I just wanted to ask everyone who reads my blog to pray for my senora.
She has had a rough time since Ashley and I arrived in Spain and throughout it all she continues to take care of us and make us dinner every night.
This morning her father died, and although she had been expecting it to happen soon, it did not make things easier...
When Ashley first arrived, she tried to explain to us that her brother had died a few days before, and although she is a very happy person, she is sad at this time.
A week ago, she mentioned that her daughter was getting tested for breast cancer, and we are not sure of the results, but we do not think it is good.
This Thursday, my senora's phone died. We ran to the store to get it fixed but they did not provide much help. It wasn't until the store was closing that they decided to give her a new phone until they fixed the old one. She told us that she was concerned because her father was sick and she needed her phone in case they called.
On Saturday, recently, her planner was stolen with phone number and addresses and other important information.
Then today her father died. So I am asking everyone to keep her in your prayers while her and her family go through this difficult time.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
El Escorial (October 17)
We decided last minute to hop on a bus Friday morning to El Escorial for 6.60 euros. It was a short trip and we caught the bus just in time. I slept a little on the way there, and also learned that in Spain it is impolite to sleep on the bus the way I am used to on the way to track meets back home. The ride was about an hour long and a little shaky but we made it ok. It didn't take us a long time to figure out that El Escorial is not too big. We started at the monastery which was pretty interesting. From the beginning we saw a tapestry of the masterpiece painting at the Prado in Madrid called, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" However, inside the museum we could not take any pictures...and their were security guards everywhere...
I was not exactly sure what was being said but I think there was an event in the Basilica so we could not go inside. The weather was beautiful and outside the monastery there were kids from a grade school I am guessing playing for recess.
These are the streets of El Escorial...in the autumn...
After the monastery, we ate a SMALL lunch and waited around for the bus to the "Valley of the Fallen" It is about 20 minutes outside of El Escorial. Here is the view from the bus.
When we arrived there we went into the Basilica to look around. It was getting cloudy outside and inside was very dim. It made it difficult to read and see what was inside.
After looking inside, we still had some time before the bus went back to El Escorial so we decided we would try and walk to the top , where the cross is...this is as far as we got...
This is the other side of the cross from where I am standing in the picture before. We were following a path but it didn't get us very close. We didn't want to miss the bus back to El Escorial so we started the trek back. By this time there were a few drops hitting my glasses and making the walk a little less enjoyable. Overall it was a nice little day trip...with lots of tombs, by the way.
I was not exactly sure what was being said but I think there was an event in the Basilica so we could not go inside. The weather was beautiful and outside the monastery there were kids from a grade school I am guessing playing for recess.
These are the streets of El Escorial...in the autumn...
After the monastery, we ate a SMALL lunch and waited around for the bus to the "Valley of the Fallen" It is about 20 minutes outside of El Escorial. Here is the view from the bus.
When we arrived there we went into the Basilica to look around. It was getting cloudy outside and inside was very dim. It made it difficult to read and see what was inside.
After looking inside, we still had some time before the bus went back to El Escorial so we decided we would try and walk to the top , where the cross is...this is as far as we got...
This is the other side of the cross from where I am standing in the picture before. We were following a path but it didn't get us very close. We didn't want to miss the bus back to El Escorial so we started the trek back. By this time there were a few drops hitting my glasses and making the walk a little less enjoyable. Overall it was a nice little day trip...with lots of tombs, by the way.
Jake visiting Madrid (October 10-12)
Since Jake and I were both in town this weekend, he decided to come to Madrid, a little more pricey since he could not eat with my host family or stay there much less, but I realized quickly that he knew his way around Madrid better than I did. The hostel was in Sol and he reminded me that when he first flew into Spain he had to stay in Madrid, and was there for 5 days! So he knew all the best places to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He even knew how to get around down there, while I needed a map. So he pretty much was the one showing me around Madrid this weekend. We went to the Prado, and had dinner at a Japanese sushi place, he took me to the Plaza Mayor, but I was the one who took him shopping (I guess clothes are cheaper in Madrid than in Salamanca).
I dont have many pictures but here are a few
This was taken in the Prado Museum next to the elevators, that little sculpture in the back is the proof, since we cannot take pictures of the art. The museum was gigantic, it would take 6 or 7 trips to be able to appreciate every piece of art inside. Jake and I did look at all the masterpieces.
Here we are in the Plaza Mayor with the center statue in the background, its a little too dark to see but we tried.
These were the turtles in the lobby of the hostel. They were fighting and it was the funniest thing we had ever seen...you might have needed to be there...
This is in the park near my house where I do a lot of my training. We were walking up a fairly large hill and we needed to stop and take break (see Jake's face). After Jake was kicked out of the hostel at noon we didn't have anywhere to go but the park. It was a beautiful day though.
When I asked him what time his train was leaving he told me 11:30. So at 9:00 that night I said we should probably get something to eat and then head to the station. So he decides to check his ticket and he says "21:30" I stare at him because that means 9:30! So we rush to find a cab that can take to the train station, we find one (however, it was scariest cab ride of my life) and jump out of the cab and run through the station. Here's a picture for you, Jake is running to his platform and I am chasing after him yelling "Don't leave without saying bye to me!" If you're wondering, he made it, and I got a quick kiss on the check before the train rolled away...wasn't exactly the ending I was expecting, but I knew he would be back.
I dont have many pictures but here are a few
This was taken in the Prado Museum next to the elevators, that little sculpture in the back is the proof, since we cannot take pictures of the art. The museum was gigantic, it would take 6 or 7 trips to be able to appreciate every piece of art inside. Jake and I did look at all the masterpieces.
Here we are in the Plaza Mayor with the center statue in the background, its a little too dark to see but we tried.
These were the turtles in the lobby of the hostel. They were fighting and it was the funniest thing we had ever seen...you might have needed to be there...
This is in the park near my house where I do a lot of my training. We were walking up a fairly large hill and we needed to stop and take break (see Jake's face). After Jake was kicked out of the hostel at noon we didn't have anywhere to go but the park. It was a beautiful day though.When I asked him what time his train was leaving he told me 11:30. So at 9:00 that night I said we should probably get something to eat and then head to the station. So he decides to check his ticket and he says "21:30" I stare at him because that means 9:30! So we rush to find a cab that can take to the train station, we find one (however, it was scariest cab ride of my life) and jump out of the cab and run through the station. Here's a picture for you, Jake is running to his platform and I am chasing after him yelling "Don't leave without saying bye to me!" If you're wondering, he made it, and I got a quick kiss on the check before the train rolled away...wasn't exactly the ending I was expecting, but I knew he would be back.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Dublin, Ireland (October 3-October5)
Friday morning Ashley, Pat, and I took our first plane flight out of Madrid to Dublin. I was so scared we were going to miss our flight but we made it there in plenty of time. The Madrid airport was a little more relaxed then the airports at home. I realized when I was at my terminal that I had a swiss army knife left in my bag that they didnt take from me. My friend who left the
day before was able to take all her hair sprays and shampoos on the plane with her carry-on. But anyways, our plane was pretty packed and I was stuck in a middle seat, but I just put my head down on the tray in front of me and fell asleep. Once we made it to Dublin we had to find our friends that had flown in the night before.
Thanks to Pat that was no problem and the first place we headed when we met up was the Guinness factory. I am not a big fan of Guinness so the museam was not as exciting for me as it was for others but we did get a pint at the top.
Thanks to Pat that was no problem and the first place we headed when we met up was the Guinness factory. I am not a big fan of Guinness so the museam was not as exciting for me as it was for others but we did get a pint at the top.
After the museam we walked to the bus station to go to Galway, that is where my friend Roxanne is studying for the semester. The bus ride was about 4 hours long and I again just went to sleep. It reminded me of being on the bus for track meets and made me miss the team back home a little. Once in Galway the bus driver was so nice that he dropped us right off at the dorm where Roxanne lives, apparently it was his birthday that day we found out. We said good bye and walked to Roxanne´s place. She has a nice little setup with a kitchen area that her and a few other girls share, she has one roommate who was so nice and it was her birthday too! We found out quickly that the weather in Ireland is nothing like the weather in Madrid. It was very cold and rainy.
The next morning Roxanne and her roommates made a huge breakest for her roommate´s birthday which consisted of pancakes and crepes. It was exactly what I was looking for. Saturday was pretty rainy and it took a lot of mental strength to get out of bed and go outside, but we did. Roxanne walked us along the path that she runs on and showed up the beautiful track that she gets to run on...and it was beautiful.
We also saw the ruins of a castle. But we don´t exactly know what castle it is. Later we went into Galway and ate some fish and chips (delicious) and checked out the shopping. 
I cannot afford Ireland...way too expensive. That night we ended up in a bar with an Irish band! The music was great, but I had no idea how to dance so we sat and watched.
The next day we took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. They were absolutely gorgeous however I don't think these pictures do them justice. It was scary being up so high because there was one point where people were supposed to stop but they went out on the edge past the sign! This was where I realized for the second time in Europe that I am scared of heights.
The Ireland countryside...breathtaking...and windy...
Again...it was a very windy day...
Do you see all those people past that point! Apparently there have been deaths because of this!
Me and the cows...much nicer than the cows in Spain...
Things we wanted to see in Ireland: Sheep and Green...check!
Ireland was so beautiful and all the people there were incredibly nice and welcoming. It was a little pricey like I said before but completely worth it!
We also saw the ruins of a castle. But we don´t exactly know what castle it is. Later we went into Galway and ate some fish and chips (delicious) and checked out the shopping. 
I cannot afford Ireland...way too expensive. That night we ended up in a bar with an Irish band! The music was great, but I had no idea how to dance so we sat and watched.
The next day we took a day trip to the Cliffs of Moher. They were absolutely gorgeous however I don't think these pictures do them justice. It was scary being up so high because there was one point where people were supposed to stop but they went out on the edge past the sign! This was where I realized for the second time in Europe that I am scared of heights.
The Ireland countryside...breathtaking...and windy...
Again...it was a very windy day...
Do you see all those people past that point! Apparently there have been deaths because of this!
Me and the cows...much nicer than the cows in Spain...
Things we wanted to see in Ireland: Sheep and Green...check!
Ireland was so beautiful and all the people there were incredibly nice and welcoming. It was a little pricey like I said before but completely worth it!
Home in Madrid (September 26-28)
Since I did not do any traveling this weekend I decided to take some pictures of our home with Paloma and share them with everyone.
This is where we eat breakfast every morning...crackers and butter...never gets old ;)
This is the living room, not too big, and we don't get to hang out here much unless our room is getting is cleaned. I love this room though because it is always so bright and sunny.
I love the house we stay in, its small and modest but very cozy and welcoming. My senora does a beautiful job decorating as you can see from the pictures and I enjoy every minute of it....I would put up a picture of our bedroom but its not in the best condition right now...lo siento
Salamanca (September 18-September 21)
Salamanca was my first time traveling alone. But it was not as bad as it sounds. My friends decided to travel to Barcelona for the weekend, but I decided to go see Jake. It was nice because the residencia gave me a room to stay in so I could be in the same building as Jake and share the meals with them. He has it made. Everyday a woman, named Nani, comes in to clean their rooms, do their laundry, and cook them lunch and dinner. So over the weekend, instead of having to buy meals, I spent my money on ice cream (the best ice cream in Salamanca, by the way). Saturday morning was the same, except instead of sleeping, Jake and I did some homework. Apparently the next week was his exam week (he passed them all) so I had to let him study. Then, after lunch, we went to the Cathedral which was amazing! Jake has all the pictures though. I left my memory card in my computor...but Jake knew a lot about the place since he had been to on a tour when he first arrived.
This is Jake and I on top of the Cathedral. The Cathedral had so many quirks to it. Like one of the skulls on the outside of the building had a frog on it. This is now a symbol of good luck, but it defininetly did not start that way. They also did some remodeling on the outside near the entrance and on the side where there are different animals carves they added an astronaut. That sure was not there when they build the church. There was so much more and I just wish I had the pictures to show you. After the Cathedral, Jake had to meet up with his friend Salma because they were doing an intercambio. That is when Jake and Salma speak spanish to the other person, I cant remember her name right now, but then she resonds in English. I was very impressed. I only sat there the whole time because the conversation was perdominantely Spanish but I caught a few things here and there. The SPpaniard they were talking to was very nice and funny. They meet together often, maybe 3 times a week and just talk. It was fun, although evertime they talked to me it felt like a pop quiz and I would panic, but Jake calmed me down. That night we went out with some of his girl friends to go salsa dancing. I just sat and watched but Jake was good. Apparently he is one of the 2 guys in the class so he gets a lot of practice...someday he will teach me.
The train ride was the scariest part because I got on the train about an hour early. There were only maybe 3 people on the train at that time, but of course, one of them was sitting in my seat! Since I didn´t know how to go about asking, I just say in the seat behind her. So until 5 minutes before the train left, I was sitting in someone else´s seat worried that I was going to get yelled at for being in the wrong place. Finally, the girl got up and I slipped in, I asked the people across from me if that was where I was supposed to be and they said yes (all in Spanish though). After that I was pretty relaxed, expect everyone put their luggage above them, and I sat with it on my lap. I looked ridiculous, but I am ok with that. When I did arrive in Salamanca, Jake was waiting for me on the platform. He took my bag and walked me to his home. That night I met all of Jake´s friends (a lot of girls) which was a little overwhelming but they were all very nice. He has a little family there it feels like. That night was pretty uneventful because Jake still had classes the next day.
Friday, I slept, until...1 maybe? 1:30? Jake and the rest of the residencia had classes all day until lunch. So I...rested. When Jake came home, we ate a delicious lunch with his "family" and then actually took another nap. In Spain they have siestas where everyone goes home to eat and nap. So shops and stores are closed until 4:30 or 5 so there was really nothing to do. Then when everything opened back up we went out and he showed me around town. Salamanca is much more manageable than Madrid. It was nice being able to walk everywhere without taking the metro. I did a little bit of shopping also :) That night we just hung out with his friends.
This is Jake and I on top of the Cathedral. The Cathedral had so many quirks to it. Like one of the skulls on the outside of the building had a frog on it. This is now a symbol of good luck, but it defininetly did not start that way. They also did some remodeling on the outside near the entrance and on the side where there are different animals carves they added an astronaut. That sure was not there when they build the church. There was so much more and I just wish I had the pictures to show you. After the Cathedral, Jake had to meet up with his friend Salma because they were doing an intercambio. That is when Jake and Salma speak spanish to the other person, I cant remember her name right now, but then she resonds in English. I was very impressed. I only sat there the whole time because the conversation was perdominantely Spanish but I caught a few things here and there. The SPpaniard they were talking to was very nice and funny. They meet together often, maybe 3 times a week and just talk. It was fun, although evertime they talked to me it felt like a pop quiz and I would panic, but Jake calmed me down. That night we went out with some of his girl friends to go salsa dancing. I just sat and watched but Jake was good. Apparently he is one of the 2 guys in the class so he gets a lot of practice...someday he will teach me.
Sunday was low key, we went to church in just one part of the Cathedral and later went to get hot chocolate and churos. DELICIOUS...it was just a cup of chocolate and 4 churos for each of us. We ate them all. Sooner then I expected it was time for me to go home. I was sad and getting on the train was very hard. Jake left me there early because I was getting a little worked up. The ride home was fine and then I was home again with Paloma. It was a great weekend and I want to go back if I can. Jake has met some nice people there.
Here are some pictures
So we were looking at the Cathedral from the outside and it was so intricately designed with animals and old figures and then Jake points out this astronaut...thats not supposed to be there...
Jake looking out from on top the cathedral...
The pictures above are from the light/water show that was playing in the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca the night we were there. Salamanca was a lot of fun, like I said, it was much smaller than Madrid but so much fun.
Here are some pictures
So we were looking at the Cathedral from the outside and it was so intricately designed with animals and old figures and then Jake points out this astronaut...thats not supposed to be there...
Jake looking out from on top the cathedral...
The pictures above are from the light/water show that was playing in the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca the night we were there. Salamanca was a lot of fun, like I said, it was much smaller than Madrid but so much fun.Lisbon, Portugal (September 12- September 15)
On Thursday evening after classes, a huge group of us (about 20 people) met at the train station to take the over night train to Lisbon. It was about 11 hours and at some points through out the night it didn't seem like the train was even moving. But we made it. 9 am Friday morning we were off the train and trying to figure out where we could find the hostel. We ending up walking for a half hour to a metro station and then taking that one stop before getting off again. It was not the most efficient way of getting there and a few people from our group were grumpy because of the train ride. When we did get to the hostel we found out that we could not check into our rooms until noon, but they still let us have breakfast which was amazing. They did have a few keys to the lockers so we dropped off our things and started sight seeing. The picture below was on a statue in the center of the plaza by our hostel. I was just waiting for the statues to start waving their arms to get the birds off, especially the one on the left.
The middle picture above shows half of the group of people in Portugal. It was nice making some new friends. We were all somehow connected whether she was roommates with her or what. It was a lot of fun. You can't really tell in the middle picture but it seemed like everywhere were walked there was a photo op place. Lisbon was beautiful.
Belem tower was beautiful and again there were great views from the top. It was built for defense but now is an important symbol of the city. My pictures aren't loading, so you will have to see those when I come home. That night we all went out for an authentic Portuguese dinner, which was WAY too expensive (they charged us for the bread and butter that was already set out on the table). If you asked me I would say it wasn't worth it, but oh well. Some people refused to eat and later went to an Irish bar to get chicken wings (not exactly authentic, but they sure were happy). And finally we ended up at a Portuguese karaoke bar. half of the music was English and the other half was Portuguese. From what I noticed, the Portuguese really like Alanis Morissette. When a Portuguese song came on though, everyone in the bar started dancing and singing, it was really cool.
Sunday was the day we reserved for the beach. We didn't actually know where we were going, or how to get there, but the hostel people gave us some directions. It took us about an hour and a half to get the beach, but it was BEAUTIFUL. absolutely BEAUTIFUL...
You should probably click on this picture so you can see it closer. Down where the umbrellas are is where we camped. The waves were actually pretty big, but the water was so cold. and the beach actually sloped down into the water, so if you decided to go body surfing, the waves would come in, pick you up, and slam you onto the side of the beach. I did not do that. I did get wet up to my waist. But they other scary part was the huge rocks that were carried by the waves and undertow. My friend Karelia was hit by one when the wave came in and then the same rock came back and hit here on the other foot. She was pretty bloody. We had to leave the beach pretty early because we were scared about missing the train. The bus ride back to Lisbon was LONG and the bus stopped every 10 minutes to pick someone up. But we did make it back and to the train station in enough time.
The train ride home was pretty awful for me. But I would say I would do it again. I am young and I can handle uncomfortable I decided. All in all going to Portugal was one of my better decisions because I had so much fun and every moment I felt like I was really enjoying life, so now I am excited to see how my next trips will turn out.
The next pictures are from our walk from the hostel to St. George's Castle:
This is pretty much where we got lost on the way to the castle. We didn't really have directions but there were a couple of signs and we could see the castle, but when we reached the top of the hill and looked out, the castle was on the left (you can see in the picture above on the right).
This is me...on top of the castle...pretty exciting!
These are more of my new friends. They were so much fun and everyone was so relaxed. We all went out for the night to end our first day in Lisbon. But it was definitely a long day. The streets of Lisboa are filled with people at night, Karelia described it as Mardi Gras times 10! Ashley was worried about getting lost, but we stayed together and made it back to the hostel safe.
The next morning Ashley and I woke up early to run. There are way too many hills in Lisbon for my liking but we went down to the boardwalk (i guess) and ran by the ocean which was nice. When we got back half of the people were up and ready to head out to the "free market" held on Saturdays...my advice: don't waste your time. It was similar to a garage sale. Everyone there was just selling their junk. You might be able to find one or two things there, but you would have to know what you are looking for. After that, since Ashley and I missed breakfast to go to the market, we broke off from the group to sit down and get lunch, but we met up with some people later. It was Pat, Pat, Andy, Kelly, then Ashley and I who decided to go out and find Belem tower, and the pictures below show where we ended up. We thought there was a sailboat race going on or something, but we ended up sitting there for a while just watching.
The next morning Ashley and I woke up early to run. There are way too many hills in Lisbon for my liking but we went down to the boardwalk (i guess) and ran by the ocean which was nice. When we got back half of the people were up and ready to head out to the "free market" held on Saturdays...my advice: don't waste your time. It was similar to a garage sale. Everyone there was just selling their junk. You might be able to find one or two things there, but you would have to know what you are looking for. After that, since Ashley and I missed breakfast to go to the market, we broke off from the group to sit down and get lunch, but we met up with some people later. It was Pat, Pat, Andy, Kelly, then Ashley and I who decided to go out and find Belem tower, and the pictures below show where we ended up. We thought there was a sailboat race going on or something, but we ended up sitting there for a while just watching.
Belem tower was beautiful and again there were great views from the top. It was built for defense but now is an important symbol of the city. My pictures aren't loading, so you will have to see those when I come home. That night we all went out for an authentic Portuguese dinner, which was WAY too expensive (they charged us for the bread and butter that was already set out on the table). If you asked me I would say it wasn't worth it, but oh well. Some people refused to eat and later went to an Irish bar to get chicken wings (not exactly authentic, but they sure were happy). And finally we ended up at a Portuguese karaoke bar. half of the music was English and the other half was Portuguese. From what I noticed, the Portuguese really like Alanis Morissette. When a Portuguese song came on though, everyone in the bar started dancing and singing, it was really cool.
Sunday was the day we reserved for the beach. We didn't actually know where we were going, or how to get there, but the hostel people gave us some directions. It took us about an hour and a half to get the beach, but it was BEAUTIFUL. absolutely BEAUTIFUL...
The train ride home was pretty awful for me. But I would say I would do it again. I am young and I can handle uncomfortable I decided. All in all going to Portugal was one of my better decisions because I had so much fun and every moment I felt like I was really enjoying life, so now I am excited to see how my next trips will turn out.
Plaza de Toros (September 7)
I was skeptical about going to a bullfight. I heard it was pretty gruesome and the bull is killed in the end. My senora turns the news on while we eat dinner so we can learn more Spanish and there was a story with a man just getting completely ruined by the bull, I had a hard time watching the TV. She told us that she does not like the bullfights, at all. But everyone decided to buy tickets saying that we are in Spain and it is a part of their culture and its something you have to do, so I went. For 10 euro we were second row. I will admit though I was excited the day of, I was expecting something along the lines of a baseball game and when we arrived at the stadium there were vendors outside selling seeds and peanuts and drinks so I figured it wouldn't be too bad. Here are some of the pictures from before the "fighting" started:
So this is when I was still happy and excited to be there, and that lasted a little longer when there was the presentation of the matadors.
Everything looked so pretty and traditional, so I honestly was excited to see what was going to happen. Later I found out the horse with the blind fold was used for the bull to run into while the man on top of the horse is digging a spear into the bull's back. But at the time I thought it looked cool. Then the bull came out and immediately my heart started pounding and I was terrified for every man in the ring. The bull was so big and so fast. And then when the horse guys came out I almost cried for the bull because it all looked so painful. 
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