Gossip Girl

Poor Rhianna!

Just when she is getting her life back together, and stepping out into the very public eye, this happens...

Naked pictures of the pop star have been leaked all over the Internet, causing a frenzy over the World Wide Web. Bloggers, tweeters and the rest of the world got wind of the story and are all wondering who leaked the steamy nude pics. In the photos, Rihanna writes “I love you” on the mirror, as she poses in the reflection. It seems the pictures were taken for someone, and everyone wants to know if that someone is Chris Brown!

Just this past week, pictures surfaced on the Internet of a topless Cassie as well. Both girls seem appear to have nipple piercings and like to take pictures topless. It's a shame that someone so talented may be remembered for something silly like this.

In other gossip girl newsy news, I just bought the latest Cosmo with my FAVORITE Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester! She looks amazing, as usual. Did you see her outfit at the Costume Gala at the Met? It looked great on her, and I loved the look. It was very daring, but cute, as well. I hear they are coming out with a Gossip Girl line for Target. It should be affordable and very New York and stylish like the GG stars. I can NOT wait. Yes!!!

Leighton Meester is also a talented singer. She has a new single out called, “Good Girls Go Bad” Check it out! I like to listen to it when I go for drives. Sometimes that is the best way to clear your head. What do YOU think of her new single?

xoxo

Museo de Arquelogia

On Saturday, a group of us found ourselves wandering the streets of Madrid before the Flamenco show. We ended up at the National Archeological Museum and got a chance to explore some of the artifacts we learned about in class. The museum’s exhibit featured the treasures of the Iberia art all the way up to Modern era. It was such a treat to really study what what we learned in class out in Madrid. La Dama de Elche was on display and we got to see up it up close, and even take pictures. It is fascinating that historians can depict so much of what their culture was like during this time by these sculptures. They interpret her social class from her jewels and adornment on her bust. Also, her serene, stern and alert demeanor are represented beautifully in her face as well. Also, on display was La Dama de Baza, which was placed to the right of La Dama de Elche. It was interesting to compare the two statutes in front of us. La Dama de Baza, as we learned, had jars, jewels and was sitting upright in her chair. She, as well, had a stern demeanor on her face and her hands placed lightly on her lap amidst her flowing robe.
After we enjoyed the exhibit, a kind old man explained to us that there are more “treasures” to be found, but the majority of the Museum was closed for renovations. It would be open in two years with even more artifacts for the public to enjoy. He knew his history very well and was glad to give us recommendations of places to visit in and outside of Madrid. He spoke to us for awhile and was surprised to hear we were from the U.S! (I guess we are doing something right) I really enjoyed that museum because we started out slightly lost and ended up learning more than we expected! It's nice to discover new and exciting things to do in Madrid!

Sevilla, Sevilla

Sevilla reminded me of a miniature Miami in some ways. Gigantic palm trees lined the streets next to the famous Guadalquivir River. Restaurants and bars, or “terrazas,” spilled out onto the sidewalks to take advantage of the beautiful weather. Aside from the scorching temperatures and humidity, it was a nice change of pace having the sun shining down because it reminded me of the Miami sun. On Friday, Allison and I took a walk to the other side of the river and browsed some shops. We met up with Ryan and Andrew to climb to the top of the Tore de Oro. The view of the city was magnificent and it was nice to learn about the history on the way up the 99 stairs. I love exploring the cities we travel to and finding unique stores, restaurants and other sights. It’s also interesting to see the comparisons between Madrid and Sevilla. We got to see the outside of the Plaza de Toros, but didn’t have a chance to take the tour.



I especially enjoyed visiting the Cathedral because my mom mentioned to me that she watched a special on the Travel Channel about it being the largest Catholic cathedral in the world. Well, she was happy to know she was right! It was really interesting to see the Guinness Book of World Records sign posted on inside. This made me stop for a moment and take advantage of our tour. I also loved our tour guide and thought he had a lot of interesting stories about the Cathedral and the rest of Sevilla, as well. It’s funny to see other people crowd around our tour guides, especially Carmen, while they teach us about the history, art and architecture. My favorite memory of Sevilla was climbing to the top of the Cathedral to see the exquisite view. It’s amazing how well preserved it has been over all these years and with all these visitors. Although each city has a unique flavor, I think Sevilla has been my favorite so far because it reminded me of home a little.

El Escorial

In Spain, I got the amazing opportunity to visit El Escorial with some Dukies. We didn’t have much time because we wanted to get back to catch the last half of the soccer game at Plaza Colon, but I thought it was well worth it. We caught the train from Atocha after we spent the morning with the class at Reina Sofia. A little over an hour later we were there. Then, after a slightly excruciating walk up the gigantic hill to El Escorial, we took in the view behind the gardens and over the land. The monastery is one of the largest buildings I have ever seen. We almost got lost in the monastery while we were looking for the gardens because it is so big! But thankfully, Julie (who can find her way out the Sahara ) led us out. I enjoyed wandering through the monastery and seeing all the religious paintings. It was very important to me to make the trip to El Escorial after learning about it in class. It was nice and quiet inside and we got to wander through the rooms and quietly reflect on each one. I saw paintings about scenes from the Bible, the Last Supper, and many pictures of Baby Jesus (who isn’t as cute as we’d hoped, according to Jess and I.) We saw very famous works by El Greco and Velazquez. Also, we went downstairs to the tombs. They ask for silence whilst inside the tombs to be respectful. This was also a nice time for reflection. I wish we had more time there and hopefully I will be able to go back in the future and appreciate it another time.