Wales Day Two!

Breakfast at the hotel was from 7-10am...I made sure to be down in the lobby at 6:59am. I love breakfast so much, it's the best meal of the day. And since we were going to have to buy our own lunch, I made sure to fill up on cereal and fruit and yogurt and hot chocolate! We were out of the hotel by 8:30am and on our way to Caerphilly Castle which according to our politics professor is the best castle he's seen in Europe, and I guess he's seen a lot of them!

Well...it's my favorite castle I've seen so far too! This place was impossible to get into, the layout of it ensured that no one could invade. I mean...it had a moat and then two outer walls and...lots of other things! We ran around the castle for a while, up and down the spiral stone staircases and of course...stopped by the gift shop! I have to say something about my purchase...sheep poo paper! It's made out of sheep poo! And I got a card to send to a lucky boy in Argentina named Josiah! I'd be happy to get a card made out of sheep poo!

We departed from the castle and took the scenic route to...the center of town where we had a few minutes to grab lunch! It was Subway for me today...and I got corn on my sandwich! They should start doing that in the states..I've been craving corn everyday here. And now I'm craving it as I type this in my bed. If I hadn't brushed my teeth already I'd go to the store and get some. But not really.

After the stop to get food we picked up our tour guide... whose name escapes my memory... and started our marathon of church site visits! This was the beginning of my favorite part of our trip to Wales! I didn't realize how much of an impact the first missionaries in England and Wales had on the growth of the Church and people learning about Restored Gospel. A few missionaries came over in 1837 and split up between different areas of the UK. The first site we visited was The Hill Farm, where the apostle Wildford Woodruff taught in John Benbow's (owner of the farm) home. This is where a lot of people heard the Gospel for the first, and we went down to the little pond where many were baptized...this is it!

I would love to live on a farm and have all the land like that. The view of the valley was so gorgeous! So open and green! Next up was the Herefordshire Beacon, where Wilford Woodruff and his companions would go to get some peace and quiet and just think about things. Escaping with nature is the best way to clear the mind, so this was the perfect place to go! I guess I should explain what the Beacon is...it's a mountain with the most beautiful view. Even better than from the Hill Farm...you're surrounded in every direction with green hills and ponds! The hike up to the top was steep, I loved it! It made me want to be able to spend all day hiking. I've realized after being here just how crazy I would go living in a big city for a long time. I just want to hike and camp everyday and ride my bike everywhere and live in the woods. That's my idea of a happy life. It was so windy at the top, I felt like I was...in a hurricane. It was the perfect day for a hike, I can see why the missionaries chose this spot to go for inspiration and meditation!

Through more countryside and narrow roads we drove...and ended at our last stop, the Gadsfield Elm chapel. This little building is the oldest (we think) meetinghouse for the Mormons and is where services were held. They packed a lot of people in here and would spill out the doors.

We went inside and sat in the pews, I loved imagining how this was the same place maybe my ancestors had been. We sang Spirit of God to close and most everyone teared up and we all left feeling uplifted and really grateful for everything the generations before us had done.

Ope, and there's a sign! That's me! haha We pulled into the little gravel road to the building and this was there to mark the spot. After our visit the the chapel we started the drive back to London..stopping to get what else, fast food! My favorite...not really. But any food is better than no food I always say! I don't know why but the bus ride home was exhausting, and I was super happy to be back to the centre after a long day of driving!

A Wale of a Tale

Our trip to Wales started out with everyone's alarms going off at 5 am Thursday morning. After throwing a few things into my backpack for our overnight trip, I ran to the kitchen to pack lunch and grab breakfast which was chaotic as always on our early mornings. We got on the coach by 6am and headed West. The drive was about three hours long and I happily spent it sleeping.

Tintern Abbey...our first stop. I guess it's a good thing that pictures don't do this place justice because what would be the point of going if pictures were the same? Henry VIII destroyed most of this abbey during his rampage so the ceilings and a lot of walls are missing...I think this was one of my favorite parts though because as you stood inside you were surrounded by grass and could look up at see the sky (which was blue!) I loved having the windows missing too because you looked out and could see the mountains with the red trees...this landscape reminded me of the northwest and made me miss it! It was beautiful! One of our assignments for British Literature was to take ten minutes to ourselves and observe our surroundings and write down impressions and experiences the landscape reminded us of, and later we'll write an essay or poem about what we thought about during our time there. I'm actually excited for it!

We got back to the coach and started towards ... The Big Pit! This is one of the few deep coal mines left in Wales, and it's now a museum. This has been one of my favorite things we've done in the semester...I can't imagine what it must've been like to work down in the mines for a living. Actually...I could now that I've been done in one! Our guide, Wayne, was hilarious and loved to make fun of our American clothes and shoes. He had worked in the mines for 15 years and had a lot to tell us. We got our helmets and headlamps and battery packs (which were surprisingly heavy) and took the elevator down about 300 feet!

Once we were down we turned off our lamps to see how dark it would've been for the poor unfortunate souls who didn't have a source of light down there. Wayne said children would come down to the mines and their parents would leave them in one spot for a few hours with no source of light...that made me sad to hear. Poor kids. And horses were used to pull the carts of coal, they worked 50 weeks out of the year...poor animals. Anyway...enough of the sad stuff. Some students kept hitting their heads on the ceiling since some spots were pretty low...that was funny to see and hear. Wayne showed us how to use a candle lamp to test the carbon monoxide levels and kept laughing at his own jokes...I liked him.

I was sad to leave the Big Pit...but the coach needed some company. We hopped back on and I climbed over everyone to get to my seat by the window. Our last scheduled stop as a group for the day was the Museum of Welsh life. I booked it to the gift shop first thing, good thing I did because I got the last Welsh flag patch and some stickers! And a random postcard that had a really cool yellow quilt on it. I think it would be so cool to learn how to quilt...I don't know if I would have the patience though. I sewed a small baby quilt a few years ago and I sewed up the fourth side before I turned it right side out...don't know how I'd do with someone a little more complicated. Back to the Welsh Museum! They had galleries of....I'm not quite sure what because I never went there!

I spent most of my time there wandering around the Welsh community! Actual houses and shops and buildings were moved to this site from long ago! There was a castle and it had the most beautiful gardens! Even though it's winter and all the flowers are sleeping, it was still so pretty. It's always green here like Washington because of all the rain, and since it's the off season there aren't a bunch of tourists. So being here in the winter is actually really nice!

I do think when I come back in a few years it will be in the spring though...I can imagine the flowers in bloom and it's magnifique! We found these dried flowers though and thought they were just as pretty as live ones! After exploring the gardens we went into the castle, and found out the Welsh are shorties! The doorways were barely above my head and that's saying something. There were tapestries and quilts that were amazing-I don't know how any human could possibly have handmade them. Quilts have become one of my favorite things to look at, the designs were so complicated and it must've taken so long to complete just a little patch on one. My grandma crocheted all of her grandkids an afghan and mine has a million colors and is so complicated...it's such a talent. Moving on from one of my many tangents...

Cardiff was our home for the night. And we stayed in an actual hotel...not a hostel! You know what that means... only two people per room. It was heaven. One big bed to myself and I didn't have to climb a ladder to get to it! It was a nice break from having eight girls in one room to only sharing with one. I forgot what it was like to have a little bit of space! It was so exciting to have the bathroom to myself and not have a chorus of alarms wake me up...We didn't have enough time at this hotel! But I'm not complaining!

But before we could sleep we had to eat! We got a map and started walking! After a few attempts to cross the road we all finally made it to the same side and found the shopping and restaurant district. After much debate we decided on a Mexicano restaurant "Chimichanga" and I got a burrito....mmph! I was so excited for some real food after having granola bars and apples all day. *I really need to stop making that face in all my pictures. How embarrassing* Although the food was good...I have decided that once I'm home in April I will never want to eat out again. Actually, I'd really like to never eat out again starting now. Going on these day trips and traveling so much makes it so we have to find food on the road which usually means eating an overpriced meal with too much butter! I'll be happy to be able to cook in my own kitchen and make my own meals!

A Museum and a Musical. Good Day.

Who knew sitting in a classroom all morning could be so exhausting? I had all my classes Tuesday so I got up, ate breakfast and went up to the second floor for Classic Civilizations. It was a marathon of learning...from 8:45 until noon when we had a 10 minute break to scarf down the leftovers from dinner the night before. We didn't even used to have a break to eat, we'd all run down to the servery and grab a piece of bread and stuff it in our mouths and run back up. It gets pretty hectic in between classes with everyone trying to get in a snack before the next session. I actually had all my reading done for my classes so it felt good to know what the lectures were about!

For my classic civilization class we went on a field trip to the V&A Museum after classes and looked at the cast courts. They're plaster casts of different monuments from around the world. We looked at Trajan's Column (the real one is in Rome...mom and dad we should go see it when we go there!) It this massive column that is like a big comic strip, its engravings tell the story of a two year military campaign. The column is displayed as two separate pieces, the top and bottom, and still it reaches the ceiling (which is really high up there...) A plaster cast of the front of the Church of Santiago from southern Spain is in the gallery too. It's a common destination for pilgrimages.

Tonight was the best part of today (not that I didn't enjoy all the lectures) because I went to Phantom of the Opera. I'm glad I wasn't throwing up tonight, I was happy to get to go! My seat was on the front row of the balcony, perfect for me! I had seen this show with my parents about...eight years ago? (That seems like a long time ago! I guess it was...)

Everything was amazing-the actors, the set, the orchestra. It's times like these when I wish I could sing or that I had gone onto pointe. I miss theater and dance! Seeing musicals here have that effect on me. Oh, and before we got to the theater we stopped by a cute little pastry shop with huge wedding cakes in the window. No wedding cakes for me tonight, but I did get a cute little scone with custard and a poached pear! It was muy delicioso!

Oh Saturday

Some highlights from Saturday, the 20th day of this fine month of February!

1) For some reason I decided to get up at 7am on the weekend and go for a run! So happy I did though, because the sun was coming up out of the sky and it was a clear, not foggy morning, in Hyde Park! I was going to go to the gym since I'm trying to be easy on my shins, but I guess Londoners don't like to get up on weekends to exercise because the gym doesn't open until 9am. I digress! My run was a wonderful way to start the day, and just as I got back to the Centre my roommates were heading out for Sarah's birthday breakfast. We went to Cafe Diana down the street and treated ourselves to...EGGS! It was the first time I've had them since being in Europe...they were heaven. I miss my egg sandwiches I'd make every morning, so this was a taste of home! (I don't even care that I look scrubby and tired in that picture...I had to document my first egg experience)

2) 'Twas a beautiful morning so me and Sarah M. decided to get one of our assigned "London walks" done! But first we hit up the Natural History Museum...volcanoes and fossils and minerals galore! There was a big stone from Thurston County Washington! It was next to all these ones from India and...other foreign countries...anyway! It made me so happy seeing that! The walk took us past the Tower Bridge. Perfect day with the bright blue sky and sun shining!

3) We stopped in Borough Market (we realized when we were watching the first Harry Potter that it's where Hagrid and Harry walk through when they're going to Diagon Alley!) and I got Malaysian Curry! There are a million things I want to try in the market, but not enough time to get them all! This was a good choice though...and I got a little plastic container to use as a food box here in the Centre! haha Everyone makes fun of me for taking pictures of my food. Obviously it doesn't phase me though, because here's a picture of my lunch! Anyone going to Borough...try the curry!

4) Today is the day of food...me and Sarah couldn't resist going to Frog when we got off the tube near home. It's the best frozen yogurt, it tastes like cheesecake! I've decided that when I have my own house, it's going to have a frozen yogurt machine. And I just found out from my roommates that Red Mango in Utah is a frozen yogurt place just like this!

5) Me and Alyssa went to get tickets at the theater for Phantom of the Opera...but the tube was a mess today! The central line was packed and there were delays, and every other station either had trains that weren't running or they were totally closed so we spent about 2 hours trying to get from the theater back home. We transferred eight times and were about to go crazy. We were going to go to dinner with a group of people for Sarah's birthday, but we were...an hour and fifteen minutes late so we ended up going to dinner with each other. The two of us at a table with a candle in the middle...how cute. I didn't want to eat out for a third time in one day...but we were so ravenous after being stuck on the tube forever that I didn't even care. That pizza had goat cheese and rosemary and "plump" chicken and peppers, so delicious.

I went to a Mosque!

Another London study for our culture class (this is from Friday, February 19th...a few days late on the blogging!) The Central London Mosque is where we met Omar, the public relations supervisor and our guide for the day! I felt really bad because we forgot to bring scarfs to cover our heads...they had some they lent to us but for the rest of us we just wore our hoods. I felt like an ignorant American. Once inside, we took off our shoes and followed our man Omar into the prayer room. There were only men in the room and we found out that there are separate spaces for men and women to pray in order to respect everyone's privacy and modesty. We got to watch the congregation pray, they repeat the sequence of prayer 4 times and then can pray individually if they want. Omar said every mosque should have a library because learning is crucial, so he took us up to the library and told us a bit more about their beliefs and answered some questions we had. My favorite was when he started blushing and sweating when Mary asked him about their dating and marriage customs. It's so wonderful learning about these different religions...I love it! Getting to talk to Omar made me realize how little I know about other cultures, religion and...the world in general.

After leaving the mosque, I went to Nando's and got a chicken wrap and corn with Sarah. It was nice getting away from a big group of people and not having to worry about keeping everyone together in transit. I didn't used to like corn...but it's one of the few things I crave constantly here (ope, I almost wrote "hear"!) We walked back to the Centre after our food disappeared (it was gone too fast) and let our stomachs digest...then we played Deck of Pain! We got a deck of cards, assigned an exercise to each suit (ie hearts=pushups, clubs=running up a flight of stairs, spades=lunges, diamonds=situps) and went through the deck until we were panting...a result of us working out and the bad ventilation. What a good way to end Friday.

Middle Temple and Charles Dickens

London study today...first was Middle temple. It is one of the four Inns of Court which have the exclusive right to call men and women to the Bar...I don't know. It's an association or something of the sort of lawyers. Like a country club. (Don't trust this information though, I don't really know what I'm talking about.) We had a fancy shmancy dinner where they put the napkins on our laps for us! The menu for us was (1) a mushroom and leek and cherry tomato tart (2) fillet of pork with a bubble and squeak and green peppercorn sauce...whatever a bubble and a squeak is. There were mashed potatoes and vegetables with it! (3) lemon icecream with apple crumble and (4) fruit tea. I guess we weren't supposed to take pictures in there...shh don't tell.

And our second stop of the day, the house of Charles Dickens. This is where he lived when he wrote Oliver Twist, and inside there were a ton of marble busts of himself. They were everywhere you looked! I had no idea what he looked like before today...but now I do! He had a pretty nice comb over and beard. We watched a really boring video of his life but all the rooms and pictures of his family and handwritten pages were fun to see. I can't believe that before printing presses or typewrites or computers everything was handwritten...what a nightmare. All the houses in this neighborhood were so cute, every door was different and each one had a doorstep with a mosaic tile landing. I wanted to take pictures of all of them...but didn't.

I'm Harry Potter...Harry Harry Potter

Another daytrip! (This is from Wednesday the 17th) We got to sleep in today...breakfast wasn't until 7:30 am! Usually on Wednesdays it's at 6:30...yikes. We took the coach (not the bus!) to Blenheim Palace, our first stop! It was where Winston Churchill was born and where his family still lives. We got to see the bedroom where he was birthed...and his bathrobe and slippers. Oh, and locks of his hair from when he was five years old. This great political leader who saved the world during World War II and I got to see his bathrobe! There were letters from him to his father while he was in boarding school, those were cool to see. I love getting to see documents that were actually handwritten by these people! The grounds of the palace were so beautiful, I could just imagine what they'd look like in the spring when the flowers were in bloom and everything was green...*sigh*.

After our guided tour where everything went right over my head because I didn't know any of the history that was being talked about, we ran around the grounds and found a waterfall! Twas beautiful...I have a video to prove it!

Whoakay! So we spent a couple hours at this palace, and ran back from the waterfall to catch the coach before it left without us! Our program director, Professor Macfarlane, told us that we should always carry our credit card with us whenever we went on day trips in case we were late and the coach left us and we had to find our own way home by bus or train...I don't know how serious he was but 1) That would be scary 2) That would be expensive and 3) That means I wouldn't get to fall asleep on the lucky person's shoulder who sits next to me on the bus. Our next destination: OXFORD!!! The first sight to see: The pub where JR Tolkien and CS Lewis used to go to talk to each other about ideas and such! So of course I had to get a picture in front of it!

One of the most exciting parts about Oxford...it's where Harry Harry Potta was filmed! (Well, parts of it!) Our professors gave us a map of all the stops to make and we made sure to go where the wizarding world was. This is the courtyard of the library...what's so important about the library you ask? Inside is Gringotts! Sure you can't tell...but hey! That's where they filmed it so I was happy! There was an admission fee to actually go inside and did I want to spend any more money? No! So a picture will suffice! The name of the library I believe is...Bodleian Library? Hopefully no one who reads this knows so I won't look stupid!

After the library, we made a much needed stop to the covered market. This is a very special place because not only is it covered, but it's a market. And in this market there happens to be a tasty place that goes by the name of Moo Moo Milkshakes. I had the hardest time choosing from all the flavors...it was really distressing! And I'm being serious! I mean...there was carrot cake and reese's and twix and snickers and blueberry muffin and orange chocolate and nutella and strawberry cheesecake and oreo mint and bounty (coconut chocolate bar!) and pear and *any other flavor you can imagine!* The winner...kit kat caramel! Me and Sarah split one...it was a good decision. For those few happy minutes that the shake lasted, I was in Moo Moo heaven. hahaha

And this is Christ Church, a college of Oxford University. I can't believe students go to school here! I would love for this to be my campus. Not that I don't love Provo...but come on. Harry Potter was filmed here in this courtyard! We walked through the hallways where Harry, Ron and Hermoine do! (We watched the first Harry Potter movie when we got back to the centre, it was weird seeing this hallway and thinking how we were there earlier! It's the part where Hermoine shows Harry his dad's quidditch trophy for being seeker. Yep!)

Expecto Patronum! This is me being a student in Hogwarts because I'm standing on the stairs that lead to the Great Hall! All the first year students come up this way right before they get sorted into their houses! I still don't know what I am...Someday I will. It looks a lot bigger in the movies...those darn camera tricks, making everything look better!

We had "tea" (hot cocoa...) and sandwiches and pound cake in the Great Hall...if only the floating candles on the ceiling were real. I felt like Harry Potter (more like Hermione I guess...) and wish I were a wizard. I mean witch.

Love is in the air...

It's floating between London and Mar Del Plata...I can feel it. Okay let's see here. Where do I begin? Should I talk about my random episodes of twitterpation (I don't know what that word means, but Sarah said that it means I'm in love!) or about my primary class better known as the spawn of Satan? I choose the latter. So I woke up Sunday feeling like I got hit by a train since I didn't get to sleep until late that night or early that morning, whichever way you want to think about it! I didn't have time to plan a lesson but I DID buy them lollipops since it was Valentines Day (and I promised them candy last week...) I speed walked to church since I was a little late...good thing I wore my walking boots! But really...I did. I read my second letter from Josiah during the first hour of church since I've realized my attempts at understanding Portuguese are futile. It was funny because the missionaries in our ward spoke today and I was reading a letter from my missionary! Happy connection!

My friend Jen who has helped me with my class a couple of times didn't come to church today, so I was on my own. I took as long as I could making my way to the classroom upstairs, but alas finally had to go. Surprise! There were ten kids today! The cute british accents are so deceiving...they sound like angels but they aren't. I made it through the hour without anyone bursting into tears, I gave them their lollipops so they were happy and then I left! I didn't need to stay for third hour so I figured my time would be best spent in my bed.

I was SO thankful for Sunday dinner after our attempts to find food in Spain. Don't even get me started on the dessert...everyone gave me and Sarah their extra cream puffs...oh boy. And then we had chocolate and shortcake cookies! It was okay though...It was Valentine's Day.

Which brings me to my next topic: twitterpation (Thank you Sarah. *Wow, you've made into my blog a lot lately! Congratulations!*) I have a case of...Josiah fever (according to Sarah, wow is that FOUR times I've mentioned that girl?) I guess it's been really bad lately according to my roommates. Is it weird that I listen to the tapes he's sent me every night or that I tried to make an album picture online of just us? Or that he's in every picture on my bulletin board? Or that whenever the doorbell buzzes I think it's a letter for me? Or that I check my email every two minutes on Wednesday nights? Hmm...okay it's been more than usual lately. haha But I was told I could talk about him as much as I wanted, so there you go! I guess I had a meltdown on Valentines Day (but my meltdowns aren't sad ones...they're more like a burst of love that can't be contained!) All these cute little couples walking around the park and all the chocolates and flowers in every shop window has just got my mind on one thing! And oh boy, I've gone crazy with this entry! This is what I'm talking about when I refer to my episodes of twitterpation!

Wow. I just realized I already blogged about today...on Sunday. Two blogs are better than none, right? I'm losing it.

Viva La Espana!

This last day came up so fast...we were all so exhausted by this point we decided to have a slow day. We packed up (which didn't take long considering we didn't bring anything) and headed out to the city. On our way to the Reina Sofia art museum we made a few stops to some sweet shops until we found the best selection of chucherillos. Go to Spain just to get these-they're licorice with sweet filling and there are a million different flavors! I bought so many my bag was heavy...and I wish I had gotten more.

The Reina Sofia was a gold mine of art! Wowie! There was a lot of Picasso, I really liked that. Cubism everywhere you looked! We didn't stay for long because we didn't want to walk around. Oh by the way, Rachel's foot was hurting her...so we got to push her around in a wheelchair. It was pretty funny. I wanted a wheelchair for the longest time when I was little, I asked for one for Christmas and my birthday but never got one! I was a weird kid. Actually, I'm still a weird kid because I think it'd be fun to have a wheelchair when I felt like wheeling around instead of walking. But enough of this tangent! More of Spain!

We ended up eating at....dun dun dun...Burger King! Not exactly culturally immersing ourselves but at least we knew we'd like it! In our defense, we DID have a tortilla before we hit the fast food! Nothing like a chicken sandwich from an American restaurant while you're in Spain! Actually the fast food restaurants here in Europe have a different connotation than in the states...they're way nicer! Like actual sit down restaurants that have a million tables. Okay enough of that! I'm getting caught up in the little details.

It was super sunny outside and we had plenty of time before we had to leave for the airport, so we walked to the Retiro. It's like Madrid's version of Central Park. On our way we passed a group of longboarders going down a huge hill and just watched them for a while...It was cool.

The Retiro was absolutely gorgeous! It was the perfect day and walking through the park made me want to live in the park. I wouldn't mind sleeping on a bench. There was a guy playing the saxophone and you could hear all the way through the park...it was just perfect. We just spent the rest of our afternoon soaking in the sun since we knew we wouldn't get that chance once we got back into London.

There was sand, so of course we had to write something in it! The mark I left in Spain.

In the middle of the park we found this small lake (or big pond...whichever you prefer). It would've been tempting to jump in if only the water weren't green and it weren't deceptively cold. You could rent the little blue rowboats you see in the background...I think I shall come back here with Josiah so we can do that! It's always been my dream to row around in a boat in a lake in Spain.

Our last picture in Madrid! (The airport doesn't count) I was sad to leave the sight of the sun.

Our trip to Spain was awesome, but went by so fast! We navigated our way through the metro (I was so happy to get back to the tube in London, I like it more!) and got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Good thing we listened to Christina and got there really early...our flight was delayed two and a half hours and we were stuck in the terminal with no restaurants! I ended up buying a sandwich for 5 euros (rip off!) and ended up getting the same one for free later because they fed the flight that was stuck in the airport. Oh well, I like spending too much money in airports! Christina lost her boarding pass so we weren't sure if she'd be able to come with us back to the UK...but good thing the lady at the counter was nice and gave her a new one.

The flight back to Spain went by quickly because me and Sarah and Kalyn talked the whole time. Guess who I talked to them about? haha The lights were on the whole time...what red eye flight keeps the lights on?! Luckily the train was still running when we got back into Gatwick, and we found a bus from Victoria station to take back to the Centre. We finally got home at 3 am and guess what was waiting for me in the library...?! A letter from Josiah and a package from my mom! Pretty much the best welcome back. I washed my hair for the first time since Wednesday and read my letter and went to sleep exhausted! Hooray for traveling!

Holy Toledo!

Day trip today to the birth place of this wonderful saying. We took the train to this historic little city. I feel like Harry Potter when I ride the train over here, only I'm not going to Hogwarts. I wish I were, but I won't complain. I'm in Spain! (Ope, rhyme!) The sun was shining and the Spanish countryside was beautiful! I wouldn't have minded being on the train longer, but after about 30 minutes we were in Toledo!

When we walked out of the train station the first thing we saw was a big red tour bus of the city, so naturally we got on! It took us straight up to the center of the city actually, so it spared us the trek uphill we would've had to take. When we got to Toledo, it was exactly what I had imagined Spain to look like. All you could see were the spanish tile roofs and the top of the cathedral and to one side the green country...so pretty! Once the bus dropped us off, we made our first stop: a tourist shop. Of course. They're just so appealing we couldn't help it!

Our first real stop was the Cathedral. We've gone to a lot of cathedrals around the UK, but this one was so...Spanish! I'm just in awe of these massive buildings that have so much detail and such high ceilings! I just sat in a pew looking at the altar and the carvings behind it for the longest time. No matter how long you look for, there's always something you've missed because there is just so much to see. Pictures don't do these cathedrals justice, you need to see it in real life! If you do anything before you die, go to Europe and see the cathedrals.

Madrid bracelets! This is our bonding souvenir we found in...you guessed it, one of the tourist shops! And I've decided to shorten this blog up since I've spent about half my night trying to update it, so here are just some of the highlights of our trip to Spain from here on!

Just walking across a bridge after exploring the city, look how gorgeous it is!

One of the streets with the Cathedral in the background. It's the highest point in the city!

We found a candy shop, it had the best things in it! We found these little fruits and I regret not buying more...I'll have to go back to Toledo someday so I can get some!

The view from the library...exactly what I imagined Spain to look like. Sun and all!

Sarah took this "candid" of me while we were waiting in the train station hahaha. I LOVE the tile, and that apple was muy delicioso!

Madrid Day Dos

We woke up early the next morning much to my disliking...I felt like I had gotten hit by a train. I guess the whole being sick and not getting sleep wasn't a good combination. I DID get out of bed though and went to the kitchen where I found "breakfast". Good thing the yogurt in Spain is sour and they like warm whole milk with their cereal. Let's just say I ended up having toast!

Our first stop of the day was the Prado. I was SO happy to step outside and see the sun shining! The walk to the museum was gorgeous, the architecture in Spain is amazing. Different than London but just as pretty! The cobblestone streets and wrought iron on the windows and rails made me feel like I was in Disneyworld, but this was the real thing! It seemed surreal to be in Spain and even more surreal to see such bright skies! We spent a couple hours in the Prado, lots of Catholic art with descriptions I couldn't read. One of my new years resolutions is to start learning Spanish, but I'm so motivated now after not being able to read (or understand what people were saying) anything! I want to learn SO much more about art history, there is so much to every painting and I want to know about it all! I think I'll go home, spend a few years learning more about some of the pieces I've seen both in Spain and London and then come back and be able to tell whoever I'm with (Hmm...I wonder who that will be? hee) all about the story behind the art!

We just wandered around the streets for a while looking for some place to get some food, but we ended up finding something even better! Tons of beautiful buildings and doors and walls! Just looking around was one of my favorite things, there was so much to see! I could've spent all day just walking around looking at the architecture. We have some beautiful building in the States, but everything here is just so...old! Every day I think I grow fonder of the architecture here. In my classic civilization class I'm taking here we're learning about the symbolism and the importance of how ancient buildings were constructed and it's been the coolest thing to learn about that and then go out into the world and see it. Knowing what you're looking at makes you appreciate so much more...strange concept, right? There's so much to know, I just want to learn about it all! I'm glad I'm not taking the Greek and Roman mythology here though because there's mythological ties to every building in Spain it seemed like and Kalyn couldn't stop pointing it out...I think I'd get annoyed of noticing Minerva everywhere I went.

After the Prado we walked around, got sucked in to stopping by the little tour stands across the street, and ended up going to a restaurant the guy at our hostel suggested. Nothing sounded good to me, but I ordered some lentil stew. It was the only thing on the menu that didn't involve seafood. Everyone else got paella...a tradition Spanish dish. If you go to Spain get paella for the experience, not to satisfy your taste. haha I didn't have any, but the plate had seafood that still had eyes and hunks of chicken with the bones and everything...Questionable. I don't know if I'll ever be brave enough to try it myself. I think watching everyone eat theirs was a good enough exposure to it.

I ended up staying behind at the hostel to catch up on sleep for a few hours while the girls went for a walk to the cathedral and palace. Best decision of the trip. haha It was hard choosing to miss out, but I really needed the sleep since I felt like a zombie. And it helped that Julie texted me while I was alone to check up on me and see how I was doing :) I emailed my mom too...oh how I love technology.

My group brought back dinner....pasta! We cooked it ourselves in the kitchen and just poured some red sauce on and voila! Bon apetite! There were some really nice people in our hostel, and everyone just hung out in the kitchen so we met some friends from Ireland, Australia and the States. Their (ope, I almost made a grammar error! I almost put "there"! Josiah would be proud of me for catching that...haha) food looked way better...they actually took time to cut up vegetables and add spices. We were just desperate for food and scarfed down our cheap pasta!

Sometimes hostels are sketchy and so are the bathrooms...but since ours wasn't I decided to shower but uh...we didn't have towels! So I ended up using my shirt-it just added to the experience. Actually, I didn't wash my hair the whole time. I felt like a real world traveler.

Best part of the trip: the flamenco show. We went to a local club and saw one with a real live band! I'm in love with flamenco now. They are so passionate and intense when they dance and our table was right up against the stage...we could see the sweat flying off their faces! I feel like I understand the Spanish culture more after seeing this, like I said-I'm in love! And the band...oh man. Spanish guitar. That's all I have to say.

We were all pretty dead after the show since it didn't get over until about 12:30 am, so once we got to the hostel I pretty much just had time to brush my teeth before I fell into bed. Best decision of tonight-finding earplugs.