Alhambra- Granada, Spain!

The weekend before heading back to the states for Christmas and friend and I went to Granada, Spain to see the Alhambra, which is one of the 7th wonders of the world. It was a Moro Palace constructed in the 14th century. It is known to be one of the most famous Islamic Structures in the world. The artwork and details are amazing. You can spend hours just admiring the fine details the artist created.

Below is a view from one of the terraces inside the palace.

Below is one of the famous courtyards within the Alhambra.

The palace was conquered by Carlos V in the 17th century. Below is a picture inside of the palace that he constructed beside the Moro Palace.

Here is a view from the highest point of the fort that protected the palace. The palace and fort are located on a mountain top above the city of Granada.

I had a great time and I enjoyed seeing the marvel of the world!

Mom and Jan came to Visit-Barcelona y Madrid!!

Ok so it has been awhile since I've updated my blog! Life has been crazy the last 2 months with exams and vacations etc. So I'm finally taking some time to re-cap the last couple months here in Spain :)

During Thanksgiving Mom and Jan came to visit me in Spain. We had a great time visiting. We traveled to Barcelona for the weekend and then they returned to Madrid for a few days as well. We encountered many adventures from lost luggage to getting lost but overall it was a good time. It meant so much to have them here :)

Below is a picture in front of a church that was bombed by Mussolini in WWII in the gothic quarters...

Mom and me :)

Eating a wonderful lunch at 4GATS near Plaza Ramblas...great food and wine!!

Some work by the artist, Gaudi..

Puerto Olimpico... many boats and the famous fish structure, "Peix".

Grabbing some sweets from the famous L. Hardy restaurant en Madrid near Puerta de Sol...

We had a wonderful time! Hablando español tambien hahah :)

Visit to Salamanca :)

OK going to finally update my blog! Thanks, Beth, for the reminder :) Life seems to be flying by here. So far it has been a great experience full of all kinds of new lessons and opportunities.

One weekend a small group of us took advantage of some free time and headed to visit Salamanca for the weekend. It is a small city just a few hours outside of Madrid. Below is a picture of the famous  Tormes River that is apart of the famous spanish story about Lazarillo de Tormes. It's a beautiful and peaceful river!

Below is a picture inside the public library of Salamanca. It used to be were the towns people would congregate and gather water from a large well. Janine, Mari and I are upstairs on the balcony that overlooks the courtyard.

We had a great time visiting Salamanca. The city is beautiful :) Below is a picture from the Plaza Mayor. The detail of the artwork on the buildings is beautiful. We spent some time here visiting and people watching and enjoying every minute.

An Evening in Madrid!

Last weekend we wondered into the city for Columbus Day festivities. There were events going on all day long and even through the night! Above is a picture of all of us in the Plaza de Cibéles. Basically we are all standing in the streets watching the bus behind us pass, as a rock band plays on top. It was quite a new experience for me. Great music=good times!

Once the concert ended we headed to Puerta del Sol for chocolate con churros! Yum this is a classic favorite here. It's a fried piece of bread that you dip in hot chocolate. This isn't any ordinary hot chocolate you'd find in the states. It is pretty much a bar of chocolate that has been melted down for you to enjoy every taste :)

Days in the City :)

Sunday in Madrid is officially my favorite day in the city. It's always calm. You find everyone relaxing in the park and strolling through the streets. Last Sunday a group of us ventured into Madrid. We just walked through the Parque Retiro and cobblestone streets snapping photos to document our every minute here in this beautiful city!

Above is a picture with a statue in the Parque Retiro (the main park in Madrid). We were having a good time :)

Above is a picture of 2 girls who I quickly made friends with here in Madrid. Janine is in the middle and Marí to her left. They are sweet and we have a great time especially the more we get to know each other!

Maceiras is the best restaurant so far in my opinion. The food is from the basque country and very delicious. We ordered way more than we could eat but we ate it anyways! Every bite was delicious... from the grilled pimientos to the sangria :) It was a great Sunday in the city!

A Day in Toledo, Spain

Orientation was last Monday, September 29th. It was a crazy day meeting all the new students, filling out more paperwork and taking placement exams, but the day flew by. It turned out to be a great day. It's funny to think back on the months before coming here. I was so nervous about finding my place and not certain if it would be easy to make new friends. Well it turns out everyone else was feeling the same way. That's the beauty of these trips. You will always make new friends because everyone else is in the same boat. We are all in a new, foreign place away from everything that we know and you are open to making new friends. It has been a journey getting here and a journey being here. I have already met tons of great people through this adventure. I am excited to see what the semester has in store.

Above is a photo of Toledo, Spain. It is a medieval town that lies in the outskirts of Madrid. It's full of  Spanish history from the times of christianity, judaism and muslim. It is a rare city in that aspect because all 3 religions co-existed and were tolerated within these city walls. 

Above is a photo of some exchange students. In total there are about 55 Eurasmos (exchange students) here at the university. Only 25 or so are picture above. It's a very dynamic group filled with students from all parts of the world. Some are from Canada, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Holland, Portugal, Czech, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and even the states. The group has many different cultures and it's interesting to see how we all mix :)

Above is one of the beautiful alleys within the city. This is a view from top of the city to the surrounding country side. It has so much charm in every detail.

The day in Toledo, Spain was my first adventure outside of Madrid. I enjoyed every minute of it from touring the various churches to meeting new friends. It was a great experience. I am looking forward to even more adventures in this beautiful country!

Girl's Night :)

Last Saturday all the girls had a night out. We went shopping at a near by mall. Afterwards we grabbed some coffee at Starbucks, which is Natalía's favorite place mainly because of sugar and their white chocolate mochas haha. She loves sweets which is right up my alley :)

Above is a picture of all of us at Starbucks with our coffees. From the left of me is Delphine, the wife of the oldest son Jose Manuel or Tete and is expecting her 1st child (a boy) in early October. Then there is Natalía, the daughter who lives in the house with me, next is Irene, their other son, Carlos' girlfriend, and finally is Carla, their daughter that lives and works as an architect in Las Palmas islands off the cost of Africa.

I had such a great time with them. They are my first friends from Spain and they are all awesome :) Natalía said on the way home that she was happy I had could hang out with them and that I was the first student who mixed well with the family. It was sweet!! I know that the Lord has provided this wonderful family to live with and continues to pour out more and more wonderful experiences!