check out the bling at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum at its "Set in Style: TheJewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels" exhibition (cooperhewitt.org; 212-849-8400).



80. Take a hike and do some bird-watching at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (nps.gov/gate; 718-318-4340).



81. Visit Planting Fields Aboretum State Historic Park on Long Island and stroll 409 acres of greenhouses, rolling lawns, formal gardens and woodland trails. (plantingfields.org; 516-922-9200).


82. Starting in June, ride the new East River Ferry that makes stops at E. 34th St., Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Fulton Ferry, Pier 11 in lower Manhattan and — on summer weekends — Atlantic Ave. and Governors Island. (waterfrontalliance.org.)



83. Buy into a CSA — a community supported agriculture program that provides weekly produce straight from the farm. There's a new one through Local Roots NYC, with pickups at 61Local in Cobble Hill (localrootsnyc.org).




84. Plan the ultimate no-nosh-barred road trip using Mike Urban's "Clam Shacks: The Ultimate Guide and Trip Planner to New England's Most Fantastic Seafood Eateries" ($17, Cider Mill Press, out May 31).



85. For "After Hours: Murals on the Bowery," 17 artists will paint on roll-down security shutters along Bowery between Houston and Canal Sts. Catch evening displays of these masterpieces while they last. Through July 2. (newmuseum.org)



86. See the Alexander McQueen retrospective, "Savage Beauty," at the Met (blog.metmuseum.org/alexander mcqueen).



87. Keep cool by skating at the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers, overlooking the Hudson River. Prices ($14 for those 13 and up, and $12 for kids 12 and under) include admission and skate rental (chelseapiers.com).



88. Mark Pug Day, June 5, at the Alice Austen House (2 Hylan Blvd.) in Staten Island. The smooth-coated canines and their owners are invited to a picnic 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on the historic home's park grounds.



89. No New York summer is complete without a trip to Ralph's Famous Italian Ices, boasting flavors ranging from Cantaloupe to Cookies N' Crème. (various locations; ralphsices.com).



90. Nathan's is famous for its hot dogs. But few know that the Coney Island location's (1902 Surf Ave., Brooklyn) menu also offers fried frog legs. Grab a seat at the chain's original location.



91. Enjoy "Movies Under the Stars" on June 17 and 24 and July 8 and 15 at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden in Staten Island.



92. Shmooze with sailors during New York City Fleet Week, going down May 25 through June 1. Events usually include a parade of ships and military demonstrations.



93. Row or kayak around the lake in Central Park, now through November. From 10 a.m. until dusk at the Loeb Boathouse, you can rent a boat for $12 an hour (cash only), $2.50 for each additional 15 minutes (with a $20 cash deposit.) Each boat holds up to four people (thecentral parkboathouse.com).



94. Grab a seat when born and bred New Yorker Brooke Shields joins the cast of "The Addams Family" on June 28 (theaddamsfamily musical.com).

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95. Learn to salsa at Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing, June 27-July15.



96. Join yoga types on June 21 and celebrate the summer solstice at a free, all-day fest in Times Square. Transcendence in Times Square? Now that's an interesting position.