Granada 2009! - granada2009

1. one of the towns in the Alpujarras (in the Sierra Nevada).JPG
1. one of the towns in the Alpujarras (in the Sierra Nevada).JPG 2007-01-07

2. they had a few of these fountains around the town, with little sayings about what will happen if you drink from it.JPG
2. they had a few of these fountains around the town, with little sayings about what will happen if you drink from it.JPG 2007-01-07

4. they had SO MANY rug stores.JPG
4. they had SO MANY rug stores.JPG 2007-01-07

5. another fountain.JPG
5. another fountain.JPG 2007-01-07

3..JPG
3..JPG 2007-01-07

7..JPG
7..JPG 2007-01-07

8. view from the bus... on a very spiraly ride up and down the mountain (unfortunately resulting in a few cases of motion sickness on the bus).JPG
8. view from the bus... on a very spiraly ride up and down the mountain (unfortunately resulting in a few cases of motion sickness on the bus).JPG 2007-01-07

9. we made a stop at this beautiful waterfall....JPG
9. we made a stop at this beautiful waterfall....JPG 2007-01-07

6..JPG
6..JPG 2007-01-07

10. by the waterfall.JPG
10. by the waterfall.JPG 2007-01-07

11..JPG
11..JPG 2007-01-07

12. highest town in the Alpujarras that we stopped at for a few hours.JPG
12. highest town in the Alpujarras that we stopped at for a few hours.JPG 2007-01-07

13. Rio Trevelez where we ate our packed bocadillos for lunch.JPG
13. Rio Trevelez where we ate our packed bocadillos for lunch.JPG 2007-01-07

14..JPG
14..JPG 2007-01-07

15. where we ate.JPG
15. where we ate.JPG 2007-01-07

16. view of the beach from our hotel room in Almunecar.JPG
16. view of the beach from our hotel room in Almunecar.JPG 2007-01-07

17. our hotel room!.JPG
17. our hotel room!.JPG 2007-01-07

18. Almunecar... from our walking tour with Jorge on Saturday morning.JPG
18. Almunecar... from our walking tour with Jorge on Saturday morning.JPG 2007-01-08

19..JPG
19..JPG 2007-01-08

20. when we were walking on the beach at night we could see these rocks all lit up and it looked absolutely gorgeous.JPG
20. when we were walking on the beach at night we could see these rocks all lit up and it looked absolutely gorgeous.JPG 2007-01-08

21. this cross is also lit up at night, and is a high point in the town so up here we got some good views of the town.JPG
21. this cross is also lit up at night, and is a high point in the town so up here we got some good views of the town.JPG 2007-01-08

22. when it started raining, Jorge took us to an aquarium.JPG
22. when it started raining, Jorge took us to an aquarium.JPG 2007-01-08

23..JPG
23..JPG 2007-01-08

24..JPG
24..JPG 2007-01-08

25..JPG
25..JPG 2007-01-08

26. I took so many photos of this big shark... this one I thought was cool though!.JPG
26. I took so many photos of this big shark... this one I thought was cool though!.JPG 2007-01-08

27. Jorge got us a double-decker bus for our ride back to Granada... completely unnecessary for our group of 25, but still fun!.JPG
27. Jorge got us a double-decker bus for our ride back to Granada... completely unnecessary for our group of 25, but still fun!.JPG 2007-01-09

28. we took a quick trip to the caves at Nerja.JPG
28. we took a quick trip to the caves at Nerja.JPG 2007-01-09

29. sorry we weren't allowed flash, so the quality of these photos aren't the best... sorry.JPG
29. sorry we weren't allowed flash, so the quality of these photos aren't the best... sorry.JPG 2007-01-09

30. caves....JPG
30. caves....JPG 2007-01-09

31. more of the cool caves....JPG
31. more of the cool caves....JPG 2007-01-09

1. river in Sevilla.JPG
1. river in Sevilla.JPG 2007-01-02

2. Plaza de Toros in Sevilla.JPG
2. Plaza de Toros in Sevilla.JPG 2007-01-02

3. walking along the water.JPG
3. walking along the water.JPG 2007-01-02

4..JPG
4..JPG 2007-01-02

5. Torre de Oro.JPG
5. Torre de Oro.JPG 2007-01-02

6..JPG
6..JPG 2007-01-02

7..JPG
7..JPG 2007-01-02

9. where we ate lunch, by the cathedral.JPG
9. where we ate lunch, by the cathedral.JPG 2007-01-02

10. Flamenco dress.JPG
10. Flamenco dress.JPG 2007-01-02

11. another flamenco dress... there were plenty of these, I just didn't want to stick out too much like a tourist.JPG
11. another flamenco dress... there were plenty of these, I just didn't want to stick out too much like a tourist.JPG 2007-01-02

12. adorable little girl dressed in flamenco attire! and this wasn't even that unusual, there were lots of kids dressed up!.JPG
12. adorable little girl dressed in flamenco attire! and this wasn't even that unusual, there were lots of kids dressed up!.JPG 2007-01-02

13. bird lady giving these happy birds a huge bag full of bread crumbs.JPG
13. bird lady giving these happy birds a huge bag full of bread crumbs.JPG 2007-01-02

8..JPG
8..JPG 2007-01-02

canal separating the long beach from the cliff beaches on our side of town.JPG
canal separating the long beach from the cliff beaches on our side of town.JPG 2007-01-13

2. walking along the river toward the long beach our first evening in Lagos.JPG
2. walking along the river toward the long beach our first evening in Lagos.JPG 2007-01-13

3. the long beach, a little deserted, but it was a little late and chilly, and still only a Thursday.JPG
3. the long beach, a little deserted, but it was a little late and chilly, and still only a Thursday.JPG 2007-01-13

4. view of Lagos from the long beach.JPG
4. view of Lagos from the long beach.JPG 2007-01-13

5. first restaurant that we ate dinner in.JPG
5. first restaurant that we ate dinner in.JPG 2007-01-13

6. my bed, I got the bottom bunk.JPG
6. my bed, I got the bottom bunk.JPG 2007-01-14

8..JPG
8..JPG 2007-01-14

10. first beach that we stayed on.JPG
10. first beach that we stayed on.JPG 2007-01-14

11. our beach.JPG
11. our beach.JPG 2007-01-14

rock, so we just had to climb up that rope to see the view from the top (it was definitely worth it).JPG
rock, so we just had to climb up that rope to see the view from the top (it was definitely worth it).JPG 2007-01-14

13. beach right next to ours.JPG
13. beach right next to ours.JPG 2007-01-14

16. our beach from the cliff.JPG
16. our beach from the cliff.JPG 2007-01-14

20..JPG
20..JPG 2007-01-14

24. so when we made it back onto land there was this triangular cave, and I thought this view from it was gorgeous.JPG
24. so when we made it back onto land there was this triangular cave, and I thought this view from it was gorgeous.JPG 2007-01-14

28..JPG
28..JPG 2007-01-14

31. wading through the water exploring (Andy with the camera in the back, and Rodrigo in the foreground).JPG
31. wading through the water exploring (Andy with the camera in the back, and Rodrigo in the foreground).JPG 2007-01-14

32..JPG
32..JPG 2007-01-14

33. so we were not getting to quite as secluded an area as we thought....JPG
33. so we were not getting to quite as secluded an area as we thought....JPG 2007-01-14

34. turns out there were stairs to get to these beaches after all... oh well! we had fun wading.JPG
34. turns out there were stairs to get to these beaches after all... oh well! we had fun wading.JPG 2007-01-14

35. this is when we actually did start getting to secluded beaches, because the only way to get to them was swimming through the still kind of cold water, or climbing over this (but they were nice to put ropes there for us).JPG
35. this is when we actually did start getting to secluded beaches, because the only way to get to them was swimming through the still kind of cold water, or climbing over this (but they were nice to put ropes there for us).JPG 2007-01-14

37. instead of wading back, we thought we'd get some nice views from the top of the cliffs, so we took a cliffwalk back to our beach.JPG
37. instead of wading back, we thought we'd get some nice views from the top of the cliffs, so we took a cliffwalk back to our beach.JPG 2007-01-14

38. gorgeous blue water.JPG
38. gorgeous blue water.JPG 2007-01-14

39..JPG
39..JPG 2007-01-14

40. .JPG
40. .JPG 2007-01-14

41. .JPG
41. .JPG 2007-01-14

42. .JPG
42. .JPG 2007-01-14

43..JPG
43..JPG 2007-01-14

44. .JPG
44. .JPG 2007-01-14

45..JPG
45..JPG 2007-01-14

46. my dream house... the closer version.JPG
46. my dream house... the closer version.JPG 2007-01-14

47. a much-needed lunch... chicken salad and pineapple on a baguette, delicious and refreshing, and only 3.20E!.JPG
47. a much-needed lunch... chicken salad and pineapple on a baguette, delicious and refreshing, and only 3.20E!.JPG 2007-01-14

48. where we ate... yum!.JPG
48. where we ate... yum!.JPG 2007-01-14

49. center of town.JPG
49. center of town.JPG 2007-01-14

50. streets of Lagos.JPG
50. streets of Lagos.JPG 2007-01-14

51. Chinese food for dinner.JPG
51. Chinese food for dinner.JPG 2007-01-15

53..JPG
53..JPG 2007-01-01

cliff.JPG
cliff.JPG 2007-01-14

54..JPG
54..JPG 2007-01-01

55. we went to the top of this to get pretty photos, and when we came back down, a Spanish guy there stopped Andy and showed him a photo he had taken of us up there.JPG
55. we went to the top of this to get pretty photos, and when we came back down, a Spanish guy there stopped Andy and showed him a photo he had taken of us up there.JPG 2007-01-01

56. view from the top of the last photo.JPG
56. view from the top of the last photo.JPG 2007-01-01

1. Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos (Cordoba).JPG
1. Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos (Cordoba).JPG 2009-04-17

civil unions take place.JPG
civil unions take place.JPG 2009-04-17

3. as we were leaving we actually saw a bunch of people heading in here and it looked like they were dressed up wedding-style.JPG
3. as we were leaving we actually saw a bunch of people heading in here and it looked like they were dressed up wedding-style.JPG 2009-04-17

4. gardens.JPG
4. gardens.JPG 2009-04-17

5. more gardens.JPG
5. more gardens.JPG 2009-04-17

6..JPG
6..JPG 2009-04-17

7. alcazar.JPG
7. alcazar.JPG 2009-04-17

8. outside the Mezquita in Cordoba.JPG
8. outside the Mezquita in Cordoba.JPG 2009-04-17

9. Mezquita.JPG
9. Mezquita.JPG 2009-04-17

10. the little courtyard by the Mezquita.JPG
10. the little courtyard by the Mezquita.JPG 2009-04-17

11..JPG
11..JPG 2009-04-17

12. Calle de los Flores (Flower Street).JPG
12. Calle de los Flores (Flower Street).JPG 2009-04-17

13. inside the Mesquita.JPG
13. inside the Mesquita.JPG 2009-04-17

14. inside.JPG
14. inside.JPG 2009-04-17

15..JPG
15..JPG 2009-04-17

16. upside down photo inside.JPG
16. upside down photo inside.JPG 2009-04-17

17. another upside downer.JPG
17. another upside downer.JPG 2009-04-17

18..JPG
18..JPG 2009-04-17

19..JPG
19..JPG 2009-04-17

20. chorus area.JPG
20. chorus area.JPG 2009-04-17

21. entrance to the Arqueological Museum in Sevilla.JPG
21. entrance to the Arqueological Museum in Sevilla.JPG 2007-01-01

22. tower of the Cathedral of Sevilla.JPG
22. tower of the Cathedral of Sevilla.JPG 2007-01-01

23. courtyard of the cathedral.JPG
23. courtyard of the cathedral.JPG 2007-01-01

24. inside.JPG
24. inside.JPG 2007-01-01

25..JPG
25..JPG 2007-01-01

26. organ.JPG
26. organ.JPG 2007-01-01

27. chorus area.JPG
27. chorus area.JPG 2007-01-01

28. main altar.JPG
28. main altar.JPG 2007-01-01

29. hard to see, but this is one of Christopher Columbus' supposed resting places.JPG
29. hard to see, but this is one of Christopher Columbus' supposed resting places.JPG 2007-01-01

30..JPG
30..JPG 2007-01-01

31..JPG
31..JPG 2007-01-01

32..JPG
32..JPG 2007-01-01

33..JPG
33..JPG 2007-01-01

34. one of the thorns from Jesus' crown of thorns (the thorn is in the circle in the middle).JPG
34. one of the thorns from Jesus' crown of thorns (the thorn is in the circle in the middle).JPG 2007-01-01

35..JPG
35..JPG 2007-01-01

36..JPG
36..JPG 2007-01-01

37..JPG
37..JPG 2007-01-01

38. walking up to the top of the tower.JPG
38. walking up to the top of the tower.JPG 2007-01-01

39. cool window on the long, ramped walkway up.JPG
39. cool window on the long, ramped walkway up.JPG 2007-01-01

40. 34 flights of ramps!.JPG
40. 34 flights of ramps!.JPG 2007-01-01

41. bells in the belltower.JPG
41. bells in the belltower.JPG 2007-01-01

42. view of the top of the cathedral.JPG
42. view of the top of the cathedral.JPG 2007-01-01

43. view of the plaza by the cathedral.JPG
43. view of the plaza by the cathedral.JPG 2007-01-01

44..JPG
44..JPG 2007-01-01

45..JPG
45..JPG 2007-01-01

46. our hotel room!.JPG
46. our hotel room!.JPG 2007-01-01

47. our view, if we could actually get out there. we could open our glass door but the deck was gated off unfortunately, I had to shove my camera through the gate to get this photo.JPG
47. our view, if we could actually get out there. we could open our glass door but the deck was gated off unfortunately, I had to shove my camera through the gate to get this photo.JPG 2007-01-01

48. walking through Sevilla, toward the palace.JPG
48. walking through Sevilla, toward the palace.JPG 2007-01-02

49. Royal Palace.JPG
49. Royal Palace.JPG 2007-01-02

50. inside the palace.JPG
50. inside the palace.JPG 2007-01-02

51. group upside down shot.JPG
51. group upside down shot.JPG 2007-01-02

columns.JPG
columns.JPG 2007-01-02

52. courtyard of the royal palace.JPG
52. courtyard of the royal palace.JPG 2007-01-02

54..JPG
54..JPG 2007-01-02

55..JPG
55..JPG 2007-01-02

56. upside down photo of a few more people from the program, sadly not too much ceiling got in this photo.JPG
56. upside down photo of a few more people from the program, sadly not too much ceiling got in this photo.JPG 2007-01-02

57..JPG
57..JPG 2007-01-02

58..JPG
58..JPG 2007-01-02

59..JPG
59..JPG 2007-01-02

60..JPG
60..JPG 2007-01-02

61. muraled wall inside the palace.JPG
61. muraled wall inside the palace.JPG 2007-01-02

62..JPG
62..JPG 2007-01-02

63..JPG
63..JPG 2007-01-02

64. exit to the palace gardens.JPG
64. exit to the palace gardens.JPG 2007-01-02

65. palace gardens, apparently anyone can go in and just hang out.JPG
65. palace gardens, apparently anyone can go in and just hang out.JPG 2007-01-02

66. gardens.JPG
66. gardens.JPG 2007-01-02

67..JPG
67..JPG 2007-01-02

68. Jorge gave us a few hours of free time so we decided to feed and play with ducks for a little while.JPG
68. Jorge gave us a few hours of free time so we decided to feed and play with ducks for a little while.JPG 2007-01-02

69. the princess' pool in a sort of basement room.JPG
69. the princess' pool in a sort of basement room.JPG 2007-01-02

70. walking around on our break we made it to this beautiful entrance of the Cathedral (from the day before).JPG
70. walking around on our break we made it to this beautiful entrance of the Cathedral (from the day before).JPG 2007-01-02

71. a few instrumentalists, singers and dancers on the street creating quite a crowd.JPG
71. a few instrumentalists, singers and dancers on the street creating quite a crowd.JPG 2007-01-02

72..JPG
72..JPG 2007-01-02

73. Plaza Nueva in Sevilla.JPG
73. Plaza Nueva in Sevilla.JPG 2007-01-02

74. top of the cathedral.JPG
74. top of the cathedral.JPG 2007-01-02

75. this sign was all over Sevilla, apparently the "8" is supposed to be a knot which in Spanish means "madeja" which when put with the NO and DO means "she hasn't left me" talking about Sevilla.JPG
75. this sign was all over Sevilla, apparently the "8" is supposed to be a knot which in Spanish means "madeja" which when put with the NO and DO means "she hasn't left me" talking about Sevilla.JPG 2007-01-02

76. Torre de Oro (Tower of Gold) we never actually got to go in, but Jorge told us that it's called this name because they used to take ship's gold when they came into Sevilla here.JPG
76. Torre de Oro (Tower of Gold) we never actually got to go in, but Jorge told us that it's called this name because they used to take ship's gold when they came into Sevilla here.JPG 2007-01-02

77. there were horse-drawn carriages all over Sevilla.JPG
77. there were horse-drawn carriages all over Sevilla.JPG 2007-01-02

78. Plaza de Espana.JPG
78. Plaza de Espana.JPG 2007-01-02

80..JPG
80..JPG 2007-01-02

81..JPG
81..JPG 2007-01-02

1. Door of Justice.JPG
1. Door of Justice.JPG 2007-01-04

2. walking into the Alhambra.JPG
2. walking into the Alhambra.JPG 2007-01-04

3. view of Sacromonte from the Alhambra.JPG
3. view of Sacromonte from the Alhambra.JPG 2007-01-04

4. Alhambra!.JPG
4. Alhambra!.JPG 2007-01-04

5..JPG
5..JPG 2007-01-04

6. Hello Granada!.JPG
6. Hello Granada!.JPG 2007-01-04

7..JPG
7..JPG 2007-01-04

8..JPG
8..JPG 2007-01-04

9..JPG
9..JPG 2007-01-04

10. on the highest tower at the Alhambra.JPG
10. on the highest tower at the Alhambra.JPG 2007-01-04

11. Granada from the highest tower on the Alhambra.JPG
11. Granada from the highest tower on the Alhambra.JPG 2007-01-04

12. Inside the Palace.JPG
12. Inside the Palace.JPG 2007-01-04

13..JPG
13..JPG 2007-01-04

14..JPG
14..JPG 2007-01-04

15. incredibly detailed walls.JPG
15. incredibly detailed walls.JPG 2007-01-04

16. courtyard.JPG
16. courtyard.JPG 2007-01-04

17. upside down photo, definitely can't see the ceiling in this one though.JPG
17. upside down photo, definitely can't see the ceiling in this one though.JPG 2007-01-04

18..JPG
18..JPG 2007-01-04

19..JPG
19..JPG 2007-01-04

20..JPG
20..JPG 2007-01-04

21..JPG
21..JPG 2007-01-04

22..JPG
22..JPG 2007-01-04

23..JPG
23..JPG 2007-01-04

24..JPG
24..JPG 2007-01-04

25. beautiful window.JPG
25. beautiful window.JPG 2007-01-04

26. .JPG
26. .JPG 2007-01-04

27..JPG
27..JPG 2007-01-04

28. Sacromonte.JPG
28. Sacromonte.JPG 2007-01-04

29. .JPG
29. .JPG 2007-01-04

30..JPG
30..JPG 2007-01-04

31..JPG
31..JPG 2007-01-04

32. and the incredible incline to get up there.JPG
32. and the incredible incline to get up there.JPG 2007-01-04

15. palace courtyard.JPG
15. palace courtyard.JPG 2007-01-04

1. the second paso.JPG
1. the second paso.JPG 2007-01-01

2. nazarenos and little girls dressed in traditional costume with candles.JPG
2. nazarenos and little girls dressed in traditional costume with candles.JPG 2007-01-01

3. more procession.JPG
3. more procession.JPG 2007-01-01

4. the first paso.JPG
4. the first paso.JPG 2007-01-01

5. band following paso.JPG
5. band following paso.JPG 2007-01-01

6. .JPG
6. .JPG 2007-01-01

7..JPG
7..JPG 2007-01-01

8..JPG
8..JPG 2007-01-01

9..JPG
9..JPG 2007-01-01

10..JPG
10..JPG 2007-01-01

11..JPG
11..JPG 2007-01-01

12. they had to cross this bridge, that they barely fit over.JPG
12. they had to cross this bridge, that they barely fit over.JPG 2007-01-01

13. more procession.JPG
13. more procession.JPG 2007-01-01

14. first trono about to cross the bridge.JPG
14. first trono about to cross the bridge.JPG 2007-01-01

1. Hello Stockholm!.JPG
1. Hello Stockholm!.JPG 2007-01-03

2. Faraz's apartment, our couchsurfing host in Sweden.JPG
2. Faraz's apartment, our couchsurfing host in Sweden.JPG 2007-01-04

3. we got a bedroom with a bed, and this couch (two people) and the carpet.JPG
3. we got a bedroom with a bed, and this couch (two people) and the carpet.JPG 2007-01-04

4. outside his apartment.JPG
4. outside his apartment.JPG 2007-01-04

5. at our station, Alvsjo (elf-show) ready to start our day!.JPG
5. at our station, Alvsjo (elf-show) ready to start our day!.JPG 2007-01-04

6. central station, where we went for pretty much everything.JPG
6. central station, where we went for pretty much everything.JPG 2007-01-04

7. we got a Stockholm Card the first day, which is 24 hours of free entrance into a bunch of the museums and buildings as well as free public transportation (by free I mean after paying the cost of the card).JPG
7. we got a Stockholm Card the first day, which is 24 hours of free entrance into a bunch of the museums and buildings as well as free public transportation (by free I mean after paying the cost of the card).JPG 2007-01-04

8. lots of canals around Stockholm!!.JPG
8. lots of canals around Stockholm!!.JPG 2007-01-04

9. first stop. City Hall..JPG
9. first stop. City Hall..JPG 2007-01-04

10. inside City Hall courtyard.JPG
10. inside City Hall courtyard.JPG 2007-01-04

11. city hall.JPG
11. city hall.JPG 2007-01-04

12. view from City Hall.JPG
12. view from City Hall.JPG 2007-01-04

13. biggest organ in Scandinavia.JPG
13. biggest organ in Scandinavia.JPG 2007-01-04

14. organ..JPG
14. organ..JPG 2007-01-04

15. room where they have their political meetings.JPG
15. room where they have their political meetings.JPG 2007-01-04

16. really cool ceiling.JPG
16. really cool ceiling.JPG 2007-01-04

17. upside down photo! of course..JPG
17. upside down photo! of course..JPG 2007-01-04

18. our guide talked a lot about the arquitect, and she liked this clever idea of his to put half a chandelier on a mirror to make it look like a full one... kind of cool..JPG
18. our guide talked a lot about the arquitect, and she liked this clever idea of his to put half a chandelier on a mirror to make it look like a full one... kind of cool..JPG 2007-01-04

19. Prince's Room.JPG
19. Prince's Room.JPG 2007-01-04

20. the arquitect had a mural painted along the wall opposite the windowed wall to try to mirror the view of outside the windows, so that all the guests sitting at a table could have a good view.JPG
20. the arquitect had a mural painted along the wall opposite the windowed wall to try to mirror the view of outside the windows, so that all the guests sitting at a table could have a good view.JPG 2007-01-04

21. this is supposed to be the goddess of one of the lakes of stockholm, and she's supposed to be in the middle of the world with the sun shining down on her, and the western world to the left and eastern world to the right.JPG
21. this is supposed to be the goddess of one of the lakes of stockholm, and she's supposed to be in the middle of the world with the sun shining down on her, and the western world to the left and eastern world to the right.JPG 2007-01-04

22. apparently there was a miscalculation on the arquitect's part, hence this headless horseman.JPG
22. apparently there was a miscalculation on the arquitect's part, hence this headless horseman.JPG 2007-01-04

23. the man in this window is supposed to be the worn-out arquitect.JPG
23. the man in this window is supposed to be the worn-out arquitect.JPG 2007-01-04

24. the blue room (where we first came in downstairs) originally the arquitect wanted it to be painted blue, but then he liked the red too much..JPG
24. the blue room (where we first came in downstairs) originally the arquitect wanted it to be painted blue, but then he liked the red too much..JPG 2007-01-04

25. church.JPG
25. church.JPG 2007-01-04

26. cultural museum of stockholm.JPG
26. cultural museum of stockholm.JPG 2007-01-04

27. the Vasa, a boat that sunk shortly after setting sail due to miscalculations in size and weight distribution.JPG
27. the Vasa, a boat that sunk shortly after setting sail due to miscalculations in size and weight distribution.JPG 2007-01-04

28..JPG
28..JPG 2007-01-04

29. .JPG
29. .JPG 2007-01-04

zoo.JPG
zoo.JPG 2007-01-04

31. peacock.JPG
31. peacock.JPG 2007-01-04

32. .JPG
32. .JPG 2007-01-04

33. moose, which judging by the souvenir shops are huge in Stockholm.JPG
33. moose, which judging by the souvenir shops are huge in Stockholm.JPG 2007-01-04

34. seals sunbathing.JPG
34. seals sunbathing.JPG 2007-01-04

35. bears.JPG
35. bears.JPG 2007-01-04

36. bears fighting, this was cute!.JPG
36. bears fighting, this was cute!.JPG 2007-01-04

37. buffalo.JPG
37. buffalo.JPG 2007-01-04

38. then we went to the Kaknas Tower.JPG
38. then we went to the Kaknas Tower.JPG 2007-01-04

39. Stockholm.JPG
39. Stockholm.JPG 2007-01-04

39. view of Stockholm from the tower.JPG
39. view of Stockholm from the tower.JPG 2007-01-04

40. Ice Bar!.JPG
40. Ice Bar!.JPG 2007-01-04

41..JPG
41..JPG 2007-01-04

42. yes, the glasses were made out of ice!.JPG
42. yes, the glasses were made out of ice!.JPG 2007-01-04

43. Andy and Lisa's work of art... ice glass pyramid.JPG
43. Andy and Lisa's work of art... ice glass pyramid.JPG 2007-01-04

44. the bar, cleared out after 45 minutes.JPG
44. the bar, cleared out after 45 minutes.JPG 2007-01-04

45. our walk to Faraz' it was pretty simple, leave the trainstation and keep following this really long overpass.JPG
45. our walk to Faraz' it was pretty simple, leave the trainstation and keep following this really long overpass.JPG 2007-01-01

46. church.JPG
46. church.JPG 2007-01-01

47. church.JPG
47. church.JPG 2007-01-01

48. Cathedral of Stockholm.JPG
48. Cathedral of Stockholm.JPG 2007-01-01

49. inside the Cathedral of Stockholm.JPG
49. inside the Cathedral of Stockholm.JPG 2007-01-01

50..JPG
50..JPG 2007-01-01

51. Old Town, touristy area.JPG
51. Old Town, touristy area.JPG 2007-01-01

52. tower of the cathedral.JPG
52. tower of the cathedral.JPG 2007-01-01

53. there was water everywhere in Stockholm, it was great!.JPG
53. there was water everywhere in Stockholm, it was great!.JPG 2007-01-01

54..JPG
54..JPG 2007-01-01

55. hello Swedish!.JPG
55. hello Swedish!.JPG 2007-01-01

56. Pittipana, minced meat, potato, and egg... recommended to us by Faraz as a typical Swedish dish.JPG
56. Pittipana, minced meat, potato, and egg... recommended to us by Faraz as a typical Swedish dish.JPG 2007-01-01

57. Smorebrod (open faced sandwich) which we had tried to get in Denmark because we heard it was popular there, but our hosts told us it wasn't that big a deal, then we go to Sweden and it's on their menu as a Danish food.JPG
57. Smorebrod (open faced sandwich) which we had tried to get in Denmark because we heard it was popular there, but our hosts told us it wasn't that big a deal, then we go to Sweden and it's on their menu as a Danish food.JPG 2007-01-01

58. crossing the bridge to the Royal Palace.JPG
58. crossing the bridge to the Royal Palace.JPG 2007-01-01

59..JPG
59..JPG 2007-01-01

60. it appeared to be the changing of the guards. they were much more fun here than in copenhagen, they actually smiled and chatted with us, in copenhagen he just stomped his feet at us for getting too close.JPG
60. it appeared to be the changing of the guards. they were much more fun here than in copenhagen, they actually smiled and chatted with us, in copenhagen he just stomped his feet at us for getting too close.JPG 2007-01-01

61. they looked pretty funny when they walked though.JPG
61. they looked pretty funny when they walked though.JPG 2007-01-01

62. oh the swedish!.JPG
62. oh the swedish!.JPG 2007-01-01

63..JPG
63..JPG 2007-01-01

64. approximately 430 in the morning, not quite as enthusiastic as our first photo in that room.JPG
64. approximately 430 in the morning, not quite as enthusiastic as our first photo in that room.JPG 2007-01-02

1. our apartment in Copenhagen, with Peter, also a great guy!.JPG
1. our apartment in Copenhagen, with Peter, also a great guy!.JPG 2007-01-02

2. .JPG
2. .JPG 2007-01-02

3. .JPG
3. .JPG 2007-01-02

4..JPG
4..JPG 2007-01-02

5. Tivoli... unfortunately we never actually went in, but we were kept really busy with other things.JPG
5. Tivoli... unfortunately we never actually went in, but we were kept really busy with other things.JPG 2007-01-02

6. tourism office, I thought this was clever.JPG
6. tourism office, I thought this was clever.JPG 2007-01-02

7. Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum.JPG
7. Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum.JPG 2007-01-02

8. .JPG
8. .JPG 2007-01-02

9. famous pedestrian street in Copenhagen.JPG
9. famous pedestrian street in Copenhagen.JPG 2007-01-02

10. Stroget.JPG
10. Stroget.JPG 2007-01-02

11. Lisa and I went off to get some smoothies... we came back with these instead....JPG
11. Lisa and I went off to get some smoothies... we came back with these instead....JPG 2007-01-02

12. street entertainer guy, he was quite funny.JPG
12. street entertainer guy, he was quite funny.JPG 2007-01-02

13. the stork fountain on Stroget, Lisa and I went to a Copenhagen history museum our first day there and read that this was a big place for riots and big events in the past.JPG
13. the stork fountain on Stroget, Lisa and I went to a Copenhagen history museum our first day there and read that this was a big place for riots and big events in the past.JPG 2007-01-02

14. Danish choir singing in the streets, I have no idea what they were singing about, but it sounded really pretty... and notice all the blonde hair!.JPG
14. Danish choir singing in the streets, I have no idea what they were singing about, but it sounded really pretty... and notice all the blonde hair!.JPG 2007-01-02

15. the Jewel palace, we got there too late so it was unfortunately too close to closing to go in.JPG
15. the Jewel palace, we got there too late so it was unfortunately too close to closing to go in.JPG 2007-01-02

16. the guards... with a stroller in the middle.JPG
16. the guards... with a stroller in the middle.JPG 2007-01-02

17. jewel palace.JPG
17. jewel palace.JPG 2007-01-02

18. and again....JPG
18. and again....JPG 2007-01-02

19. King's Gardens.JPG
19. King's Gardens.JPG 2007-01-02

20..JPG
20..JPG 2007-01-02

21. one of Copenhagen's five big lakes, that are manmade. Lisa and I learned the first day in the history museum that they take the place of where the city walls used to be.JPG
21. one of Copenhagen's five big lakes, that are manmade. Lisa and I learned the first day in the history museum that they take the place of where the city walls used to be.JPG 2007-01-02

22..JPG
22..JPG 2007-01-02

23..JPG
23..JPG 2007-01-02

25. Thai food for dinner on a bench by the lakes.JPG
25. Thai food for dinner on a bench by the lakes.JPG 2007-01-02

26. Copenhagen at dusk.JPG
26. Copenhagen at dusk.JPG 2007-01-02

27. Copenhagen by night.JPG
27. Copenhagen by night.JPG 2007-01-02

29. the little mermaid.JPG
29. the little mermaid.JPG 2007-01-03

28. next day we went biking around Copenhagen and started off in a graveyard where we say Hans Christian Andersen's gravestone.JPG
28. next day we went biking around Copenhagen and started off in a graveyard where we say Hans Christian Andersen's gravestone.JPG 2007-01-03

30. apparently people blew her head off one time... it looks pretty well put back together though now.JPG
30. apparently people blew her head off one time... it looks pretty well put back together though now.JPG 2007-01-03

31. Lisa.JPG
31. Lisa.JPG 2007-01-03

32. Me.JPG
32. Me.JPG 2007-01-03

33. Lisa and Me.JPG
33. Lisa and Me.JPG 2007-01-03

34. changing of the guards outside the Royal Palace in Copenhagen.JPG
34. changing of the guards outside the Royal Palace in Copenhagen.JPG 2007-01-03

35..JPG
35..JPG 2007-01-03

36. biking around Copenhagen with our own personal tourguide... Peter (our couchsurfing host) had a roommate who came biking with us and was very informative and fun.JPG
36. biking around Copenhagen with our own personal tourguide... Peter (our couchsurfing host) had a roommate who came biking with us and was very informative and fun.JPG 2007-01-03

37. crossing over one of the canals.JPG
37. crossing over one of the canals.JPG 2007-01-03

38..JPG
38..JPG 2007-01-03

39. there were a few really cool tops to buildings, all very unique.JPG
39. there were a few really cool tops to buildings, all very unique.JPG 2007-01-03

40..JPG
40..JPG 2007-01-03

41. Christiania - an area of Copenhagen that has its own rules, so basically anything goes... so sorry, no photos were allowed inside here.JPG
41. Christiania - an area of Copenhagen that has its own rules, so basically anything goes... so sorry, no photos were allowed inside here.JPG 2007-01-03

42. sort of still in Christiania, we bought lunch at their grocery store and ate by this lake just a little ways down from the town area.JPG
42. sort of still in Christiania, we bought lunch at their grocery store and ate by this lake just a little ways down from the town area.JPG 2007-01-03

43. the lake.JPG
43. the lake.JPG 2007-01-03

44. lunch.JPG
44. lunch.JPG 2007-01-03

45. "You are now entering the EU" as we leave Christiania.JPG
45. "You are now entering the EU" as we leave Christiania.JPG 2007-01-03

46. the opera house, right on the water, gorgeous location.JPG
46. the opera house, right on the water, gorgeous location.JPG 2007-01-03

47. opera house.JPG
47. opera house.JPG 2007-01-03

48. .JPG
48. .JPG 2007-01-03

1. our room in Hotel Etap in Charleroi.jpg
1. our room in Hotel Etap in Charleroi.jpg 2009-04-14

2. first night!.jpg
2. first night!.jpg 2009-04-14

3. our first Belgian Waffles.jpg
3. our first Belgian Waffles.jpg 2009-04-13

4. Charleroi.jpg
4. Charleroi.jpg 2009-04-13

5. Charles II Plaza.jpg
5. Charles II Plaza.jpg 2009-04-14

6. .jpg
6. .jpg 2009-04-13

7. cute square.jpg
7. cute square.jpg 2009-04-14

8. interesting statue, which we of course had to imitate.jpg
8. interesting statue, which we of course had to imitate.jpg 2009-04-13

9. inside St. Christophers Church in Charleroi (the new altar).jpg
9. inside St. Christophers Church in Charleroi (the new altar).jpg 2009-04-13

10. St. Christopher's (the old altar, to the side of the new one).jpg
10. St. Christopher's (the old altar, to the side of the new one).jpg 2009-04-13

11. organ.jpg
11. organ.jpg 2009-04-14

12. oh stained-glass windows.jpg
12. oh stained-glass windows.jpg 2009-04-14

13. another cool statue.jpg
13. another cool statue.jpg 2009-04-13

14. we thought it was going to be a "shoe museum" so we thought it might be interesting, turns out it was more of a history of soldiers in beligum museum.jpg
14. we thought it was going to be a "shoe museum" so we thought it might be interesting, turns out it was more of a history of soldiers in beligum museum.jpg 2009-04-14

15. 'football' statium.jpg
15. 'football' statium.jpg 2009-04-14

16. wandering the streets of Charleroi.jpg
16. wandering the streets of Charleroi.jpg 2009-04-14

17. chicken curry sandwiches, for very cheap, and quite delicious, also very eventful attempting to order this in French, thank God for Lisa.jpg
17. chicken curry sandwiches, for very cheap, and quite delicious, also very eventful attempting to order this in French, thank God for Lisa.jpg 2009-04-13

18. canal.jpg
18. canal.jpg 2009-04-13

19. Charleroi train station, where we got our tickets to get into Brussels.jpg
19. Charleroi train station, where we got our tickets to get into Brussels.jpg 2009-04-13

20. first we had to go back to get our bags, rather than paying for a taxi we got a bus to the airport (for much cheaper) and walked along highway type roads to our hotel (and through this opening).jpg
20. first we had to go back to get our bags, rather than paying for a taxi we got a bus to the airport (for much cheaper) and walked along highway type roads to our hotel (and through this opening).jpg 2009-04-13

21. our train to Brussels!.jpg
21. our train to Brussels!.jpg 2009-04-14

22. and the backpackers get going!.jpg
22. and the backpackers get going!.jpg 2009-04-14

23. Our first couchsurfing host's house, Tibo (he's French, and awesome, and his name is spelt very differently than that).jpg
23. Our first couchsurfing host's house, Tibo (he's French, and awesome, and his name is spelt very differently than that).jpg 2009-04-13

24. our beds for a couple of nights, quite comfy.jpg
24. our beds for a couple of nights, quite comfy.jpg 2009-04-14

25. out for a delicious pasta dinner... yummm.jpg
25. out for a delicious pasta dinner... yummm.jpg 2009-04-14

26. restaurant we ate at.jpg
26. restaurant we ate at.jpg 2009-04-14

27. really cool bar that we checked out afterwards. it was strange. it looked like it was an anthropology museum by day, bar by night. and there were three secions to it, lounge, fine dining, and beach. strange..jpg
27. really cool bar that we checked out afterwards. it was strange. it looked like it was an anthropology museum by day, bar by night. and there were three secions to it, lounge, fine dining, and beach. strange..jpg 2009-04-14

31. pretty park in Bruges.jpg
31. pretty park in Bruges.jpg 2009-04-14

35. apparently it's a pretty touristy area, hence the horse carriage rides.jpg
35. apparently it's a pretty touristy area, hence the horse carriage rides.jpg 2009-04-14

39. there were lots of canal boat tours.jpg
39. there were lots of canal boat tours.jpg 2009-04-13

40. pretty canals.jpg
40. pretty canals.jpg 2009-04-14

41. Market Square in Bruges.jpg
41. Market Square in Bruges.jpg 2009-04-13

42. .jpg
42. .jpg 2009-04-14

43. really nice architecture around.jpg
43. really nice architecture around.jpg 2009-04-14

28. church.jpg
28. church.jpg 2009-04-13

44..jpg
44..jpg 2009-04-13

32. one of the big squares in Bruges.jpg
32. one of the big squares in Bruges.jpg 2009-04-14

36. the main church in Bruges.jpg
36. the main church in Bruges.jpg 2009-04-13

45. chocolate time!.jpg
45. chocolate time!.jpg 2009-04-14

46. back in Brussels.jpg
46. back in Brussels.jpg 2009-04-13

30. walked through the market before getting our train to Bruges.jpg
30. walked through the market before getting our train to Bruges.jpg 2009-04-14

29. tower.jpg
29. tower.jpg 2009-04-13

34..jpg
34..jpg 2009-04-13

33..jpg
33..jpg 2009-04-13

47. Gran Plac.jpg
47. Gran Plac.jpg 2009-04-13

38. outside the church.jpg
38. outside the church.jpg 2009-04-14

37. Michelangelo's Madonna with Child.jpg
37. Michelangelo's Madonna with Child.jpg 2009-04-13

48. Gran Plac.jpg
48. Gran Plac.jpg 2009-04-13

49..jpg
49..jpg 2009-04-13

50. Mannekin Pis (he is tiny!).jpg
50. Mannekin Pis (he is tiny!).jpg 2009-04-13

51. Mannekin Pis up close.jpg
51. Mannekin Pis up close.jpg 2009-04-13

52. we were in Belgium, we had to check out a beer factory.jpg
52. we were in Belgium, we had to check out a beer factory.jpg 2009-04-14

53. we learned about how beer is brewed, pretty cool.jpg
53. we learned about how beer is brewed, pretty cool.jpg 2009-04-14

54. Royal Palace.jpg
54. Royal Palace.jpg 2009-04-14

55. Royal Palace, it was HUGE!.jpg
55. Royal Palace, it was HUGE!.jpg 2009-04-14

56. EU building from a distance.jpg
56. EU building from a distance.jpg 2009-04-14

57. outside the EU headquarters.jpg
57. outside the EU headquarters.jpg 2009-04-13

58. EU.jpg
58. EU.jpg 2009-04-14

59. lots of flags....jpg
59. lots of flags....jpg 2009-04-14

60. and the coolest flag!!.jpg
60. and the coolest flag!!.jpg 2009-04-13

61. .jpg
61. .jpg 2009-04-13

62. inside the EU parliament building.jpg
62. inside the EU parliament building.jpg 2009-04-14

64..jpg
64..jpg 2009-04-13

65..jpg
65..jpg 2009-04-14

66. kind of cool!.jpg
66. kind of cool!.jpg 2009-04-14

67. IRELAND!!.jpg
67. IRELAND!!.jpg 2009-04-13

68. SPAIN!!.jpg
68. SPAIN!!.jpg 2009-04-14

69. and all of them!.jpg
69. and all of them!.jpg 2009-04-14

70. part of the Berlin Wall.jpg
70. part of the Berlin Wall.jpg 2009-04-13

71. EU parliament.jpg
71. EU parliament.jpg 2009-04-13

72. Atomium.jpg
72. Atomium.jpg 2009-04-13

73. Atomium.jpg
73. Atomium.jpg 2009-04-14

74. Manneken Pis's sister.jpg
74. Manneken Pis's sister.jpg 2009-04-13

75. classy.jpg
75. classy.jpg 2009-04-13

76. our last night, nice dinner along a road with very pushy waiters all offering the same thing for the same price but trying to make their restaurant seem more special in one way or another.jpg
76. our last night, nice dinner along a road with very pushy waiters all offering the same thing for the same price but trying to make their restaurant seem more special in one way or another.jpg 2009-04-13

78. plaza at night.jpg
78. plaza at night.jpg 2009-04-13

77. chocolate fountain! there were several of these, along with waaay too many chocolate stores.jpg
77. chocolate fountain! there were several of these, along with waaay too many chocolate stores.jpg 2009-04-13

80. our bed for the night!.jpg
80. our bed for the night!.jpg 2009-04-14

1. Cortijo el Sotillo.jpg
1. Cortijo el Sotillo.jpg 2009-04-14

2. we only swam once... it was a little chilly.jpg
2. we only swam once... it was a little chilly.jpg 2009-04-14

3..jpg
3..jpg 2009-04-13

4. horses right outside the hotel.jpg
4. horses right outside the hotel.jpg 2009-04-14

5. San Jose.jpg
5. San Jose.jpg 2009-04-14

6. Viva La Crisis - restaurant we ate dinner at the first night.jpg
6. Viva La Crisis - restaurant we ate dinner at the first night.jpg 2009-04-14

7..jpg
7..jpg 2009-04-14

8. the beach!.jpg
8. the beach!.jpg 2009-04-14

9. the town.jpg
9. the town.jpg 2009-04-14

10. cool rock-cliff things.jpg
10. cool rock-cliff things.jpg 2009-04-13

11. Scott!.jpg
11. Scott!.jpg 2009-04-13

12. beach.jpg
12. beach.jpg 2009-04-14

13..jpg
13..jpg 2009-04-14

14..jpg
14..jpg 2009-04-14

16. more exploring along the side of the mountain.jpg
16. more exploring along the side of the mountain.jpg 2009-04-14

15. we went exploring around the mountain and found this nice look-out spot to eat at.jpg
15. we went exploring around the mountain and found this nice look-out spot to eat at.jpg 2009-04-14

17..jpg
17..jpg 2009-04-14

18. other side of the mountain.jpg
18. other side of the mountain.jpg 2009-04-14

19. I guess none of these photos show it that well, but it was REALLY windy up there.jpg
19. I guess none of these photos show it that well, but it was REALLY windy up there.jpg 2009-04-14

20. town.jpg
20. town.jpg 2009-04-14

21. .jpg
21. .jpg 2009-04-14

22..jpg
22..jpg 2009-04-14

23. the little "Welcome to San Jose" structure.jpg
23. the little "Welcome to San Jose" structure.jpg 2009-04-14

24. San Jose's main road.jpg
24. San Jose's main road.jpg 2009-04-13

25. .jpg
25. .jpg 2009-04-14

26. our rushed exit.jpg
26. our rushed exit.jpg 2009-04-13

27. restaurant we ate at our last night - delicious shellfish paella!.jpg
27. restaurant we ate at our last night - delicious shellfish paella!.jpg 2009-04-14

28. marina in San Jose.jpg
28. marina in San Jose.jpg 2009-04-14

29..jpg
29..jpg 2009-04-14

30..jpg
30..jpg 2009-04-13

31. the hotel.jpg
31. the hotel.jpg 2009-04-13

32. our room, they don't do numbers, so our room was Cortijo el Cigarron.jpg
32. our room, they don't do numbers, so our room was Cortijo el Cigarron.jpg 2009-04-14

33. waiting for our ride....jpg
33. waiting for our ride....jpg 2009-04-14

1. arrived at Hotel Gravina and they had some champagne (cava) waiting for us.jpg
1. arrived at Hotel Gravina and they had some champagne (cava) waiting for us.jpg 2009-03-26

2. view from museum MNAC (museo nacional d'art de catalunya).jpg
2. view from museum MNAC (museo nacional d'art de catalunya).jpg 2009-03-26

3. Sagrada Familia in the distance.jpg
3. Sagrada Familia in the distance.jpg 2009-03-26

4. inside the museum - they took walls out of old churches and recreated them in this musuem.jpg
4. inside the museum - they took walls out of old churches and recreated them in this musuem.jpg 2009-03-24

5..jpg
5..jpg 2009-03-26

6..jpg
6..jpg 2009-03-24

7. big theater type area of museum.jpg
7. big theater type area of museum.jpg 2009-03-24

8. painting in the temporary exhibit of a Semana Santa procession!.jpg
8. painting in the temporary exhibit of a Semana Santa procession!.jpg 2009-03-24

9. had some lunch here - quite interesting, it's like a classy fast food restaurant.jpg
9. had some lunch here - quite interesting, it's like a classy fast food restaurant.jpg 2009-03-26

10. Viena - the name of the restaurant.jpg
10. Viena - the name of the restaurant.jpg 2009-03-24

11. Sagrada Familia (the cranes were unintentional, they're just sort of unavoidable).jpg
11. Sagrada Familia (the cranes were unintentional, they're just sort of unavoidable).jpg 2009-03-24

13. close-up.jpg
13. close-up.jpg 2009-03-24

14..jpg
14..jpg 2009-03-24

12. back of Sagrada Familia.jpg
12. back of Sagrada Familia.jpg 2009-03-24

15. part of the newer additions to Sagrada Familia.jpg
15. part of the newer additions to Sagrada Familia.jpg 2009-03-26

16. front entrance.jpg
16. front entrance.jpg 2009-03-24

17. hazelnut hot chocolate - and yes, you should be jealous!.jpg
17. hazelnut hot chocolate - and yes, you should be jealous!.jpg 2009-03-26

18. one of Gaudi's buildings.jpg
18. one of Gaudi's buildings.jpg 2009-03-24

19. inside Gaudi's park.jpg
19. inside Gaudi's park.jpg 2009-03-24

20. Barcelona from Guell Park.jpg
20. Barcelona from Guell Park.jpg 2009-03-26

21. Guell Park.jpg
21. Guell Park.jpg 2009-03-24

22. Las Ramblas - big road in Barcelona.jpg
22. Las Ramblas - big road in Barcelona.jpg 2009-03-26

23. Plaza de Catalunya.jpg
23. Plaza de Catalunya.jpg 2009-03-26

24. side street.jpg
24. side street.jpg 2009-03-24

25. government building.jpg
25. government building.jpg 2009-03-24

26. pillar remains.jpg
26. pillar remains.jpg 2009-03-26

27..jpg
27..jpg 2009-03-26

28..jpg
28..jpg 2009-03-26

29. Cathedral of Barcelona - under construction.jpg
29. Cathedral of Barcelona - under construction.jpg 2009-03-24

30. walkways of the cathedral.jpg
30. walkways of the cathedral.jpg 2009-03-24

31. there always have 12 white geese in the courtyard of the cathedral.jpg
31. there always have 12 white geese in the courtyard of the cathedral.jpg 2009-03-26

32. cathedral.jpg
32. cathedral.jpg 2009-03-24

33..jpg
33..jpg 2009-03-24

34. start of procession.jpg
34. start of procession.jpg 2009-03-24

35. this huge procession started walking by as our Ramblas walk was ending.jpg
35. this huge procession started walking by as our Ramblas walk was ending.jpg 2009-03-26

36. and the procession had tons of these huge figures.jpg
36. and the procession had tons of these huge figures.jpg 2009-03-24

37. more procession.jpg
37. more procession.jpg 2009-03-24

38. we got really close!.jpg
38. we got really close!.jpg 2009-03-24

39. and then a protest started up.jpg
39. and then a protest started up.jpg 2009-03-26

40. the protest people talking.jpg
40. the protest people talking.jpg 2009-03-26

41. protest in the middle of the square.jpg
41. protest in the middle of the square.jpg 2009-03-26

42. Picasso's museum.jpg
42. Picasso's museum.jpg 2009-03-24

43..jpg
43..jpg 2009-03-24

44. our bus for the "universidad de la guare".jpg
44. our bus for the "universidad de la guare".jpg 2009-03-26

45. beach day!! (I forgot to charge my camera the night before so every picture from here on has been stolen from Andy... sorry!).jpg
45. beach day!! (I forgot to charge my camera the night before so every picture from here on has been stolen from Andy... sorry!).jpg 2009-03-26

2 hour from Barcelona.jpg
2 hour from Barcelona.jpg 2009-03-26

47. beach from the pier.jpg
47. beach from the pier.jpg 2009-03-26

48..jpg
48..jpg 2009-03-26

49. we found some rocks and laid down for a while.jpg
49. we found some rocks and laid down for a while.jpg 2009-03-26

50..jpg
50..jpg 2009-03-26

51. incredibly impressive sand sculptures.jpg
51. incredibly impressive sand sculptures.jpg 2009-03-26

palace.jpg
palace.jpg 2009-03-26

53. theme - "the drunks in the monestary".jpg
53. theme - "the drunks in the monestary".jpg 2009-03-26

54..jpg
54..jpg 2009-03-26

55. and another sculpture right next to it.jpg
55. and another sculpture right next to it.jpg 2009-03-26

56. boardwalk....jpg
56. boardwalk....jpg 2009-03-26

58..jpg
58..jpg 2009-03-26

59..jpg
59..jpg 2009-03-26

60. Cava Freixenet - Cava is the Spanish form of Champagne, and we went to the Freixenet factory to see how it's made!.jpg
60. Cava Freixenet - Cava is the Spanish form of Champagne, and we went to the Freixenet factory to see how it's made!.jpg 2009-03-26

61. cork truck at the cava factory.jpg
61. cork truck at the cava factory.jpg 2009-03-26

62. in the cellar... LOTS of full bottles.jpg
62. in the cellar... LOTS of full bottles.jpg 2009-03-26

63. ... and more.jpg
63. ... and more.jpg 2009-03-26

64. the packaging process.jpg
64. the packaging process.jpg 2009-03-26

65. and then we got to test a glass.jpg
65. and then we got to test a glass.jpg 2009-03-26

66. getting off our first flight anxiously rushing to try to make our second.jpg
66. getting off our first flight anxiously rushing to try to make our second.jpg 2009-03-26

67. despite our sprinting, we did not make our connecting flight.jpg
67. despite our sprinting, we did not make our connecting flight.jpg 2009-03-26

68. the lady told us we didn't stand a chance getting to our next flight so she told us to stop here and get new tickets for a flight 2 hours later.jpg
68. the lady told us we didn't stand a chance getting to our next flight so she told us to stop here and get new tickets for a flight 2 hours later.jpg 2009-03-26

1. started the day at the Arc de Triomphe.jpg
1. started the day at the Arc de Triomphe.jpg 2009-03-15

2. and met Lisa there!!!!.jpg
2. and met Lisa there!!!!.jpg 2009-03-15

3..jpg
3..jpg 2009-03-15

4..jpg
4..jpg 2009-03-15

5..jpg
5..jpg 2009-03-15

6..jpg
6..jpg 2009-03-15

7. tomb of the unknown soldier.jpg
7. tomb of the unknown soldier.jpg 2009-03-17

8..jpg
8..jpg 2009-03-17

9. upside down shot under the arc de triomphe!.jpg
9. upside down shot under the arc de triomphe!.jpg 2009-03-17

10. eagle under the Arc.jpg
10. eagle under the Arc.jpg 2009-03-17

11..jpg
11..jpg 2009-03-15

12. view of the Champs Elysees from the Arc!.jpg
12. view of the Champs Elysees from the Arc!.jpg 2009-03-17

13..jpg
13..jpg 2009-03-17

14. view of the arc from the middle of the champs elysees.jpg
14. view of the arc from the middle of the champs elysees.jpg 2009-03-17

15. Lisa and me... and of course the Eiffel Tower.jpg
15. Lisa and me... and of course the Eiffel Tower.jpg 2009-03-15

16..jpg
16..jpg 2009-03-17

17..jpg
17..jpg 2009-03-17

18. at L'Obelisque where we had hoped to meet up with Lilly... but unfortunately it didnt work out.jpg
18. at L'Obelisque where we had hoped to meet up with Lilly... but unfortunately it didnt work out.jpg 2009-03-15

19. Louvre from the other side!.jpg
19. Louvre from the other side!.jpg 2009-03-17

20. oh yes, I forgot to mention the Mercedes taxis that were ALL over the place!.jpg
20. oh yes, I forgot to mention the Mercedes taxis that were ALL over the place!.jpg 2009-03-15

21. it's hard to make this one out... but behind the intense glare there is a figure made out of chocolate... see if you can figure out what it is!.jpg
21. it's hard to make this one out... but behind the intense glare there is a figure made out of chocolate... see if you can figure out what it is!.jpg 2009-03-17

22. Notre Dame!.jpg
22. Notre Dame!.jpg 2009-03-17

23..jpg
23..jpg 2009-03-15

24..jpg
24..jpg 2009-03-17

25. bench that we ate lunch on - fresh baguettes and french cheese... mmm.jpg
25. bench that we ate lunch on - fresh baguettes and french cheese... mmm.jpg 2009-03-17

26. .jpg
26. .jpg 2009-03-15

27..jpg
27..jpg 2009-03-15

28..jpg
28..jpg 2009-03-17

29..jpg
29..jpg 2009-03-17

30..jpg
30..jpg 2009-03-17

31. from the front.jpg
31. from the front.jpg 2009-03-15

32. Lisa in front of Notre Dame!.jpg
32. Lisa in front of Notre Dame!.jpg 2009-03-15

33. standing in the center of Paris.jpg
33. standing in the center of Paris.jpg 2009-03-17

34. naturally we took another upside down shot.jpg
34. naturally we took another upside down shot.jpg 2009-03-17

35. inside of Notre Dame.jpg
35. inside of Notre Dame.jpg 2009-03-15

36..jpg
36..jpg 2009-03-15

37..jpg
37..jpg 2009-03-15

38..jpg
38..jpg 2009-03-17

39..jpg
39..jpg 2009-03-15

40. Joan of Arc.jpg
40. Joan of Arc.jpg 2009-03-15

41. as you may have noticed... I love stained glass... and it was gorgeous in here.jpg
41. as you may have noticed... I love stained glass... and it was gorgeous in here.jpg 2009-03-15

42. view down the middle.jpg
42. view down the middle.jpg 2009-03-15

43..jpg
43..jpg 2009-03-15

44..jpg
44..jpg 2009-03-17

45. Sainte Chapelle.jpg
45. Sainte Chapelle.jpg 2009-03-17

46. Louvre from the other side of teh Seine.jpg
46. Louvre from the other side of teh Seine.jpg 2009-03-17

47. Obelisque from the other side of the Seine.jpg
47. Obelisque from the other side of the Seine.jpg 2009-03-15

48..jpg
48..jpg 2009-03-15

official 'no walking' man... and of course Lisa doing an imitation.jpg
official 'no walking' man... and of course Lisa doing an imitation.jpg 2009-03-15

50. walking towards the Eiffel Tower.jpg
50. walking towards the Eiffel Tower.jpg 2009-03-17

51..jpg
51..jpg 2009-03-17

52. Eiffel Tower!.jpg
52. Eiffel Tower!.jpg 2009-03-15

53. I'll spare you my million attempts at getting a great artistic shot, and only show you a few....jpg
53. I'll spare you my million attempts at getting a great artistic shot, and only show you a few....jpg 2009-03-15

54. yay! another upside down shot under the Eiffel Tower!.jpg
54. yay! another upside down shot under the Eiffel Tower!.jpg 2009-03-16

underneath.jpg
underneath.jpg 2009-03-17

56. going up in the elevator.jpg
56. going up in the elevator.jpg 2009-03-15

57. again... i'll try to spare you all of my city shots....jpg
57. again... i'll try to spare you all of my city shots....jpg 2009-03-17

59. sacre coeur where we were the day before.jpg
59. sacre coeur where we were the day before.jpg 2009-03-17

60. Louvre... (huge building along the river).jpg
60. Louvre... (huge building along the river).jpg 2009-03-17

61. .jpg
61. .jpg 2009-03-17

62. PARIS!!!.jpg
62. PARIS!!!.jpg 2009-03-17

63..jpg
63..jpg 2009-03-15

64..jpg
64..jpg 2009-03-17

65. on the Eiffel Tower!.jpg
65. on the Eiffel Tower!.jpg 2009-03-17

66. all of us making our way to the top!.jpg
66. all of us making our way to the top!.jpg 2009-03-17

67. southern view.jpg
67. southern view.jpg 2009-03-15

68. eastern view.jpg
68. eastern view.jpg 2009-03-17

69. northern view.jpg
69. northern view.jpg 2009-03-17

70. western view.jpg
70. western view.jpg 2009-03-15

71..jpg
71..jpg 2009-03-15

72. Lisa and I at the TOP TOP of the Eiffel Tower! Windy... and COLD!.jpg
72. Lisa and I at the TOP TOP of the Eiffel Tower! Windy... and COLD!.jpg 2009-03-15

1. ready to go to Paris!! waiting for the bus....jpg
1. ready to go to Paris!! waiting for the bus....jpg 2009-03-17

2. leaving the airport to get to our plane (two spanish guys thinking I'm taking a photo of them).jpg
2. leaving the airport to get to our plane (two spanish guys thinking I'm taking a photo of them).jpg 2009-03-17

3. Flight #1, Granada to Barcelona.jpg
3. Flight #1, Granada to Barcelona.jpg 2009-03-17

4. arriving at Barcelona airport.jpg
4. arriving at Barcelona airport.jpg 2009-03-17

5. sun setting... quite gorgeous.jpg
5. sun setting... quite gorgeous.jpg 2009-03-17

6. another pretty airport shot.jpg
6. another pretty airport shot.jpg 2009-03-17

7. attempted, but unfortunately blurry, shot of Paris Beauvais airport.jpg
7. attempted, but unfortunately blurry, shot of Paris Beauvais airport.jpg 2009-03-17

8. taking the metro to our hostel.jpg
8. taking the metro to our hostel.jpg 2009-03-17

9. it took us a little bit of time to figure out the metro... but eventually we found the line we were looking for.jpg
9. it took us a little bit of time to figure out the metro... but eventually we found the line we were looking for.jpg 2009-03-15

10. the hostel didn't give us the best directions... but we eventually found our way.jpg
10. the hostel didn't give us the best directions... but we eventually found our way.jpg 2009-03-17

11. view from the hostel window.jpg
11. view from the hostel window.jpg 2009-03-15

12. our six-person hostel room.jpg
12. our six-person hostel room.jpg 2009-03-17

13. my bed for three nights!.jpg
13. my bed for three nights!.jpg 2009-03-17

14. artistic decorations....jpg
14. artistic decorations....jpg 2009-03-17

18. the beautiful toilet for the floor.jpg
18. the beautiful toilet for the floor.jpg 2009-03-15

17. the stairwell was pretty cool.jpg
17. the stairwell was pretty cool.jpg 2009-03-17

16. the shower... a little intimidating at first, but actually surprisingly nice!.jpg
16. the shower... a little intimidating at first, but actually surprisingly nice!.jpg 2009-03-15

21. ready to get started on our first day in Paris!!.jpg
21. ready to get started on our first day in Paris!!.jpg 2009-03-17

22. first stop. the cathedral in Montmartre - Sacre Coeur.jpg
22. first stop. the cathedral in Montmartre - Sacre Coeur.jpg 2009-03-15

19. our door! the hostel was quite colorful!.jpg
19. our door! the hostel was quite colorful!.jpg 2009-03-17

jam and hot chocolate... mmmm.jpg
jam and hot chocolate... mmmm.jpg 2009-03-17

23. Sacre Coeur... and the many steps up to it....jpg
23. Sacre Coeur... and the many steps up to it....jpg 2009-03-15

24. and there's little me in the corner!.jpg
24. and there's little me in the corner!.jpg 2009-03-15

25. so... there's a story behind this photo which I will explain in the journal... basically I got free keychains from a busted street vendor!.jpg
25. so... there's a story behind this photo which I will explain in the journal... basically I got free keychains from a busted street vendor!.jpg 2009-03-17

26. Paris, view #1.jpg
26. Paris, view #1.jpg 2009-03-17

27. view #2.jpg
27. view #2.jpg 2009-03-17

28. view #3.jpg
28. view #3.jpg 2009-03-17

29. closer shot - and a gargoyle.jpg
29. closer shot - and a gargoyle.jpg 2009-03-17

30. this chinese yo-yo guy was pretty impressive.jpg
30. this chinese yo-yo guy was pretty impressive.jpg 2009-03-15

31. walking along the streets of Montmartre.jpg
31. walking along the streets of Montmartre.jpg 2009-03-15

32..jpg
32..jpg 2009-03-15

33..jpg
33..jpg 2009-03-17

34. Eiffel Tower spotting!.jpg
34. Eiffel Tower spotting!.jpg 2009-03-15

35..jpg
35..jpg 2009-03-17

36. Moulin Rouge!.jpg
36. Moulin Rouge!.jpg 2009-03-15

37. Moulin Rouge!!.jpg
37. Moulin Rouge!!.jpg 2009-03-15

38. Le Chat Noir.jpg
38. Le Chat Noir.jpg 2009-03-17

39..jpg
39..jpg 2009-03-15

40. lunch... a little difficult due to the language barrier... but yummy.jpg
40. lunch... a little difficult due to the language barrier... but yummy.jpg 2009-03-17

41. we saw smoke coming out of this building....jpg
41. we saw smoke coming out of this building....jpg 2009-03-17

42. and then the firemen came... not actually sure what happened though....jpg
42. and then the firemen came... not actually sure what happened though....jpg 2009-03-15

43. more parisian streets... we did a lot of walking around exploring.jpg
43. more parisian streets... we did a lot of walking around exploring.jpg 2009-03-15

44..jpg
44..jpg 2009-03-15

45. Opera National de Paris.jpg
45. Opera National de Paris.jpg 2009-03-17

46. Opera house main entrance.jpg
46. Opera house main entrance.jpg 2009-03-17

47. Academie Nationale de Musique.jpg
47. Academie Nationale de Musique.jpg 2009-03-17

48. across from the Louvre.jpg
48. across from the Louvre.jpg 2009-03-17

49. the Louvre!.jpg
49. the Louvre!.jpg 2009-03-15

50..jpg
50..jpg 2009-03-17

51. there were boys doing skating tricks in the little square outside the louvre.jpg
51. there were boys doing skating tricks in the little square outside the louvre.jpg 2009-03-17

52. roller blading cops - amazing!.jpg
52. roller blading cops - amazing!.jpg 2009-03-17

53. they chased down this car to pull it over!.jpg
53. they chased down this car to pull it over!.jpg 2009-03-17

54..jpg
54..jpg 2009-03-15

55. the Seine.jpg
55. the Seine.jpg 2009-03-17

56. Seine #2.jpg
56. Seine #2.jpg 2009-03-17

57. Seine....jpg
57. Seine....jpg 2009-03-17

58. and again....jpg
58. and again....jpg 2009-03-17

60. pyramid!.jpg
60. pyramid!.jpg 2009-03-17

59. inside the louvre courtyard area.jpg
59. inside the louvre courtyard area.jpg 2009-03-17

62. 'artistic' upside down inside the louvre shot.jpg
62. 'artistic' upside down inside the louvre shot.jpg 2009-03-17

63..jpg
63..jpg 2009-03-15

61. me at the louvre!.jpg
61. me at the louvre!.jpg 2009-03-15

64..jpg
64..jpg 2009-03-15

65..jpg
65..jpg 2009-03-17

66..jpg
66..jpg 2009-03-17

67..jpg
67..jpg 2009-03-15

68..jpg
68..jpg 2009-03-15

69..jpg
69..jpg 2009-03-17

70. one of the ceilings.jpg
70. one of the ceilings.jpg 2009-03-17

71..jpg
71..jpg 2009-03-15

72. Mona Lisa.jpg
72. Mona Lisa.jpg 2009-03-15

73. .jpg
73. .jpg 2009-03-17

74. there's the Mona Lisa on it's own wall in the middle.jpg
74. there's the Mona Lisa on it's own wall in the middle.jpg 2009-03-17

75. view from inside the Louvre... and then my battery ran out....jpg
75. view from inside the Louvre... and then my battery ran out....jpg 2009-03-17

1. we took a quick stop at some windmills along Quijote's route.jpg
1. we took a quick stop at some windmills along Quijote's route.jpg 2009-03-03

2..jpg
2..jpg 2009-03-01

3. the windmills.jpg
3. the windmills.jpg 2009-03-03

4. the town in the valley.jpg
4. the town in the valley.jpg 2009-03-03

5. .jpg
5. .jpg 2009-03-01

6..jpg
6..jpg 2009-03-01

7. Catedral de Santa Maria in Toledo.jpg
7. Catedral de Santa Maria in Toledo.jpg 2009-03-01

8. this was absolutely amazing.jpg
8. this was absolutely amazing.jpg 2009-03-01

9. unfortunately we couldn't take photos inside, but even the outside was beautiful.jpg
9. unfortunately we couldn't take photos inside, but even the outside was beautiful.jpg 2009-03-03

10..jpg
10..jpg 2009-03-03

11..jpg
11..jpg 2009-03-01

12..jpg
12..jpg 2009-03-01

13..jpg
13..jpg 2009-03-01

14. Santa Maria La Blanca - Synagogue with lots of artwork - sorry again not allowed to take photos inside.jpg
14. Santa Maria La Blanca - Synagogue with lots of artwork - sorry again not allowed to take photos inside.jpg 2009-03-03

15. Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes - we were able to take a few photos in here....jpg
15. Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes - we were able to take a few photos in here....jpg 2009-03-03

16. gothic style cathedral.jpg
16. gothic style cathedral.jpg 2009-03-01

17. the courtyard area.jpg
17. the courtyard area.jpg 2009-03-01

18. inside.jpg
18. inside.jpg 2009-03-01

19. inside the chapel of San Juan de los Reyes.jpg
19. inside the chapel of San Juan de los Reyes.jpg 2009-03-01

20..jpg
20..jpg 2009-03-03

21..jpg
21..jpg 2009-03-01

22..jpg
22..jpg 2009-03-01

23. outside of San-Juan de los Reyes.jpg
23. outside of San-Juan de los Reyes.jpg 2009-03-01

24. .jpg
24. .jpg 2009-03-01

26..jpg
26..jpg 2009-03-03

27. Toledo!.jpg
27. Toledo!.jpg 2009-03-01

28. looking out from the bridge.jpg
28. looking out from the bridge.jpg 2009-03-03

29. .jpg
29. .jpg 2009-03-01

30. .jpg
30. .jpg 2009-03-03

31..jpg
31..jpg 2009-03-03

32. Toledo - famous for its swords.jpg
32. Toledo - famous for its swords.jpg 2009-03-03

33. Escolasticas.jpg
33. Escolasticas.jpg 2009-03-03

34. this monestary was part of Escolasticas.jpg
34. this monestary was part of Escolasticas.jpg 2009-03-03

35. to the right of the courtyard is the monestary and to the left is a school - in front is the cathedral and palace (cathedral was getting renovated, so we went into the palace).jpg
35. to the right of the courtyard is the monestary and to the left is a school - in front is the cathedral and palace (cathedral was getting renovated, so we went into the palace).jpg 2009-03-01

36. sorry - we weren't allowed to take photos again... there was a huge royal burial chamber underground here which was incredible.jpg
36. sorry - we weren't allowed to take photos again... there was a huge royal burial chamber underground here which was incredible.jpg 2009-03-03

37. Valle de los Caidos - a Spanish civil war memorial and also Franco's tomb.jpg
37. Valle de los Caidos - a Spanish civil war memorial and also Franco's tomb.jpg 2009-03-03

38. this HUGE cross is on the top of the mountain at the Valle de los Caidos.jpg
38. this HUGE cross is on the top of the mountain at the Valle de los Caidos.jpg 2009-03-01

39. the view was gorgeous from up there!.jpg
39. the view was gorgeous from up there!.jpg 2009-03-03

40. .jpg
40. .jpg 2009-03-01

41. I snuck one photo of the inside - sorry there were guards all over the place.jpg
41. I snuck one photo of the inside - sorry there were guards all over the place.jpg 2009-03-01

42..jpg
42..jpg 2009-03-03

43..jpg
43..jpg 2009-03-03

44..jpg
44..jpg 2009-03-03

45..jpg
45..jpg 2009-03-03

46. Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen).jpg
46. Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen).jpg 2009-03-03

47..jpg
47..jpg 2009-03-03

48..jpg
48..jpg 2009-03-03

49. Museo Del Prado - art museum in Madrid.jpg
49. Museo Del Prado - art museum in Madrid.jpg 2009-03-03

50. Museo de la Reina Sofia - modern art museum in Madrid - had some Picasso and some Dali!.jpg
50. Museo de la Reina Sofia - modern art museum in Madrid - had some Picasso and some Dali!.jpg 2009-03-03

51. this was just the elevator outside the museum - but it was cool.jpg
51. this was just the elevator outside the museum - but it was cool.jpg 2009-03-01

52. this is the closest I could get to taking photos of the museum.jpg
52. this is the closest I could get to taking photos of the museum.jpg 2009-03-03

53. outside the museum after our tour - apparently that's the moon and Venus (I'm not sure if that's true though).jpg
53. outside the museum after our tour - apparently that's the moon and Venus (I'm not sure if that's true though).jpg 2009-03-03

54. after experiencing Madrid in a day we had our surprise - "Carmen" a flamenco show with Sara Baras!.jpg
54. after experiencing Madrid in a day we had our surprise - "Carmen" a flamenco show with Sara Baras!.jpg 2009-03-01

55..jpg
55..jpg 2009-03-03

56. view from the seats.jpg
56. view from the seats.jpg 2009-03-03

57. curtain call after an amazing show!! they were fantastic dancers!.jpg
57. curtain call after an amazing show!! they were fantastic dancers!.jpg 2009-03-03

58. Cathedral in Segovia.jpg
58. Cathedral in Segovia.jpg 2009-03-03

59. Streets of Segovia.jpg
59. Streets of Segovia.jpg 2009-03-01

60. Aquaducts in Segovia.jpg
60. Aquaducts in Segovia.jpg 2009-03-03

61. more aquaducts.jpg
61. more aquaducts.jpg 2009-03-01

62. Perspective shot - they were huge!.jpg
62. Perspective shot - they were huge!.jpg 2009-03-01

63. and more....jpg
63. and more....jpg 2009-03-03

64. I took so many more photos of the aquaducts - but I'll spare you.jpg
64. I took so many more photos of the aquaducts - but I'll spare you.jpg 2009-03-01

65. Segovia.jpg
65. Segovia.jpg 2009-03-03

66. more Segovia.jpg
66. more Segovia.jpg 2009-03-03

67. Valor de Chocolate - Churros con Chocolate.. mmmmm.jpg
67. Valor de Chocolate - Churros con Chocolate.. mmmmm.jpg 2009-03-03

68. Cathedral in Segovia.jpg
68. Cathedral in Segovia.jpg 2009-03-03

69..jpg
69..jpg 2009-03-01

70. Entrance to the Cathedral.jpg
70. Entrance to the Cathedral.jpg 2009-03-01

71. Outside of the courtyard in the Cathedral.jpg
71. Outside of the courtyard in the Cathedral.jpg 2009-03-01

72. Looking up from the walkway - you can see the strings hanging from the openings, those are put there to stop birds from getting into the cathedral because they would peck and destroy the stone.jpg
72. Looking up from the walkway - you can see the strings hanging from the openings, those are put there to stop birds from getting into the cathedral because they would peck and destroy the stone.jpg 2009-03-01

73..jpg
73..jpg 2009-03-01

74..jpg
74..jpg 2009-03-03

75. Entrance to Alcazar - castle in Segovia.jpg
75. Entrance to Alcazar - castle in Segovia.jpg 2009-03-03

76. Alcazar.jpg
76. Alcazar.jpg 2009-03-03

77..jpg
77..jpg 2009-03-03

78. picture of the INSIDE!.jpg
78. picture of the INSIDE!.jpg 2009-03-01

79. the ceilings in all of these places amazed me, here's one.jpg
79. the ceilings in all of these places amazed me, here's one.jpg 2009-03-01

80. view from inside the castle.jpg
80. view from inside the castle.jpg 2009-03-01

81. there were so many beautiful stained glass windows in all of the places we went.jpg
81. there were so many beautiful stained glass windows in all of the places we went.jpg 2009-03-01

82. more stained glass windows.jpg
82. more stained glass windows.jpg 2009-03-01

83. bed.jpg
83. bed.jpg 2009-03-01

84..jpg
84..jpg 2009-03-03

85. tower of the castle.jpg
85. tower of the castle.jpg 2009-03-03

86. steps to get to the top of the castle.jpg
86. steps to get to the top of the castle.jpg 2009-03-03

87. they went on forever.jpg
87. they went on forever.jpg 2009-03-01

88. top of the castle.jpg
88. top of the castle.jpg 2009-03-01

89. view from the top - the cathedral.jpg
89. view from the top - the cathedral.jpg 2009-03-03

90. more from the roof.jpg
90. more from the roof.jpg 2009-03-03

91..jpg
91..jpg 2009-03-03

92..jpg
92..jpg 2009-03-01

93. a little town in the distance.jpg
93. a little town in the distance.jpg 2009-03-03

94. me on the top of the castle.jpg
94. me on the top of the castle.jpg 2009-03-03

95. Spanish Flag!.jpg
95. Spanish Flag!.jpg 2009-03-01

96. Plaza Mayor - wandering around Segovia.jpg
96. Plaza Mayor - wandering around Segovia.jpg 2009-03-03

97..jpg
97..jpg 2009-03-01

98. Plaza Mayor - near the cathedral.jpg
98. Plaza Mayor - near the cathedral.jpg 2009-03-01

99. Madrid at 4am - this place does not go to sleep!.jpg
99. Madrid at 4am - this place does not go to sleep!.jpg 2009-03-03

100. the hotel room.jpg
100. the hotel room.jpg 2009-03-03

101..jpg
101..jpg 2009-03-03

102. Palacio Real- Royal Palace in Madrid.jpg
102. Palacio Real- Royal Palace in Madrid.jpg 2009-03-03

103..jpg
103..jpg 2009-03-01

104. still outside - this place was HUGE!.jpg
104. still outside - this place was HUGE!.jpg 2009-03-03

105. the other end.jpg
105. the other end.jpg 2009-03-03

106. view of one end of the Palace's courtyard.jpg
106. view of one end of the Palace's courtyard.jpg 2009-03-03

107. the other end.jpg
107. the other end.jpg 2009-03-03

108..jpg
108..jpg 2009-03-01

109..jpg
109..jpg 2009-03-01

110. view from the Palace.jpg
110. view from the Palace.jpg 2009-03-03

111. walkway of the palace.jpg
111. walkway of the palace.jpg 2009-03-01

112..jpg
112..jpg 2009-03-01

113. exploring Madrid in our spare time.jpg
113. exploring Madrid in our spare time.jpg 2009-03-03

114. we found these painted cow statues in the park by the palace.jpg
114. we found these painted cow statues in the park by the palace.jpg 2009-03-03

115..jpg
115..jpg 2009-03-03

116. statue in the park with the palace in the background.jpg
116. statue in the park with the palace in the background.jpg 2009-03-01

117. our bus outside our hotel - we spent a LOT of time in that bus.jpg
117. our bus outside our hotel - we spent a LOT of time in that bus.jpg 2009-03-03

118. the front of our hotel - Hotel Principe Pio.jpg
118. the front of our hotel - Hotel Principe Pio.jpg 2009-03-03

119. beautiful rainbow that we saw on our 5 hour trip from Madrid back to Granada.jpg
119. beautiful rainbow that we saw on our 5 hour trip from Madrid back to Granada.jpg 2009-03-01

100_1462.jpg
100_1462.jpg 2009-02-23

2. sundial.jpg
2. sundial.jpg 2009-02-21

3. we made a stop on our way to Ronda to look at these.jpg
3. we made a stop on our way to Ronda to look at these.jpg 2009-02-23

4. these were huge rocks making up the walls and supports, and we watched a video about how they pulled this whole thing together - very impressive.jpg
4. these were huge rocks making up the walls and supports, and we watched a video about how they pulled this whole thing together - very impressive.jpg 2009-02-23

5. the first sightings of Ronda.jpg
5. the first sightings of Ronda.jpg 2009-02-23

6. Santa Maria la Mayor.jpg
6. Santa Maria la Mayor.jpg 2009-02-23

7. very pretty cathedral.jpg
7. very pretty cathedral.jpg 2009-02-21

8. political building.jpg
8. political building.jpg 2009-02-23

9..jpg
9..jpg 2009-02-21

10. this was a huge, absolutely gorgeous church.jpg
10. this was a huge, absolutely gorgeous church.jpg 2009-02-21

11. and the beauty continues.jpg
11. and the beauty continues.jpg 2009-02-23

12..jpg
12..jpg 2009-02-21

13. .jpg
13. .jpg 2009-02-21

14..jpg
14..jpg 2009-02-23

15. tiled artwork of the city on one of the walls of the street.jpg
15. tiled artwork of the city on one of the walls of the street.jpg 2009-02-23

16. this - was amazing (some later pictures are taken from on top of that).jpg
16. this - was amazing (some later pictures are taken from on top of that).jpg 2009-02-21

17. looking down the cliff.jpg
17. looking down the cliff.jpg 2009-02-21

18. restaurant on top of the cliff.jpg
18. restaurant on top of the cliff.jpg 2009-02-21

19. the bridge.jpg
19. the bridge.jpg 2009-02-21

20. looking out on Ronda.jpg
20. looking out on Ronda.jpg 2009-02-23

21..jpg
21..jpg 2009-02-21

22..jpg
22..jpg 2009-02-23

23..jpg
23..jpg 2009-02-23

24. me and Ronda.jpg
24. me and Ronda.jpg 2009-02-23

25..jpg
25..jpg 2009-02-23

26..jpg
26..jpg 2009-02-21

27. Ashley, me, and a beautiful view (now on the other side of the bridge).jpg
27. Ashley, me, and a beautiful view (now on the other side of the bridge).jpg 2009-02-23

28..jpg
28..jpg 2009-02-23

29. a nice gazebo, lookout area.jpg
29. a nice gazebo, lookout area.jpg 2009-02-23

30. group shot taken by Jorge, unfortunately kind of far away so I can't even tell who everyone is.jpg
30. group shot taken by Jorge, unfortunately kind of far away so I can't even tell who everyone is.jpg 2009-02-23

31. Jorge explained that this man is the "father of Andalucia".jpg
31. Jorge explained that this man is the "father of Andalucia".jpg 2009-02-21

32. Blas Infante.jpg
32. Blas Infante.jpg 2009-02-23

33. outside the bullfighting arena.jpg
33. outside the bullfighting arena.jpg 2009-02-23

34. the big bullfighting arena in Ronda.jpg
34. the big bullfighting arena in Ronda.jpg 2009-02-21

35. the arena.jpg
35. the arena.jpg 2009-02-23

36. the group all in the arena.jpg
36. the group all in the arena.jpg 2009-02-23

37..jpg
37..jpg 2009-02-23

38. .jpg
38. .jpg 2009-02-21

39. wandering the streets of Ronda.jpg
39. wandering the streets of Ronda.jpg 2009-02-21

40. more wandering.jpg
40. more wandering.jpg 2009-02-21

41..jpg
41..jpg 2009-02-21

42. this store had literally ALL white clothing.jpg
42. this store had literally ALL white clothing.jpg 2009-02-23

1. Walk to Sacromonte.jpg
1. Walk to Sacromonte.jpg 2009-02-20

2. Looking back down at Granada.jpg
2. Looking back down at Granada.jpg 2009-02-20

3. The Alhambra from the valley area.jpg
3. The Alhambra from the valley area.jpg 2009-02-23

4..jpg
4..jpg 2009-02-23

5. Our first incline....jpg
5. Our first incline....jpg 2009-02-23

6..jpg
6..jpg 2009-02-20

7..jpg
7..jpg 2009-02-23

8. Granada - these shots are so hard to capture, but this was absolutely gorgeous.jpg
8. Granada - these shots are so hard to capture, but this was absolutely gorgeous.jpg 2009-02-20

9. in Sacromonte.jpg
9. in Sacromonte.jpg 2009-02-20

10. Sacromonte.jpg
10. Sacromonte.jpg 2009-02-23

11..jpg
11..jpg 2009-02-23

12. lots of little restaurants and Flamenco caves in this hill.jpg
12. lots of little restaurants and Flamenco caves in this hill.jpg 2009-02-20

13..jpg
13..jpg 2009-02-23

14. Jessica, Karen, Andy, me.jpg
14. Jessica, Karen, Andy, me.jpg 2009-02-23

15. the other side of the wall that I was determined to get behind when I saw it from the Albaicin.jpg
15. the other side of the wall that I was determined to get behind when I saw it from the Albaicin.jpg 2009-02-23

16. LOTS of little cave homes in the mountain.jpg
16. LOTS of little cave homes in the mountain.jpg 2009-02-23

17. more cave homes.jpg
17. more cave homes.jpg 2009-02-23

18..jpg
18..jpg 2009-02-23

19. one of the outdoor living areas.jpg
19. one of the outdoor living areas.jpg 2009-02-23

20. view from the top!.jpg
20. view from the top!.jpg 2009-02-23

21..jpg
21..jpg 2009-02-23

22. a cave that was very obviously lived in at some point.jpg
22. a cave that was very obviously lived in at some point.jpg 2009-02-23

23. magazine cut-outs of words and bugs on the cave walls.jpg
23. magazine cut-outs of words and bugs on the cave walls.jpg 2009-02-23

24. dreams of paradise....jpg
24. dreams of paradise....jpg 2009-02-23

25. sunset.jpg
25. sunset.jpg 2009-02-23

26. this wall was at the top of the hill - made of marble and had completely random holes, but was really cool!.jpg
26. this wall was at the top of the hill - made of marble and had completely random holes, but was really cool!.jpg 2009-02-23

27. inside the wall!.jpg
27. inside the wall!.jpg 2009-02-20

28. looking back on Granada - we were trying to figure out where Mirador de San Nicolas is - where we were the other day.jpg
28. looking back on Granada - we were trying to figure out where Mirador de San Nicolas is - where we were the other day.jpg 2009-02-23

29. Alhambra - Granada.jpg
29. Alhambra - Granada.jpg 2009-02-23

30. so we came down a different way than we went up - and sort of got lost in a different part of the city - but as always it was fun, and this was pretty!.jpg
30. so we came down a different way than we went up - and sort of got lost in a different part of the city - but as always it was fun, and this was pretty!.jpg 2009-02-23

1. Catedral.JPG
1. Catedral.JPG 2009-02-12

2..JPG
2..JPG 2009-02-12

3..JPG
3..JPG 2009-02-12

4..JPG
4..JPG 2009-02-12

5..JPG
5..JPG 2009-02-12

6. "beauty is not in what the eyes see, it is in what the heart feels".JPG
6. "beauty is not in what the eyes see, it is in what the heart feels".JPG 2009-02-12

7. they have some cute graffiti.JPG
7. they have some cute graffiti.JPG 2009-02-12

8. 'guiri' is what they call foreigners here, but it's a nice thing apparently.JPG
8. 'guiri' is what they call foreigners here, but it's a nice thing apparently.JPG 2009-02-12

9. gorgeous building in the middle of the city.JPG
9. gorgeous building in the middle of the city.JPG 2009-02-12

10..JPG
10..JPG 2009-02-12

11..JPG
11..JPG 2009-02-12

12..JPG
12..JPG 2009-02-12

13..JPG
13..JPG 2009-02-12

14. it still amazes me that these larger trucks go down tiny little alleys that don't seem like they should be roads.JPG
14. it still amazes me that these larger trucks go down tiny little alleys that don't seem like they should be roads.JPG 2009-02-12

15. Andy, Karen, and Jessica.JPG
15. Andy, Karen, and Jessica.JPG 2009-02-12

16. this was their tapa menu, but they didn't give us any.JPG
16. this was their tapa menu, but they didn't give us any.JPG 2009-02-12

17..JPG
17..JPG 2009-02-12

18. our first tapas!!.JPG
18. our first tapas!!.JPG 2009-02-13

19. eyes closed....JPG
19. eyes closed....JPG 2009-02-13

20. eyes open!.JPG
20. eyes open!.JPG 2009-02-13

22. Valentine's Day.JPG
22. Valentine's Day.JPG 2009-02-14

21. Chikito - Scott "took me" here for Valentine's Day.JPG
21. Chikito - Scott "took me" here for Valentine's Day.JPG 2009-02-14

23. very nice restaurant.JPG
23. very nice restaurant.JPG 2009-02-14

24. Mae West - I wasn't allowed in at first because I wasn't wearing heels....JPG
24. Mae West - I wasn't allowed in at first because I wasn't wearing heels....JPG 2009-02-14

25. incredibly crowded!.JPG
25. incredibly crowded!.JPG 2009-02-14

26. Ashley smiling like I do, me attempting an Ashley face.JPG
26. Ashley smiling like I do, me attempting an Ashley face.JPG 2009-02-14

27. walk through Albaicin.JPG
27. walk through Albaicin.JPG 2009-02-15

28. at San Nicolas.JPG
28. at San Nicolas.JPG 2009-02-15

29. Alhambra.JPG
29. Alhambra.JPG 2009-02-15

30. Alhambra.JPG
30. Alhambra.JPG 2009-02-15

31. Granada!.JPG
31. Granada!.JPG 2009-02-15

32. me!.JPG
32. me!.JPG 2009-02-15

33. Plaza Mirador de San Nicolas.JPG
33. Plaza Mirador de San Nicolas.JPG 2009-02-15

34..JPG
34..JPG 2009-02-15

35..JPG
35..JPG 2009-02-15

36. view of the city.JPG
36. view of the city.JPG 2009-02-15

37. Alhambra with Sierra Nevada.JPG
37. Alhambra with Sierra Nevada.JPG 2009-02-15

38..JPG
38..JPG 2009-02-15

39. a good lookout place in the Albaicin where you can see amazing views of the Alhambra and the city.JPG
39. a good lookout place in the Albaicin where you can see amazing views of the Alhambra and the city.JPG 2009-02-15

40. Alhambra on the way back down from the Albaicin.JPG
40. Alhambra on the way back down from the Albaicin.JPG 2009-02-15

1. Calle Buenos Aires.jpg
1. Calle Buenos Aires.jpg 2009-02-09

2. our building.jpg
2. our building.jpg 2009-02-09

3..jpg
3..jpg 2009-02-09

4..jpg
4..jpg 2009-02-12

5. Gumby - cool walking man.jpg
5. Gumby - cool walking man.jpg 2009-02-12

6. Camino de Ronda.jpg
6. Camino de Ronda.jpg 2009-02-09

7. Illegal double parking - so many cars!.jpg
7. Illegal double parking - so many cars!.jpg 2009-02-12

8..jpg
8..jpg 2009-02-10

9. view from el centro.jpg
9. view from el centro.jpg 2009-02-10

10. across from el centro.jpg
10. across from el centro.jpg 2009-02-10

11. SCHOOL!.jpg
11. SCHOOL!.jpg 2009-02-12

12. tiny road to school.jpg
12. tiny road to school.jpg 2009-02-10

13. traffic jam.jpg
13. traffic jam.jpg 2009-02-10

14..jpg
14..jpg 2009-02-12

15. .jpg
15. .jpg 2009-02-10

16..jpg
16..jpg 2009-02-12

17. I love that this is at the end of a city street.jpg
17. I love that this is at the end of a city street.jpg 2009-02-10

18. Callate la Boca.jpg
18. Callate la Boca.jpg 2009-02-12

19. orange trees lining the streets.jpg
19. orange trees lining the streets.jpg 2009-02-10

20. .jpg
20. .jpg 2009-02-12

21. Ashley Jason and me.jpg
21. Ashley Jason and me.jpg 2009-02-12

22. my roomie!.jpg
22. my roomie!.jpg 2009-02-11

23. Jason.jpg
23. Jason.jpg 2009-02-11

24..jpg
24..jpg 2009-02-12

25..jpg
25..jpg 2009-02-11

26..jpg
26..jpg 2009-02-11

27. Jason stealing oranges (not really).jpg
27. Jason stealing oranges (not really).jpg 2009-02-11

28. dining room table - its just for show though, we pull out another small table to eat at.jpg
28. dining room table - its just for show though, we pull out another small table to eat at.jpg 2009-02-11

29. Carmen likes to watch TV.jpg
29. Carmen likes to watch TV.jpg 2009-02-11

where we eat.jpg
where we eat.jpg 2009-02-12

31. kitchen.jpg
31. kitchen.jpg 2009-02-11

desk.jpg
desk.jpg 2009-02-12

33. my bright bed.jpg
33. my bright bed.jpg 2009-02-12

34. my dresser.jpg
34. my dresser.jpg 2009-02-12

35. bathroom.jpg
35. bathroom.jpg 2009-02-11

36. Carmen let us know that it's not used.jpg
36. Carmen let us know that it's not used.jpg 2009-02-12

37. shower - we need to take quick showers, and we need to hold the shower head because there's nowhere to hang it.jpg
37. shower - we need to take quick showers, and we need to hold the shower head because there's nowhere to hang it.jpg 2009-02-12

kitchen area.jpg
kitchen area.jpg 2009-02-11

39. el centro.jpg
39. el centro.jpg 2009-02-12

40. downstairs.jpg
40. downstairs.jpg 2009-02-12

41. Karen, Ashley and our UD room - Aula 9.jpg
41. Karen, Ashley and our UD room - Aula 9.jpg 2009-02-12

42..jpg
42..jpg 2009-02-12

This past weekend we had our final group weekend trip of the semester! It was a trip to the Alpujarras, Almuñecar, and Nerja. Really, it was mostly staying in Almuñecar, with a bus trip through the Alpujarras on Friday and a trip to see some caves in Nerja on Sunday. But all in all it was a rather relaxing beach weekend. We all met up Friday morning to catch our bus at the Neptuno Mall (as usual). We then drove up toward the Sierra Nevada, where there is an area of hippie-style living, called the Alpujarras. They’re basically mountain towns where they’re somewhat self-sufficient and separate from the nearby city life. One of our teachers is always joking about how people in the city who dress hippie-style aren’t real hippies because they still live in a materialistic society, but if you go to the Alpujarras, that’s where you can find real hippies. So that was pretty nice, it was a cute little mountain town with lots of tiny roads going between the buildings, and judging by the amount of rug stores, it appears that rug making was a primary source of income for them. After a short walk around there, and a quick coffee break, we got back on the bus for another winding journey up the side of the mountains. We took another quick photo stop at a “waterfall.” Not all that impressive as you can notice from the photos, but it was a good stop to have as some people were feeling nauseous from the bus ride. After about a half-hour more on the bus we took a 3 hour lunch break in the highest village in the Alpujarras. We all sat together for a nice little picnic next to the Trevelez River. After relaxing around the river for a while we went back up into the town for some touristy shopping and some more sitting down at a café for some ice cream and chatting. We arrived in Almuñecar, where our hotel for two nights, Hotel Helios, was located, very conveniently, right next to the beach. Jorge then informed us that we had designated eating times at the hotel restaurant for breakfast and dinner, but other than that we were free until Sunday morning when we were due to head out. So we all dropped off our bags in our rooms and headed off to check out the beach. It was a pebble beach as opposed to sand, and a little gray-colored. So it wasn’t quite the beautiful beaches from Portugal; but it was still a beach! So a few of us braved jumping in, and after a little getting accustomed to the temperature, it was gorgeous and we swam around for quite a while. That evening a few of us hung out in the hotel, playing Bananagrams and cards in our room, and later took a walk down to the beach to see what it was like at night. Saturday morning we got up for breakfast, and then went on an optional Jorge-tour around Almuñecar. We went to the top of this hill with a cross on it to get some good views of the town, then went through a park, took a coffee break at a little coffee shop with some delicious churros, then passed through the fresh food market, and eventually ended up at the Aquarium of Almuñecar. It was really just an aquarium, but I think it had been a while since most of us had been to one, so it was pretty fun. Unfortunately the weather was not quite perfect, and it rained for a while that morning, but it subsided for the majority of the afternoon thankfully. So we went shopping for a little bit (I got a Spanish swimsuit!), ate a nice lunch at one of the restaurants in town, and then put on our swimsuits (my new one ☺) and headed down to the beach for the afternoon. We spent a few hours on the beach hanging out playing games until it started raining and we could see the storm coming on. So we decided it would be safest to head back to the hotel. We got showered, ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, and then hung out in our room again. The group of people in our room kept expanding, so it was a lot of fun just hanging out with people who we don’t always necessarily get a chance to chat with. But once again, a very laid back evening. The next day we got on our double-decker bus! I have no idea why we got a double-decker, as our typical coach bus is way bigger than we actually need, but it was fun either way! We went about 20 minutes along the coast to Nerja, a nearby town. It’s also a beach town, but we went there to see the big caves that it’s also known for. That was pretty impressive. Sorry the photos don’t look all that great, we weren’t allowed flash, and there wasn’t quite enough light in there to get bright enough photos. Then we got back on the bus after walking through the caves for about 45 minutes, and had our 2 hour bus ride back to Granada. We were home by about 2pm, so we were back in time for lunch with our host families. When Ashley and I walked in the front door we heard Carmen cooking up a storm, and noticed that the big table was set with 6 place settings, as opposed to the small table that Carmen, Ashley and I normally sit at. So she asked us about our weekend, and then told us that it was her grandson’s 10th birthday and that him and his parents were coming over for lunch. So a painfully hungry hour later the three of them arrived, and we were called for lunch. This is possibly the most adorable thing I have seen in Granada since I’ve been here. When I went out, I said ‘feliz cumpleaños’ to her grandson, Fernando, and he responded ‘gracias,’ and then put up his little arms and pulled my shoulders down to do the Spanish greeting (one kiss on each cheek). It was the cutest thing to have a small boy do this. So we had a nice lunch with Fernando and his parents. That evening we had a nice conversation with Carmen after dinner. We’ve been having more of these recently, and it’s really nice. We told her that we thought Fernando was absolutely adorable, especially when he did that greeting. And she responded with, ‘yes, and he still doesn’t have a girlfriend, he’s focusing on his studies first.’ Not exactly the response I was expecting, as he just turned 10. Then Carmen’s daughter (Fernando’s mother) came by that evening to spend the night (she had work the next morning in Granada), and we got to talking about movies, and ended up watching P.S. I Love You in Spanish. It was fun, and it seems like they enjoyed it quite a bit. This week will be mostly trying to work on papers for my classes. Political science has one of those policies where you just need to write three papers and hand them in by the end of the semester, so I need to get started on those. I only have 2 more days of classes, and one day for exams. It seems sort of crazy! I’ll be done with classes next Wednesday! This upcoming weekend will be mostly just hanging around Granada, but I’m hoping to get to a bullfight too, so I may be making a trip over to Sevilla for that. That’s about all for here. Had another nice relaxing weekend last weekend, but should probably get started on homework I’ve been procrastinating long enough on. Hope everyone is doing well!

This past weekend was our road trip to Portugal! I went with Andy, his roommate Akin, and Akin’s friend Rodrigo, who is from Brazil. As I’m sure most of you know, Europe has mostly standard transmission vehicles, and to rent an automatic is a lot more expensive. So thankfully we had Rodrigo who was the only one of us that was able to drive. There was a last-minute change of plans on Wednesday when I learned all of a sudden we were leaving on Thursday morning instead of Friday morning. This worked out perfectly for me, as I don’t have classes on Thursdays or Fridays anyway. So it was nice to get that extra day in Portugal. The trip started off a little on the rocky side. Somehow rather than being on a major highway heading toward major Spanish cities along the way to Portugal, we ended up on back roads going up, down, and around the sides of mountains with no visible civilization for the first 1 ½ hours. But, needless to say, we did eventually make it back to a major highway, only to find out that we had only really gotten about 15km closer to our destination. But oh well, we’ll just say we took the scenic route! I wasn’t exactly keeping track of the time, but lets just say we got into Portugal at about 6:30pm Portugal time (1 hour behind Spanish time). So we had a few hours to find our hostel, the International Youth Hostel of Lagos (which was a little difficult considering the amount of tiny, one-way streets that were hard to navigate through). But we got there, paid up our 12euros per night, dropped off our stuff, then headed to check out the town! We walked over to the really long beach that was a little less inhabited than we were expecting, but it was also pretty late and only a Thursday at this point. So we started walking back toward the hostel in search of a restaurant. It was amazing how cheap all of the meals were there, a nice welcomed surprise, as I feel like we’ve been mostly going to places with a more expensive cost of living. So we got a nice, and relatively cheap, dinner of chicken and fries. Then we went back to the hostel, hung out for a short while, and then tried out a bar down the street, “Three Monkeys,” that had been recommended to us by some friends who had gone a few weeks before us. The next morning we had breakfast in the hostel, and found out that the people sitting at the table next to us also happened to be from Granada, studying at the same school as us, and they were also in the room right next to us at the hostel. So they recommended that we go to one of the beaches by the cliffs, down a little ways from the beach we had walked to the evening before. So we took them up on their recommendation, and eventually met up with them on the beach. After lazing around for a while, Andy, Rodrigo and I decided to go exploring down the beach. It turns out that those beaches along the cliffs just keep going. There were tunnels made through the cliffs to make access to the next beach easier, or there were also steps up to get to the top of the cliff and walk across and down to the next beach. But instead we took the more exciting way, through the caves and wading through the water. It was a lot of fun, and absolutely gorgeous (as I’m sure you can see from the photos). Of course, we sort of lost track of time until about 3 or 4 when our stomachs reminded us that we should probably go back and get something to eat. So we headed back along the tops of the cliffs to get some different views of the area. We picked our stuff up from the beach, and Andy and I went to a nice little restaurant “Xpreitaqui” where I got a chicken salad sandwich with pineapple on a fresh baguette, the perfect meal for the middle of a beautiful day. Then we went touristing, got our Portugal patches, and explored around the center of town a little bit. Went back to the hostel to shower and take a quick nap. Then we went out for some Portuguese Chinese food, which was quite delicious, and then hung out on the beach that night for a few hours. The next morning Akin went to breakfast before the rest of us, and he met a group of 8 girls studying in Lisbon who were in Lagos for the weekend. They told him about a beach that they were planning on going to for the day, which was a short drive away (about 5-10 minutes), and a little more secluded than most of the beaches right in town. So we did that for the day. There wasn’t quite as much to do in the way of exploring in that area, but it was another absolutely gorgeous area, more cliffs, small beaches, and beautiful blue water. So it was a little more relaxing, laying in the sun reading. That afternoon when the sun had completely left the beach and we were shivering with the wind, we headed back to the hostel. We got showered, and then hung out in the courtyard area of the hostel playing UNO with the Spanish girls. Andy and I went out for dinner, as we got hungry before the others, to a restaurant down the road (also recommended to us by the group that had gone a few weeks ago) called NahNahBah. It was a small place with lots of people, and incredible food! We both ordered burgers (it’s been a while since I’ve had a real one), and it was delicious! We ended up sitting at the bar, as most of the tables were reserved for larger groups. But it was nice because we had a nice conversation with the bartender, Deb, who was the perfect little bartender, and very fun to talk with. We also managed a free dessert out of sitting there, because there was a mix-up in the kitchen and they made one extra, so Deb gave it to us for free! After dinner, we were exhausted from a long day in the sun, and ended up just going to bed early. The next morning we had breakfast with the Spanish girls, packed up, checked out, and headed out. We decided to start early on our trip for the day so that we could spend a few hours in Sevilla, as it was the Feria, one of Sevilla’s big festivals, where lots of people dress up in traditional flamenco clothing and dance in the streets. We didn’t actually get to see any dancing, but there were definitely women dressed in Flamenco dresses, little girls too, which was adorable. So we stayed there for a few hours, got a bite to eat at a sports bar called the Texas Lone Star Saloon by the cathedral. Then headed back to Granada (the trip back seemed a lot shorter without the detour) and got home a little after 8:00. And that was the weekend. It was great. The weather was beautiful. The town was amazing, very touristy, but tourists from all over the world so the diversity was still interesting. Also very cheap, which is always a good thing (especially after Spring Break…) All in all, Lagos, Portugal is definitely a place I would recommend to anyone considering it, and I would hope to go back to at some time in my life. Other than that, Granada is still the same. Those two exams are over, thank God. I got one back today and that one was fine, we’ll see how the other one goes. Business has been a little difficult for me here, so there’s no telling. This upcoming weekend is our last group trip, and we’re going to Nerja and the Alpujarras. Nerja is a beach (so that part should be relaxing), and the Alpujarras (according to our teachers) are an area of very hippie-type lifestyle up in the Sierra Nevadas. So that should be a good time. I’m hoping to maybe find something out about a bullfight our last weekend here, because that’s one thing I’ve wanted to do while I’m here, and have yet to find out about one. So hopefully something will work out for that weekend! And then the following Saturday is our travel day home! It’s still so hard to believe! See you all soon!

There is probably plenty of studying that I should be doing right now, but I haven’t written about our trip last weekend yet, and, well, procrastinating is so much more fun than homework. So I’ll start with the Alhambra! Two Thursdays ago (May 16th) we had our group trip to the Alhambra. It was a mandatory trip for the Art and Architecture class, but most of the group still went because, well it’s the Alhambra and we’ve been staring at it for months now. We learned a little bit about its architecture and some of its history. We also went into the palace, which is the one thing that Scott and I missed on our trip there unfortunately. It was pretty, there was an incredible amount of detail in the walls and pillars which was probably the most impressive part of it. So you can see the photos that I took of that trip up now. Last weekend (17th-19th) we had a group trip to Cordoba and Seville. We took bus ride for a couple of hours to Cordoba, and spent a few hours there. First we visited the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, the castle of the Christian Kings, which was really pretty and had a beautiful garden in the back with flowers and fountains. Afterwards we had a couple of hours for lunch and exploring the city. Then we reunited at the Mesquita and had a tour of the inside, which was beautiful with its many red and white striped arches. As our last activity in Cordoba we took a little walking tour of some nearby places, one of which was la Calle de los Flores, Flower Street. This pretty much consisted of a small alleyway with a lot of flowerpots hung up on the buildings. Then we had a quick bathroom break and climbed back onto the bus to go to our hotel in Sevilla. The hotel was really nice, the most exciting part that we were all looking forward to was the pool on the roof… so naturally that was one of the first things we had to check out. Sadly, it’s not quite in season yet, so the pool was locked up and just a little bit filled with algae, so unfortunately there was no swimming on this trip. But our rooms were all pretty big, and we were all on the same floor again, which makes finding each other so much easier. So we got to our hotel in time to go out searching for a place to eat dinner, and we found quite a nice restaurant and then headed back to the hotel to hang out for the evening. We started the next day with a visit to the Archeological Museum of Sevilla. That mostly consisted of very old tools and weapons that had been made out of stone, and then lots of headless statues. One interesting thing that we learned, though, was that artists would purposely make just the bodies of statues so that the heads would be easily replaceable. So an artist would make a head for whoever was the ruler or master of a property, and then when it was taken over, the new ruler would chop of the head of the old ruler’s statue, but the artist would only have to replace the head rather than the whole statue! Clever idea! Then we had a mini bus tour of the city as we drove back to the hotel. We saw the Plaza de Toros, bullfighting rink, which unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of, but I believe it’s one of the bigger ones in Spain. We also passed by the Torre de Oro, Gold Tower. Kind of a strange name for the tower because it doesn’t seem very extravagant in any way from the outside, so somebody asked why it would be called the Gold Tower. Apparently in the past whenever ships were coming into Sevilla they would have to give all of their gold as an entrance fee, and this is where they did it. On our walk back to the hotel from the bus a few of us stopped at this nice tapas bar restaurant that also had full meals, so I had some croquettes and the skinniest fries I have ever seen. Then we got together in the afternoon to make a visit to the Cathedral of Seville. Unfortunately this just happened to be the first time I left the hotel without a rain jacket, and it also happened to be the first time it actually did rain, despite the dark clouds that we’d had the whole weekend. The cathedral was gorgeous though, as always lots of gold and marble and incredible detail in everything. We got to see one of the places the Christopher Columbus’ body supposedly rests which was inside the Cathedral. Another cool thing we got to see was this huge ornate silver casing that held inside it one of the thorns from Jesus’ Crown of Thorns. Then we got to walk all 34 flights of ramp up to the top of the bell tower to get an amazing 360 view of Sevilla. From then on we were free for the evening. So a few of us went out to a nice Italian place for pizza and pasta, quite delicious. Then we met up with our friend Caryn, who we had met in Brussels on the EU parliament tour, but who is studying in Sevilla for the semester. So that was nice to see her again, and she told us a few things about Sevilla, like for example, the fact that that was the first weekend it had rained in her whole semester studying here. She also told us that the Royal Palace (that we were scheduled to go to the next day) was open for free for students and that a lot of people go there to study. It was nice to get to see her again, and get a perspective of the city from someone who’s been there for a few months. The next day we woke up and walked over to the Royal Palace, thankfully the weather that day was a lot better, nice blue skies and sunny. So we walked around the palace which was very pretty, again, amazing detail in the architecture and decorations. Then we had about 4 hours of free time to get lunch, and explore the many parts of Sevilla that we had not yet been. First we spent some time in the Palace gardens which were gorgeous, taking photos and playing with the ducks. Then we walked back out by the Cathedral and toward Plaza Nueva to find a place to eat lunch. On our journey we passed by a large gathering of people on the side of the street watching a small performance of guitarists, dancers and singers which was impressive, but sadly I couldn’t get the best view of them. We found a nice place to eat that had a great view out onto one of the main pedestrian roads in Sevilla so we had some fun people watching. After lunch we went in search of some good ice cream, and were, of course, successful, and then we headed back to the bus. We took a short drive to the Plaza de España, which is where part of a Star Wars movie was apparently filmed, so check out my photos and see if you recognize any of it! Then we had a nice long bus ride back to Granada. We got back in time for dinner, finished up some homework, and then bed. The weather has been beautiful all week so I’ve been spending pretty much any free time that I have in the park, reading and chatting and playing with a puppy!! Andy’s host brother’s father breeds dogs and he just had a litter of six golden retriever puppies!! They’re still very young, but old enough to be away from their mother. So Andy’s host brother brought one to their apartment for a few days, and one of those days he was able to bring her to the park where half of our group was and we all fell in love with the adorable little puppy. Now the weather’s pretty gross here, which is probably just as well because we all have midterms next week, and the sunny park is not very conducive to studying. So I guess that’s what my plans are for the day, studying, and lots of it. Last night we went to the Teatro Isabel la Católica to see the play la Venganza de Don Mendo, the Revenge of Don Mendo. It was pretty funny and I enjoyed it. Thankfully our literature teacher had given us a little summary so we went over that a few days before the play which was incredibly helpful. That’s about it for now! Just under a month until I come home, it’s hard to believe!

Warning: this is a long entry! So! Spring break time!! We had a nice early start on Friday to catch our bus to Malaga (2 hours away from Granada) where we were leaving for Charleroi, Belgium. The flights went well, and we arrived in Charleroi late afternoon. We waited around for an hour for our shuttle to the Hotel Etap, which ended up being about a 3 minute shuttle ride, and we could see the airport from our hotel, but I guess you live and learn. Andy and I hung out around the hotel waiting for Lisa to arrive. That evening we just hung around and caught up and went to bed early in preparation of the long week ahead of us! The next morning we took a taxi into the city of Charleroi, which was a small city, and we learned from the information office that it’s not a big city for touristing. But we managed to entertain ourselves. We started off the morning with our first of many Belgian waffles, which was quite nice. Afterwards, walked through the city, stopping off in St. Christopher’s Church and Lisa had a nice, informative, French conversation with the lady working there about its history. We also found a museum that we thought was supposed to be a shoe museum, so naturally we had to check it out. Turns out it was more of a Belgian soldier history museum, so we learned a little about Belgian history there. Early afternoon we took a bus to the airport and were smart enough this time to brave walking to the hotel (a whole 15 minute walk away!). We grabbed our bags from the hotel, and caught a train into Brussels, where we made our way to our first couch-surfing host’s house. His name was Tibo (spelt in a much more French-looking way), who grew up in France but has been living in Brussels for a few years now. He was really nice, and friendly, and had lots of great couch-surfing and traveling stories for us. Then Karen joined us at Tibo’s house, and we went into the center of the city for dinner at a nice pasta restaurant. Afterwards we stopped by a very interesting bar. It was hard to get a good photo of it, but it appeared to be some sort of an anthropology museum during the day, and it was split into three sections at night: beach area (with beach chairs), lounge area (with nice couches), and a fine dining area. It was quite unique, but we were all exhausted so we didn’t stay there for too long. We made our way back to Tibo’s house and hung out with him and his friends for a while (he’s in a band and they had just done a show, so some of the band members came to his house afterwards). Woke up early Sunday morning to go to Bruges, which I guess is a pretty touristy city, because Tibo’s friends had told us it was boring and we shouldn’t go, but other people I’ve talked to have said it’s a must-see city if you go to Belgium. But I’m really glad we went, it was a really cute city that had more of a town feel to it, with lots of green grass, beautiful architecture, and canals everywhere. We walked through a church that had Michelangelo’s Madonna with Child statue. A lot of our time in Bruges was spent taking advantage of all of the Belgian foods: fries (which they make with a wide variety of delicious sauces), chocolates, and waffles! Yum! That evening we took the train back to Brussels and met up with Tibo for dinner. He recommended a place to eat this typical Belgian sandwich (in English it’s called a machine gun), which is made with a choice of hamburger meat or sausage, lettuce, and LOTS of fries, with any sauce on top. Then he brought us out to one of Brussels’ popular bars, Delirium, which we didn’t stay in too long as we were all exhausted. Monday was our day of exploring the city of Brussels, so we did our best to hit as many of the big things as possible. Of course we had to see Manneken Pis (a little statue fountain of a boy peeing), I’m not quite sure why it’s so famous, but it is. We saw on a bunch of postcards that they dress him up for different days (eg Santa Clause costume around Christmas time). We stopped off in a beer factory (we had to, it’s Belgium!) and we learned a little bit about how beer is brewed. Then we walked by the Royal Palace to get to the UN building in time for one of their two daily tours. I was expecting to have to pay a load of money to get a tour, but it was a free audio tour of the UN Parliament building! So I got to see a room that I’ve seen many times on TV over here, which was cool! Afterwards, we took the metro to another section of the city to see Mini Europe (which was closed by the time we got there unfortunately) and Atomium, a huge science statue thing. Since it was our last night in Brussels (the cheapest city we would be in), we decided to treat ourselves to a nicer meal. So we went down this street that Tibo had told us is slightly high-class dining (but still not too expensive), where all of the waiters were in the street trying to get us to eat at their restaurant. That night Lisa and I spent the night at the airport as we had a 7am flight into Copenhagen the next day. Not the best night’s sleep, but better than it could have been. We got into Copenhagen no problem at 8:40am on Tuesday morning and dropped our bags off in a locker at the train station so we could walk around the city all day (as our couchsurfing host was working until mid-afternoon). Unfortunately both my camera and Lisa’s had died, so we came up with a creative way of getting one of our batteries charged… We went into the Copenhagen History Museum and the man told us we could only get in for free if we were 18 or younger, and we told him disappointedly that we were close, we were 19, so he let us in (“if you don’t say anything, I wont”). So we asked if we could charge Lisa’s camera while we went through the museum, and he again was nice and let us! The museum was pretty interesting, we learned all about the city’s history, and about some things that we ended up seeing later in our visit. We walked along the 5 major man-made lakes around the city (that we learned – I think – used to be where the old city wall was). Then we made our way to the Little Mermaid statue (which is apparently a must-see in Copenhagen, but again I’m not exactly sure why). First thing I noticed about Danish people, from our experience there: they are incredibly nice! The few times that Lisa and I stopped to look at a map, somebody came up to us immediately asking if they could help us find something, it was amazing! After the Mermaid we met up with Peter, our couch-surfing host for Copenhagen. He was really nice, a little less outgoing than Tibo, but he had a room all set for us with blow-up mattresses, sleeping bags, and towels (just in case). We were his first couch-surfers! That night Lisa and I walked around the nearby area to try to find a place to eat, and we found a nice cheap place with delicious food, and had an interesting time trying to order as our waitress didn’t speak English (interestingly enough, I think she was the only person we ran into that didn’t speak English, Peter told us that they start learning English in 4th grade in Denmark, and it was noticeable from how well everyone we met spoke it). The next day was our foot-touring, museum day. We started off with the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, which was fun, and then right after that to the Hanz Christian Andersen museum. We walked down a pedestrian (touristy) street called Stroget, which Lisa and I had read about in the history museum (apparently riots and big political things had happened there). Then we went to the Jewel Palace and the King’s Garden and hung around there for a while as it was a gorgeous day. Then we thought we’d look into bike rentals, as Copenhagen is well-known for its biking. We found a nice place to rent from, Baisikeli. This company somehow inherits their bikes, and then send them to Tanzania after they’ve been used as rentals for a while, and the proceeds that they receive also go toward the community in Tanzania. Dinner for Lisa and I was Thai take-out eaten by one of the lakes. When we got back together with Andy and Karen we tried to find a jazz bar, but were not overly successful. That night it rained, so we tried to get on a bus with our bus pass, but they wouldn’t let us with our bikes. So we ended up biking all the way back, which was a little miserable, and a little more miserable when my chain fell off and I had a hard time getting it back on. But when we got back Peter was having a little birthday celebration with some of his friends, so we got to meet a few more Danish people, who were all very nice. The next morning we woke up early to make the most of our bikes. Peter’s roommate (who I think is also his cousin) joined us, so he was a nice native tour-guide! We stopped into a graveyard where Karen wanted to see HC Andersen’s tomb. Then we made our way up to the Little Mermaid again so we could all get some photos of her. Then we biked along the water for a while, and managed to watch the changing of the guards at the Royal Palace. Afterwards Andreas (Peter’s roommate) brought us onto an island where there is this unique community called Christiania. They have their own whole set of rules within the city, so they can sell and do what they like in there, and Andreas also told us that if somebody wants to live there they have to be voted in by the community. It was a pretty cool place and we ate lunch in there. Afterwards we stopped by the Copenhagen Opera House which was a nice building on the water. Then we made our way back toward the apartment to grab our bags and bike back (with our bags on our backs… that was a sight!) to return the bikes and then get to the train station to get to the airport for our flight to Sweden. We ended up having to wait a lot longer for buses than we had anticipated (schedules had changed because of the upcoming Easter holiday) so we ended up running a little later than we had hoped for our flight, but we still made it thank God! We got into Stockholm late that night and met up with Faraz, our final couchsurfing host. Friday morning we woke up early to get to the information center, as we were planning on getting a Stockholm Card (24 hours of open access to museums, political buildings, and free transportation) and we wanted to make the most of it. Unfortunately since it was Good Friday the office didn’t even open until 10am. But we still managed to get a lot out of the card. We went to the City Hall building first, and had a tour, which was a lot more interesting than I was expecting it would be. Then we went to the Vasa Museum, which consisted of the ship and lots of information about how it sank shortly after it left for its first voyage due to miscalculations in its construction. From there we went to Skansen which was an open air museum/ zoo. Afterwards we stopped into the culture museum which was closing shortly afterwards, but we got to see an exhibit on recycled clothing which was interesting. Then we went to the Kaknas Tower where we could get a pretty good view of Stockholm. That evening, we ate at a restaurant called Bar 122 for dinner which had a really local feeling to it which was nice. That night we went to the Absolut Ice Bar which we had made previous reservations for, which was an incredibly cool experience! The next morning we tried to get a little more out of our Stockholm Cards, so we went into the Stockholm Cathedral, Architecture Museum, and Modern Art Museum. Afterwards we went to a section of the city that Faraz had recommended to us as a good place to get some Swedish dishes. He had told us about a dish called Pittipana (the spelling is probably completely wrong), but it’s a minced-meat, potato, and egg mixture that was really good. So Lisa and I shared that and an open-faced sandwich called Smorebrod. Lisa had looked into foods we should try in each country, and Smorebrod had come up as a Danish dish, so we had tried to find some in Denmark. But when we asked Peter and his friends where we could get some, they told us it’s not really popular there, it’s just something that people will just make themselves at home. But then we find it on a Swedish menu written down as a Danish dish? Either way, that was also really good! We went touristing around on foot, and came upon the Royal Palace conveniently during the changing of the guards! It was kind of nice, Andy started talking to one of them, and so we actually held a conversation with him (unlike the guard in Copenhagen who stomped his foot and banged his gun on the ground if we stepped toward him). We went out to eat at a good pizza restaurant that night, then made our way back to Faraz’ place early to try to figure out our travel plans for the next day. Faraz, who I haven’t talked about yet, was really nice. He was a lot calmer and quieter than the other two that we had stayed with. He’s originally from Pakistan but has been living in Stockholm for a while now, so he was helpful when we were trying to figure out plans for each of our days there. So Saturday night he helped us figure out our best option for getting to the airport for our 8am flight the next day. Easter Sunday was basically all traveling, and lots of it. We woke up at 4:30 to catch a 5:19 bus to get to a metro which would bring us to the bus station. There we ran around to get a bus ticket and then catch our bus to the airport. The timing thankfully worked out just fine, and we got to the airport in time. We took our flight to Madrid, where we arrived shortly before noon. Then we took a bus to a bus station that we were told would have buses to Granada (but they lied). So we had to take a metro to the bus station that actually had buses going to Granada. The 1:30 bus was full, there was only one spot left on the 2:30 bus, so we had to wait around for the 3:30 bus. So it was a 5-hour bus ride that went a little long because of Easter traffic heading toward Madrid, so we got to the bus station a little after 9pm, and then took a bus into the city and got home at about 9:30. Carmen made some dinner up for me, such a sweetheart! And then Ashley told me about one last Semana Santa procession that a group of people were going to at 10:30. This was incredibly exciting! That was the one thing that was a bummer about going away for Spring break, the fact that we’d be missing all of Spain’s processions which would have been really cool to see also (not to mention I’ve done two presentations on them, so it would have been nice to actually see one). But I did get out and saw part of one of them! Unfortunately my camera had been dead all day, and I didn’t get much time to charge it before going back out, so I wasn’t able to take too many photos, but I got a few!! But now I’m back in Granada! It’s kind of nice to be back. Spring break was great, I loved all of the countries, the people, everything we did, and couch-surfing was incredibly successful. But it was still nice to get back “home” to Granada, and of course Carmen’s delicious cooking! We have yet to have rabbit paella, which she promised to make for us after Spring break. Oh I forgot to tell this story in my last entry! Carmen had insisted that Scott and I come eat with her one day while he was here (despite the minor language barrier), so we chose to come for lunch on Monday. So, Scott knows the girl who lived with Carmen last semester, and when I had raved to Scott about Carmen’s paella, Scott asked the girl about it, who told him that Carmen makes it with rabbit meat. So Ashley and I asked Carmen a while ago what kind of meat she puts in it, and she told us chicken (because apparently that day it was just chicken). So when Scott came, we asked again, just to make sure, and because he still wasn’t convinced. And that is when she decides to tell us that sometimes she does make it with rabbit meat, and she has in fact made it for us before with rabbit meat, and therefore, we have eaten rabbit. All in all, it was a very entertaining conversation, which I think Scott got the gist of even though it was in Spanish, and he was loving it also. So that day at lunch Carmen informed us that the next time she makes us paella it would be with just rabbit meat so we can knowingly eat it and know what it tastes like. So we’re still waiting for that… Ashley’s getting a little anxious. So back to normal Granada life now, two long days of classes a week, but also lots of full days off. I think I like it! We have another group trip to Sevilla and Cordoba this weekend, I’m not quite sure of the details yet, but it should be fun! Hope everyone is doing well!!!

Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written, it’s been pretty crazy on this end for the last couple of weeks. I just got back from spring break this past Sunday, and the week before Scott was visiting for his spring break! Scott’s visit was a lot of fun. We spent his first weekend here at a beach that some of my teachers had recommended to me. So I met him at the airport and we had an interesting trip to get to the beach. I had a schedule for buses, so I was hoping we would make a bus that would be direct to Almeria (where the beach was) and would take 3 ½ hours. Then Scott’s plane was a little late and it took a while to get through the airport, so I thought we had missed that one, and the next one was not direct, so it would have taken 5 hours. Through a little bit of rushing and favors being asked, we managed to barely make the shorter bus ride. When we got into Almería we got our tickets for where we thought our hotel was, turns out it was in a different area than we both thought, and the bus for our real destination had left about 2 minutes after we arrived. So I called the hotel to figure out another way of getting there, as that was the last bus into San Jose for the night. She was not helpful at all, telling us that bus is the only way to get in unless we wanted to rent a car (which neither of us did). We ended up having to splurge on another taxi to the hotel, but we got there. The hotel was amazing! It had great rooms, a nice pool, it was a very relaxing area, and we had a lot of fun there. We got there Friday evening, and just walked around the town a little bit and grabbed some dinner at a restaurant. Saturday we went walking around the town and went hiking up some of the nearby mountains, it was an absolutely gorgeous area! We thought we weren’t going to have much of a day the next day because there were only two buses leaving from San Jose on Sundays, one at 11am and one at 8pm, but the last bus leaving from Almeria to Granada was also at 8pm, so we would have to take the 11am bus. Thinking that 11 was late, we didn’t set any alarms, but we ended up waking up later than expected, at about 9:45. So we ate a quick breakfast at the hotel (which was delicious!), then quickly packed up, checked out at about 10:45, and booked it to the bus stop. We got there right at 11am, but the bus was not waiting as we were expecting, and we hadn’t seen it pass us on the one main road that it would have left on. So we waited at the bus stop for a bit, until a couple came over saying something about a bus to Almeria. Then they came up to us and asked about it, and I told them we got here right at 11, but the bus hadn’t shown up yet. After a confusing conversation, I finally realized what they were trying to tell me, something I had known a week ago, and only in the back of my mind… time change. Europe had their time change that weekend, and of course Scott and I had not changed our clocks, it was actually 12 noon and we had missed the one bus we could take back by an hour. So at that point we just decided we’d have to splurge again for another taxi, but we figured we’d spend the day in San Jose and get the last bus leaving from Almeria. So we went back to the hotel to drop off our bags, and planned on asking the man behind the desk if he would call a taxi to come for us later in the afternoon. But after explaining what had happened, he came up with his own idea before I could even ask him to call us a taxi, he offered to drive us into Almeria when he got off work at 3. So that worked out pretty ideally (as a taxi was not cheap around there). We spent a few hours at the beach, which was nice because it was a gorgeous day! The man was very nice and interesting to talk to, and when he finally did drop us off and we tried to give him some money he wouldn’t even take it. From there everything else worked out really well and we got back to Granada no problem. I wasn’t very good about taking photos for a lot of the rest of Scott’s trip here, I couldn’t actually remember where I had put it, and then we realized one of the days that it had been in my backpack the whole time. Oh well, Scott has a bunch of photos. I had class for a decent amount of the day on Monday and Wednesday, so during those hours Scott explored Granada. He got maps and highlighted where he went, I’m pretty sure at this point he’s probably seen more of the city than I have, but I’ve got a month more to catch up! We made it to some Arab Baths one night which was really nice and relaxing. After that we met up for dinner with Karen (one of my friends on the program) and Antonio (a guy from Granada that we’ve been meeting up with to practice Spanish/English). We ate at a Sushi restaurant, and it was quite delicious and a very entertaining meal. We made it up to the Alhambra one of the afternoons, which was okay. Unfortunately we missed a part of it, because the people who sold the tickets were not very informative, but we walked around for a while and listened to the audio tour, that part was pretty comical as the guides were very passionate about the Alhambra. All in all it was a fun trip. We did a lot of exploring the city, walking around. It was nice to try out some of the restaurants, bakeries and ice cream shops that I have been passing by with a watering mouth for the last couple of months. We got a chance to meet up with some of my friends from the program a few of the nights, so Scott got to experience a little bit of Granada nightlife too. One of the mornings we woke up really early in an attempt to watch the sunrise. Again, we didn’t exactly take into account the daylight savings time that had just occurred, and the fact that Granada is surrounded by mountains. So we woke up at about 5:30 or something, expecting the sun would rise at about 6:30 as it does in the US. It was completely dark and freezing cold for a couple of hours, until the sun actually did rise at about 7:30/8am. Not to mention we went up to Sacromonte area, probably the sketchiest area of Granada, with caves and gypsies, so it made me a little nervous walking around there in complete darkness. But it was good to see, and it was a very pretty sunrise over the mountains. All in all it was a great visit, it was nice to see him, hard to say goodbye again. But the goodbye occurred at the airport when I was on my way off to spring break… Belgium, Copenhagen, and Stockholm… I’ll post that entry soon! I promise!

So we finished up our first session classes last week! It was somewhat stressful (in comparison to every other week I’ve had here), with one presentation and two exams. But the exams went rather well, and I just got my grades back today and did fine in both classes. We took exams on Thursday, and then got up early to catch a bus to the airport Friday morning for our trip to Barcelona! Most of Friday was spent traveling. We had one flight from Granada to Madrid, and then the second from Madrid to Barcelona. Apparently it must have been a lot cheaper to do it that way, because it really only takes about 1 ½ hours by plane to go straight from Granada to Barcelona, but instead we spent the day traveling. There was only supposed to be about 50 minutes between our two flights in Madrid, so Jorge (who has done it before) opted to buy his own flight to avoid the stress. Turns out the layover really wasn’t a problem, we ended up somehow having about 1 ½ hours and were even waiting around for a while. When we arrived in Madrid we were all ready for dinner, so a group of us found a nice little restaurant off of Ramblas (the big road near us), and then took it easy for the rest of the night hanging out in the hotel. We had a nice little wake-up call on Saturday morning. Jorge had arranged for them to call all of the rooms at a certain time every morning, but apparently our phone wasn’t working, so we got a nice knock on the door and an awkward Spanish encounter to start the day off right. Then we took the metro over to the MNAC (Museo Nacional D’art de Catalunya) which was a really nice building up on a hill with a nice view of the city. There was a lot of interesting artwork in this museum. They had actually taken sections of walls (with paintings on them) out of old churches and attempted to recreate the church in this museum, so that was pretty impressive. We had a nice long lunch break after that, so we actually had time for a siesta! A group of us ate an interesting restaurant called Viena which was really near the hotel. It was very unique. It had a fast-food set-up, decent prices, but they have the same kind of options that a normal restaurant would have, and they give real glasses out on the trays. It was different, but very enjoyable! After lunch we siestaed for about an hour. Afterwards, met up with Jorge to take the metro again to the Sagrada Familia. We didn’t get to go in, which is unfortunate because it’s one of the more popular attractions of Barcelona. But we were told that there isn’t an awful lot inside, just blue prints of the plans for the building. The Sagrada Familia is a huge building in the middle of Barcelona that was designed by Gaudi, and started while he was still alive, but was unfinished when he died. So there have been opposing views on whether his plans should be followed through or whether they should leave it as his unfinished work. So this building, which was started in about 1882 is still being constructed to the exact detail that Gaudi planned on. But you can see from the photos that the building is very impressive and incredibly detailed and unique. Later that afternoon/evening we were given free time, and Jorge explained to us how to get to the Gaudi houses and to his park, Guell Park. So Andy, Karen, and I searched for the bus, and after a long time made it to the park (so unfortunately it was dark by the time we got there). But we were still able to take some night photos of the city. Then we just sat around on the Gaudi benches and star-gazed and chatted for a while. Next morning, another awkward wake-up call at the door. Then we got together as a group to take a walk down Ramblas. We had a tour guide who pointed out some buildings and gave us a little bit of history on some of the various places. We took a quick walk through the Cathedral of Barcelona, but that didn’t last too long because it was Sunday and there was mass in service. Then we were brought back to a central location and told we had a few hours free for lunch. We hung around in the square for a while because as we were being set free we heard incredibly loud gunshot noises. So we watched and took photos as a huge parade passed by. Afterwards we wandered the streets for a while, and when we got back to the square there was a huge protest going on. The square is between two big government buildings, so I’m guessing that has something to do with the location. Our tour guide had told us that there had been student protests going on recently in Barcelona, but this one appeared to be about various other problems, although not quite sure what still. Ate lunch at a Spanish Chinese food restaurant which was quite delicious! Then got back together with the group to check out Picasso’s museum. It was kind of nice to see this, because it walked through his artwork throughout his life. So we got to see that he did have a more typical artistic talent before he started on his modern artwork the he is now famous for. It was interesting to see that transition. The next morning we went to the beach! Jorge got us a coach bus for the day, and we went to a nearby town, Sitges, that had an absolutely gorgeous beach (as you can see from the photos!) And we could not have asked for more perfect weather! Although I’m sure there are some people regretting the strong sun, there were a couple of painful burns, and a few awkward tan lines. I got a bit burnt, so I have a nice little Rudolph nose and farmer’s tan going on right now, but nothing painful. We were given a few free hours to hang out on the beach, grab lunch, and walk around town, so that was relaxing. After the beach Jorge had a surprise for us, a tour at a Cava factory (Cava = Champagne from Spain). So it was pretty interesting hearing about all the little processes they have to go through to finally get to the stage of selling a bottle. We went down to the multiple layers of basement and checked out their extensive collection of bottles undergoing the fermentation process. Then we got to watch the packaging process in action, and afterwards have a taste of our own! That night a group of us went to a nice restaurant, Attic, off of Ramblas and had a great time chatting there. Next morning we woke up for another long day of traveling. Again, we had to get to the airport about 3 hours before necessary because Jorge’s flight was leaving before ours. Now this was the day that he was really even more concerned about. He told us that there are flights from Madrid to Barcelona almost every hour, but from Madrid to Granada only once a day, and we were on that one flight. So we were supposed to have 55 minutes to run from one section of Madrid airport to another. And then our first flight was delayed 40 minutes, so we were all well-aware that we really had to sprint. People were coming up with schemes of sending one or two people ahead to stand in the doorway and beg them not to close the gate. So we got off the plane with 15 minutes until our gate closed, and started on our mad dash through the airport (we thought we really could make it if we ran because Jorge had exaggerated the last time, we thought it wouldn’t actually take 30 minutes to get there). But we were stopped after a few minutes by a lady yelling at us that we stood no chance, so we’d have to wait to get new boarding passes (apparently there was another plane 2 hours later). So that all worked out quite fine, all 24 of us got nice middle seats on the next plane, and we made it back to Granada at about 8ish for dinner, a nice shower, and bed! Our new session classes started today. I decided to change up my schedule a little bit, so I now have 3 classes 2 days a week! Mondays and Wednesdays I have class from 9am to 3pm, with one break between two of them. I’m taking Political Science, Spanish Literature, and International Business (each 1hr 45min). It sounds like they should be interesting, probably slightly more intense than the last session’s classes judging by the syllabuses. Should be interesting to see how I do considering I’ve never taken a PoliSci class or Business class in English, and now I’m taking them at 300/400 level and in Spanish. Hopefully it won’t be too impossible! Lisa, Karen, Andy and I are all actively working on Spring break plans still! It has come up so quickly! We are all now members of couchsurfer.com and we’ve been sending out messages to people asking if they have room for 4 on the various nights that we will be in their city! It seems like some of them will work out, and if they do it should be quite the interesting experience!! Scott gets here tomorrow! So we’re heading to the beach for the weekend, one that’s been recommended to us several times by various teachers at the CLM. So that should be fun! Other than that, not much new has happened! My next entry may very well be after Spring break!! It’s incredible how much time is flying by. Spring break is almost here, and after Spring break it’s just over a month… Scary! Hope everyone is doing well!! I miss you all so much!

¡Hola! I’m sorry it’s been a little while since I’ve updated this page, but last week I was a little sick, so I didn’t do too much. I did a lot of sleeping to try to get better, as well as working on a project for class. Then over the weekend I went to a little gypsy market in Granada that was fun and incredibly cheap which is always nice! I bought a few things there, and then spent the rest of the weekend relaxing in the park with a bunch of people from our group because the weather was absolutely gorgeous again. But this past weekend was a little bit more eventful! I had my weekend to Paris!! Originally the plan was for me to meet up with Lisa and Hannah there, but plans changed up and I ended up traveling with a few friends from the program here in Granada, and meeting up with Lisa for Saturday and Sunday morning. This was a huge weekend for traveling for our group, so even though I was originally concerned about skipping classes on Friday, it turned out that one class was cancelled and nobody else made it to the other. So, I went with four friends, Karen, Andy, Jess, and Ana. We left straight from classes on Thursday afternoon, took a shuttle bus to Granada airport, one flight to Barcelona airport, a second flight to Paris-Beauvais airport, a shuttle bus from there into Paris, and then the metro to our hostel. It was pretty nice, we met a girl in the Granada airport, Alisha, who also studies at the CLM (our school – Centro de Lenguas Modernas), and she was gong to Paris to meet up with a friend of hers. She was really nice (also from CT!) and her friend, who has been in Paris for 7 months now, was very useful to have there when we first arrived. But it was still kind of a long day of traveling. We left Granada at 2pm and actually found our hostel at about 1am the next day (the hostel didn’t give us the best directions about how to get from the metro stop to the hostel, they mentioned a park, but we came up in between two roads and couldn’t see any park, and it was pretty quiet in that area so there weren’t many people to ask, and even fewer that spoke English). But we found the hostel eventually, settled down, and then went straight back out searching for a place to eat as we were all starving. We found a little place called “Bip Burger” where they were about to close and of course didn’t speak any English, so that was mildly amusing, but we got our food which is what counts. Went to sleep shortly after, ready for a long day the next day! Woke up at 9ish on Friday, had breakfast at the hostel (baguettes/butter/jam/hot chocolate), and then headed out to the tourism office. The French man there spoke Spanish to us which was fun, and he gave us a few recommendations on places to visit, as well as a weather update. We decided to start off with walking through the part of town that we lived in. Apparently it’s a rather touristy area, Montmartre. So we walked up some streets full of small souvenir-type shops, and toward Sacre Coeur, the big cathedral on a hill with a great view over Paris. So we climbed up the million steps to get up to the cathedral, passing bracelet-making men, jugglers, guitarists, and street vendors. Interesting story with one of the vendors actually. I see that one of them has a sign advertising 3 Eiffel Tower keychains for 1euro. I thought it was quite the deal, so I walk over with a euro, hand it to him and he gives me the three keychains. The lady standing by him then yells at him, takes back the euro, puts it in my hand with the keychains, closes my hand, and signals for me to leave. I give her a confused look so she explained something to me in French. Noticing an even blanker stare she pulled out her police badge and opened it up for me, and told me to walk away again. So, a little intimidated by the badge, I walked on. We’re guessing from the situation that this guy was not a licensed vendor and the police officer was busting him… but I guess we’ll never really know. Either way, I got my 3 free Eiffel Tower keychains! So we resumed our walk around Montmartre, passing by many cute streets, markets, stores and cafes as we made our way toward the Moulin Rouge. This area was… interesting, very different. Let’s just say that I had not realized beforehand that the Moulin Rouge was in a very… provocative? district. Lots of interesting store names, and a museum of erotic art… it was interesting. And we also saw Le Chat Noir here! We ate a rather expensive lunch in a nice restaurant near the Moulin Rouge. Our waiter didn’t speak English, and apparently for 3 of our dishes he had asked us “do you want fries” but all we heard was “frite” and thinking that meant “fried egg” (which our dishes were supposed to come with, but there was a similar dish that did not have the fried egg), we said “oui,” we did want the fried egg. But instead we were charged 2x the expected amount for fries, plus 3 7euro bottles of water. Gah! So the bill was slightly surprising, but at least the meal was good! Next we made our way toward the Opera Nationale de Paris, where we were going to take a tour, but we ended up finding it too late, and then realizing the tour had started half an hour earlier anyway, so it was long gone. So we wandered around for another while, gradually making our way toward the Louvre, which we were aiming to arrive at for the evening where it is free for students under 26yrs old from 6pm to 10pm. So that was fun! We hung around outside waiting for 6 to roll around (the tourism office guy had told us 5pm, so we were a little early), walked along the Seine, which looked gorgeous! The Louvre was nice, lots of famous art, including the Mona Lisa! Which, I know I had heard it was small, but, yes, in case you thought that was a lie, it really is pretty small. They put it in casing on its own wall in the middle of a room with lots of other huge paintings (which I don’t think help with making it look bigger). But either way, size was not important with this painting, yes, it was very nice. We walked around, inspecting a lot more artwork, until our legs and stomachs started getting angry so we took a dinner break in the foodcourt inside the Louvre (theme: food from around the world!) Then all the rooms in the Louvre started closing (at 9:30, not 10:00 in case you ever visit). So we left and hung around the outside for a bit. Sadly my camera had run out of batteries, but the others took some fun night photos of the Louvre. Eventually we headed back to the metro (which was much easier to use after we figured out the pure simplicity of it – I blame it on our exhaustion and hunger that we had such a hard time the night before). So we made it easily back to the area of the hostel, where we of course felt the need to search for some delicious crepes, and thankfully found them, and yes, they were delicious – nutella and bananas ☺ Went back to the hostel after that, made some plans for the next day, and had a wonderful night’s rest. Highlight of the next day: LISA!! We organized to meet up at the Arc de Triomphe at 10am, which we more or less did, except that I managed to stalk her down in the metro station ☺ Thankfully Lisa had brought her guide book which came in very useful and we managed to actually learn a little bit more about the places we went to on Saturday. Then we walked down the Champs Elysees, being touristy along the way of course, and catching up with Lisa! Our goal was to meet Lilly at L’Obelisque at noon, but communication was difficult, and basically it didn’t end up working out unfortunately ☹. We gradually made our way toward Notre Dame, while desperately searching for a Boulangerie? (sorry, French spelling is impossible for me) Our goal was to get some nice fresh baguettes and cheese and have a picnic. We eventually found a bread store near the cathedral, bought some different types of baguettes, some cheese, and chowed down on a bench outside Notre Dame. After lunch we headed inside, walked around, and listened in for a little bit on a free tour (but it was kind of hard to hear her from where we were, so we didn’t stay too long). Next was, of course, another long walk through the city, to get to the Eiffel Tower. Our goal (which we achieved perfectly!) was to get there while it was still daylight, but still manage to be there when it gets dark… so we could get the best of both worlds! So we got there probably at about 5pm, and took some photos. We waited in line to get to the top, and after a long while made it up to the very top. We were up there at about 7pm which is the first time at night that the tower gives its little light show! I hadn’t realized this, but (unless it’s seasonal) we noticed that the Eiffel Tower lights up with flashing lights for about five minutes at the beginning of every hour while it’s dark (it looks like the tower is twinkling!) So that was kind of cool to be on the tower while that happened. (We had actually seen it the night before from the Louvre, but weren’t sure if it was a regular occurrence). When we came back down we were able to get shots of the Eiffel Tower at night, also beautiful, but harder to get non-fuzzy photos on a camera without a tripod. Then we headed toward the metro station to bring Lisa back to her friend’s house so she could pick up her things, and then head back to the hostel with us to spend the night. We ended up eating at a nice restaurant near Lisa’s friend’s apartment (thanks to their suggestions) and it was a very nice meal for a surprisingly reasonable price! Then we took the metro again back to the hostel. We had a six-person room, and for the first two nights there were only 5 of us, so we were hoping Lisa could be our sixth on the last night, but unfortunately somebody had filled that spot just before we got back. (So we snuck her in… Shhhh!) Again, got up early the next morning, but sadly this time it was because we had to leave. Lisa and I walked around for a bit, and got some nice French croissants (I hadn’t even eaten any before then! I couldn’t believe it!) and chocolate… mmm! Then headed to the metro with the group, to get back to the bus station, and say some goodbyes to Lisa (but only temporarily, we’ll be back together in a couple of weeks for spring break!!) We got to the bus station and realized that we had actually sort of missed our bus. The website recommended that we get there 3hrs 15mins before the flight departs, and we were about 3 hours early (thinking we were fine), until we realized they don’t have buses running regularly to the airport, they have a designated bus for each flight leaving from the airport. So we were about 10 minutes late for the Barcelona bus, but we managed to take another one which still made it there in plenty of time. Security at the airports was mildly ridiculous, making us feel like criminals, but I guess that’s what they’re there for. It completely depends on who you run into there, which line you choose, how busy it is… I lucked out quite a bit, hopefully I’ll be as lucky for spring break. We had a long 4 hour layover in the Barcelona airport, but managed to keep ourselves entertained. We got back into Granada at about 10:30pm (after leaving the hostel at about 9:30am) and got a quick bite to eat at a pizza restaurant, and then headed back. Unfortunately it was not then bedtime for me… I had a presentation the next day for one of my classes. I had known, so we had prepared it last week, and only ran through it once for a little refresher that night. The presentation ended up going just fine I think, which is nice. So yes… Paris was a wonderful weekend!! Lots of walking, sightseeing, touristing, eating, it was quite perfect!! Now on the agenda: exams on Thursday, we’ll see how they go, it’s hard to tell, teachers make it seem like they’ll be really easy, but we’ve learned a lot of information, and it is all to be covered on this one exam. On Friday morning we are all meeting up to take a flight to Barcelona. We had a group meeting last week and Jorge told us that we have to basically sprint through the Madrid airport for our changeover because we have 45 minutes to go on a 10 minute run to a train, then take a 20 minute train ride to our terminal, then go through customs, and then most likely take another run to our gate… so we’ll see how that goes! He assured us that he will meet us in Barcelona (he had to do this whole running through Madrid thing last year and I guess he organized his own flights this time to avoid that). So we’re in Barcelona for a long weekend, which will hopefully be at least somewhat relaxing (moreso than Madrid was). Next week our second session classes begin, and I still have to figure out what schedule I would like to have for that. Yesterday Karen and I had an intercambio (exchange) for us to practice Spanish, as well as let someone else practice their English. We have the option of handing in an info sheet on ourselves that Spanish people can look through to find people to talk to, and we can also look through a packet of Spanish people wanting to practice English. So this guy, Antonio, emailed me showing interest in getting together so we could both practice, and it worked out that we got together yesterday afternoon. It was a lot of fun. He brought us to a place up near the Alhambra, and the hotel/restaurant had a beautiful view of the whole of Granada. Then we went for a walk through the Alhambra, and stopped off for some Ice Cream at a place that is supposedly the best ice cream shop in Granada… delicious! It ended up lasting about 4 hours, and it was a lot of fun and I think we both benefited from it. So we’re planning on meeting up again probably at the same time next week! He’s actually moving to England in the summer which is why he really wants to improve his English, so it’s nice that we can help. That’s about all for now. Hope everyone is doing well!

So I guess I jinxed our weather when I wrote about how it’s been perfect so far. Everyone at home is getting snow days, but we’re here stuck in a downpour – started yesterday and it isn’t supposed to end until Thursday. So you can imagine how much fun the 20 minute walk is to school in the morning… Oh well. Our teacher told us that this is unusual weather, so let’s hope she’s right! We had our first overnight weekend trip to Toledo, Madrid and Segovia this past weekend. It was jam-packed full of tours but also lots of fun and very interesting. It’s about a 5 hour drive to Madrid from Granada, and we took a nice coach bus to get there. We made a stop at some windmills along the way that were along Don Quijote’s route. They were pretty impressive, and obviously a good location because it was incredibly windy up there. After that we spent a good few hours in the city of Toledo. This city used to be the capital of Spain, and is famous for its swords and the fact that it is one place where Christians, Jews, and Arabs all lived peacefully together for centuries. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the sword factory, but if you walked into any of the stores it was obvious that they were proud of their swords. We visited the major cathedral in Toledo, the Catedral de Santa Maria. It was incredible. I have photos of the outside, but unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos while inside the cathedral. It had really high ceilings, lots of gold everywhere, beautiful stained-glass windows, and wonderful artwork all over. Afterwards we went to a synagogue. Apparently there are only three Jewish synagogues left in Spain, and two of them are located in Toledo. So we went to see Santa Maria la Blanca which was rather small and had lots of paintings inside (which we weren’t allowed to take photos of). Then we went to the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, a monastery. I was able to sneak some photos of the courtyard area of this place, also absolutely amazing. After this we had some time to take photos of the city, and then we got back on the bus for the rest of our trip to Madrid. We stayed at the Hotel Principe Pio, which was a nice place. It was a fun time because our group just took over one of the floors of the hotel, and we just left all our doors open and walked around seeing what everyone was up to whenever we had free time. It was kind of like getting back to dorms again, except without the RAs. But to be perfectly honest, we had very little free time throughout the whole weekend. Friday and Saturday morning we were called at 8am to have breakfast in the hotel at 8:30 and be ready to get on the bus at 9am. Breakfast was the only meal that was included each day, but Jorge gave us a set amount of money for meals that we could use at our own discretion. Figuring out what the items were on the menus was an experience, but thankfully we got through it with some group brainpower and a dictionary, and we were successful with our choices. Friday was an exhausting day. We crammed the whole city of Madrid into one day of tours. We started off at a building called the Monasterio del Escorial. Once again, another beautiful building. It had a big courtyard in the middle, with a 50 person monastery on the right, a 1000 student school on the left, and in front was the cathedral and the palace. Unfortunately the cathedral was being renovated when we were there, but we were able to see the palace. As usual everything was beautiful inside. The ceilings are probably what amazed me most about all of these buildings, whether it was paintings or intricate designs, everything was just so detailed and perfect. There was one room in a basement chamber area of this building where they keep all of the coffins of past kings and queens with their remains inside, this room was all made of marble and gold, very beautiful for a burial chamber, but I guess it was for past Spanish royalty. Next we went to the Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen) which is a memorial for the Spanish civil war that was built during Franco’s time. It’s located on top of a mountain with a huge cross at the top, and below it a great open area where you can look out at the mountains. Franco’s tomb is also located inside the memorial building inside the mountain. After Franco’s tomb we took the bus back to the hotel and had about 1 ½ hours for lunch (sadly no time for siesta, which I think we were all ready for, the morning before had been early too). In the afternoon we got in touch with the artistic side of Madrid and went to two museums – the Museo del Prado and the Museo de la Reina Sofia. The Prado had lots of older paintings of royalty and scenery, all very impressive. The Museo de la Reina Sofia is a modern art museum, where Picasso’s Guernica is located, along with many Dali paintings, and many more works of modern art. Again, we came back for a quick dinner break and then we had our surprise that Jorge had told us about. It turns out it was a Flamenco show called “Carmen” with Sara Baras a famous flamenco dancer. It was incredible, the dancing and the music were beautiful. That started at 10pm and was over probably at about midnight, and by that time we were all exhausted so we went to bed. Saturday was our day in Segovia. We saw some aqueducts which were huge and impressive, as you can see from the photos. We took a little coffee and churros con chocolate break which was delicious. Then we went for our tour of the Cathedral of Segovia, which is a huge Gothic cathedral, again beautiful and with lots of amazing paintings inside. We went from there to a nearby castle, Alcazar, which we were actually allowed to take photos in! There were old knight armor displays, paintings, bedrooms, and intricate ceilings. We were also allowed up onto the roof of the tower. There were loads of stairs and anyone we passed coming down kept warning us that it took a while to get up. But the view was beautiful from the top and well worth the steps. Sunday we were finally allowed to sleep in which I think was much needed for everyone; it had been a long weekend. At 1pm we met up at the hotel to walk over to the Palacio Real, the Royal Palace, about a 10 minute walk away. We had a nice tour of the enormous and beautiful palace, which is no longer lived in by the royal family. We were given about an hour after that for lunch and a little bit of exploring the city. It was unfortunate that we weren’t allowed more free time for walking around or shopping, because in some ways it feels like we didn’t get to see the actual city very much. But it was still a very informative and fun weekend, and we saw and learned a lot about Spain. That’s just about it for what’s going on here. I’m looking forward to my trip to Paris to meet up with Lisa in two weekends, turns out there’s 4 others from my group that will be joining also, so that should be fun. We have a free weekend this weekend, so hopefully we’ll come up with something exciting to do. Scott is coming to visit for his Spring break! So he gets here at the end of March and leaves just as my Spring break begins. Lisa and I booked our flights together last night to Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden. There are two others in my group who will be joining us too. So it’s looking like that will be a fun trip also!! I can’t wait!! Hope all is well!

All is going very well here still! We had our first group trip on Saturday to Ronda, which is a small town about 2 ½ hours away. It was fun, kind of nice to get out of Granada for a bit. Not that we’ve come even close to seeing the whole city here, but it was good to see some new scenery. We made a short stop along the way at some temples. We watched a video about how they had been made. This very ancient civilization dug up the ground, dragged huge boulders and placed them in as the walls, supports, and a ceiling. It was rather impressive. The temples were made in this location because of a mountain (which I have a photo of) that looks like a face. We didn’t stay there too long before continuing on to Ronda. It was a very cute little town. We had the bus drop us off at the South end of it, and we just walked up to the bus station in the North of the town, while stopping to check out a few things. Our first stop was at a cathedral, Santa Maria la Mayor, which was incredible. It was huge and there were so many statues, paintings, altars, and everything in it was beautifully detailed. Afterwards we walked along the Ronda roads to this beautiful bridge that basically connects two cliffs. Again, absolutely gorgeous! There was a walkway all along the edge of the cliff, with a huge drop and a small river below, and little cottages built into the cliff, and a view of rolling hills and mountains in the distance. Very impressive! On the other side of the bridge there was the “Plaza de Toros,” a bullfighting rink, which is pretty big in Ronda. After that we were given about 1 ½ hours to eat and explore on our own. We ate our bagged lunch bocadillos by the cliffs and then walked down one of the main shopping streets. But of course that was right around siesta time so unfortunately most stores were closed. After our free time we took the bus back to Granada. It had been an early morning so the bus ride back consisted of everyone taking a late siesta, or else quietly watching the beautiful scenery pass by. The day before had been a pretty long day. Ashley and I gave our presentation on La Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Spain. It was pretty big, because our only grades in these classes are attendance/participation, this presentation, and a final exam. But I feel like it went pretty well. It is a very small class, so it was relatively relaxed and interactive with the teacher chiming in and people asking questions. Afterwards, our teacher used our presentation to trigger a very interesting conversation (in Spanish of course) about religion in general, celebrations of religious events and customs, openness to different cultures, and travel. I gave up on siesta for Friday afternoon so that I could get to visit a part of Granada called Sacromonte with a few friends. It was well worth it. Sacromonte is past the Albaicin area (the muslim-type area of town that we went to take photos of the Alhambra last week). Sacromonte is the sort of gypsy area of town. There are lots of restaurants, bars, and Flamenco dance caves. It’s basically all built into the side of a mountain, so there are little paths that go up the side of the mountain, but in such a small area it feels like there are so many little cave places. Closer to the top of the mountain we could see a huge wall. We had actually seen this same wall from the Mirador de San Nicolas last week and had talked about wanting to see the view from the other side, but hadn’t had time that evening. So we were all very pleased to have found the other side. This area was pretty interesting to see. There were LOADS of little caves that were people’s homes. You could see doors or curtains hanging up in the cave openings, and loads of little dirt paths leading up the mountain to their homes. It was so strange and unexpected right down the road from the city, but incredibly cool. At the top there were some more caves that we went exploring in, they looked as though they had once been lived in, which was so weird and somewhat eye-opening to think about. From the top of the mountain we could see everything around! Mountains and Sacromonte behind us, the Alhambra and the Albaicin in one direction, and a more suburban area at the other side. We followed a path that ended up bringing us down into a different part of the city. So I guess you could say that we were a little lost. But it was a lot of fun - we had a pretty sure idea of the general direction we needed to head in, as well as a map, so we were all set, and managed to find our way back to familiar territory. I booked my flights to and from Paris! So it’s possible that I will have a little Old Lyme reunion with Lisa and Hannah there… we shall see! It’s such a relief to have at least one weekend all booked! I was looking over my calendar earlier and found out that I only actually have 5 free weekends plus Spring break for traveling for the rest of the semester. We do a few organized weekend trips with the group to all of the big cities in Spain, and have organized tours in their main museums and other places. Next weekend we’re going to Madrid, Toldedo, and Segovia! Everyone is getting all over Spring break plans now, so I need to start looking into booking flights for that too. It’s completely up in the air now, and incredibly difficult to decide; there are so many possibilities! That’s about it for now! Hope everyone is doing well!

So it’s been about a week here in Espana. I’m still loving it! I love all the people on the trip, they’re fun and nice and all very good at trying to include everyone and do everything as a group. This week has mostly consisted of getting to know everyone, and exploring the city. The city really is amazing. It’s relatively small but there’s still so much to see and do. There’s a pretty park about a 2 minute walk away where I’ve run, walked, and read a few times, and have run into other people from our group walking around too. They even have workout machines in the middle of the park which I thought was interesting. There’s a playground and always lots of little kids playing around, others running and walking, or just relaxing on a bench reading a book. Ashley and I went to a travel center and found out that there are a lot of buses leaving from not too far away that bring you to all sorts of places, the airport, beaches, Sierra Nevada for skiing or hiking, so there’s plenty to do within driving distance on the weekends (have I mentioned how gorgeous it is to be able to always see the snow covered mountains wherever you look!) We also got a walking guide map thing of all the main places to try to visit within Granada, so we’ll have to get working on that too. Going out at night is interesting here. First of all, everything starts much later. Dinner is normally at about 9pm. So after dinner people will go to the bar and get tapas which seem to be any kind of appetizer type food that comes free with whatever you order. Our host mother assured us that every bar around here will give you free tapas, but for some reason the first couple of times we went out that unfortunately wasn’t the case. But we have gotten them since! A lot of tapas bars it seems close at about 1am, but there are other bars that are more for dancing that close much later no matter what day of the week. And Spanish people must have amazing stamina (unless they depend on siesta the next day) but they will go out to discotecas at about 2 or 3am until God knows when. It’s also incredibly smoky wherever you go to bars or discotecas, and they’re very particular about your choice of shoes, you will not be allowed into discotecas if you’re not wearing very formal shoes. Ashley and I are really starting to get along well with our host mother, and we’re both pretty sure she likes us too (she always turns around from watching TV – which she does a lot of – and gives us a big smile and greeting when we walk in). We’re now getting into actual conversations seeing as its becoming a little easier to understand what she’s saying (she speaks SO fast!) She’s very glad that we have pretty much loved all the food she has made us. She’s amazing though, she’ll spend hours cooking lunch and dinner for us, and it really has always been delicious. She refuses to buy prepared foods in supermarkets and just heat it up, so everything she makes is from scratch. She even made French fries – peeled the potatoes, cut them, and fried them. And we both realize how much effort she puts into the meals so I would normally say “gracias” after every meal. Apparently there’s a little cultural difference there which I found out about a few days later in class when I asked my teacher why Carmen is always wondering why I thank her for the meals. Apparently saying ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ are very formal and you don’t use them with your friends or family very frequently. It was described as creating somewhat of a separation or distance between two people because they aren’t comfortable enough with the other person to actually have an unspoken thankfulness. So our teacher told us that the correct way to show thanks to someone is to say things that indirectly prove your thankfulness (for example let them know that the meal tastes good). I thought that was interesting. Sunday afternoon I went with a few girls to the Albaicin. It’s a separate section of the city, up near the Alhambra. It’s a completely uphill walk from where we live, so it was a nice gradual workout getting up there. But there were so many people around going to and from the good lookout places. There are also all sorts of restaurants, bars, and little shops lining the small streets and alleys with Moroccan-style foods and trinkets. At the top we went to an excellent lookout place called the Plaza Mirador de San Nicolas. You could get a beautiful view of the city and the Alhambra. Sorry the photos didn’t come out so well, the sun was right over the city when we were up there, but hopefully I’ll get back again soon. Even being up there was fun. There was a church and a mosque and loads of people taking photos, playing instruments, singing, and selling things. We were going to try to stay up there for the sunset, but it gets incredibly cold at night and we were all dressed for the warm weather we had been getting during the day. So we discussed trying to come back up for a sunset or go to another place nearby that looked like it would have amazing sunrises. Otherwise not too much going on here. Ashley and I have a 20-minute presentation on Friday so we’ll see how that goes. It seems so strange that we actually have to do homework and study here. I guess it will seem like a vacation until, well, Friday probably. Next Saturday we have our first group trip, which is to Ronda. Still not quite sure what we’ll be doing there, but I’m sure Jorge has something planned for us!

So. I’m here. We got here a few days ago. So far all is going well. The first day was a little rough, lots of flying and waiting around, and a severe lack of sleep. We got to the airport at about 2pm on Sunday, and arrived at the apartment in Granada at about 2pm the next day. With the 6 hour time difference that means 18 hours?? I slept a little bit on some of the flights, but no more than 2 hours total probably. And then we stayed awake until 10 to finish dinner and to try to get on their sleep schedule.

 

My host mother is nice, her name is Carmen. She’s an older woman who has been doing this for years, she doesn’t have any family living with her so it’s just me, Ashley (my roommate) and Carmen in the apartment. It’s a nice apartment, we each get our own rooms, mine is tiny, but I like it, it’s got everything I need. We get internet access on and off in the rooms, but I think the people we’re stealing the wireless from turn it off at night unfortunately.

 

I was having a very hard time understanding Carmen for the first few days, but I think it’s getting a little better now. I still don’t understand her as well as I understand everyone else in the country unfortunately. Carmen is an amazing cook, which is great. She makes us typical Spanish meals and so far I haven’t found one that I completely dislike. We have toast for lunch every morning and she makes me warm milk and give me powdered chocolate (breakfast isn’t very big here). Lunch is the main meal which we have at about 2pm when we get back from class. Dinner is supposed to be light, at about 9pm, but she always makes us loads. She loves to watch TV (very loud!) and every day so far we have watched TVE which is like entertainment television (Spanish celebrity gossip – they stalk the same Spanish people every day, but I’m getting to know the people!), and every night at dinner we watch Pasapalabra which is like a TV game show with words and their definitions. It’s fun, and I think even that is helping out with the language a bit.

 

We started classes yesterday. I’m taking a grammar class with 6 other girls from Delaware (most of our group is in the upper level class), and then right afterwards we all have a Spanish culture class together. So far I really like both of my teachers. They are very relaxed here, it seems like the classes won’t be too hard, although I do have to do a presentation in each of them for 20 minutes :/. Unfortunately I have classes every Friday to get the required hours. The professors are funny, especially my culture teacher, she jokes about the cultural differences but at the same time is really teaching us about theirs. She explained how Spaniards very much go by a schedule or calendar. Even though it’s really warm and I could comfortably wear shorts and a short-sleeve shirt outside, she explained that all the people here are still wearing winter jackets simply because it’s February and it should be cold. And their eating habits are very scheduled, they never snack between meals (I still don’t understand how they can go all morning until 2 with no food, but they do).

 

I really love the city. It’s a city, so a lot more going on than I’m used to, but it still has an intimate feeling to it, I see people running into their friends all the time on the street. There’s still so much to explore! I feel like I hardly know it yet. It’s also a very clean city. The sidewalks are tiled, and they have cleaning machine vehicle things going down them all the time. They also have orange trees lining the streets, which I love! And their crossing man symbols are different, and really cool. My favorite is a gumby looking green man who does this really cool walk when you’re supposed to be walking.

 

Okay, well I will try to be good about this website and updating it. Now I’m off to check out the Cathedral in the city that is supposed to be nice.

 

I miss you all so much! 

11/14/2010 6:32:03 AM - mackey391@...
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2/16/2009 11:46:51 PM - 002057973348

Hi Laura,

What a GREAT way to communicate over the big blue ocean!  Love all you have to share with us.  Keep it comin'.  You sound very happy!

Luv You..... Auntie Donna and Irv :)

2/15/2009 11:45:51 AM - 001035609191

Laura,

Loved your commentry and photos. What a oool courtyard! So you'll be looking for one of those + a Bidet in your House?

Keeping enjoying the atmosphere there!

 

Sest always.

 

Peadar

2/15/2009 1:22:36 AM - 002057350970

LAURA!!!!!!!! i love your website, especially your journal. haha. keep up the good work. when you get back to OL City i expect a unique spanish dish for dinner. thanks.

2/15/2009 1:22:26 AM - 002057350970

2/13/2009 9:29:18 PM - 001018769421
I am jealous of the street cleaners! (there's dog poop galore here) Enjoy the food! And ya same here bread and butter/jelly for breakfast. Do you have lunch at home most days?

2/13/2009 2:13:47 PM - 002057436257
Hi Laura,

2/13/2009 2:11:55 PM - 002057436257