Off to Africa!

Getting ready for Morocco...can't wait!!! I read the itinerary and watched the documentary on the website and I am so excited. I have a feeling that the expectations that I have are going to be blown out of the water by what I'm actually going to experience. :)  Can't wait to write about it! Then right after Morocco I'm off to Ireland. It's crazy how many trips I have coming up and how many countries I will be going to in the next 3 weeks (Africa, Ireland, and Portugal!) A different country every week. Miss you all and talk to you soon!

p.s.- I just posted a whole bunch of pictures if you want to check it out!

for pictures... http://photobucket.com/taylorspain

itinerary and documentary of Morocco... infomoroccoexchange.org

Barcelona

Thursday March 27th

It was so nice taking the plane straight from Granada to Barcelona with no long 5 hour bus ride to Madrid for our flight. We found our hostel after a few trial and errors but we did it. When we walked through the door both Tammy and I looked at each other, it was as if we had went back in time into a ancient Spanish hotel; very high ceilings, antique furniture, and that old, beachy smell. It is run by an old couple who live here and the whole place in furnished like a house; very homey and cozy but odd at first. Dropped off our stuff and headed out to explore and get the feel for the area. We got ice cream close to our place which was DELICIOUS then just took in the liveliness of Las Ramblas at night.

Friday March 28th

We got a pretty early start to the Broqueria market which is the largest fresh market in Spain (definitely not anywhere close to Pike Place) with tons of exotic fruit, EVERYTHING from animals  (sheep heads complete with teeth and eyes, everything inside and out) which is considered just meat or types of meat here in Spain, breads, and candy (which was way too expensive which I learned from experience). So here's my candy story...so I put all the little candies in a bag that I wanted of course all of the different flavors mixed because that is how you do it in all the rest of Spain! Well the vendor put it on the scale and said, "6 euros". I was like 6 euros?! What?! and the lady acted like it was nothing and nodded yes and her reasoning was because it was mixed. And I refused to pay that much money for stupid candy so then the lady asked me to put each and every kind back into its little place. It was so ridiculous I wanted to set it down and walk away but I nicely stood there and sorted it all out for her. The market also had seafood (all different and tons of types) including sea urchin, huge eels, and baby octopus. We also got to experience Las Ramblas during the day which was just as lively and entertaining as the night. Tons of street performers were getting ready and putting on their face make-up for their costumes. Flower and pet kiosks also lined the sides of the strip. In my Spain book it said that kids bring their parents to Las Ramblas to buy them pets on Sundays. There were even little baby sea turtles in water swimming around! They were so cute. :) Barcelona had a lot of big commercial streets, black and yellow taxis instead of green and white ones like in Granada, different language (Catalan) even though there was still a lot of Spanish, not as many dogs as Granada, not a lot of tapas :(, and tons of tourists (a lot of English being spoken). So it was very different form the rest of Spain.

Saturday March 29th

Went to the Broqueria Market for breakfast and met Tammy's friends that are studying abroad in Wales. It was really cold and rainy which was kind of a bummer but we still got a lot of sight seeing in. We saw Columbus' statue where he is pointing to the "Americas" but technically he is pointing the wrong way because the statue is pointing east out to sea but America is to the west inland of Spain. We saw all of the Olympic buildings from the 92 Olympics and then to finish off our day we saw the Magic Fountain show in front of the Catalan Art Museum which was so amazing, colorful, and so much fun!

Oh you know...just travelin around Spain :)

Wow I am so lucky! This popped into my head when I was sitting in a plaza in Cordoba eating a delicious ice cream cone in the warm sun with the infamous Mezquita in the background.  This weekend we went to Salobrena, which is a beach about a hour away from Granada. It was really fun; our search for a frisbee finally ended when we found one in Salobrena. So we spent the day playing frisbee , soaking up the sun, and might I add I swam in the Mediterranean! The water was too cold last weekend in Almunecar but this weekend I ventured out into the sea several times, it was so refreshing! :) Then we cam back to Granada and left for Cordoba the next morning, The first thing we saw in Cordoba was The Mezquita. The Mezquita is an extraordinary figure mixed with Islamic and Christian influence. It was first a Visigothic church built in the 5th century then when the Moors ruled Abd Al-Rahman bought the church, leveled it to build the mosque but there are still ruins from the church below the mosque today. The mosque contains 850 columns topped with double arches to reflect the immensity and complexity of God's creation. Then in 1236 Christians conquered the city and turned the mosque into a church. Most of the mosque was kept intact except in the middle where 16 columns were removed to make way for a Gothic chapel. It was amazing to walk through and see the different styles and types of architecture all in one place. Also in Cordoba believe it or not there is also a Jewish Quarter form the late Middle Ages and has one of three synagogues in Spain. This synagogue that we saw was the last and only one to still be preserved in Spain today. All in all the day in Cordoba was perfect!  

March 12th

The weather is fantastic and it is supposed to continue to be so keep your fingers crossed! Last night we had our first soccer game and it was so much fun playing again! Of course we WON!!! Lol jk, the score was 3-2. It actually got pretty aggressive. I know I am very competitive but I thought that would build up as the games went on, only being intramurals, but nope as soon as I stepped on the field I was full throttle. J It was so fun and I have missed it so much. The field was cement and smaller so it was an indoor field outside, which was interesting but fun cause it was quick and fast paced. The next morning I was a bit sore having used some muscles that I haven’t used in a while. Lol Tammy and I were talking how it makes us feel old when we are sore the next day from just playing one soccer game. Compared to when we were much younger we could just go out and play no matter what sport it was and play without any soreness afterwards. Yes yes…now I know all you ol’ folks reading this are laughing because you’re thinking what is she talking about she is only twenty! I’ll you keep you updated with the status of my team and how we do in the league. I’m goin for the big win of the whole league!

 

Segovia

This past weekend we went to Segovia from Madrid and again as I always say in every journal entry...it was beautiful. The Roman aquaduct towered in the middle of the city, standing tall for 2000 years and counting. The aguaduct was made without mortar or anything, just support and balance from the stones themselves have kept this piece of ancient history standing. And until this day it can still hold a stream of water and function as it did 2000 years ago. The cathedral was also a sight to see with the rich, cream color of the stone against the bright blue of the sky. It was a perfect day; no clouds and warm sun. On the other side of the city was the Alcazar. Primarily was a palace, prison, and artilerary school but burnt down and was rebuilt to be a museum that is somewhat Disneyesque looking like a castle on a cliff. Like yesterday  we started to roam and wader wherever the wind took us; stopping and sitting on an ancient Roman wall and watching the geckos scurrying around. I love not having any time restraints or rushing from sight to sight because then I believe you miss all the details and real beauty of the city.  

Mas fotos

http://photobucket.com/taylorspain

Weekend Day Trips from Madrid

This weekend we took the bus up to Madrid and did day trips to Toledo, Segovia, and El Escorial. Yesterday we went to Toledo, it was a quick 45 minute bus ride from Madrid. It was beautiful of course. The town was basically a little circle on the top of a hill with a stream running at the base of the hill. It was so funny because we took a tourist train around the city, it was the cheesiest looking little antique train that "typical tourists" take, snapping every picture they can regardless if its a good shot or not. So, I guess we were "typical tourists" for the day. It was well worth it though, the train took us to parts of the city with spectacular views that we would not have known to go to or how to get there. Toledo was just this fortress city where you could only get into the city by crossing a bridge and climbing up the hill into the heart of town. Toledo is known for mazapan with many different varieties with your choice of nuts, fruits, sugar, or plain. After seeing all of the sights we wanted to see we just wandered around the city. We ended up walking around the outer edge on a pathway that overlooked the stream at the bottom of the hill. It was so nice just taking our time and venturing out of the "typical tourist" areas. As we were walking around and talking I realized that I forget that I'm in Spain and that I have the ability to travel all throughout Europe. The thought that I'm actually living in Spain. I get so wrapped up into my routine and schedule and forget to appreciate the small things like walking to school everyday passing so much history or looking out the window on the bus rides to really absorb how beautiful the countryside is. But sometimes the realization smacks me in the face every once in a while but I think the most profound and ultimate smack in the face will come when I return home to all the familiar places and faces and think...I just lived in Spain for 5 months...WOW! 

More pictures :)

I added some more pictures so check it out! Here's the link...

http://photobucket.com/taylorspain