tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28617055055616731772024-03-13T19:14:41.104+01:00Erika While AbroadI'm currently exploring Spain on a study abroad, so I want to keep y'all posted on my travels and awesome adventures--hence the blog!Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-21539459665630255132008-03-11T10:10:00.012+01:002008-12-10T16:14:10.759+01:00Santiago de Compostela--Avila, Salamanca, Santiago, Leon<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZNh_qSdkI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/kmiY2gg6DQ4/s1600-h/P3034103.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176410068128790082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZNh_qSdkI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/kmiY2gg6DQ4/s320/P3034103.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />(March 4-8)<br /><br /><div><div>This trip was to the north west of Spain. That area is the wettest part of the entire peninusla and gets a ton of rain. But, amazingly enough for us, we were there an entire week and didn't even see a drop. We really luck out on the weather. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Our first stop was in Avila to see the cathedral and outer walls. Avila has the best example of medieval walls in Spain. It was pretty amazing too. There were around 88 of the turret-type things. And it was extremely fu<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZNfvqSdhI/AAAAAAAAAN4/beTlGq0PDUg/s1600-h/P3033903.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176410029474084370" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZNfvqSdhI/AAAAAAAAAN4/beTlGq0PDUg/s320/P3033903.JPG" border="0" /></a>n because we could climb ontop of the wall and into <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZNgfqSdiI/AAAAAAAAAOA/1Gm0HqnfxVY/s1600-h/P3033909.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176410042358986274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZNgfqSdiI/AAAAAAAAAOA/1Gm0HqnfxVY/s320/P3033909.JPG" border="0" /></a>the towers. Needless to say we loved it--myself included. We never pass up an opportunity to climb things and be adventurous. The wind here was incredibly strong and cold, so climbing up between the crevices was even more adventurous than normal. But that definitely didn't stop us. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZNg_qSdjI/AAAAAAAAAOI/aCgXH1fExr8/s1600-h/P3033916.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176410050948920882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZNg_qSdjI/AAAAAAAAAOI/aCgXH1fExr8/s320/P3033916.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>We then moved on to Salamanca which is a university town. They have one of the five oldest universities in the world. And they definitely have stories to go along with it. </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQR_qSdqI/AAAAAAAAAPA/eUTNslky51Y/s1600-h/P3043940.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176413091785766562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQR_qSdqI/AAAAAAAAAPA/eUTNslky51Y/s320/P3043940.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The facade of the cathedral there had been restored and someone thought they were extremely clever and put in some rather modern adjustments. Look familiar? </div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQSvqSdrI/AAAAAAAAAPI/kDO7b6PCX9c/s1600-h/P3043950.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176413104670668466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQSvqSdrI/AAAAAAAAAPI/kDO7b6PCX9c/s320/P3043950.JPG" border="0" /></a>And then in the facade of the university there's a hidden frog. It's said (well at least the BYU version) that if you find it without help, you will get married within a year. I think the general one is just luck in marriage. Appropriately so, the engaged girl in our group found it first. I was probably the fifth or sixth. Who knows what that means. Can you find it? </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZO1PqSdlI/AAAAAAAAAOY/nq0GkYLWftU/s1600-h/P3043964.JPG"></a></div><div>At night we strolled throughout what felt like the entire city. We found the old Roman bridge and <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZO1PqSdlI/AAAAAAAAAOY/nq0GkYLWftU/s1600-h/P3043964.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176411498352899666" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 225px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px" height="202" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZO1PqSdlI/AAAAAAAAAOY/nq0GkYLWftU/s320/P3043964.JPG" width="273" border="0" /></a>took some pictures. But it was freezing here as well, so before long we headed back to the hotel where we packed as many people as possible in a room to watch a movie or Scrubs. </div><div><br />N<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZO3fqSdpI/AAAAAAAAAO4/5_boP9WjA-8/s1600-h/P3054004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176411537007605394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZO3fqSdpI/AAAAAAAAAO4/5_boP9WjA-8/s320/P3054004.JPG" border="0" /></a>ext was a stop at a little coastal town where Fernando, our bus driver for almost all our trips, thought we'd enjoy ourselves. And he was right. It was along the Atlantic coast and was beautiful. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZO2_qSdoI/AAAAAAAAAOw/ZefWUtbAF-I/s1600-h/P3054013.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176411528417670786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 158px" height="167" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZO2_qSdoI/AAAAAAAAAOw/ZefWUtbAF-I/s320/P3054013.JPG" width="191" border="0" /></a>Jumpy pictures have become extremely popular in our group and this was a perfect opportunity. Plus it was really nice to get out of the bus. And I found an amazing shell. It's the symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago. There were shells similar to this all over Santiago--including the cathedral. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>It took all day to get to Santiago, and by then we were starving for dinner so we went out for Chinese food. Yep, Chinese food in Santiago. It was absolutely delicious. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQT_qSdsI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/wTsZG5ckd_Y/s1600-h/P3054038.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176413126145504962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQT_qSdsI/AAAAAAAAAPQ/wTsZG5ckd_Y/s320/P3054038.JPG" border="0" /></a>The cathedral in Santiago has my favorite exterior out of all the cathedrals we've seen. Because it's so humid and wet in this area there's moss growing all over the building. Normally cathedrals seem so intimidating and slightly menacing. But this one was different. There were signs of life on the cathedral. It made it more realistic and . . . real to me. Well, that doesn't really make any sense, but there it is anyway. </div><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQU_qSdtI/AAAAAAAAAPY/3MpGV8kf0wI/s1600-h/P3064072.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176413143325374162" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQU_qSdtI/AAAAAAAAAPY/3MpGV8kf0wI/s320/P3064072.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>So, that night we decided to watch the sunset. We saw a distant hill/mountain and decided to climb it. I'm proud to say that we did. Through a lot of guess work and climbing, we made it to the perfect location to watch the sunset on Santiago. It must have been funny to watch us because there were around 16 people just walking through town and then hiking up a rather steep hill. But the hike was worth it. It was incredibly beautiful. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Our last stop was in Leon. This city was <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZRJ_qSdwI/AAAAAAAAAPw/Sw6dhCeD9p8/s1600-h/P3084151.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176414053858440962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZRJ_qSdwI/AAAAAAAAAPw/Sw6dhCeD9p8/s320/P3084151.JPG" border="0" /></a>incredible. The cathedral was relatively normal from the outside but when you walked in, your were immediately surrounded by stained glass. It's said that there is more glass than stone in the top half of the building. It must be true because every thing was beautiful glass. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div>We then explored Leon. We went in search of a park and found an amazing playground. This is the type of equipment the US has banned as being too "dangerous". Needless to say, we had an absolute blast climbing all over this rope spider-web aparatus. It was gr<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQXPqSduI/AAAAAAAAAPg/BZ23JT9jr5I/s1600-h/P3074122.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176413181980079842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZQXPqSduI/AAAAAAAAAPg/BZ23JT9jr5I/s320/P3074122.JPG" border="0" /></a>eat fun. </div><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZRI_qSdvI/AAAAAAAAAPo/24Os9n6V5jY/s1600-h/P3084135.JPG"></a> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>We also found the open market in a massive plaza. This place was packed with food stands and people. There was so much going on at once. There were so many colors, noises and smells that it was definitely an experience just to walk around. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZRI_qSdvI/AAAAAAAAAPo/24Os9n6V5jY/s1600-h/P3084135.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176414036678571762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZRI_qSdvI/AAAAAAAAAPo/24Os9n6V5jY/s320/P3084135.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-31934125291935037842008-03-11T09:46:00.004+01:002008-12-10T16:14:12.363+01:00Andorra<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI8fqSddI/AAAAAAAAANY/gSZag5z7P0s/s1600-h/P2294093.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176405025837184466" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI8fqSddI/AAAAAAAAANY/gSZag5z7P0s/s400/P2294093.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZHt_qSdXI/AAAAAAAAAMo/kUwCJSCTxk8/s1600-h/P2293752.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176403677217453426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZHt_qSdXI/AAAAAAAAAMo/kUwCJSCTxk8/s400/P2293752.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br />So I know that I'm falling way behind on this whole blog thing, but I really can't just pick up from the present and move on. I must tell y'all about Andorra. (Feb. 28-Mar 1) <div> </div>(Oh, and sorry about all the picture in random places, I wanted to get them on here, but once they are they don't cooperate very well. You'll just have to mix and match.)<br /><br /><div></div><div>It's this little principality between France and Spain, and seeing how it's still on the Iberian Peninsula, we're still allowed to visit it. </div><div></div><br /><div>So we finally arrive in Andorra and we head out to enjoy ourselves. We went to the postal museum. Now, that may sound pretty dumb, but it wasn't. Andorra has the weirdest postal service alive. Every post drop on the street has two separate boxes--one for France and one for Spain. I sent postcards through France. And then mail within Andorra is completely free! Seriously, how sweet is that?!</div><br /><div></div><div>Our next stop was the miniatures museums. Ya know how the saying goes "I'll do that when a camel passes through the eye of a needle" or something along those lines. Well, you'll have to do whatever it is you were trying to avoid, because I've seen it. Actually, there were three camels, a pyramid and a palm tree all within the eye of a needle. And that was just one exhibit. It was absolutely incredible. </div><br /><div></div><div>B<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZHufqSdYI/AAAAAAAAAMw/gAkiP1WkOtM/s1600-h/P2293763.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176403685807388034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZHufqSdYI/AAAAAAAAAMw/gAkiP1WkOtM/s400/P2293763.JPG" border="0" /></a>ut my favorite thing in Andorra was ice-go-karting. It was the funnest thing ever! I absolutely loved it. Plus, I've come to realize that I really do have a need for speed and that I really do like to go fast. The skidding on the ice was a blast too. You could either try to go around seriously, or you could just skid around. I did a little of both and it was an absolute blast! Oh, and it was pretty funny too, because they give you jumpsuits and helmets, then when you're turn comes you get on the ice and then without any further instructions or rules they let you go. You've got 7 go-karts just racing around the ice. And it was great because out of the seven of us, there were three different languages: English, French, and Portuguese. </div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZHvfqSdaI/AAAAAAAAANA/aPakpBilhMQ/s1600-h/P2293766.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176403702987257250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZHvfqSdaI/AAAAAAAAANA/aPakpBilhMQ/s400/P2293766.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZHvvqSdbI/AAAAAAAAANI/_p5I7XjgHOc/s1600-h/P2293799.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176403707282224562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZHvvqSdbI/AAAAAAAAANI/_p5I7XjgHOc/s400/P2293799.JPG" border="0" /></a>We then took leapy picture because we were here on leap day. Seriously, you have to have some sort of jumpy-leapy picture on leap day. It only comes once every four years--you've got to take advantage of that!</div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI8_qSdeI/AAAAAAAAANg/bfuj4vCzqio/s1600-h/P2293821.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176405034427119074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI8_qSdeI/AAAAAAAAANg/bfuj4vCzqio/s400/P2293821.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>The following day consisted of random walks and blowing bubbles. For some truly random reason, <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI8PqSdcI/AAAAAAAAANQ/2a4MiFV8bJc/s1600-h/P2293817.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176405021542217154" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI8PqSdcI/AAAAAAAAANQ/2a4MiFV8bJc/s400/P2293817.JPG" border="0" /></a>Andorra has the highest consumption of bubble gum in the world. I don't know why, but it does. Ergo, we blew bubbles--we had to. Oh, and we saw this statue outside the church. Check out his right hand. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>We drove back to Barcelona (there are no airports or trains in Andorra. The only way to get there is to drive in through Spain or France) and enjoyed our 5 hours until our flight left back to Madrid. We saw the Arc de Triumpf as well as a beautiful park and the Mediterranean Sea. Yes, that's right I have now been in the Mediterranean! It was beautiful and cold and <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI9fqSdfI/AAAAAAAAANo/RBWc-MOQm78/s1600-h/P3013833.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176405043017053682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI9fqSdfI/AAAAAAAAANo/RBWc-MOQm78/s400/P3013833.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI9_qSdgI/AAAAAAAAANw/lfbvP5rmw7Q/s1600-h/P3013850.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176405051606988290" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R9ZI9_qSdgI/AAAAAAAAANw/lfbvP5rmw7Q/s400/P3013850.JPG" border="0" /></a>provided amazing polished rocks. </div><div> </div><div>Well, overall I think it is extremely safe to say that I had a blast that weekend. </div></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-251355106599215392008-02-17T22:19:00.002+01:002008-02-17T22:31:56.115+01:00Sunday funSo today was Sunday--stake conference to be exact. Everyone was spread out throughout the entire building watching the broadcast. It was pretty fun. <br /><br />We had a fireside tonight as well from President and Sister Farnsworth (Madrid Mission President) and it was really good. Afterwards Missy (who had been the pianist) was playing the closing, please leave music and I went up and sang softly with her. We'd been doing that all afternoon at home, so we just continued it after the fireside. Before long we had about six people singing all the parts, at full volume. It was awesome. I love how you can just grab practically any BYU students and you've got a full harmony choir. It's so cool! <br /><br />Well, I've got school in the morning and family calling at 6:30 in the morning, so hasta luego!Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-30487703040345404332008-02-16T18:40:00.006+01:002008-12-10T16:14:14.424+01:00Segovia and Pedraza15 de febrero<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciRxngwpI/AAAAAAAAALM/B-pzsQvLnKs/s1600-h/P2143590.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167636786203116178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciRxngwpI/AAAAAAAAALM/B-pzsQvLnKs/s320/P2143590.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciSRngwqI/AAAAAAAAALU/32p4kCnsWdw/s1600-h/P2143616.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167636794793050786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciSRngwqI/AAAAAAAAALU/32p4kCnsWdw/s320/P2143616.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciTBngwrI/AAAAAAAAALc/Ae3WfHdNWZc/s1600-h/P2153626.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167636807677952690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciTBngwrI/AAAAAAAAALc/Ae3WfHdNWZc/s320/P2153626.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This day trip was definitely full and tiring. We started in Segovia and as soon as we arrived headed straight to the Alcazar. This castle is pretty amazing. It’s said to be the inspiration for Cinderella’s castle in Disney World. And seeing how I am such a Disney fan, I was especially excited to see it. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167640166342378290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7clWhngwzI/AAAAAAAAAMc/uMbCQcNDItA/s400/P21436082.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cj6RngwtI/AAAAAAAAALs/Ko51Me7V0dI/s1600-h/P2153668.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167638581499445970" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cj6RngwtI/AAAAAAAAALs/Ko51Me7V0dI/s320/P2153668.JPG" border="0" /></a>The cathedral was stunning. It’s called the Lady of all Cathedrals because of it’s fair coloring. And it really is beautiful. It has 20 chapels inside and absolutely amazing acoustics. I was really tempted to sing in it (softly of course), but my stupid congested nose didn’t really allow it. I think it would have been ok in this cathedral. They had music going in the background. I haven’t seen (or heard) that before. Normally it’s deadly silent in there. They had a really pretty little courtyard in this cathedral as well. There was a well in the middle and we occupied ourselves for awhile pretending to be Snow White.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciThngwsI/AAAAAAAAALk/tx5O9m3v95Q/s1600-h/P2153664.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167636816267887298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciThngwsI/AAAAAAAAALk/tx5O9m3v95Q/s320/P2153664.JPG" border="0" /></a>We had free time next, but it didn’t really matter because we all headed to the same place anyway—the Roman aqueducts. I was really excited to see these. These are the original Roman aqueducts, and they are the only surviving aqueducts in the world. And to top it all off, they still work! Plus, they are so massive it’s <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cj8xngwuI/AAAAAAAAAL0/o9zJk-qpIVU/s1600-h/P2153672.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167638624449118946" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cj8xngwuI/AAAAAAAAAL0/o9zJk-qpIVU/s320/P2153672.JPG" border="0" /></a>incredible. I still can’t imagine how you could make something this. . .big without modern technology.<br /><br />We then all piled back on the bus and headed for Pedraza. It’s a little town that still maintains it’s Medieval atmosphere. All the buildings, roads, and food are similar to what it would have been hundreds of years ago. We found the castle and<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciRRngwoI/AAAAAAAAALE/3KuHZFbPwJc/s1600-h/Picture+110.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167636777613181570" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ciRRngwoI/AAAAAAAAALE/3KuHZFbPwJc/s320/Picture+110.jpg" border="0" /></a> immediately started exploring all over it. It was closed, so this exploring was more climbing all around it. We climbed down into the moat—it was dry, but had an awesome lawn/weed patch—and played down there. Next I climbed around one side of the castle to lookout over the valley. It was incredibly fun. It was only a 25 foot drop to grass, and rather wide ledges, so I didn’t worry too much about it—plus it provided some fun pictures.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cj-BngwwI/AAAAAAAAAME/D2ZWcawC2bk/s1600-h/Picture+111.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167638645923955458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cj-BngwwI/AAAAAAAAAME/D2ZWcawC2bk/s320/Picture+111.jpg" border="0" /></a>And I must say climbing was the highpoint of this town. We made this stop particularly to go to dinner. We had cuchinillo (roast suckling piglet) and cordero (roast lamb) which a specialty of the region. I took the lamb, and I must say I didn’t really like it. It wasn’t that they brought it out whole—practically half of an entire lamb was on your plate—I just didn’t like the taste. Actually, I felt sick the whole bus ride home. I’m really kinda sad I wasted euros on it. Oh well, it was a cultural experience and now I know, I don’t really like lamb. Plus other people had a great time with it. The pig came out as the whole leg, hoof and skin attached. People definitely had fun with the hooves, and there was even a fearfactor going on—some girls ate the lamb testicals—yech.<br /><br />But overall, the trip was fun. I was definitely ready to get home though, and that didn’t happen until late. Next we’re going to El Escorial and I am super excited! <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cj_hngwxI/AAAAAAAAAMM/1STUsqFzNog/s1600-h/Picture+124.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167638671693759250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cj_hngwxI/AAAAAAAAAMM/1STUsqFzNog/s320/Picture+124.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7clChngwyI/AAAAAAAAAMU/YPY8ycnOFTE/s1600-h/Picture+135.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167639822744994594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7clChngwyI/AAAAAAAAAMU/YPY8ycnOFTE/s320/Picture+135.jpg" border="0" /></a>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-55713618396229097662008-02-16T18:35:00.001+01:002008-12-10T16:14:15.282+01:00Andalucía—Los Molinos a la ManchaOur last stop was the windmills made famous by Don Quixote. It was incredibly windy (no kidding, there are windmills here!) and cold and we were all exhausted. But that definitely did not stop us from running around playing and taking pictures. We only had a half hour, and in retrospect we probably would have frozen if we’d stayed much longer, and it was incredibly fun to run around from windmill to windmill and take pictures. They really take good pictures too! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167633912869995106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cfqhngwmI/AAAAAAAAAK0/Z4oISU9zeUo/s320/P2093428.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167633904280060498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cfqBngwlI/AAAAAAAAAKs/FQi5L0EYNqU/s320/P2093424.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167633921459929714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cfrBngwnI/AAAAAAAAAK8/VyAZfih0xLo/s320/P2093513.JPG" border="0" />Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-31648871854232371942008-02-16T18:25:00.003+01:002008-12-10T16:14:16.693+01:00Andalucia—GranadaAs we drove to Granada, I realized how many olives Spaniards actually consume. I knew it was a lot, but this was crazy. We drove for about two and a half hours. It was straight olive groves, on both sides, the entire time. And this was just one section of olive trees, there were other groves in other places. But almost all the trees were smaller than the one at my Dad’s. That was kinda weird.<br /><br />Granada’s visit was focused around the Alhambra. We went there first, so we could enjoy the last few hours of daylight. This was basically a palace complex. We normally spend about an hour and a half exploring a new pla<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdaxngwfI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/Q11omRp2S6E/s1600-h/P2083392.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167631443263799794" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdaxngwfI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/Q11omRp2S6E/s320/P2083392.JPG" border="0" /></a>ce. We had two <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdaBngweI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/qgSWjBagE9w/s1600-h/P2083358.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167631430378897890" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdaBngweI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/qgSWjBagE9w/s320/P2083358.JPG" border="0" /></a>hours, and I didn’t see everything. I didn’t even go in some buildings! This place was absolutely massive! But my favorite portions were the Muslim palace and (surprise, surprise) the gardens.<br /><br />The palace was incredible. Almost every ceiling was <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdbBngwgI/AAAAAAAAAKE/uwy9cpmB-00/s1600-h/P2083397.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167631447558767106" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdbBngwgI/AAAAAAAAAKE/uwy9cpmB-00/s320/P2083397.JPG" border="0" /></a>tiered—it’s not like Christian/Catholic palaces, Muslims generally don’t depict humans in their artwork, so everything was geometric designs. It was really cool.<br /><br />After exploring the palace buildings for an hour and a half, we made our way over to the gardens. They even had their own name in this palace, Generalife. I really wish I could see them in spring. They were beautiful—in winter. Seeing all these places in winter, and seeing that they’re still this beautiful when everything should be dead, really makes me want to see them in spring. They would be absolutely gorgeous then. But there were fountains, of course, sculpted shrubbery and trees, and flowers galore. My <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdbxngwhI/AAAAAAAAAKM/MCZm6YILjYg/s1600-h/P2083398.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167631460443669010" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdbxngwhI/AAAAAAAAAKM/MCZm6YILjYg/s320/P2083398.JPG" border="0" /></a>absolute favorite thing about the gardens was Las Escaleras de Agua. It was a staircase with a stream where the handrails would be. I’m not really sure why, but I absolutely loved this! It was really fun to walk along and run your fingers through—plus the water was freezing, which is somehow a good thing. Unfortunately, we were being herded out of the Alhambra at this point (closing time) so I didn’t get a picture. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdcRngwiI/AAAAAAAAAKU/gTsp7swfN_A/s1600-h/P2083400.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167631469033603618" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cdcRngwiI/AAAAAAAAAKU/gTsp7swfN_A/s320/P2083400.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ceQRngwjI/AAAAAAAAAKc/-pbwDXeO2PM/s1600-h/P2083412.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167632362386801202" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7ceQRngwjI/AAAAAAAAAKc/-pbwDXeO2PM/s320/P2083412.JPG" border="0" /></a>After the Alhambra, we went up to a lookout to watch the sunset. It was incredible. The Alhambra was all lit up, and the city lights were on, there were gypsies (yes, they were actual gypsies) playing guitar in the background. It was absolutely beautiful—plus, it was really nice to just sit and relax after walking around.<br /><br />Dinner was Kebabs. Now, these are not the kebabs we think of back home. No stick involved—it’s a sandwich! It was more like a pita than a kebab. But this thing tasted oh so good! I definitely need to track down kebabs in Alcalá.<br /><br />Next morning we tracked down the gypsy market. It took a while to find, but it was pretty cool once we did. It was a bunch of little alleyways with stores and merchandise flooding the street. People were talking to ya, trying to get you to come into their store, and trying to convince you that you really did want to buy their skewers, or jewelry, or purses, or fabric. They had a bunch of random stuff.<br /><br />And then our five day journey came to a close. We ended our tour of Andalucia and headed back home. I was incredibly glad to sleep in my own bed and get over the cold I had acquired. Overall though, I loved it, and definitely recommend Sevilla to any and all.Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-47911239925960868202008-02-16T18:11:00.004+01:002008-12-10T16:14:17.837+01:00Andalucía—Córdoba<div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Cordoba was a lot smaller than Sevilla, not to mention a lot quieter. We threw our stuff in our hotel—which was amazingly cute—and then headed straight to the Mezquita, which was 20 yards away from our front door.<br /><br />We were welcomed by yet more orange groves in the courtyard and a beautiful sun. I just stood around a while so I could enjoy it. As soon as I entered the building I was frozen. I’ve decided all old buildings are freezing. I am so glad I didn’t live then—I’m a wuss when it come to cold. But the mosque/cathedral was awesome. I definitely enjoyed the Moorish part more than the Christian.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7caTxngwVI/AAAAAAAAAIs/ur3uSH6P2nE/s1600-h/P2073250.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167628024469832018" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7caTxngwVI/AAAAAAAAAIs/ur3uSH6P2nE/s320/P2073250.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />This building was originally a Muslim Mosque. They had created something unique in the world with the forest of candy-cane arches—which are famous around the world. It was absolutely incredible. The mosque itself is huge. It really is an incredibly massive building. And I think in Moorish times, the entire thing was filled with these arches—that would have been absolutely incredible to see. But then, the Christians conquered everything and built a cathedral in the middle of the mosque. It is really weird. It’s a complete clash of architectural styles and not in a good way. Sometimes things can clash and it will look good. This is not the case. You can see a very precise line where Muslim ends and Christian begins. It was just bizarre, and I liked the Moorish portion better.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7caUhngwXI/AAAAAAAAAI8/r53ZU86TNms/s1600-h/P2073291.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167628037354733938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7caUhngwXI/AAAAAAAAAI8/r53ZU86TNms/s320/P2073291.JPG" border="0" /></a>After the mosque/cathedral we went exploring around Cordoba. We found the “old” Roman bridge, which had just finished a renovation. We talked to a native there and he told us that a lot of people were really mad when they finished the bridge. They had changed it completely and taken away everything ancient about it. I agree with them. It was a cool bridge, but it was a new bridge, over a rather pathetic river (Spain is in a drought).<br /><br />We then spent the next four hours wandering around looking for something to do. We had several ideas, but each one was closed or not there anymore. So we just walked around the city. When we got back, everyone was planning a movie night. So, about 25 girls were piled into a room and they watched a chick flick. By this point, I was definitely not feeling so well, so I just went to bed.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7caUxngwYI/AAAAAAAAAJE/HoE5ImC-AyU/s1600-h/P2083306.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167628041649701250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7caUxngwYI/AAAAAAAAAJE/HoE5ImC-AyU/s320/P2083306.JPG" border="0" /></a>Next day brought La Calle de Flores. It’s a little picturesque street lined with flowers with a view of the bell tower. It was really rather pretty, but there were so many people trying to get to it that you couldn’t get a clear shot. Oh, well, the pictures are still pretty cool. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cb1hngwbI/AAAAAAAAAJc/_qB5qQC8RNs/s1600-h/P2083318.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167629703802044850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cb1hngwbI/AAAAAAAAAJc/_qB5qQC8RNs/s320/P2083318.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></p></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cb2xngwdI/AAAAAAAAAJs/0AL3L3e1uSk/s1600-h/P2083325.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167629725276881362" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cb2xngwdI/AAAAAAAAAJs/0AL3L3e1uSk/s320/P2083325.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7caVRngwZI/AAAAAAAAAJM/mvqx_gPG034/s1600-h/P2083313.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167628050239635858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7caVRngwZI/AAAAAAAAAJM/mvqx_gPG034/s320/P2083313.JPG" border="0" /></a>Next was the Alcazar. The gardens were my favorite part. Even in winter, they were absolutely gorgeous. The fountains and trees were beautiful and I loved being there. For some reason (I think it’s a BYU thing) people in our group have decided to take mock engagement pictures on several of our trips. We only have four boys, so they just get recycled. This spot was no exception. And I <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cb2hngwcI/AAAAAAAAAJk/Jq3fNZOf5gc/s1600-h/P2083330.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5167629720981914050" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7cb2hngwcI/AAAAAAAAAJk/Jq3fNZOf5gc/s320/P2083330.JPG" border="0" /></a>really can’t blame them here, it was really beautiful. We didn’t fully explore the castle. We went up to the towers and walked along the walls—that was fun. We even found the Inquisition tower where they would execute the “guilty”.<br /><br />Then we had to rush back so we didn’t miss our bus to our next stop. . . Granada.</span></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-61791810681862096912008-02-13T11:52:00.008+01:002008-12-10T16:14:19.931+01:00Andalucia--Sevilla<div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LNJRngwHI/AAAAAAAAAG8/9s_XJSoWCSA/s1600-h/P2063443.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166417281779023986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LNJRngwHI/AAAAAAAAAG8/9s_XJSoWCSA/s320/P2063443.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sevilla was absolutely incredible. It was my favorite stop on our trip. </span><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">We started our tourist tour in the Cathedral there. This cathedral is absolutely massive. It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest general cathedral in the world! It also holds what is believed to be Christopher Columbus's bones. I personally think they are, they match the DNA of his brother, so I choose to believe it's him. As all cathedrals are, it was incredibly ornate and gorgeous--but slightly over the top. I like things that are more simple, so cathedrals are a bit overdecorated in my taste. But it was still absolutely beautiful. They built it saying 'Let those who come after us they we were mad to build such a structure' and they succeeded. The architecture on the thing is crazy. There are flying buttresses everywhere! </span></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LNLRngwJI/AAAAAAAAAHM/xI710NwDIyQ/s1600-h/P2063116.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166417316138762386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LNLRngwJI/AAAAAAAAAHM/xI710NwDIyQ/s320/P2063116.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">So the cathedral itself was cool, as was Columbus's tomb, but my absolute favorite was La Giralda. It was a tower built by the Moors to call the Muslims to prayer. When the Christians took over, they kept the tower as well as the Patio de los Naranjos. We climbed 34 ramps (they'd ride a horse up to the top five times a day) to the top and were greeted by a beautiful breeze. I forgot to mention, but the weather there was absolutely amazing. It was beautiful and I went without my coat for almost the entire trip--I loved it! We could see the entire city from the top. It was a perfect, cloudless, smogless day and we could see everything. Pictures really don't do it justice. I kinda wish I could have spent the remainder of our cathedral time up there, but luckily I didn't. </span></div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LNJhngwII/AAAAAAAAAHE/tmBbSvq7VEU/s1600-h/P2063097.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166417286073991298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 184px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 259px" height="269" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LNJhngwII/AAAAAAAAAHE/tmBbSvq7VEU/s320/P2063097.JPG" width="183" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LNJhngwII/AAAAAAAAAHE/tmBbSvq7VEU/s1600-h/P2063097.JPG"></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Because our next discovery was the Patio de los Naranjos. This was also from the Moors, and it was really beautiful. There are orange trees everywhere in Andalucia, and this was a patio full of them. I really liked their irrigation techniques too. They had built the irrigation canals into the patio. You could water the trees without getting in the way of the people walking. It was pretty awesome. To the left is Missy and I in the patio with the cathedral--and the flying buttresses--in the background. </span></div><br /><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166420034853060850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 183px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 229px" height="213" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LPphngwPI/AAAAAAAAAH8/o1m3pzMRsWQ/s320/P2063137.JPG" width="227" border="0" /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><br /></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSNxngwSI/AAAAAAAAAIU/sSQDmdXYFgo/s1600-h/P2063184.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166422856646574370" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSNxngwSI/AAAAAAAAAIU/sSQDmdXYFgo/s320/P2063184.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">We left soon after the orange trees and moved on to the Alcazar which was right next door. Even though it was winter, the gardens in this palace were amazing--not to mention absolutely massive! There were fountains, and trees, and bushes and<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSNhngwRI/AAAAAAAAAIM/p3z53aMJil8/s1600-h/P2063179.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166422852351607058" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSNhngwRI/AAAAAAAAAIM/p3z53aMJil8/s320/P2063179.JPG" border="0" /></a> flowers <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSNRngwQI/AAAAAAAAAIE/pMBmbZpdQc8/s1600-h/P2063139.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166422848056639746" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSNRngwQI/AAAAAAAAAIE/pMBmbZpdQc8/s320/P2063139.JPG" border="0" /></a>everywhere you turned. It was so beautiful--plus warm! I know I mention that a lot, but I really, really liked that I was so warm. I'm definitely an ARizona girl!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">After the Alcazar, we had free time to explore the rest of Sevilla. We walked along streets, popped into stores, and found La Plaza de Espana. Of course we <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSORngwTI/AAAAAAAAAIc/DvfCur0upyU/s1600-h/P2063200.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166422865236508978" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSORngwTI/AAAAAAAAAIc/DvfCur0upyU/s320/P2063200.JPG" border="0" /></a>took this picture opportunity. We all took some normal pictures, and then decided to have more fun. I had just bought a flamenco apron--which are really common in all the tourist shops--and we definitely used it. Although I have no idea how to dance the flamenco, I definitely tried. It allowed for some pretty funny pictures. We also saw El Torre de Oro, which is where they brought all the gold from the Americas to be counted. Needless to say, a lot of gold was stolen from the tower--apparently they didn't have very good security. Either that or there was so much <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSOxngwUI/AAAAAAAAAIk/26YxUI1rAOY/s1600-h/P2063212.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166422873826443586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LSOxngwUI/AAAAAAAAAIk/26YxUI1rAOY/s320/P2063212.JPG" border="0" /></a>of it, they didn't notice when some went missing!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">But, this same night, we went to a flamenco show! It was pretty awesome. I've never seen flamenco before, and this was definitely a treat. SEvilla was the birthplace of flamenco, and it was awesome to see it done by professionals here. </span></div></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-48471156295880891352008-02-13T11:34:00.006+01:002008-12-10T16:14:21.068+01:00Andalucia--Merida<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LKJBngwBI/AAAAAAAAAGM/9SYua_LlwEM/s1600-h/P2052974.JPG"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166413978949173266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LKJBngwBI/AAAAAAAAAGM/9SYua_LlwEM/s320/P2052974.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">I'm going to have to do this in segments, because there is so much to tell.<br /></span><div><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">We started our five day trip in Merida, which was an old Roman strongpoint. They built an amazing amphitheater arena as well as a regular theater for plays. And the best part is, the ruins are still there! The amphitheater was pretty awesome, but they had let it continue to decay. It was really cool to see though. You could definitely see where they kept the animals, where the gladiators would enter from, and how it was a definite possibility to have a water-naval battle there. They actually flooded the place to have this </span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LKJhngwCI/AAAAAAAAAGU/l10S_vEoRV8/s1600-h/P2052975.JPG"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166413987539107874" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="229" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LKJhngwCI/AAAAAAAAAGU/l10S_vEoRV8/s320/P2052975.JPG" width="146" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">mock battle! </span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LKJxngwDI/AAAAAAAAAGc/LiCbyrxoo9I/s1600-h/P2052978.JPG"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166413991834075186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="166" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LKJxngwDI/AAAAAAAAAGc/LiCbyrxoo9I/s320/P2052978.JPG" width="281" border="0" /></span></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">Then I moved on to the theater. This was staggering. I kinda just stood there for a minute. I'm more of a play type of girl myself, s<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LLmBngwFI/AAAAAAAAAGs/eUAZieWm7Uk/s1600-h/P2052989.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166415576677007442" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LLmBngwFI/AAAAAAAAAGs/eUAZieWm7Uk/s320/P2052989.JPG" border="0" /></a>o I enjoyed the </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">theater more. Although they had also redone the seating and kept this from falling apart further. They still hold festivals in these ruins--that would be amazing to see! I spent the remaining 30 minutes we had in this portion of the 'entertainment complex'. It was absolutely beautiful. I took <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LKKRngwEI/AAAAAAAAAGk/lwfmRHiu6Uk/s1600-h/P2052979.JPG"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166414000424009794" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 201px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px" height="172" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LKKRngwEI/AAAAAAAAAGk/lwfmRHiu6Uk/s320/P2052979.JPG" width="183" border="0" /></span></a>some awesome pictures which I'm pretty proud of. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LLmxngwGI/AAAAAAAAAG0/E0hWm-ckbHc/s1600-h/P2053441.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166415589561909346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R7LLmxngwGI/AAAAAAAAAG0/E0hWm-ckbHc/s320/P2053441.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">But, before we explored the theaters, we had free </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">time to explore the city. We found an amazing market, which turned out to be huge. It was a holiday there, so everyone was dressed up in Renessaince style clothing and selling fun trinkets. It was really fun to explore all the little booths and talk to people. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;">Merida was a great stop. It was incredible to see the ruins and imagine what it would have been like in Roman times. Plus, we got to explore an awesome market with tons of hand-made cool stuff.</span> </div></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-75228787996853788672008-01-28T20:29:00.000+01:002008-12-10T16:14:22.855+01:00Explorations of Toledo!<span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R54t2-pXwAI/AAAAAAAAAEw/EZG29CQPVjg/s1600-h/P1252727.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160612645565874178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R54t2-pXwAI/AAAAAAAAAEw/EZG29CQPVjg/s200/P1252727.JPG" border="0" /></a>So, Toledo is absolutely amazing. This city is exactly what I pictured when I thought of Europe—well at least Spain. The streets are cobbled, narrow, and long. There are balconies lining the streets. The city map looks as if a child scribbled with crayon and they used that as the road plan. Everywhere I turned there was another picture begging to be taken. Everything was just so beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn’t truly capture it. My pictures definitely do not do justice to Toledo.<br /><br />We started out the day with a tour of the cathedral. It’s one of the t<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R54uT-pXwCI/AAAAAAAAAFA/VNS5WGaMDKI/s1600-h/P1252743.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160613143782080546" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R54uT-pXwCI/AAAAAAAAAFA/VNS5WGaMDKI/s200/P1252743.JPG" border="0" /></a>op 3 largest Gothic cathedrals in the world and it is absolutely stunning. It doesn’t look like much from the outside—then again you can’t see a lot of it because it is constantly being blocked by other buildings. Everything was so extremely intricate and ornate. And it’s incredible that it was built without the use of modern <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R54t5-pXwBI/AAAAAAAAAE4/EJH-BFtdC5A/s1600-h/P1252739.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160612697105481746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R54t5-pXwBI/AAAAAAAAAE4/EJH-BFtdC5A/s200/P1252739.JPG" border="0" /></a>construction technology. I walked in and immediately stopped in my tracks. I was stunned. I looked to the right and it was just gorgeous columns, and the ceiling was so extremely high up. It’s not like there were several floors, it was one massive room, floor to ceiling. The carvings in the choir area were incredible. I wish we were allowed to take pictures of the interior. Then again, they wouldn’t truly show the beauty of the cathedral. The only bad thing about the building was the temperature. It was freezing inside. There’s simply no way to heat a space that big, so they didn’t try—at all.<br /><br />Once we warmed up, we explored Toledo for a bit. Mostly popping in and out of shops. Toledo is famous for its swords and metal working. Apparently the Rio Tajo which surrounds the city is the perfect temperature for cooling steel. It therefore made the strongest steel, and the best weapons, ergo, Toledo became the center for weapons and armor. They still make swords in the old ways and it’s incredible. Some of these swords were just gorgeous. I really wanted one, and it took me forever to decide. I ended out getting a dagger; anything else would have been a real nuisance to bring home. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R541-upXwFI/AAAAAAAAAFU/OEVfdVDABqw/s1600-h/P1252773.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160621574802882642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R541-upXwFI/AAAAAAAAAFU/OEVfdVDABqw/s200/P1252773.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Next we toured a synagogue. I’ll admit, after the cathedral, it definitely wasn’t as impressive as it could have been. It had been completely renovated, and they had kept one wall with intense carvings. I took some pictures, but since no flash was allowed, they didn’t really turn out. It had been turned into a museum, so we explored the exhibits and looked at the displays.<br /><br />Then came more exploring. Most of the shops had the same <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R541_OpXwGI/AAAAAAAAAFc/KrWcfwW78SU/s1600-h/P1252777.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160621583392817250" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R541_OpXwGI/AAAAAAAAAFc/KrWcfwW78SU/s200/P1252777.JPG" border="0" /></a>souvenirs, but we explored them nonetheless, occasionally buying something. We definitely made use of our maps as we made our way back to the hotel. The city is like a maze. No street goes straight, and it’s just hard to find your way around. Although, by the end of our two days, we had explored enough that we could recognize streets and knew how to get around.<br /><br />We found a mosque, and paid the 1.40 Euro to explore the ruins. Toledo was actually extremely tolerant of other religions back in the day. There were several cathedrals, mosques and synagogues that coincided peacefully for centuries. That’s really impressive for medieval Europe. Plus, the ruin was awesome, and it <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R542vOpXwHI/AAAAAAAAAFk/BNfqdW-SoGo/s1600-h/P1252827.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160622408026538098" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R542vOpXwHI/AAAAAAAAAFk/BNfqdW-SoGo/s200/P1252827.JPG" border="0" /></a>provided an amazing view of the city.<br /><br />Night came and we ended out fitting around 25 girls in a room (just for talking purposes, we slept 2-4 in a room) and just talked for hours. I know it’s silly to sit around talking instead of exploring Spain, but it was night, cold, we didn’t want to spend more money or get lost, and we all enjoyed staying in. We all took turns telling embarrassing stories, and some of these were incredible. And then, we’re girls so of course it came up, we talked about awkward first dates—those were really entertaining as well.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R543aepXwJI/AAAAAAAAAF0/FTjIjxCYcqw/s1600-h/P1262854.JPG"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5432upXwKI/AAAAAAAAAF8/HFCqgNRfcWo/s1600-h/P1262856.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160623636387184802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5432upXwKI/AAAAAAAAAF8/HFCqgNRfcWo/s400/P1262856.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Next day we walked around the city. And I mean literally around the city. It was absolutely freezing, but once we got walking we warmed up—some. It was absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t take many pictures si<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R543ZupXwII/AAAAAAAAAFs/Avi85wIj7cM/s1600-h/P1262852.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160623138170978434" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R543ZupXwII/AAAAAAAAAFs/Avi85wIj7cM/s200/P1262852.JPG" border="0" /></a>mply because I knew it wouldn’t do the scene justice. It took us a couple hours before we found another bridge to cross back into the city. We then explored with a specific purpose: to find a “freakin’ awesome sword!” Both Chelsea and I succeeded. It was very exciting.<br /><br />We went to a museum of modern art and sculpture. The building it was housed in was gorgeous just by itself, but then the sculptures were all incredible too. My favorite section was a wing dedicated to metal, wood, and stone mediums. They had a sculpture in stages as well as all the tools needed to create it. It was really interesting to look at.<br /><br />Eventually, we had to leave Toledo. We made our way back to the train station and we found, through talking to people (I was very proud of myself!) a shorter way than our initial voyage into Toledo. In fact, it saved about 30 minutes. It was great! We rode the bullet train (that thing travels so incredibly fast! Around 120 mph—I think) with all our swords and daggers, and arrived back in Madrid safe and sound. That concludes my journey to Toledo. It was incredible and I loved it and it felt like a week when in reality it was only a day and a half. </span>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-59829245735999778472008-01-22T23:19:00.000+01:002008-01-22T23:23:50.684+01:00dum-dee-dum<span style="font-family:verdana;">We went to a flea market the other day--it was awesome. Then again, I was so terrified someone would steal something out of my backpack (it's the one place in Alcala you really need to worry about that) that I didn't enjoy it fully. I'm definitely going back when I don't have it. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">We're going to Toledo this weekend. I'm really excited/nervous about it. I'm thrilled to travel on the bullet train it goes like 120 km/hr or something, and to see Toledo itself and to explore with friends. Then again, I'm also acting as a tour guide for the Alcazar, and I don't think I found enough information on my portion of it. There wasn't a lot to find. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Well, I think I'll go to bed now. I have class tomorrow. </span>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-52605114577880125752008-01-19T20:56:00.000+01:002008-12-10T16:14:24.334+01:00Prado Museum, Shoes, Casa de Lopez<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We went ot the Prado Museum today in Madrid. Let me just say, that place is absolutely massive! We spent probably 3 hours exploring all the different rooms and hallways. Everywhere you turn there's another painting. Right now they have an exhibit by Velazquez. I actually really like his paintings and style--a lot better than Picasso. It absolutely astounded me ho<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JaC2IvFZI/AAAAAAAAADQ/MMpVYSlIaDs/s1600-h/P1152563.JPG"></a>w big some of these paintings were. Floor to ceiling, as wide as the wall. How would you even begin to paint that?! So we explored for a long while, and then, I hate to say it, I got tired/antsy and wanted to leave. I love art, and I love museums, but I can only take so much. I'm going to go back numerous times so I can enjoy it more fully. Afterall, it's one of the best museums in the world and it's only 30 minutes and 3 Euros away!</span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JXbGIvFWI/AAAAAAAAAC4/MsIIsYlM54M/s1600-h/P1192621.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157280646307976546" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JXbGIvFWI/AAAAAAAAAC4/MsIIsYlM54M/s320/P1192621.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We ate lunch in a park and it was the most beautiful day! I ended out taking off my coat and carrying it, I couldn't stand to leave it on with such gorgeous weather! But, this park was absolutely massive! I imagine it to be something along the lines of Central Park in New York City (I can't really say, I've n<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JYr2IvFXI/AAAAAAAAADA/BCYUe2wwajg/s1600-h/P1192628.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157282033582413170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JYr2IvFXI/AAAAAAAAADA/BCYUe2wwajg/s320/P1192628.JPG" border="0" /></a>ever been there!). But this park was amazing. We had so much fun just exploring and seeing what was around the next bend. You really can't see it very well, but behind my head is a beautiful walkway. Unfortunately we couldn't take all the time we wanted. We needed to do a walk around Madrid for one of our classes. I think I'll make this park a regular stop on our frequent trips into Madrid. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Random note: I am so proud of us for being able to navigate our way around Madrid--both with walking and using the subways!</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JZemIvFYI/AAAAAAAAADI/MdnF8tYDF5A/s1600-h/P1152571.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157282905460774274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JZemIvFYI/AAAAAAAAADI/MdnF8tYDF5A/s200/P1152571.JPG" border="0" /></a>So, I'm doing a fun kind of journaling project while I'm here. I'm documenting my European journey on a pair of shoes I have. By the time I'm done, they'll be completely covered and extremely colorful. I'm actually extremely excited about it, and have been <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JafWIvFaI/AAAAAAAAADY/aScldnkiMM4/s1600-h/P1152564.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157284017857303970" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JafWIvFaI/AAAAAAAAADY/aScldnkiMM4/s200/P1152564.JPG" border="0" /></a>talking about it for months. I'm just glad I finally get to start working on it! But I've got the crest of the city, my bus pass, passport, storks (they're the city's bird--it's illegal to harm or touch them), and a bunch more. As you look at these, keep in mind I have limited artistic talent, and they're sketches--on shoes.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JdiWIvFjI/AAAAAAAAAEg/h6OfgeIgCYY/s1600-h/P1162585.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157287367931794994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JdiWIvFjI/AAAAAAAAAEg/h6OfgeIgCYY/s200/P1162585.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">And I realized that I haven't given y'<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JcNWIvFbI/AAAAAAAAADg/u7PoaeS88bI/s1600-h/P1162575.JPG"></a>all a tour of my new home. So, i'll run through it briefly. This is my house. Our window is the second floor right. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JdhGIvFgI/AAAAAAAAAEI/RuLaHnwPt9A/s1600-h/P1162572.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157287346456958466" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JdhGIvFgI/AAAAAAAAAEI/RuLaHnwPt9A/s200/P1162572.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">This is my room. </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JdhmIvFhI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/Ds-1jq_npCU/s1600-h/P1162575.JPG"></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JdhmIvFhI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/Ds-1jq_npCU/s1600-h/P1162575.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157287355046893074" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JdhmIvFhI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/Ds-1jq_npCU/s200/P1162575.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">This is my bed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JdhmIvFhI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/Ds-1jq_npCU/s1600-h/P1162575.JPG"></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5Jdh2IvFiI/AAAAAAAAAEY/LQisNQk1OHQ/s1600-h/P1162580.JPG"></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5Jdh2IvFiI/AAAAAAAAAEY/LQisNQk1OHQ/s1600-h/P1162580.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157287359341860386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5Jdh2IvFiI/AAAAAAAAAEY/LQisNQk1OHQ/s200/P1162580.JPG" border="0" /></a></span></div></span></div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>This is the kitchen, and </span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5Jdi2IvFkI/AAAAAAAAAEo/3p7ij-cZA7U/s1600-h/P1162600.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5Jdi2IvFkI/AAAAAAAAAEo/3p7ij-cZA7U/s1600-h/P1162600.JPG"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157287376521729602" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5Jdi2IvFkI/AAAAAAAAAEo/3p7ij-cZA7U/s200/P1162600.JPG" border="0" /></span></a></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5Jdh2IvFiI/AAAAAAAAAEY/LQisNQk1OHQ/s1600-h/P1162580.JPG"></a></span></div></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div></div><div>this is the living room. The kitchen table is on the left wall, and a piano is behind you on the right. The right wall is completely filled with bookshelves--and books. </div><div></div><div></div><div></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And that is the end of our tour. I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it. Please come back and see us again soon! (sorry the formatting got so weird when I posted it!)</span></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-14985130989536495392008-01-17T09:09:00.000+01:002008-12-10T16:14:25.465+01:00Exploring Madrid<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JR72IvFPI/AAAAAAAAACA/HVAsO0TC9A8/s1600-h/P1152471.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157274611878925554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="114" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JR72IvFPI/AAAAAAAAACA/HVAsO0TC9A8/s200/P1152471.JPG" width="164" border="0" /></a>We explored Madrid for the first time Tuesday night. About 25 of us rode the train from Alcalá to La Puerta del Sol. Now don’t be deceived. It is not actually a door, it’s more like a plaza in the middle of around 12-15 streets. Some of them allow cars, while others are only pedestrians.<br /><br />Everything was covered with people, and it was incredible how many shops they squeezed into that are a. We all split up into smaller groups—25 is just too many. You attract too much attention and it’s hard to agree on where you want to go. I split off with Brock, Rachel, and Tina. We enjoyed just walking around and taking it all in. One of my Spain purchases is Spanish boots. I was constantly distracted by all the Zapaterías, and everyone was kind enough to come with me—even Brock. I think he simply enjoyed being there. After all, it is SPAIN. And not just Spain, but MADRID, Spain!<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JSR2IvFQI/AAAAAAAAACI/GuJfR9evsAs/s1600-h/P1152498.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157274989836047618" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JSR2IvFQI/AAAAAAAAACI/GuJfR9evsAs/s320/P1152498.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JU1mIvFVI/AAAAAAAAACw/Ax93cY_3RFQ/s1600-h/P1152503.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157277803039626578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JU1mIvFVI/AAAAAAAAACw/Ax93cY_3RFQ/s320/P1152503.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We found, mostly by accident, La Plaza de España. We hung around there for about 40 minutes simply taking pictures and being struck with awed. It had two separate fountains which made for gorgeous picture opportunities. And then in the background there was a massive sculpture of kings and queens with a reflection pool and fountain. We found it just as the lights came on and it was absolutely gorgeous—even though by this point we were all rather cold!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157275311958594834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JSkmIvFRI/AAAAAAAAACQ/imKb3YqgaQM/s400/P1152505.JPG" border="0" /> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JToGIvFTI/AAAAAAAAACg/X6sIkQkE0UM/s1600-h/P1152523.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157276471599764786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JToGIvFTI/AAAAAAAAACg/X6sIkQkE0UM/s200/P1152523.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />We took the metro back to La Puerta and began exploring a different street. We found a bakery/sweet shop that had the best pastries! I had a chocolate Neapolitano (or something close to that) that was absolutely delicious. I absolutely love Spanish food! They have wonderful comida, and they’re postres (desserts) are absolutely scrumptious. We don’t have anything like them in the States.<br /><br />We then went to La Plaza Mayor which is absolutely enormous. It was actually kinda strange. If you didn’t know where the plaza was, you’d walk right by it. It’s completely encased in buildings and has back-way alleys that lead into it. I didn’t really take pictures of it because by this point it was night, and I know we’re coming back there in daylight.<br /><br />By this time we headed back to La Puerta and went up another street—the most crowded, and busiest one we could find. The big space in the middle was because a police car had just passed through. We found a mariachi band, a group of friends singing and playing instruments, and mimes as we went down the street. For the friends, it seemed like they had had nothing to do that night and decided to go sing in the street for fun. I, being me, pulled out my camera and started taking a video. The lead guitarist saw my camera and started walking towards me singing. Of course I turned red and got all embarrassed, but it was fun.<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JUL2IvFUI/AAAAAAAAACo/33Rc_p9-k0I/s1600-h/P1152534.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5157277085780088130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R5JUL2IvFUI/AAAAAAAAACo/33Rc_p9-k0I/s200/P1152534.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Oh, and check this out, we found mannequins wearing newspaper dresses. I thought it was amazing and had to take a picture. They’re actually really cute styles of dresses.<br /><br />The awesome thing about January and February is that there are constant rebajas (sales) in every store. Everywhere you looked there were signs for 50% or 90% off. I found a pair of amazing boots for only 10€. Unfortunately, I was stupid and didn’t buy them immediately. When I went back to buy them the place had closed.<br /><br />So, we finally all meet up again, and then we get on our train back home. Unfortunately the 30 minute ride turned into an hour 45 minute ride. We got on the right train, just and hour too early. We made a loop and then came out of it in the right direction. But it was all fine, we had left around 8:30, so we just enjoyed ourselves and had fun.Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2861705505561673177.post-2839473989463305542008-01-15T08:56:00.000+01:002008-12-10T16:14:26.823+01:00Journey to and First Impressions of Alcala de Henares<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4xzhmIvFBI/AAAAAAAAAAU/9JdW3mWM6bQ/s1600-h/P1102458.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155622694442439698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4xzhmIvFBI/AAAAAAAAAAU/9JdW3mWM6bQ/s320/P1102458.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, I’ve made it. I am a current resident of Alcala de Henares, Spain. We’re about 40 minutes from Madrid by Metro.<br /><br />I started my journey on Thursday and flew from Phoenix to D.C. Next was the transatlantic flight to Vienna, Austria. That seemed like such a long flight. They did a good job of entertaining you—if you wanted it, but all I wanted to do was sleep. That plan didn´t work out all that well. I couldn´t sleep as much as I wanted. By this flight, I had found two other girls in my group. We landed in Vienna and slept for 3 of our 4 hour layover. We met up with the rest of our group—about 14 total, and went on the smaller plane to Madrid. I´ve always wanted to fly in a plane where I had to get on it from the tarmac—this was my chance. It was slightly raining and extremely cold in Vienna—not to mention insane fog! I couldn´t see anything past the airport, and I had no idea how we landed, everything was a cloud.<br /><br />So, we arrived in Spain safe and sound, no one in our group lost any luggage, and we slowly but surely found our way to the metro. We found our way to the metro, got on and then transferred to another train line. That was where we met some girls who pick-pocketed me. Funny part though, we were buying train tickets at the little machine and those girls were in front of me. One left her change in there and I gave it back to her.<br /><br />So, it wasn´t too bad. They only got cash, and two letters I had. Usually, they would have taken my passport as well, but for some unknown reason to me I put it in a different pocket in my bag than usual. I thought they had taken my wallet—I went through and cancelled all my credit cards—but turns out I had put that one in a different pocket for some reason as well. And the best part, I handled it all extremely well. I didn´t panic, I wasn´t hurt, and I immediately (well as soon as we got off the train) took steps to correct the situation. I promised myself before I came that if I was stolen from I would not let it ruin my whole trip. I´m happy to report that I have succeeded with that goal. We had been warned in our prep-class about thieves in Madrid, and I definitely took them seriously, but I underestimated how good these people are at thieving. I didn´t notice a thing, and it wasn´t until after they had gotten off the train that I noticed anything.<br /><br />After we finally arrived in Alcala, all 14 of us--with two massive suitcases in tow--made our way to our professors house (la casa de Shumway). He had offered to put us all up for the night since we came in a day early. It was hilarious to see this massive train of people--it sounded like a herd of cattle, no joke. It was exceptionally noisy--especially since we went over cobbled instead of paved roads. So, the 23 of us (he has 7 kids) squished our way into his town house. It was actually pretty funny. People were sleeping everywhere--couches, beds made out of suitcases, actual mattresses--there were legs, arms, and blankets everywhere. The two boys in our group were on the top floor. </span><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4x0jmIvFFI/AAAAAAAAAA0/CFahlsPP9iw/s1600-h/P1122459.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155623828313805906" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 252px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 141px" height="184" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4x0jmIvFFI/AAAAAAAAAA0/CFahlsPP9iw/s320/P1122459.JPG" width="271" border="0" /></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">The next day we met our host families. I´m with two other girls--Suzanna y Missy-- and we live with Chielo and Faustino Lopez and their two children still at home, Noami and Julio. They´re actually members of our church and Faustino is our institute professor. This is the view outside of our bedroom window.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">That night we explored Alcala with Andrew and John-Charles. It was so much fun. We just walked around getting a feel for the city and a tour from the boy´s host parents. Needless to say, we ended out getting lost once the parents left. It was fine though, Alcala is relatively small and everyone is extremely helpful. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4x25WIvFKI/AAAAAAAAABc/sOojNXGnkwA/s1600-h/P1122463.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155626400999216290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4x25WIvFKI/AAAAAAAAABc/sOojNXGnkwA/s200/P1122463.JPG" border="0" /></a>We ended out asking an older couple for directions and they walked with us for about a half hour. They said it was no trouble at all they were just out for a walk. That´s what people do here, they take walks at night. They have no destination, nothing to do, they are simply walking to enjoy the night and enjoy each other´s company. I love it, it´s refreshing after<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4x3yGIvFMI/AAAAAAAAABs/TWfziOZ9y-I/s1600-h/P1122465.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155627375956792514" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4x3yGIvFMI/AAAAAAAAABs/TWfziOZ9y-I/s200/P1122465.JPG" border="0" /></a> the constant rushing of life back home. (Juan-Carlos eating, and not so well at that, a Spanish pastry--at a Spanish McDonald´s no less!) ( Missy y yo during our paseo. Keep in mind, this is now the second day--traveling--that I haven´t had access to a shower. )</span> </div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Sunday we went to church. I was extremely pleased that I understood almost everything. I was really worried I would be completely lost. Fortunately I wasn´t! I can´t say the same for other members of our group--we nearly doubled the congregation! But they´ll get used to the speed and accent quickly. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Sunday night was spent at Shumway´s house. We played games and just hung out with everyone. It was really, really fun. I loved it! I also love that two of the four boys live near us. That means we can go out, and we have someone to walk with us. We would meet at the mall nearby and walk to La Plaza de Cervantes o la casa de Shumway o para un paseo alredador de Alcala. (Apparently Cervantes was born in Alcala (he wrote Don Quixote) and he is a huge deal here. They have a statue erected in his honor in the middle of the main plaza.) </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Monday came and we went to Alcalingua (school) where we received my new favorite toys--bus passes (en espanol: abonos--new palabra!), and mapas de la ciudad--which is perfect, I love maps. We´ve been using los abonos ever since--they definitely make for quicker and warmer travel. </span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Today is now Tuesday and school starts today. We have Spanish today and hi<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4x2KGIvFJI/AAAAAAAAABU/RMomyFTo-IU/s1600-h/P1132466.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155625589250397330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Uc2tbAuVCMU/R4x2KGIvFJI/AAAAAAAAABU/RMomyFTo-IU/s200/P1132466.JPG" border="0" /></a>story tomorrow. I cannot say enough how much I love it here. Everything is different, the people, smells, sights, and even the pace of the city. And, the best thing yet, we´ve finally managed to sleep off our jet lag! (Suzanna trying to catch up to our new Spanish schedule)</span></div>Erikahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15278032607107479942noreply@blogger.com3