Time is winding down here in Spain...today was our last sunday with the ward (because next Sunday is General Conference) and we had our last group trip this last week. It's crazy how fast time has gone! Since I last wrote, I've traveled to a lot of awesome places. I went to Portugal, Galicia, Valencia, and Barcelona.
In Portugal we spent most of our time in Lisbon which has been one of my favorite places so far. It's very similar to San Francisco because it has a bridge almost exactly like the Golden Gate, and it has trolley cars and hills everywhere, just like San Francisco. It's a beautiful city too! I loved it.
Galicia was a great trip because of the Spanish people in that part of Spain. I really think they have some of the nicest people in the world in that corner of Spain! We had such fun experiences talking with the locals there, and making new friends. One place we went was the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, where many people make a pilgrimage to. We met some pilgrims from parts of Spain and Italy and one from Boston. Most of them had been walking for 3 months to get there!
During Semana Santa, we took a day trip to Valencia to see Las Fallas. The streets are filled with these huge, elaborate floats that look like something that came out of Toon Town in disney land. Some of them were really cool looking, really colorful and animated... Then through out the day, people just walk around the streets looking at all these floats. Every once in awhile they would have a big firework show(in the middle of the day). We tried to get close enough to see one, tons of people were there for the show and it was so packed that we couldn't even move from where we were standing. It was really loud though! The ground shook under us and the glass on the buildings were shaking and rattling, haha. All day it sounded like a war zone from all the firecrackers people set off and all the other firework shows. That night, around 1 in the morning, they burned all the floats. We stood for four hours to get a front row seat to one of them, and it was well worth the wait! It was really cool being that close to see it!
We just got back from Barcelona yesterday, and it was such a great trip! Barcelona had so much to see, but there was so little time to see it! I loved all the Gaudi stuff Barcelona has...La Sagrada Familia, Parque Guell, La Pedrera (or Casa Mila), Casa Botllo...it was all so crazy! His art is very interesting and unique, but I really liked it. I had to give the tour at La Sagrada Familia, so I had read a little about him and studied some stuff before we went. That helped to understand it all a little more and it probably helped me to like it more as well. Before we went to the Parque Guell, I bought a cheap soccer ball so we could play around at the park. It was so fun becuase all day we had this soccer ball, and we'd carry it or kick it through the streets and juggle with it. At the end of the day, we were waiting for the bus to take us back to our hotel. We were waiting in Las Ramblas, a really busy part of town, so we thought it would be funny to stick a hat out as if we were street performers and then juggle the ball to see if we could get any money. We only made 6 cents, haha, but this kid played with us for about 20 minutes. The next day, a small group of us had just left from the Olympic musuem and the Olympic stadium (which was so awesome) and the professor's 14 year old son fell and sprained his ankle really badly. He couldn't really walk anywhere, so we called the Professor so they could come pick him up and take him back to the hotel. We had to wait there for about an hour and a half for them to pick him up, so we started having fun again street performing...this time singing! It started out this one girl singing by herself, and we were all dying laughing. But then we thought we might actually make some money if we did it seriously...so we started singing hymns, since that's something we all know how to sing. It was incredible how many people stopped and listened, took pictures or video...and then how many people gave us money! We felt bad getting money for it, so we stopped doing that, and put out pass-a-long cards. It was so cool to see so many people stop and listen! We ended up giving away 3 cards while doing this! It was actually a lot of fun, and I never would have thought I would have the guts to stand up and sing in public like that...anyway, another cool part of this story is that the same kid who stopped to play soccer with us the night before passed us while we were singing too, haha. He recognized me and said hi. I'm sure he thought I was pretty weird...playing soccer trying to get money one night, the next day singing!
I only have two more weeks here in Spain, and then two weeks traveling around other parts of Europe! I hope I can keep this somewhat updated, but if not, I'll see a lot of you really soon! Love you!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
The MaMoose!
Hey everyone! These last few weeks have been so great here, let me catch you up on a few things.
A week ago the whole group went to El Escorial, which I'm not even exactly sure which city it's in, but it's the palace and basilica that Philip II built. It was really big and it was built in a grid formation to symbolize the grill that somebody was martyred on...can't remember who. I liked it, but since some of it is still in use we didn't get to see a lot of it. We also went to Valle de Los Caidos that day. This was a basilica that Franco built during his rule to commemorate those who had "fallen for God, and for Spain" during the Spanish civil war. The only thing is all the republics who had lost the war lost thousands of lives doing labor to built that exact building for Franco...and then Franco himself is buried right in the Cathedral behind the altar and Christ on the cross. It all was so interesting and different, so I liked it, but at the same time I really didn't like it because it just had a different feel to it. It's such a controversial issue in Spain...before going, my Padre told me to turn my back to Franco's grave and not show him any respect. The location of the building is really neat; it's built into a mountain that looks out on this beautiful valley filled with green forestry. On top of it there's a cross that's around 300 feet, and there's a statue of Christ that they say is so big you'd be able to sit in his hand. It all looks really neat, and the inside is filled with granite and marble. It just had a weird feel to it...
This last weekend a small group of us went to San Sebastian and Bilbao. We took a 6 hour train ride to Bilbao, and that actually wasn't too bad. haha, I kept thinking, just add three more hours and I could go back to the states for a visit(my flight over was 9 hours). The four of us, Dani, Emily, Brock, and I all got to know each other really well!
Our first day in San Sebastian was so great! We spent the day hiking all over the place to gorgeous views of the beach and the ocean. We spent some time playing in the sand and water a little bit as well, and made friends with a fisherman there named Alberto. He was a funny old man, and wanted us to take a picture with him, and then send it to him. He was telling us all the good places to go, and made sure to tell us not to go see any of the modern art sculptures there, because it's definitely not art. He also gave us a small geology lesson on how the rocks were formed there from the ocean over time...haha. For lunch we tried some tasty tapas, or mini sandwich things that usually have a type of meat and cheese, or something delicious on it. I had one with raw salmon and some kind of sauce, then a baked cod one, and then one with ham and mango! It was a tasty lunch, and to top it off we found a pastry shop for a little dessert. We were so lucky to have great weather too! It was beautiful all day!
Our next day in Bilbao was also a good one. We spent the morning going through the fish and meat market and found things such as pig heads, whole piglets, cow snouts, lamb heads w/ eyeballs still intact, octopus, squid, eel...and many other great things! We took a nice long walk through this huge park, and then took a funicular, or tram, up to the top of this mountain to look at the view of the entire city. We hiked back down after, and you'd think going down would be pretty easy, but the path we took ended up going up and down a few times, and it was a pretty intense hike! The views were all really good of the city along the river below us. We could see the Guggenheim art museum really well, and it looked awesome! After getting to the bottom, we spent the next three hours in the Guggenheim museum looking at all the crazy modern art. I liked a lot of it...but some of it was too crazy for me...and after three hours I think we had all had enough of modern art.
We topped the day of with some kebobs, and we asked for la salsa picante, because that's the best way to do it...so we thought. We were expecting some sauce similar to what we had had before on other kebobs, but this sauce really was HOT! my lips, my mouth, and my throat were all on fire, and I’m pretty sure my body temperature raised a few degrees, haha. I think the restaurant guy had a good laugh watching us try to eat the kebobs and then down our glasses of water. Needless to say, they were still delicious!
We headed to the airport for our flight home, and that was the end of our trip... and it was so fun! We all had so much fun laughing and making jokes with each other. It was a fun group to spend a weekend with. San Sebastian and Bilbao were amazing too, so I really had a lot of fun all weekend. It was the "MaMoose"... or in other words... really really awesome, maybe even the best.
Tomorrow morning, we all start another trip to Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela, and Leon. It's great, there's almost no time for school! haha, anyway, I miss you all! Have a great day!
A week ago the whole group went to El Escorial, which I'm not even exactly sure which city it's in, but it's the palace and basilica that Philip II built. It was really big and it was built in a grid formation to symbolize the grill that somebody was martyred on...can't remember who. I liked it, but since some of it is still in use we didn't get to see a lot of it. We also went to Valle de Los Caidos that day. This was a basilica that Franco built during his rule to commemorate those who had "fallen for God, and for Spain" during the Spanish civil war. The only thing is all the republics who had lost the war lost thousands of lives doing labor to built that exact building for Franco...and then Franco himself is buried right in the Cathedral behind the altar and Christ on the cross. It all was so interesting and different, so I liked it, but at the same time I really didn't like it because it just had a different feel to it. It's such a controversial issue in Spain...before going, my Padre told me to turn my back to Franco's grave and not show him any respect. The location of the building is really neat; it's built into a mountain that looks out on this beautiful valley filled with green forestry. On top of it there's a cross that's around 300 feet, and there's a statue of Christ that they say is so big you'd be able to sit in his hand. It all looks really neat, and the inside is filled with granite and marble. It just had a weird feel to it...
This last weekend a small group of us went to San Sebastian and Bilbao. We took a 6 hour train ride to Bilbao, and that actually wasn't too bad. haha, I kept thinking, just add three more hours and I could go back to the states for a visit(my flight over was 9 hours). The four of us, Dani, Emily, Brock, and I all got to know each other really well!
Our first day in San Sebastian was so great! We spent the day hiking all over the place to gorgeous views of the beach and the ocean. We spent some time playing in the sand and water a little bit as well, and made friends with a fisherman there named Alberto. He was a funny old man, and wanted us to take a picture with him, and then send it to him. He was telling us all the good places to go, and made sure to tell us not to go see any of the modern art sculptures there, because it's definitely not art. He also gave us a small geology lesson on how the rocks were formed there from the ocean over time...haha. For lunch we tried some tasty tapas, or mini sandwich things that usually have a type of meat and cheese, or something delicious on it. I had one with raw salmon and some kind of sauce, then a baked cod one, and then one with ham and mango! It was a tasty lunch, and to top it off we found a pastry shop for a little dessert. We were so lucky to have great weather too! It was beautiful all day!
Our next day in Bilbao was also a good one. We spent the morning going through the fish and meat market and found things such as pig heads, whole piglets, cow snouts, lamb heads w/ eyeballs still intact, octopus, squid, eel...and many other great things! We took a nice long walk through this huge park, and then took a funicular, or tram, up to the top of this mountain to look at the view of the entire city. We hiked back down after, and you'd think going down would be pretty easy, but the path we took ended up going up and down a few times, and it was a pretty intense hike! The views were all really good of the city along the river below us. We could see the Guggenheim art museum really well, and it looked awesome! After getting to the bottom, we spent the next three hours in the Guggenheim museum looking at all the crazy modern art. I liked a lot of it...but some of it was too crazy for me...and after three hours I think we had all had enough of modern art.
We topped the day of with some kebobs, and we asked for la salsa picante, because that's the best way to do it...so we thought. We were expecting some sauce similar to what we had had before on other kebobs, but this sauce really was HOT! my lips, my mouth, and my throat were all on fire, and I’m pretty sure my body temperature raised a few degrees, haha. I think the restaurant guy had a good laugh watching us try to eat the kebobs and then down our glasses of water. Needless to say, they were still delicious!
We headed to the airport for our flight home, and that was the end of our trip... and it was so fun! We all had so much fun laughing and making jokes with each other. It was a fun group to spend a weekend with. San Sebastian and Bilbao were amazing too, so I really had a lot of fun all weekend. It was the "MaMoose"... or in other words... really really awesome, maybe even the best.
Tomorrow morning, we all start another trip to Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela, and Leon. It's great, there's almost no time for school! haha, anyway, I miss you all! Have a great day!
Monday, February 18, 2008
The unforgettable experience in Pedraza
This last weekend we took a day trip to Segovia and Pedraza. Segovia has this awesome castle that looks like Cinderella's castle, complete with secret passages underneath...we were all in search of the one that goes back to Madrid, but to our dismay we were unable to find it. Later on, we visited the Cathedral there. There was a really cool name for it, but I can't remember right now. It was one of the first Cathedrals to be built using the Renaissance style instead of the Gothic style. They also used a different kind of stone to built the exterior, so it looks a lot lighter, and has almost a gold-ish color to it. It was really pretty! My favorite part of Segovia was seeing the Roman aqueducts...they were so cool! It's crazy how long they've lasted. I wish you could see what they looked like when they were first built. While we were waiting for some people in that plaza, I noticed a little game of soccer going on in a little corner. I watched it for a little bit, and was about to jump in and play, but then they stopped playing because some people had to go. There were a few who stayed and kicked it around and juggled, so then I asked if I could jump in and play. They looked at me as if thinking, "yea right you can play..." but they said I could, so I juggled with them for a few minutes. By the time I had to go, I think I had impressed them that an American girl could play soccer...I was pleased, haha.
Our next stop was in Pedraza, which is a really cute little town that has kept the medieval look really well...there's almost nothing that looks modern in the whole town. Needless to say, it was dead. It took maybe 10 minutes to circle around the town, and find all the streets completely empty. We had reservations for dinner for about 2 hours later, so we had to find something to keep us entertained. We took some cool pictures of the castle there, and then had fun playing those games from girls camp we are all too familiar with. We also had some fun playing hacky sac which is one of the popular past times of our group when waiting for buses or between class.
Finally, the time came for our dinner. We had been anticipating it all day. We ate at this famous restaurant there, and had an amazing 5 course meal...complete with blood sausage and roasted lamb. Here's where the story gets good...I was lucky enough to get one of the few pieces of lamb that had the testicle still attatched, so I...of course...had to eat it. One of the most culturing experiences I've had yet...and not one I plan to repeat in the future. Everyone, including myself, was very impressed that I ate it. Two other lucky girls ate one too. We also had a lot of fun playing with the pig's hoof that was still attatched to another girl's meal...we played some fun pranks with it that night. It made for some good laughs.
That's the end of this story, and as always, I'll try and get photos up one of these days. Love you guys!
Our next stop was in Pedraza, which is a really cute little town that has kept the medieval look really well...there's almost nothing that looks modern in the whole town. Needless to say, it was dead. It took maybe 10 minutes to circle around the town, and find all the streets completely empty. We had reservations for dinner for about 2 hours later, so we had to find something to keep us entertained. We took some cool pictures of the castle there, and then had fun playing those games from girls camp we are all too familiar with. We also had some fun playing hacky sac which is one of the popular past times of our group when waiting for buses or between class.
Finally, the time came for our dinner. We had been anticipating it all day. We ate at this famous restaurant there, and had an amazing 5 course meal...complete with blood sausage and roasted lamb. Here's where the story gets good...I was lucky enough to get one of the few pieces of lamb that had the testicle still attatched, so I...of course...had to eat it. One of the most culturing experiences I've had yet...and not one I plan to repeat in the future. Everyone, including myself, was very impressed that I ate it. Two other lucky girls ate one too. We also had a lot of fun playing with the pig's hoof that was still attatched to another girl's meal...we played some fun pranks with it that night. It made for some good laughs.
That's the end of this story, and as always, I'll try and get photos up one of these days. Love you guys!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Andalucia
Alright, this is the new stuff from just this last week. It's been quite a week of traveling, so I don't know how detailed this will be. I'll try to make it interesting with fun details but not too long...
We took a bus down to the Andalucia area(southern parts of Spain) to see Merida, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada. Our first stop in Merida was only for one afternoon, and we saw some Roman ruins dating back some two thousand years...it was awesome! There was an amphitheater where they would do gladiator fighting, or fill it with water and do battles on smaller boats. There was also a theater that they used for plays and other social gatherings. There was a roman museum there with other artifacts, but we only got to spend about 40 minutes inside before they kicked us out to close for the siesta. We were all practically running and just snapping pictures of whatever we saw so we could look later...it was kind of funny, but too bad we couldn't stay longer.
We spent a little time just walking around the city, and it was so cool to me because they had orange trees everywhere! They smelled so good and looked so pretty! I couldn't pass it up, so a few of us picked an orange to eat. We quickly found out why nobody else was eating them...it was the most sour orange I have ever eaten! Haha, all the locals were laughing at us.
In Seville, we saw the cathedral which has a 350 foot tower. We climbed it, all 35 levels of stairs and ramps... and the view was amazing. The cathedral was really pretty too, but a lot of it was under rennovations. They supposedly have Christopher Columbus's bones there, and the biggest pearl. They also had a random alligator hanging outside in one of the corners of the courtyard...couldn't figure that one out? After the cathedral we went to the Alcazar. This may have been one of my favorite places the whole trip. It was filled with the mudejar style, and it had really bright colors everywhere, and beautiful tyle work. There was also really beautiful gardens there, that just go on and on...I just kept thinking how amazing it would have been had it been in full bloom. It was really great though, if any of you get a chance to visit Seville, this is one place you can't miss.
After the Alcazer, two girls and I were sent out to find a Flamenco show for that night. We had a lot of fun searching the town, and talking to the locals trying to find something. The only one we actually found was way too expensive for the group budget, so our professor ended up just finding something with the hotel's help. We spent the rest of the afternoon seeing Seville on bikes. It was so much fun to ride a bike again! They had these bike stations everwhere in the city, and you could rent it for about 2 hours for only 1 euro...it was so fun! We rode along the river there, across the bridges, into gardens and parks, and then over to the Plaza de Espana. We also took a ride the next morning before we had to leave, but it was so fun to ride a bike through Seville! Everyone was jealous of us :)
That night, the flamenco show was so fun! It was very cool to think that there I was in Spain, watching Flamenco...just one of those many moments that it hits me...that I'm in Spain! They had two guys playing guitar in the background, and then two guys singing. The dancers were amazing, I can't believe how fast their feet move! The girls who dance love to make dramatic faces that to me look like crusties, and almost all the guys have really long hair that they wet down before they come out to dance, haha and then of course they make some great faces too. It was great experience though.
The next day we spent in Cordoba, where the Mezquita is. It was originally the Muslim synagogue, but when the Christians took over they changed it into a cathedral. Everyone thinks that what the Christians did to change it into a cathedral ruined it because they styles dont' fit, and it just doesn't look good together. The synagogue had hundreds of these marble columns, and then arches striped red and gold. The christians put a chapel and choir in the very middle of all of it. It really doesn't fit at all. Seperately, they would both be beautiful, but they just dont' fit together at all. It was very peaceful inside though. The sun shines throught the small windows and lights up just enough so you can see the beautiful architecture, and the columns go on forever it seems. You can still se where they kept the Koran and some of the original stone where they prayed...they said to try to imagine thousands of men all knelt down praying...that would be so awesome.
That night, we took some really fun pictures just after the sun had set at the Roman bridge they had there. The mezquite was in the background all lit up, and the sky looked really pretty. Then we went and ate kabobs for the first time. It's so delicious...pita bread with kabob meat, lettuce, onions, tomato, and really good sauce. yum!
The next morning, we went into the alcazar and the gardens there. This was the alcazar of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Christian Kings. The gardens were so beautiful again, but would be amazing in full bloom. If any of you have read Nora's Castle, it reminded me of that, as we climbed into the towers of the castle and explored as much of it as we were allowed to. It also reminded me of Monty Python, when King Arthur asks if they want to join his quest for the Holy Grail, and they tell him they've already got one...haha.
Our last day in Granada was a fun one. We stayed in a hotel right next to the Alhambra, which is the cool thing to see there. It was also at the top of the city in the mountains, so anytime we went down into the other part of the city, it was an intense hike back up. The Alahambra was very neat. It's where the Moors did a lot of government/political stuff, and also had a lot of palaces for the rulers the stay in. Each ruler added another palace during his reign. It also had amazing gardens, maybe the coolest of the whole trip. It was so fun to walk through it! This is also a place you shouldn't pass up if you get the chance to visit southern Spain.
On our way home(a 6 hour bus ride) we stopped to see the windmills that inspired Cervantes when he wrote Don Quijote. We had fun taking pictures there, and then climbed back on the bus and rode for another few hours. It was a great trip though, and it was so much fun to see more of Spain! The sad part is my camera was dead all week, so I have to get pictures from about 5 different people, so until then I have no pictures to put up. I'll try to get them soon though! Love you guys!
We took a bus down to the Andalucia area(southern parts of Spain) to see Merida, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada. Our first stop in Merida was only for one afternoon, and we saw some Roman ruins dating back some two thousand years...it was awesome! There was an amphitheater where they would do gladiator fighting, or fill it with water and do battles on smaller boats. There was also a theater that they used for plays and other social gatherings. There was a roman museum there with other artifacts, but we only got to spend about 40 minutes inside before they kicked us out to close for the siesta. We were all practically running and just snapping pictures of whatever we saw so we could look later...it was kind of funny, but too bad we couldn't stay longer.
We spent a little time just walking around the city, and it was so cool to me because they had orange trees everywhere! They smelled so good and looked so pretty! I couldn't pass it up, so a few of us picked an orange to eat. We quickly found out why nobody else was eating them...it was the most sour orange I have ever eaten! Haha, all the locals were laughing at us.
In Seville, we saw the cathedral which has a 350 foot tower. We climbed it, all 35 levels of stairs and ramps... and the view was amazing. The cathedral was really pretty too, but a lot of it was under rennovations. They supposedly have Christopher Columbus's bones there, and the biggest pearl. They also had a random alligator hanging outside in one of the corners of the courtyard...couldn't figure that one out? After the cathedral we went to the Alcazar. This may have been one of my favorite places the whole trip. It was filled with the mudejar style, and it had really bright colors everywhere, and beautiful tyle work. There was also really beautiful gardens there, that just go on and on...I just kept thinking how amazing it would have been had it been in full bloom. It was really great though, if any of you get a chance to visit Seville, this is one place you can't miss.
After the Alcazer, two girls and I were sent out to find a Flamenco show for that night. We had a lot of fun searching the town, and talking to the locals trying to find something. The only one we actually found was way too expensive for the group budget, so our professor ended up just finding something with the hotel's help. We spent the rest of the afternoon seeing Seville on bikes. It was so much fun to ride a bike again! They had these bike stations everwhere in the city, and you could rent it for about 2 hours for only 1 euro...it was so fun! We rode along the river there, across the bridges, into gardens and parks, and then over to the Plaza de Espana. We also took a ride the next morning before we had to leave, but it was so fun to ride a bike through Seville! Everyone was jealous of us :)
That night, the flamenco show was so fun! It was very cool to think that there I was in Spain, watching Flamenco...just one of those many moments that it hits me...that I'm in Spain! They had two guys playing guitar in the background, and then two guys singing. The dancers were amazing, I can't believe how fast their feet move! The girls who dance love to make dramatic faces that to me look like crusties, and almost all the guys have really long hair that they wet down before they come out to dance, haha and then of course they make some great faces too. It was great experience though.
The next day we spent in Cordoba, where the Mezquita is. It was originally the Muslim synagogue, but when the Christians took over they changed it into a cathedral. Everyone thinks that what the Christians did to change it into a cathedral ruined it because they styles dont' fit, and it just doesn't look good together. The synagogue had hundreds of these marble columns, and then arches striped red and gold. The christians put a chapel and choir in the very middle of all of it. It really doesn't fit at all. Seperately, they would both be beautiful, but they just dont' fit together at all. It was very peaceful inside though. The sun shines throught the small windows and lights up just enough so you can see the beautiful architecture, and the columns go on forever it seems. You can still se where they kept the Koran and some of the original stone where they prayed...they said to try to imagine thousands of men all knelt down praying...that would be so awesome.
That night, we took some really fun pictures just after the sun had set at the Roman bridge they had there. The mezquite was in the background all lit up, and the sky looked really pretty. Then we went and ate kabobs for the first time. It's so delicious...pita bread with kabob meat, lettuce, onions, tomato, and really good sauce. yum!
The next morning, we went into the alcazar and the gardens there. This was the alcazar of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Christian Kings. The gardens were so beautiful again, but would be amazing in full bloom. If any of you have read Nora's Castle, it reminded me of that, as we climbed into the towers of the castle and explored as much of it as we were allowed to. It also reminded me of Monty Python, when King Arthur asks if they want to join his quest for the Holy Grail, and they tell him they've already got one...haha.
Our last day in Granada was a fun one. We stayed in a hotel right next to the Alhambra, which is the cool thing to see there. It was also at the top of the city in the mountains, so anytime we went down into the other part of the city, it was an intense hike back up. The Alahambra was very neat. It's where the Moors did a lot of government/political stuff, and also had a lot of palaces for the rulers the stay in. Each ruler added another palace during his reign. It also had amazing gardens, maybe the coolest of the whole trip. It was so fun to walk through it! This is also a place you shouldn't pass up if you get the chance to visit southern Spain.
On our way home(a 6 hour bus ride) we stopped to see the windmills that inspired Cervantes when he wrote Don Quijote. We had fun taking pictures there, and then climbed back on the bus and rode for another few hours. It was a great trip though, and it was so much fun to see more of Spain! The sad part is my camera was dead all week, so I have to get pictures from about 5 different people, so until then I have no pictures to put up. I'll try to get them soon though! Love you guys!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Toledo
Last weekend our group took a trip to Toledo, which is about an hour from Alcala de Henares. It was such a beautiful little town! It was first ruled by the Moors, and then sometime in the 13th century the Christians took over. It took quite awhile for the Christians to take over, because the center of Toledo is at the top of this huge hill, and the hill is surrounded by a river on 3 sides. The streets are all really windy and narrow, and it's really easy to get lost because it's like a maze...so attacking the city wasn't easy for the Christians. Anyway...I'm sure you all wanted to know the history behind Toledo...
We first visited the Cathedral there, and it was so beautiful! It was huge, and there was a ton of tiny intricate designs everywhere you looked. They have the red cardinal's hats hanging from the ceiling above the spot where the cardinal was buried, and the hat stays there until it rots away...that was pretty interesting to see. It was also fun to see this huge collection of robes from former arch bishops. They were really pretty and it's amazing to think that they were hand made... it's so detailed and fancy. I wish I could have taken pictures, but that wasn't allowed.
We also visited a Jewish synogogue which is now a museum, and that was pretty interesting, but I definitely liked the Cathedral better. We would have gone to visit the Alcazar too, but it was under construction or refurbishing of some kind.
We all had a lot of fun just wandering around and trying to find our way through the maze of streets. Sometimes it felt like we went back in time because you would turn down a street, and there would be nobody around, no cars...nothing, and the streets were all cobblestone, and all the buildings look older. It was a lot of fun. We found this place where Nuns sell Mazapan, so we all tried some. At first I thought it was pretty weird. It was like sugar cookie dough with almond flavoring and lots of sugar...but with a really weird texture. I ended up liking it a lot though. While Natausha and I were just wandering around, I noticed a statue of the Christus, and then a figurine of some elder missionaries. We stopped to check it out, and it was just this random store that has a bunch of stuff like that. The guy working there told us he was a member, and then he took us to a "special room" that was full of swords and armor and shields. He showed us that they had that sword of Captain Moroni, haha I thought that was pretty funny. We got to take a lot of fun pictures with the swords and the armor...it was great.
The second day we took a really long walk around the outside of the city, and that was great for picture taking. It was nice to get out and walk around in fresh air too; we get so sick of walking in the smoke filled air in Madrid. We stopped at a little shop where this guy was making plates and bowls and painting them. These plates were all over Toledo, but it was fun to see someone actually making them.
This last week Natausha and I have had a lot of fun. We live right by this park that looks like a playground, but it's just a bunch of machines for people to work out on. We thought we'd go try it out, haha, it was awesome. They're meant for old people b/c it's really low resistant, but it was still fun to play around on them. We're going to make a workout video using all the machines, so hopefully I'll find a way to post it on here so you can all see how cool it is!
We went to Madrid last night, and found an ice cream shop for some gelado. It was so delicious...I'm not sure if it was really good because I haven't had ice cream for a long time, or if it's just really good gelado, but it was good. Don't worry...I play soccer a lot here, and we've made a workout program we're gonna stick with, so I'm not gonna come back fat, haha...at least we hope so. But they have a lot of great stuff here...pastries, gelado, mazapan, chocolate con churros.
This next week we're going to Andalucia and stopping in Merida, Seville, Cordoba, and then Granada. I'm excited to spend almost a whole week out traveling! I'll try to keep this updated with posts and pictures. Thanks for all your comments, I hope you all don't get bored reading about all this stuff. :)
p.s The night before we went to Toledo, I dyed my hair brown! It's a fun change, and my Mom didn't get too upset when she found out, so everything is good, haha. And by the way Katie, Mom didn't cry when she found out, so you owe me ten bucks.
p.p.s I accidentally only saved this as a draft, and I've been gone all week w/o internet, so this is from over a week old.
We first visited the Cathedral there, and it was so beautiful! It was huge, and there was a ton of tiny intricate designs everywhere you looked. They have the red cardinal's hats hanging from the ceiling above the spot where the cardinal was buried, and the hat stays there until it rots away...that was pretty interesting to see. It was also fun to see this huge collection of robes from former arch bishops. They were really pretty and it's amazing to think that they were hand made... it's so detailed and fancy. I wish I could have taken pictures, but that wasn't allowed.
We also visited a Jewish synogogue which is now a museum, and that was pretty interesting, but I definitely liked the Cathedral better. We would have gone to visit the Alcazar too, but it was under construction or refurbishing of some kind.
We all had a lot of fun just wandering around and trying to find our way through the maze of streets. Sometimes it felt like we went back in time because you would turn down a street, and there would be nobody around, no cars...nothing, and the streets were all cobblestone, and all the buildings look older. It was a lot of fun. We found this place where Nuns sell Mazapan, so we all tried some. At first I thought it was pretty weird. It was like sugar cookie dough with almond flavoring and lots of sugar...but with a really weird texture. I ended up liking it a lot though. While Natausha and I were just wandering around, I noticed a statue of the Christus, and then a figurine of some elder missionaries. We stopped to check it out, and it was just this random store that has a bunch of stuff like that. The guy working there told us he was a member, and then he took us to a "special room" that was full of swords and armor and shields. He showed us that they had that sword of Captain Moroni, haha I thought that was pretty funny. We got to take a lot of fun pictures with the swords and the armor...it was great.
The second day we took a really long walk around the outside of the city, and that was great for picture taking. It was nice to get out and walk around in fresh air too; we get so sick of walking in the smoke filled air in Madrid. We stopped at a little shop where this guy was making plates and bowls and painting them. These plates were all over Toledo, but it was fun to see someone actually making them.
This last week Natausha and I have had a lot of fun. We live right by this park that looks like a playground, but it's just a bunch of machines for people to work out on. We thought we'd go try it out, haha, it was awesome. They're meant for old people b/c it's really low resistant, but it was still fun to play around on them. We're going to make a workout video using all the machines, so hopefully I'll find a way to post it on here so you can all see how cool it is!
We went to Madrid last night, and found an ice cream shop for some gelado. It was so delicious...I'm not sure if it was really good because I haven't had ice cream for a long time, or if it's just really good gelado, but it was good. Don't worry...I play soccer a lot here, and we've made a workout program we're gonna stick with, so I'm not gonna come back fat, haha...at least we hope so. But they have a lot of great stuff here...pastries, gelado, mazapan, chocolate con churros.
This next week we're going to Andalucia and stopping in Merida, Seville, Cordoba, and then Granada. I'm excited to spend almost a whole week out traveling! I'll try to keep this updated with posts and pictures. Thanks for all your comments, I hope you all don't get bored reading about all this stuff. :)
p.s The night before we went to Toledo, I dyed my hair brown! It's a fun change, and my Mom didn't get too upset when she found out, so everything is good, haha. And by the way Katie, Mom didn't cry when she found out, so you owe me ten bucks.
p.p.s I accidentally only saved this as a draft, and I've been gone all week w/o internet, so this is from over a week old.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The last week
I figured I should probably put something on here because I'm starting to forget the list I had going in my head of things I wanted to write on here. These last two weeks have seemed a lot longer than just two weeks because so much has happened! We started classes, and it's great; We have classes Mon-Thur, and always get out before 2, so that leaves plenty of time for playing! Although, our professor gives us plenty of reading to do about the History of Spain, so we are very studious as well.
During our play time, we've been able to do a lot of great things. First of all, we went to the Prado museum last week! We didn't get to spend a whole lot of time in it this first time, but I'm very excited to live so close to where we can go back often. I loved it, it's a lot of fun and very interesting to me to look at all these amazing paintings, many of which are the originals which is even better! We also went to a beautiful park nearby the museum, called the Parque Retiro. It has so many paths and walkways through trees, and there's a big lake where you can take a row boat out. We plan to go back many times, especially when everything becomes green again. We also had fun seeing Minnie and Mickey Mouse at the park, and just so everybody knows, they speak Spanish! No wonder they don't talk at DisneyLand, haha and I've wondered why all these years?!
Another evening after spending a little time walking around Madrid, a few of us went to take some pictures by the temple. It's was very beautiful at night with it all lit up, and it was really neat to me because you can feel such a difference being at the temple. The spirit definitely is there, and it was very comforting to feel that same spirit here, being on the other side of the world. I had another neat experience this week; my roommate Natausha and I planned to go with the sister missionaries to an appointment, but unfortunately the appointment fell through. Instead, we met with a girl who is also here on a study abroad. Her name is Angela, and she's from Utah, but is attending a University in Pennsylvania. She was baptized a month ago, and now being here she feels homesick or lonely a lot becuase all of her friends go out partying a lot and so she doesn't get to go out and do anything a lot of the time. It was great to meet her, and hopefully she can come hang out with all of us from BYU. Anyway, we all had a little study group with the missionaries, and talked about things we can do to get through trials, and what a strength studying the scriptures can be. The spirit was really strong, and there was an overwhelming sense of happiness and peace. It was great to see how happy everyone was, especially Angela.
About twice a week now, a few of us go up to the Universidad de Alcala's Instalaciones Deportivas, where there are basketball and soccer courts. We play a game of both usually, and it's always been combined with other people who are there. It's been really fun, not only to be playing soccer again, but we get to meet a lot of people, mostly around our age because it's where all the college kids are. The best was two days ago, we had this really old guy Jose playing soccer with us. My guess is that he was somewhere in his 60's or 70's...he was actually really good, but just couldn't move very fast, haha. It was great. I hope I last that long playing soccer!
Well, that's all that I can remember for now...I'll put some pictures up too. I hope everyone is doing well, and know that I miss you and love you all! Hasta Luego
During our play time, we've been able to do a lot of great things. First of all, we went to the Prado museum last week! We didn't get to spend a whole lot of time in it this first time, but I'm very excited to live so close to where we can go back often. I loved it, it's a lot of fun and very interesting to me to look at all these amazing paintings, many of which are the originals which is even better! We also went to a beautiful park nearby the museum, called the Parque Retiro. It has so many paths and walkways through trees, and there's a big lake where you can take a row boat out. We plan to go back many times, especially when everything becomes green again. We also had fun seeing Minnie and Mickey Mouse at the park, and just so everybody knows, they speak Spanish! No wonder they don't talk at DisneyLand, haha and I've wondered why all these years?!
Another evening after spending a little time walking around Madrid, a few of us went to take some pictures by the temple. It's was very beautiful at night with it all lit up, and it was really neat to me because you can feel such a difference being at the temple. The spirit definitely is there, and it was very comforting to feel that same spirit here, being on the other side of the world. I had another neat experience this week; my roommate Natausha and I planned to go with the sister missionaries to an appointment, but unfortunately the appointment fell through. Instead, we met with a girl who is also here on a study abroad. Her name is Angela, and she's from Utah, but is attending a University in Pennsylvania. She was baptized a month ago, and now being here she feels homesick or lonely a lot becuase all of her friends go out partying a lot and so she doesn't get to go out and do anything a lot of the time. It was great to meet her, and hopefully she can come hang out with all of us from BYU. Anyway, we all had a little study group with the missionaries, and talked about things we can do to get through trials, and what a strength studying the scriptures can be. The spirit was really strong, and there was an overwhelming sense of happiness and peace. It was great to see how happy everyone was, especially Angela.
About twice a week now, a few of us go up to the Universidad de Alcala's Instalaciones Deportivas, where there are basketball and soccer courts. We play a game of both usually, and it's always been combined with other people who are there. It's been really fun, not only to be playing soccer again, but we get to meet a lot of people, mostly around our age because it's where all the college kids are. The best was two days ago, we had this really old guy Jose playing soccer with us. My guess is that he was somewhere in his 60's or 70's...he was actually really good, but just couldn't move very fast, haha. It was great. I hope I last that long playing soccer!
Well, that's all that I can remember for now...I'll put some pictures up too. I hope everyone is doing well, and know that I miss you and love you all! Hasta Luego
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