I'm home, in case anybody didn't catch the memo. I will miss writing in my blog, but all good things must come to an end. All that is left to say is that I had a safe few flights, although a few scares that I wasn't going to make it on time. I finally arrived home, went to eat at Chick-Fil-A with my parents, and go back to the airport because I had some luggage trouble at Philadelphia, but it got straightened out and my bags were only one flight off. I've spent the last few days running around and I probably won't stop, but my sleep is getting back to normal, and that is good. So thanks for reading, until next time!

rnWell I'm back from Barcelona in case anybody is wondering. I traveled all day Saturday and Sunday I went to church and then Carmen and I went out to eat at KFC afterwards. This morning I went to the bank to cash my travelers check, and then I had to go to the main branch, and the fee was too expensive, so I went to two other banks before I found a third one. The fee was still expensive. Out of $50 I ended up with only about 17 Euro. I was pretty upset. No more travelers checks. Anyway after that I met up with Carmen and we went to Triana to look at some tile. I said goodbye to her, hoping i'll see her again someday soon, and headed back into town. I bought a few postcards and went back to the house to eat lunch. Now I'm getting ready to head back out into the city one last time. This will be my last night out in Seville, because for the next two days I am packing like a mad person to be ready to leave very early in the morning on Thursday. I've had a good time in Seville, but I am ready to go home. I will miss it though.

This morning I slept in a little bit, then got up and looked up subway lines to try and find out how to get to the fort here. Thanks to my 5 minute friends Jeff and John for the suggestion. It was totally worth it. On the way up, and they were right, it was a hike, I stopped at a little stand to get a coca-cola. Hands down, best coke i've ever had. It was cheap (the guy gave it to me for 1.80, idk if it was regularly that price or if it was a discount, but either way, it was cheap) and also, he said because I was really thirsty, he gave me one with ice still attached to the side. The inside was slushy like. It was heavenly. Sometimes it pays to be a girl. So anyway the fort affords the best view around of the city. There is also a pretty cool museum with lots of guns and knives. The fort is complete with cannons as well. On the way down I went to the Olympic Stadium. I wasn't really impressed. I did enjoy the museum attached to it though, it was interesting. I ate a bocadillo (that's a baguette style sandwich) at a little store outside the stadium for lunch, and I got an ice cream bar, of which I lost about 1/4 of it. It was still good. So on the way down I had also intended to go to some musical fountains, but they only play at 9 at night, so we'll see about those later. I ran into the national museum of catalan art, but i'm all arted out. They had some Picasso and Dali. I didn't go in, I just checked prices. I decided to go to the beach, because i'm in Barcelona. After getting off too early on the subway I went by foot to a park, where I found a statue of a mammoth, and then finally went on to the beach, where I stayed for about an hour, lying in the sun and then collecting cool rocks. Now i'm back in the hostel, but i'll go out for supper later. I'm a little pink, but comfortable in my new European clothes.

So it's been interesting so far. Yesterday I spent the whole day traveling, and after having a hard time figuring out where my hostel was (the street signs and house numbers are impossible) I checked in and crashed for the night. Except I didn't exactly crash well... I think that the loudest cars and motorcycles drive by my window, that is open, but I will see if the other girls will let me close it tonight. So there was lots of noise. I finally did get to sleep, only to wake up at 2:35 thinking it was closer to 6. After checking the clock I did manage to fall back asleep, to wake up at 7:22. I then tried to rest until 8:30, when my alarm quietly went off. I finally got out into the city, but I wasn't really feeling it. I went to La Sagrada Familia (The Sacred Family) Church building, designed by Gaudi, and paid a ridiculous sum of 9 Euro, student pass, to go inside and see arches and two stained glass windows and lots of scaffolding. The project hasn't been completed yet, despite being started in 1882. So after wasting my money, I got some pictures of the outside, which is really the most important part, that I could have taken from the street for free. After that I decided to go ahead and buy a 10 ticket subway pass, which was cheaper and I figure i'll use. I went to see the neighborhood where Gaudi designed a lot of the buildings, and that was cool, then I traveled down to the cathdral, which was also expensive and not worth it, and while sitting and looking at the map to decide where to go next, my camera got stolen. So, no more pictures for you guys, sorry. I did backtrack and take some video though. So then to cheer myself up, because I was pretty angry, I went to a Picasso museum. That didn't really help. I'm sick of seeing paintings and drawings and sculptures of naked women. COME ON guys, pick a different topic. Please. Anyway, so then I went to a chocolate museum. The people at reception were not helpful at all. People are rude in this city. Maybe i'm just having a horrible day. The ticket to get in was a chocolate bar, and its very dark, so it wasnt a total loss. I did enjoy the museum. After that I went to the city's Arc du Triumf, took a video of that, walked to Plaza Tetuan, got on the metro, went back to the Sagrada Familia and took some video. While there I met two guys names Jeff and John, and let them use my map. They were really nice. Then I got a very large Coca Cola and hopped back on the metro to Encants station, walked to my hostel, and here I am, probably for the night. So that's my story. IDK what the day will bring tomorrow.

So, today. I went to one of the museums that I hadn't intended to go to in  the first place, but apparently it's one of the best with paintings from all kinds of famous artists. Well, it was closed. Monday. So I was really disappointed, but I didn't give up hope completely for my day. I went to the Reina Sofia museum, hoping that it wasn't closed on Monday too. Fortunately, it was open. Also fortunately, it was free! Works included Salvador Dali, Juan Gris, Velasquez, and most importantly, Pablo Picasso. I saw Guernica today. I also saw all of the "studies" or practice sketches leading up to Guernica; it was really nice to see the transformation. I saw a lot of surrealist art today, and i've decided that they were crazy. I have also decided, that absolutely anything can be art. And I mean anything. Your toilet seat. Your comb. The corner of a magazine that you spilt coffee on this morning. Your fifth grade text book. A string of your hair, or your mother's hair, or any hair from anything really. Every single flag of the world. I seriously saw some stuff today that made me go "really???". There was one large frame, and inside was a white square of paper, with a black line of paint about an inch long. And that was it. That was art. Craziness. So anyway, after I spent a good 5 hours there, I went to the botanical gardens. I took 372 pictures, mostly for my mom. Yay for flowers! They were beautiful. I also went to El Retiro, Madrid's large park. After all of that I came back to the hostel and then went and ate supper. Now i'm exhausted and full, and i'll be glad to get some rest and fly out of here tomorrow! See you in Barcelona! (On a side note, I know where the Juan Ripolles display went that was in Plaza del Trifuno in Sevilla...it showed up in El Retiro today.)

So I think Belgium and Spain are sisters. Both have a statue of Don Quixote and Pancho, and both have an atomic structure. Weird. Anyway, I found that and took a picture, then I went to a roman temple to Debod, which was kinda cool, and then I went to the Prado Museum. I don't think that I was really in the mood for it, I was kinda tired, and all the art made me kinda dizzy. They had works by Velazquez, Goya, Rembrandt, and Rafael to name a few. Tomorrow I am off to more adventures, hopefully i'll see some Picasso. On another note, I've found a really good little italian restaurant that I like. Last night I had pizza, tonight I had spaghetti and cheesecake for desert. It hasn't disappointed. 

So I just got back from El Rastro market which is only open on Sundays. Take the largest flea market you've ever been to, and put in on Steroids. Now double it. You might now have El Rastro. I don't know exactly how big it is, but it takes up at least 3 full streets. I tried to get some pictures, but it really won't show the extent of this thing. Plus, I didn't want to get my camera out too much, because of pickpocketers. The streets were packed, and I had to concentrate on keeping my stuff close to me at all times. The enery it took to walk that place made me tired, but it was really fun! Nanny, my grandmother, would have gone nuts over it. She would have been trying to bargain in Spanish. She is a lot better at it than I am. We would have lost her, and left her there all day. She might have even set up her own shop. They have everythhg you can think of at El Rastro from electrical plugs to CDs to candles to towels in the style of Euros. It was crazy! I did buy something, I would have felt bad to spend 3 hours there and leave empty handed. I promise I will put up some pictures tonight. Now off to go museum hunting!

I made it! I got to Madrid this morning at 6:07, found my way to the metro and with the help of a very nice couple made it to the stop I needed to get off at. I then walked to my hostel, also with some help, only to find out that they don't check in until 1:30. I hadn't had any sleep, even though the seats on the bus here were the most comfortable bus seats that I have ever ridden in. One of the guys working was really nice to me and let me eat breakfast, even though here they don't eat till 8ish. I also got to put my luggage in the baggage room for the day. The guy lent me a bed for the time being in a private girls room, and gave me some sheets, even though he wasn't supposed to do that. I didn't realize the room was still occupied, but there was a girl sleeping when I got in there, and another one walked in as I was getting ready to rest. I asked her if it was ok, that I wasn't feeling well (this is what I was told to say if anyone asked) and that the guy said I could sleep here for a little while. She replied with "Do you have another room in the hostel?" and I said yes, but that I couldn't check in until 1:30. She said ok, but it was really saucy and she rolled her eyes like I was a freak. I asked nicely and all. I realize her frustration, because I think I would be too if I found a stranger in my room, but she didn't have to be rude. So I slept to regain my strength, then around 11 I went downstairs and put more of my stuff in the luggage room, and headed off for an adventure with my trusty new map. What I ended up finding was incredible. I went to the cathedral and a Neo-Roman crypt below it. I had to search for someone to give me change though, which was frustrating. Anyway, they both were really cool. The crypt was kinda creepy, but the Cathedral was really colorful, and I loved the ceiling. I'll have to put up pictures later; I don't have my cord for my camera right this minute. So then, since it was in the vicinity, I went to the Royal Palace. Amazing. It was so ornate! I liked it better than Versailles I do believe. It was a much smaller scale, but the chandeliers were so much better. So after that I bought some postcards; you weren't allowed to take pictures inside. Then I searched for a place to get a sandwich, which I managed, but I'm going to search for cheaper places later, even though what I got wasn't expensive. I saw some cheaper places on my way back. I am now finally back at the hostel, but they are having trouble with their registration program, and it is going to take them another hour. I was glad they took my computer this morning and held it behind the desk, so I could have it now, and nobody in the hostel would mess with it. Apparently they are doing some construction work inside this place...but so far it looks ok. I don't know what my plans are for the rest of the day, but I'd like to find some colorful cows. I guess it all depends on when I can check in. I'll keep you up to date!

So I went into town today to finish up with my library books and get some money before my trip, and when I got off at Prado bus stop across the street there was a renaissance fair! I've never been to one of these, so I was really excited. I went in for a look but I knew I had to get my stuff done, so I went to the library and spent an hour photocopying stuff, then I returned my book and headed back to the bus stop to go home and get my camera. Camera in hand, I went back to Prado and ate a kebab and a very difficult Coca-Cola from the "Medieval Mercado". I then walked around and took some pictures. It was lots of fun! The first thing I noticed was the birds. I was really excited to be so close to them! They were beautiful. They even had a carousel that was really cool,  I didn't realize they were that old! They also had some torture devices and even a boat! (Cost 2 Euro to ride, it was for kids but it was cute.) They also had donkey rides for the kids, and some toy swords and axes and armor as well. Of course they had the flower crowns, but I didn't buy one. They had some dresses too, but since I already own one I didn't think it necessary. I am back in the apartment now having decided that I really should get to packing, and maybe a nap, before my bus ride to Madrid tonight, but I was so excited about the market I just had to write about it!

Not much is going on today. Just working on my research paper. My brother is 24 today. I can't believe it. Tomorrow is Mother's Day and i'm not home, but hopefully she'll have a good day. I'm leaving for Madrid on Friday, so hopefully that will be fun. Besides that this paper and class will take up most of my week, as well as little errands I have to run. If anything exciting happens i'll let you know.

A few things that have happened this week. Carmen told me about this place called Rayas, which serves Italian Gelatto. It is fantastic. I got a medium bowl packed to the brim for 4 euro, but this bowl was big. It's a great price and so worth it. I got chocolate, I'm going to have to go back at least once before I go home. I didn't take a picture of it, sorry. I also went to the library and checked out some books for my research paper on Monday, and outside the library I was surprised to find a mulberry tree. I could only reach the bottom branch, but I wish I could pick a bushel and take them home with me. They were so good, but I don't know if I was supposed to eat them or not. I guess that tree is for the birds. I'm planning my trip to Madrid and Barcelona; I'm really excited about it. Tomorrow I plan on going to Bormujos for Thursday Market. I haven't been in awhile, but I'm going to check out bus times when I get back into the bus station. Sometime this weekend I might go see Wolverine in Spanish, but we'll see. Only 3 more weeks left!

Also for your viewing pleasure, the cutest little girl and her cotton candy.

So I had a fantastic time at Feria, and the only reason that I can write this right now is that I took a very long nap today to catch up on some much needed sleep! I went Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning. Tuesday I spent with Carmen and friends (in order, Inga, John, Yasmin, Carmen, and Darby, and Martha came at the beginning but she wasn't there for the video) at her father's caseta. I am so glad that I met her the week before, because going to Feria without friends would not be fun. If you don't have a caseta to go to it isn't worth it, because that is where all the action happens. Basically, a caseta is a "little house" where you dance and eat and drink and hang out. They look small on the outside, but most of them will fool you. They are quite large on the inside. They are also noisy and crowded and full of life. Everyone dances and seems to have a good time, and the music ranges from popular Spanish songs to traditional Spanish songs for dancing Sevillanas, to songs from Greese, or even YMCA. It was interesting. It would take forever to explain everything in detail. I went on Wednesday mainly to take pictures, like the one you see above. Lining the right side of the picture are some casetas, and you see all the girls in their Flamenco dresses, of which I had two :)  Saturday night I went with Carmen in one of these Flamenco dresses to a Brazilian worship service (that's in Portugese folks, and last I check I don't speak Portugese) that was led by a clown. It was interesting. Afterwards they had a surprise birthday party for one of the members, and had some Brazilian food. I was skeptical at first, but it turned out to be really good. I'm going to get the recipe. They had two cakes, one was food and the other was desert. The first one was almost like a mega sandwich. I really liked it. After having to explain that just because Carmen brought a friend it didn't mean that I wasn't a Christian, and after being harassed to dance by everyone in the congregation, Carmen and I left, quite embarrassed, and resolving to never wear Flamenco dresses to church again. We kinda stood out. But I did manage to get a picture with Meli, who happened to be there. She was the one that sold me my dress, and cleaned it, and had it fixed, and she also supplied me with all the "trimmings" to look like a true Sevillana. Of course, I still have blonde hair, but at least I tried.  Once we got to Feria that night, we stayed up all night. We rode the Feris Wheel and ate cotton candy and such. When all was said and done we went back to her house in Bollullos and ate some more food that her mother kindly fixed for us. I didn't see a bed till around 6. I don't think I really slept. In the morning I did not feel well, and I tried to eat some of the Paella that Carmen's mom fixed, and it was really good and I felt really bad for not being able to eat it. At 4:30 on Sunday we went to an English Bible study. The group included two people from London, 9ish from the Philipines, Carmen and I, and about 5 Sevillanos, and also some crazy guy from Michigan who led the group. It was lots of fun. After that, Carmen and I hopped some buses to get to Sevilla Este so I could drop off my stuff, and then we went back to Feria to hang out some more before viewing the fireworks show that designates the end of Feria. Luckily I got one of the first buses out, and got myself back home. This morning I had school, and then I went to the library to get some books in order to write a research paper on Feria, which I will begin now.

Feria last night was awesome! I will have to put up pictures later. I forgot to bring money and my keys, so that caused some drama, because I had to walk from Prado to Feria instead of take the bus. I also had to walk back at 3 in the morning. I also had to call Maria to tell her to let me in, but I had to use Carmen's phone because I don't have any more minutes on mine. My phone also died. So apart from all that, I had a blast! I tried to find the caseta that Maria told me about, but nobody seemed to know what it was, so I found the rest of the group and we were allowed to go into Carmen's. I was surprised at how big it was! And there are hundreds of these things! It was so much fun! We danced the night away, literlly, in our pretty flamenco dresses, except for John, who in fact was not wearing one. At the end of the night we had to say goodbye to Inga, which was sad because she's going back to Germany and I don't know if i'll see her again. I'm going to Feria again today, and this time i'm more prepared. On to the Ferris Wheel!

Morocco

This weekend was amazing! We went on the Ferry, which was more like a floating airplane, to the town of Ceuta, which is still Spanish. We had to drive a little to get to the border. On the Ferry over we passed the Rock of Gibraltar, which belongs to the English, but has an Arabic name, and is on Spanish soil. It's special. We weren't allowed to take pictures at the border, but it took us 45 minutes to get everyone's passports stamped. We were told that this was where everyone came to buy things that weren't made in Morocco, i.e. made in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc. We went to a town called M'Diq to spend the night. We were on the beach, which was fantastic. The next day we went to a town called Tetouan. We did some shopping and touring. It was loads of fun. After that we went to a town called Tanger, or Tangier might ring a bell. On the way we stopped where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic ocean, then a little later we rode a camel! It was hilarious. When I say we, I mean me and Yasmin and Carmen, two of my friends here in Sevilla. They're fantastic. Anyway we had a good day looking around at all the shops and eating Moroccan food. That night we had a show with lots of traditional music and Belly Dancers. It was interesting, and they really got everyone involved. It was great, and I actually thought it was worth the money. The next day we went to a town called Chaouen, and everything was blue. They painted it that way to keep Demons and Mosquitos away. It was really cool! I say this literally, because it rained that day, and we were cold and wet, but we had an umbrella, and Carmen let me borrow her scarf, which was really nice. The streets really do look like they do in Aladdin, except a little bit smaller. I bought a magic flying carpet. Carmen and I are going to race, but we haven't tried yet. I was so grateful that God worked out the three of us being able to go together. The trip wouldn't have been nearly as fun without Yasmin and Carmen. However, in Yasmin's words, travelling with Spanish people is a totally new experience. They are hilarious. I loved it! 

We got back into town and decided to walk down a street that Brian had told us about, and we ate supper at an outdoor restaurant. Our waiter was hilarious. The food was ok. We walked around a bit looking for some chocolate but were unsuccessful, so we went back to the house. The next morning I had to hop on a train and head to the airport while the guys went to the concentration camp Dachau. We said our goodbyes and then I got on the platform. There was a really nice woman who talked to me for a few minutes while we waited on the train. She seemed really excited to try out her limited English, and she was very pleasant.  I made it to the airport ok and flew back to Madrid. I hate Madrid's airport, by the way. It is one long building, and they don't tell you which gate to go to for your flight until about 5 minutes beforehand, so you have to sprint to get there on time, wherever you are. It is really annoying. Fortunately, the people on the plane told us which one to go to beforehand, which was nice. I finally got back to Seville, only to find things very much altered. For one, the trees were blooming, and now there are flowers everywhere! It is warm and beautiful here. They also moved my bus stop. This confused me greatly, because I wasn't aware they could just uproot the big plastic stop. Now I have to wait at a certain pole for my bus. It was a fun experience to figure out. Feria is right around the corner and I can feel the excitement. I have to write a paper on it so I'm planning on getting very involved. A few more things to mention, I did manage to acquire a box from every country that I visited. I plan to find one this weekend in Morocco as well, and who knows where else I will go. Until next week, that's all I have! I look forward to writing about my weekend!

Munich! One of my favorite places so far. I found that the people there were really nice. We had to make a stopover in Frankfurt to get there, and I don't remember if it was this or the train from Amsterdam, but on one of these adventures I decided that I wanted Burger King. Apparently the people who work at said Burger King don't understand that they work at a train station, and people don't have time to sit around and wait all day. Literally, the slowest people i've ever seen. This is a FAST food restaurant people! I almost missed the train, but thankfully, I didn't. I did have some trouble finding the platform again, and I did a lot of running, but I made it ok. On the 8 hour train ride there was a very interesting woman from the US. (She was from the midwest, don't remember exactly which state.) I had opted out of bringing my ipod with me on the trip so I had nothing to occupy my time, and so I naturally listened to the people speaking in English. There was a German woman and a man from Iraq sitting with her. Most of her comments were true, but slightly off, and all of them were bashing America, which made me really angry. I was really proud of myself for ignoring her and keeping my mouth shut, because it wasn't my battle. (Thank you mom.) Well, then Keith stopped listening to music, and he decided to ask her what she meant by a few things. It turned into an interesting conversation, with everything from politics to food to painting to religion. And more. I didn't really like her very much. Her opinions were very strong, and she stated them as fact, but I think she did learn a lot while she was there. For one, the Iraqi guy said that he didn't want the soldiers to leave, because it would be chaos. She thought they hated them over there. She was right about the media not giving us this information, but if you ask a soldier how it is, or if you search for the information you seek, you can find it. At the end of the journey she said her daughter was like me. She said we both had red hair and blue eyes. I just smiled. I do not have red hair. For anyone who is wondering, I have blonde hair, strawberry blonde if you want to count the red tint, but I have never in my life had red hair. Rant over. We met Scott's uncle's college roommate/best friend right outside of Munich. He let us stay at his place for the two nights we were there, which was incredibly nice of him. It felt really good to be with a family, sleep in a nice bed, and his wife gave us a great breakfast each morning. (They also had a bathtub.) We all got to call home as well, because their phone still has it's American number, so the calls are "local". Scott did get some sad family news that night, so please pray for them as they struggle through this hard time. He decided to stay and finish the trip though, and we did have a good time the next day. And that is all of the preliminaries, now to the fun part!

In the morning we got to sleep in, which was really nice. We missed our first train, because of a few issues on the metro (i.e. um...i think we're going the wrong way...is that our stop we just passed?). This did allow some people to get coffee, and we got on the train to Fussen, (Bavaria) Germany. Here we toured the Castle Neushwanstein, which means New Swan Stone. King Luwig was having it built, and he loved swans. He dedicated this fairytale castle to the works of a famous opera writer. Unfortunately the King was killed before it was completed, hence the tour was only 16 rooms, but it felt like 5. The castle was pretty, but a bit disappointing. I had hoped for more history. In typical adventurous fashion, we hiked up to "Mary's Bridge" and then I took off up another trail. The guys took it a step further and literally took off UP another trail, to the top of the mountain. This was totally worth it. The views were indredible, and we found a geocashing box. I loved being up in the Alps, it was so peaceful. I wish we could have stayed longer and explored, but daylight was fading and we needed to get back to town. We quickly walked around the outside of the other castle, Hoshwangau (not sure about the spelling on this one) and then hopped back on the train through the lovely countryside. Round trip, I saw lots of deer and bunnies, and a few other animals. If you know me, this should excite you because I always miss these types of things. I'm going to pause and post a few pictures now, and then finish up in another post. First, here is the best meal i've had so far; the sauerkraut is amazing.

From Brussels we went to Amsterdam. There really isn't much to say about Amsterdam. It isn't the most pleasant city, especially if you don't smoke or drink and such. There was a cool fairground place where Keith and I rode the swings. Scott wasn't feeling up to it. Our hostel was interesting. We did walk by Anne Frank's house. Mostly the only thing interesting was the next day we went to a place with windmills called the Zaanse Shans? Not sure on the spelling... Anyway, it was then that I fully realized I was in Holland. They had wooden shoes and windmills and cheese and bread. It was pretty cool. So then we went to get our stuff and we headed to the train station, and went off on an 8 hour train ride to Munich, Germany.

Taking a quick break from explaining the trip. Today I:

Got a library card

Heard the most beautiful rendition of Pomp and Circumstance while walking through the University of Seville's main campus, it was a choir, and I think they were singing in latin. It just echoed and I loved it.

I also ate at McDonalds. If you want to know my further thoughts on this, ask me.

This weekend I am going to Morocco. More on that when I return!

And now back to the story...

We finally found our way to Brussels. The first day we found our hostel and walked around a bit, exploring the city. There was a fun market in town where I bought some small trinkets, and we went chocolate shopping. Apparently you can walk into almost any chocolate shop and they'll give you a free sample. This was an incredible experience. Belgium chocolate is now my favorite. We got some 10% discount cards as well, which was really nice. Keith had gotten a map of things to do from the hostel, and he wanted to go find the stock market building and then play chess at some restaurant that was famous for it, so we went, and afterwards we had a late supper of pizza. The next day we got to sleep in a bit, which was fantastic, and then we went to the Mannekin Pis, the statue/fountain of the little boy peeing. It was very small. I'll spare you the picture. We met Keith's friend Helena, who is living in Brussels, so she was our tour guide for an hour or so. We also got some very good Belgian waffles (mine had strawberries and chocolate) and we went to another Triumphal Arch in a very nice park. There is a small statue in Seville that my aunt told me was originally in Brussels, and to go see it once I got there. Unfortunately it was expensive to go out to see it, but in the map/brochure we got it said there was a garage from which it was visible, so we trekked up to the top of that. It was a hazy day, so none of my pictures turned out really well, but I could tell that it was a huge silver atomic structure, that up close would have been very impressive. After that we purchased some chocolate, and I also looked for some lace, although the ladies in the shops were not very helpful or friendly at all, and then we went on our way to Amsterdam.

Paris, Day 2

So the next morning we woke up, and had breakfast, and met James, and went to the Lourve. It was free admission because it was the first Sunday of the month, so that was nice, but I would have liked to have gotten a ticket to keep. As it is I only have a map of the Lourve, but that will work fine. The Lourve was pretty cool. Got to see the Mona Lisa, and a painting called Victory Leading the People, which I recognized as the one they use with the Broadway Musical Les Miserables. I was pretty excited. We got to see most everything that we wanted to, including Napoleon's Apartments, which were pretty cool. We even went to see the Medieval foundations (castle style) of the Lourve, that were only discovered a few years ago when they started digging for the pyramid. Pretty awesome stuff. They even found a crown in a well down there, and broken pots and such. After the Lourve we headed to the Champs Elysees so I could look at the shops, and so we could get to the Triumphal Arch.  After that, we jumped on the metro, had to say goodbye to James, and we got our stuff from the hostel and jumped on a train to Brussels, Belgium. Once there we walked around a bit to find our hostel, which was definitely nicer than the one in France.

The reason I haven't had a chance to update is because I spent most of the week with Anna and Papa at their hotel, and there have been French girls staying here and using my room as well, so internet has been out. I have it now, though, for the moment. On April 3rd Anna and Papa flew back home safely, and I flew to Barcelona, where I waited about 8 hours to get on a flight to Paris that had been delayed for two hours. I left at about the time I was to have been there. The picture above is where I spent my entire day. I finally got to the airport to find Scott and Keith waiting on me, which was not the original plan, I was supposed to be waiting on them, but whatever. We hopped on a bus hoping to go where we needed to and took a 45 minute ride into town. Once off the bus we stopped to look at a map to try and find our hostel, when a couple came up and asked us if we needed any help. They were really nice and the man even called our hostel for us, and got directions (exact metro stops and walking meters) straight to our hostel. It was incredibly nice and considerate of him, and as far as we know there were no strings attached. We finally made it to our hostel in Montemarte (not really the greatest part of town) and then went out to get drinks, for which we paid 8 euro a piece. I cannot say I was not warned. Somehow we crashed and awoke the next morning to free breakfast (toast and hot chocolate...mmmm.) and were soon joined by James, pretty much an awesome guy who lives in Paris at the moment, and is Scott's girlfriend's cousin (disclaimer, on this trip the guys had all kinds of weird connections, which made it fantastic). So he was our tour guide for the two days we were there, and we were all agreed that it would have been nowhere near as fun had he not been with us. He made it a blast. Thanks James! First he took us to the palace of Versailles. This is where King Louis XV (I think) built his very large estate, gilded golden facade and all. (I know facade is spelled wrong, but I can't figure out how to put in the special c). Versailles took us all day. We looked in the palace and out in the gardens and fountains and the big lake that the king made so he could have floating dinner parties. We also went to Marie Antoinette's estate and Hamlet where she could be a shepherdess. It was all very interesting and beautiful. I really enjoyed all of the chandeliers. After that we went to get some supper and got some kebabs with french fries in them (I took mine out and ate them separately.) I suppose I shouldn't call them French fries, they just call them fries, in fact the rest of the world calls them fries or fried potatoes or something like that, except in Germany where I saw a menu with "french fried potatoes", but all of this doesn't matter, because they were actually created in Belgium. But I'm getting to all of that, right now I'm still in Paris, day one. After our kebabs we went to the Notre Dame Cathedral, just to get pictures of the outside. It wasn't as grand, nor large, as I thought it would be. I suppose i've become desensitized because the cathedral in Seville is what I thought a cathedral would be like, and coming from probably the largest in the world, I'm not going to be impressed by much else. Still, it was cool to see the inspiration for Victor Hugo's novel, and to enjoy the peaceful Seine flowing right beside it. Of course, soon after we trekked to the Eiffel Tower, and we went up to the top, because I was not going to the Eiffel Tower to sit on the ground, there was no point in that. Unfortunately my camera is terrible, so none of my pictures really turned out well. But here is a video of it sparkling, which it does on the hour, for about 5 minutes (we got to see it three times).

Hi all, I know I have a lot to catch up on so i'll do my best. Papa and Anna (my grandfather and Aunt) arrived in Seville on the 28th of March. We had a really great week. We enjoyed the usual things such as the Reales Alcazar, The Cathedral, The Archive of the Indies, Italica, and we even got to see a Flamenco Show. We did a lot of shopping as well, and Anna and I went to Cadiz to spend a day at the beach. We found a cool cathedral there and an exhibit on an ancient house which was really cool. Overall we had a great time and it was really nice seeing them and showing them around. They brought me macaroni and cheese and a Hershey's Chocolate bar.

Now that we're almost up to speed, not much has really happened this week. Sunday I went to church. I saw a few people that I knew, which was nice. I went to class on Monday. I didn't go to class on Wednesday because I didn't sleep all night the night before, and now I have come down with a cold, probably from running around all last week and being exhausted, and the fact that it rained randomly the other day, when it's been sunny. Thursday I went to the church for more dress fixing. Today I went out for lunch. I've been getting some school stuff accomplished. Now all I have to do is wait for tomorrow afternoon and Anna and Papa will be arriving! It's going to be another exciting week, I hope I will get a chance to update. See you soon!

Friday we decided was going to be a chill/shopping day. We did go and visit a convent in the morning which was really nice. The best part was the ladies, and talking to them. One of them was from India, and she spoke English. I bought two jars of jelly from them. Tiffany and I got lost but finally found our way back to where we were supposed to be, and we shopped a little while. We went back to the Jewish Quarter and got a few things we'd been looking at there. By the end of the day we made our way to the Plaza de Armas bus station and went into Bormujos. We went grocery shopping for a few items and then went to Darby's house to procure the other things I needed. After that, we went to the Blacksten's house where I hosted a spaghetti supper for everyone who wanted to come. It turned out well, Tiff said the spaghetti was good, almost like at home. I couldn't have done it without her spaghetti sauce mix that she smuggled over though. Thanks to all involved! It really turned out to be a great night, even though we had to leave early. Tiff and I had to get up early to take a taxi to the airport. I sent her off on her way, and she got home safely. I got back safely too, and I went back to sleep. 

Wednesday: (Eventually i'm going to get caught up, and then get really behind again.) We started off the day going to the Museum of Flamenco Dance. It was a little tricky to find, but we did find it and as soon as we stepped into the exhibit we entered the world of flamenco (kudos to the ambiance). It was an enjoyable experience, and I got a book in the gift shop, because for some reason books on flamenco are scarce in the united states and I thought someone might need a reference back home, including myself. I did a paper on it, I know how scarce and confusing resources are. Tiffany and I then went to the cathedral, which was breathtaking. We also went up into la Giralda, which is the tower of the Cathedral, also the highest point in the city. It was very windy, but a great view of the city on all sides. I got lots of pictures, but next time i'm planning on going in there with my video camera. I'm planning on getting pictures of the Muslim Palace, because I videotaped it last time. I forgot to mention the incredible meal we had at a place called Mama Terra. It was all organic food, but I had a fantastic salad, and Tiffany had a baguette style sandwich. We were pretty much blown away by how good it was. On our way home we decided to stop at Los Arcos, the mall. We looked around and shopped there awhile before going home and resting up until the next day. Thursday we started off the day going to the Baptist Church so the ladies could fix my dress. It was quite amusing. We were there for awhile, they don't really understand the concept that there are other places we have to be or that swiftness is important. Welcome to Spain. After that we went into Bormujos, and we sorta missed Thursday Market, it was a quick run through, but they were all packing up. Then we went to a Doner Kebab place because I wanted Tiffany to try it. It was good. We were the only ones there. It was a little early for lunch. After that we decided to go ahead and go to Italica. We had planned to do this on Friday, and had even discussed throwing the idea out completely. I am so glad we didn't. It was incredible. It turned out to be one of the best parts about the week. Italica is an archaeological dig site in Santiponce, a pueblo about 9km outside of Seville. It contains an amphitheater, which is the most impressive work, along with some other small sites such as baths and the city wall. It continues to be uncovered, and it was amazing to realize that where we were standing, and the rocks we were touching, had been there since Roman times. This wasn't a museum, we weren't just looking at something from behind a glass, we were standing on it. It was fantastic. We were blown away.

Tuesday: We started off the day going to the Torre de Oro Naval Museum. It was pretty cool, I especially liked the replica's of Columbus's three ships. At the top of the tower was a lookout, and even higher was a small staircase that Tiffany and I bravely climbed, and bravely battled the wind, hoping we didn't fall to our injuries (I doubt we could have fallen to our deaths). This is where the picture from the previous post came from. After that we went to the Muslim Fort, which is really more of a palace. In fact, the King and Queen stay there when they come to visit Seville. This place is MASSIVE. It doesn't look like it from the outside, i'm slowly finding out that this is a trend in Seville. There were gardens and a left wing and a right wing and a center wing and two floors, among many other things. We left after about two hours because our brains couldn't handle any more, but we were satisfied by what we got to see. After that, since it was in close proximity, we went to the Archive of the Indies, which is basically a library of documents. It was a little humbling to be aware that surrounding us were ships logs and important documents that were worth more than we could think of. There was an exhibit in which we found the writings of famous Spanish Conquistadors. It was pretty cool. We didn't expect to get done with all of those so early, so we decided to go and do the two museums in the Parque de Maria Luisa, The Seville Archaeological Museum and the Seville Museum of Popular Arts and Customs. Both of these were really exciting. My favorite exhibits out of each, the lower floor of the Archaeological museum where there were tools and pottery and jewlery, to name  few, from before Roman times. They dated back from the Bronze Age. I think that was the oldest stuff that I have seen in my entire life up close, and it fascinated me. On a side note, they have had tweezers forever. Yes, even before Roman times. The design hasn't even changed. I saw them, and I said to Tiffany, "THOSE ARE TWEEZERS!!". I was pretty excited. I was pretty amazed at how talented and artistic and smart these people were, and how little we give them credit. In the other museum, my favorite exhibit was definitely the lace. There was an entire room dedicated to lace. It was absolutely gorgeous and intricate. We ooh'd and aah'd at just about every single work. After awhile we realized this, and laughed at ourselves. But they were just so pretty. Once we finished both of these museums, we realized we still had daylight left, and we might as well go do something else. Therefore, we found the Seville Museum of Fine Arts. It was a good way to end the day, we'd seen everything else, so some paintings were in store. Of course everything was beautiful. I particularly liked one painting from the naturalism period of a woman who very much reminded me of Jane Eyre (my favorite!). The painting was so realistic, it looked as if it was a picture. Speaking of realistic, there was another painting that up close was pretty, but nothing special to look at, however when Tiffany and I were in the room opposite it, we managed to turn around and see it. Tiffany though it was a group of people touring, I thought it was a display case that I missed of 3-D statues. When we realized what it actually was, we gained a whole new appreciation for the painting. Some things are better viewed far away. So after a day of 6 museums and one palace, we were spent. Later in the week though, we were very thankful that we got all of that done in one day. It really made the rest of the week less stressful, and it opened up a lot of doors to get some other things done.

Ok! It's time for the massively long update! I'm sorry I didn't get a chance but last week was crazy! So now I get to tell  you all about what Tiff and I did and what we got to see and how incredible it was. I put up pictures on Facebook, and I don't know how many i'll be able to put on here because there are LOTS of good ones, so we'll just see how it goes. Friday: Tiffany came into town, we went to a great Japanese Restaurant for lunch that I had been wanting to try. We walked around the city for a bit, running errands like getting bus passes and groceries. Tiffany was pretty out of it, so we went back to the apartment and went to bed pretty early. However, I had bought some fresh, ripe strawberries from the market for two euro the day before, so Tiff and I had some chocolate fondue to finish those off... that was our supper. It was a fantastic supper. Saturday morning we went to the beach! I don't have any pictures of the beach...why I don't know. Maria and Caramelo were kind enough to drive us and let us stay in their beach apartment for a night. I don't think they even went to the beach, but Tiffany and I attempted. I say attempted because we went the wrong way exploring, and somehow we ended up in ghetto beach, so we had to find our way back to a bus stop, which took us back into town, and we finally found the beach, which was in fact about a two minute walk from where we started. Yay us. During this process I got sun poisoning, because I had intended to put on sunscreen when we got to the beach. After two hours of walking and carrying a heavy beach bag my body rebelled. We did find a nice shop window which was conveniently orange and purple. Tiffany got to take a good Clemson picture. So all in all we spent about 2 hours actually at the shore. We did eat a good seafood lunch, which was unexpectedly expensive, as an understatement. Sunday night we went home, but on the way stopped at Maria's daughter's house, which was massive. It didn't look like it from the outside, but we got a tour. It had a swimming pool and a few large flat screen TV's and an overall coolness about it. The best part was the roof, they said they were going to make a zen garden up there. The view was absolutely breathtaking. I was really glad we stopped to hang out with them. On Monday I had school so Tiffany went with me. She wanted to go to class with me, so I let her, but she decided not to on Wednesday, lol. We did have time to eat a really good breakfast of tostadas in the cafeteria that morning. After class we went to BodyWorlds, an exhibit on the human body. It was fantastic. We both really enjoyed it. We were in close proximity upon exiting BodyWorlds to visit the Plaza de España, which is a massive building, I think used for government purposes. Still, it is a main tourist site, and reference point, because it is so beautiful, and huge. 

Since we still had some free time, we went and ate lunch at McDonalds, because I was craving it, and then we went to IKEA, where I bought some Tupperware, and Tiffany bought a nice set of coffee mugs. Tiffany had never been to IKEA before, so she was really excited to get to go! In Spain they do not say "eye key uh". Instead they say "ee kay uh". It was interesting to me, but I suppose it makes sense. We were wondering if you could register there for your wedding gifts, cuz that would be awesome, not that either one of us has any plans of getting married any time soon.  That was mostly all of our Monday. Tiff bought some great chocolate at IKEA, we also had some great melted chocolate and waffles at the beach. I love hot chocolate now, now that I know what hot chocolate is. It's fantastic. I'm so glad I can still be a chocoholic in Spain. So that's about it for Monday's journey, I'm going to create a new post for Tuesday.

REALLY quick update since I have a lot of homework to do, I will hopefully post more in detail soon. Last Thursday I went to Bormujos for Thursday Market and bought some amazing strawberries for only 2 euro. We had them for dessert since I ate at Sean and Shelley's for lunch. Friday Tiffany came to visit! We ate lunch at a great Japanese Restaurant, bought her a bus pass, and walked around the city a little bit. Saturday we headed off to the beach with Maria and Caramelo. Sunday we came home. Monday I finally had class! Yay! For which I now had homework. Tiffany and I also went to IKEA and to BodyWorlds, which was REALLY cool. Today we went to The Torre de Oro Naval Museum, The Muslim Fort/Palace, The Museum of Archaeology, The Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Popular Costumes and Customs. It's been a busy day! We're very tired. Catcha later!

Hello all, sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I saw Watchmen Saturday night. It was in Spanish. I'm not sure how good it was, but I think it was pretty good, and I got the general gist of it. There was a lot of nudity that I didn't expect, but that might just be because I'm in Europe. I don't know how the movie will look in the US. The seating in the movie theater is weird though, you have assigned seats just like in an arena or a stage production. There were less than 10 people in the theater with me, so I really could have sat anywhere I liked. The guys behind me asked if I was Italian. I don't know why. 

Update on the bus situation: I have discovered Honduras and the Republic of China. More news as it breaks.

I decided to get out and about today. I went into town, just walking. I did catch the bus for a quick ride to Los Arcos, the mall. They have a Toy's R Us, a Disney store, and a Claire's. They also have a movie theatre and a large store called Hipercor, which is a lot like Walmart. They had a lot of Flamenco dresses there and I laughed at the outrageous colors and plastic jewelry and such. Later I went to explore some in the city, to find out about some things I'd been curious about. I met up with John and some of his friends from UNC for a Bible study around 3:45, and afterwards went to put money on my phone and get some money out of the bank. On the way home I stopped by a Doner Kebap place and got a meal to go. It wasn't as good as the one in Burmujos, but I will keep searching. That's about it for the day. I hope to upload some more pictures soon.

Yesterday was a holiday. It was Dia de Andalucia. I went to an "anniversary party" for the event with Maria and Caramelo. It was filled with their family, cousin's and sisters and nieces and daughters and grandchildren and friends. It was a full house but it was lots of fun. They even had an ice cream cake, which was different than at home. It was a layer of cake, then a layer of ice cream, then another layer of cake. It was good. I like cake. I met a new friend, the only one close to my age. Her name is Monica, and she is Maria's niece. She's going to give me a call and maybe we'll get to hang out soon. I hope so, that would be fun! Maria's grandchildren love me...but that might be because I started a pillow fight...hehe. Anyway, they spent the night last night and wouldn't let me be all day. They're sweet though. Today I got to talk to the church and that was exciting! Now I just have to find some friends to join me next time...but I have some ideas...

Wednesday was the first day of class. I got up early to eat breakfast and take the bus. It was an ok day, I understood most everything and I was able to go into town and buy the books that I needed. Yes, I had homework on the first day. It's due on Monday, and I don't quite understand exactly what I'm supposed to answer, but I did try. It's not helpful that it says work with a partner. I did feel sorry for this one girl who was supposed to be in Spanish level 1. I tried to speak to her in English but even that wasn't easy. She was Muslim, but I don't know where she was from. I think I finally got her to understand that she was in the wrong class. She was a sweet girl. I found that I can watch Disney Videos on YouTube, much to my enjoyment. To date I have watched Beauty and the Beast, 101 Dalmations, Lady and the Tramp (and 2: Scamp's Adventure), The Sword in the Stone, and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. It's keeping me entertained.

Hey guys sorry it's been so long. I'll try to update quickly. Tuesday night I went with the band from Amarillo (They're from Sean and Shelley's area, the team came this week to play some music and to visit Sean and Shelley, as well as do some prayer walking around Sevilla) to a flamenco show in the Jewish Quarter of town, right behind the cathedral and what Sean told us is the old Muslim fort. Apparently the King and Queen come to stay there when they visit Sevilla. They have their own private rooms. I tried to get some pictures, but I will spare you. For some reason the flash on my camera is turned off, and the flash button where I can fix it doesn't work. Therefore, I had to depend on everyone else's flash in the dimly lit room. Pictures weren't allowed until the last 5-10 minutes of the show anyway, and flamenco is very fast. Needless to say, all of my pictures are blurry and sometimes the people don't have heads or bodies at all. I absolutely loved the show though. The first number began with a guitar player and a singer, the second added a woman for extra rhythm (and voice encouragement? It's hard to explain, but it seems very typical of flamenco dancing. There are a lot of "ole"s and "vale"s) for the male dancer on stage. I'm not gonna lie, the first thing you notice when this guy comes onstage is his very tight pants. Later we discussed what kind of underpants he must have been wearing. Thankfully, as soon as he starts moving his feet, your attention is drawn to them. Flamenco bears a strong resemblance to tap dancing, with less suave movement and more angular, passionate body language. The taps on the wooden platform were very loud, and my attention was riveted to the stage. I was most excited when the female dancer got onstage and the two danced together. The story was one of unrequited love; the two obviously wanted to be together but played a cat and mouse and could never quite get in sync with one another's feelings. It was beautiful. The guitar player did a piece of his own as well, using all of his fingers to play. It was interesting to watch, but I found myself questioning his actual talent, he couldn't keep my attention as well as the dancers did. Maybe I found the melody too repetitive; regardless, I couldn't have done it. It was a lovely evening, and I was thankful that I could catch a  bus at the end of the night back to my apartment with Maria and Caramelo.

Tonight Shelley celebrated her 40th birthday. We met for her party at a place called the Phoenix Bar. The food was free (i.e. on Sean, you only celebrate 40 once) which was nice. I met some cool people from England who are celebrating their wedding/honeymoon by traveling around Europe in a van for a year. They are awesome. Their engine broke down though, so they are stuck in Sevilla for awhile, but God has provided for them just when they needed it, more than once. It's really cool to hear their story, especially with the accent. I really enjoyed meeting them. Sean was nice enough to drive me home. It was a fun night.

Saturday I went to the Sierra Nevada mountains. Pictures later (hopefully). I went with the youth group from the Baptist Church down the street. I met some new friends, that actually don't go to the church, they go to one in town and they visit this one. They were all family, a brother and his wife and his two sisters, so they adopted me for the day. They were really sweet. Two of the girls spoke English, Adriana spoke really well because she lived in the states for 7 years. The other girl, Noelia, spoke a little because she had taken class at the university for three years. We had a lot of fun playing in the snow. We found some cool igloos and we sledded a bit too. It was a good day. The hot chocolate at the top of the mountain was fantastic, the lack of bathrooms wasn't.

So I don't understand the names in this city. Yes, I did just start a sentence with so. Anyway, I've seen buses traveling to and from Kansas City. Now I don't know where this Kansas city is...but I know that I'm NOT in Kansas. I've also seen a bus with the heading "La Paz". Now for those of you who don't know...La Paz is in Bolivia...which is in South America...across The Big Blue. There are buses going to this place. They must have taken notes from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Now I'm guessing that these are places in which people are dropped off and picked up, otherwise known as plazas, or "paradas"-meaning stops. There is, in fact, a Plaza de America, a Plaza de Cuba, and I've also seen Guatemala and Mexico. San Diego is also included in this odd mix, as well as Puerta de la Carne, or, Door of the meat (beef). I have no clue what that means. So my question is, are these people for real? I mean, I know in NYC we have little Italy and Chinatown, but do we go as far as The Beef Door? I really do not understand...

I'm starting to think keeping a blog is harder than I thought. I've been very busy the past few days. Tuesday and Wednesday I went walking, trying to find my way around town and manage bus schedules. I finally found a bus map after walking around the world, and I managed to get lost, and then find myself, multiple times. I did accomplish knowing where I was at any given moment, though, so now I will be less lost. The city has many small roads and alleys, which makes it difficult to maneuver. I ate lunch with Sean and Shelley and Shayln and Shaphan yesterday at a Tex-Mex restaurant called Tijuana's. I miss El Mexicano. I also bought some groceries yesterday, along with an alarm clock that doesn't work and a set of hangers I don't need. I am going to return the latter two items. Today I went into Bormujos to see some people and get some things from the other house. While I was there I got a cell phone, because a guy named Nathan ended up not coming, so I got his cell phone, and I got some hangers. I also finally figured out how to get a bus pass for the city, because the one that I have only goes from the city to the pueblos. I had to get a yellow card, called a tarjeta mensual, or monthly card. It is one of three different kinds, but it offers the best deal for my situation. It is unlimited travel for 30 days. It took me forever to find one of those, too, but Abby told me where to go. Tomorrow I am going to take my test, finally, for my classes. I hope all goes well!

Today I wrote a poem.

Me and my Kit-Kat McFlurry

Took a stroll by the river today.

I don't think my friend quite enjoyed it

For he started melting away.

I desperately tried to save him,

My attempts to no avail.

Though I tried my best to succeed,

I somehow abysmally failed.

So I offered him words of comfort,

On this, the prettiest of days.

"I will remember your presence,

and the taste of your goodness, always."

Sunday I met the family. Maria's son and his wife and child came over  for lunch and then they took me to the park. There we met his cousin and his cousin's wife. It was a really good day, and we had a lot of fun. There are two museums, one of art and one of architecture, in the very large park, and I am looking forward to going back and checking those out. Here are some pictures of the day.

I moved in today!!!! TA-DA! I'm so excited! I finally got to unpack everything, with the exception of the clothes that I need hangers for, but everything else is put away! The people I'm living with are Maria and Carmelo, but Carmelo is at the beach with his son at the moment. Maria made me a lunch of fish soup and salad and pizza, which I thought was very nice of her. I am eating the salad and pizza as we speak, because it was too much at lunchtime, but she made sure I wouldn't go hungry. We've been communicating fairly well I think. I went to the baptist church that Sean told me to visit tonight. It was a lot of fun but I mostly sat and listened. They tried to include me though and everyone was really nice. They have youth group every Saturday night at 7 and next weekend they are going skiing. I might go. It sounds like a good deal, only 15 euros, and I could make some new relationships, as well as get out that heavy sweater i've been dying to wear since Christmas. So it's been a good day, and I'm ready to really learn my surroundings and get going. I might even have a ride home from school if I'm lucky!

 I went to Thursday Market this morning. It was a piece of road closed off along the park, a road I don't see used much when it isn't Thursday. It was interesting to see though. It felt like a small fair/flea market. Those buckets to the lower right of the street length picture are different olives. They don't like you to take pictures of them because of the "secret recipe". I don't know what that's all about. For breakfast I went to a van in front of the Market and got Churros y Chocolate, which is basically fried bread, sortof like a thick funnel cake, and melted chocolate. I had some Churros y Chocolate at the Cafe where we got tostadas and it was ok, but these were fantastic. For one thing, the chocolate wasn't hot chocolate, it was literally thick, melted chocolate.Another interesting food item (yes food) were snails. Escargot anyone? They were very pretty. I especially like the ones trying to escape. Poor little guys.

They have various other things to buy at the Market. It isn't very long in the first place. People set up their wares of jewlery, clothing, shoes, candy, floor mats, and stockings that are very popular for some reason. All in all it was a very interesting morning, but I quite enjoyed myself.

 

The below picture is of number 23, Calle Lope de Vega, where I have been living for the past two weeks, and unfortunately will soon be leaving. The other pictures are of the patio out front.

Sorry it's been a couple of days. Not much has gone on to warrant a post. I haven't been out of the house much except for walks. It is getting warmer. Lately there hasn't been a cloud in the sky. I did wash my laundry, which takes about two hours, and I hung it up to dry on the roof, which takes even longer. I finally understand why all of Abby and Darby's towels are stiff. I plan to use a lot of fabric softener in the future, in hopes that it will help. I walked to Burger King for lunch yesterday and found that it was rather expensive. I couldn't get a drink, but I did get a Whopper with cheese. Sorry I didn't take a picture, it wasn't as spectacular as in Honduras...for those of you who know that to which I am referring. Anyway I came home to find Darby and Abby making breakfast for lunch, i.e. pancakes and biscuits. Speaking of home, here are a few pictures of the patio out front.