Hasta Luego España

Hasta luego literally translates to "until later." That exactly what my goodbye to Spain is going to be, I can't imagine not coming back here at some point in my life. I have truly fallen in love with Spain, especially with Alcalá. These past four months have been everything I could have imagined and more. I met amazing people, traveled all of Europe, and learned a new language.

This past week has been absolutely a great way to end my four months here in Spain. Thursday night we headed to Mamma Mia. We got to go backstage and see the props and costumes. The show was all in Spanish and all my classes have paid off and I could basically follow the whole thing! During intermission we got to meet a few of the actors and have our new cd signed. All in all it was a great night!

With the Actors!

Friday night we had our farewell dinner with Maria Jose. After the dinner we saw a Flamenco show, which was absolutely amazing. My draw dropped just watching the footwork itself. The show was intense, aggressive, passionate, and wonderful.

Flamenco Show

Saturday was spent in Madrid at two flee markets, one in Plaza de España and one in Plaza Mayor. The flee market in Plaza Mayor was a Christmas market and the place was absolutely packed! I did get some more needed gifts there and enjoyed the beautiful day. We then headed to Corte Ingles, the very large department store in the center of Madrid. At Corte Ingles was a large Christmas display titled "Cortelandia"and once again the crowd was overwhelmingly large!

Christmas in Sol

Sunday morning was spent at el rastro (the big flee market in Madrid), where once again I found some great gifts! Sunday night my host mom was nice enough to invite over two of my friends for dinner. We had a great night and I am so glad some of my friends got to meet my amazing family. Once again I cannot say enough nice things about them. They truly made this experience one-of-a-kind.

Today will be spent doing some last minute errands and packing. I can't believe I leave tomorrow! Hasta Luego España! I'll miss you.

Thanks for reading...see you all soon!

Last Hurrah: Paris

Paris was an absolutely whirlwind, but wonderful weekend! It began Friday night with a canceled flight, it luckily was only three of us traveling so we were able to get on the 7am flight the next morning and were put up in a hotel! So Saturday morning we were up and running by 4:30am and started out our very full day. We arrived to Paris, navigated our way to our hostel (which was extremely nice) and headed to the Eiffel Tower! I was truly in awe when we turned the corner coming out of the metro stop and there it was, absolutely enormous and truly breath-taking.

Ali and I at the Eiffel Tower

After visiting Paris' most famous landmark we head to the Arc de Triomphe. The traffic circle around the arc is enough of a site to see! The arc is absolutely gorgeous and I am so glad we made the trek over! After the arc we headed back to the hostel for a bit of rest and than began our evening adventure! We headed to Moulin Rouge to see the area all light up with bright lights! It was truly amazing. The night was topped off with the perfect French meal (french onion soup, duck, and creme brulee)!

Me at the Arc de Triomphe

Moulin Rouge

Sunday morning we were very proud of ourselves and made it to Lourve without any lines! The Lourve was wonderful, although a little too big for us to see everything! We of course saw the Mona Lisa and a few of the other masterpieces, which were all spectacular!

Ali and I in front of the Lourve

The Mona Lisa

After the Lourve we took a stroll through the beautiful garden and then decided to take a ride on the large ferris wheel. It ended up being a perfect way to see the whole city. We laughed about the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe looking like they had been placed into a Children's play city, because of their size and how much they stand out! After the ferris wheel we headed to Norte Dame. It was truly unbelievable and I am so glad we went to see it!

Ferris Wheel

Rosie and I at Norte Dame

 We finished our trip off with a delicious fondue lunch and headed to the airport! Only five more days here in Spain! I can't believe that was my last trip! Tomorrow night we are going to see Mamma Mia and then Friday to a farewell dinner and flamenco show! I also have my last exam tomorrow! See you all soon! Besos!

Córdoba y Sevilla

Córdoba and Sevilla provided a wet, but wonderful three days away. It was out last group trip and I absolutely loved both places, I just wish the sun would have come out! We left early Sunday morning on the bus for Cordoba. We arrived just in time for a late lunch and then headed to the Mezquita/Catedral (Mosque/Cathedral). It was absolutely unbelievable. The size of the mosque was indescribable and with the columns and arches it looked as though it could have gone on forever. Inside the mosque is a traditional Gothic style Cathedral. The mix of Muslim and Christian art makes this building one-of-a-kind.

Mezquita

We then headed to Sevilla, where we found our once again gorgeous hotel and were given free time to explore the city. Unfortunately the rain and the wind put a bit of a damper on everything, so we just headed around the corner for a delicious dinner and then back to the hotel. We were up early Monday morning for a full day of sightseeing. The day began with a quick tour of the city of the bus and then we headed to the palace. It is the oldest palace still in use today and when the royal family visited Sevilla this is where they stay. The palace is absolutely stunning with its Muslim influenced art and architecture.

Alcazar

We then headed to the Sevilla Cathedral, which is the largest Gothic style cathedral in the world and the third largest Catholic Church. The building was absolutely enormous, as well as beautiful. The gold backdrop to the altar itself was enough to leave anyone in complete awe. Monday afternoon we had a group lunch of delicious paella. We then attempted to do a little shopping but the pouring rain got in our way so we headed back to the hotel to relax until dinner. I was able to get some delicious treats made by the monks at the Cathedral though!

Gold Altar

View from the top of the Cathedral

Tuesday morning we were up early again and headed to La Plaza de España. The plaza is extraordinary with all the detailed artwork and design. Each province of Spain is represented along the plaza with its own image describing the province. We then tried to do a bit more shopping but once again the rain ruined that, so we headed back onto the bus for what ended up being quite an interesting ride home! With all the rain the roads had flooded and it felt and looked as though we were driving through rivers and it took us 10 hours to get back to Alcalá. It is nice to be back, unfortunately I have lots of work to do, but would love to return to Sevilla again especially if it was sunny! Besos!

Plaza de España

Lisboa, Portugal

What a fabulous weekend away! I absolutely fell in love with the city of Lisbon (Lisboa in Spanish). I went into without many expectations and was truly blown away. We arrived Friday afternoon to our amazing hostel. It was basically everything we could have asked for and more. The six of us had our room and the manager planned our trip for us! We spent Friday walking down the road to the water. Lisbon is a port city and it was absolutely gorgeous. The street our hostel was on a pedestrian only road with many shops that we enjoyed exploring as well!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to head to a flee market. We got to take a small yellow tram there, which made the whole experience even more exciting. The flee market has basically everything you could imagine and we all got some great gifts there! We then headed to uphill to a church which we were told by João (the manager) there was amazing view of the city! Boy was he correct! It was absolutely stunning and you could even see the castle we headed to just after. The eighth century castle was extremely fascinating, as well as provided amazing views of the entire city. We headed back down hill and found a great restaurant for lunch right on the water!

Lisbon

Me at the Castle

Saturday afternoon we headed back to the hostel to find João waiting for us ready to help us purchase tickets to a soccer match that night! After successfully getting our tickets to the game we headed back the water for sunset! We then climbed again up to another look out point, where we got to see another beautiful view of the whole city (João showed us a way to climb it instead of pay for an elevator up...we definitely worked off lunch!) We ate dinner at this same point so the entire evening was a spectacular view! We then were off to the game, Sporting vs. Porto, and absolutely had a blast!

Sporting vs. Porto

Sunday morning we enjoyed our delicious breakfast of eggs and toasts (which came with the hostel!) and were off the airport. We all were sad to say bye to Lisbon and I would have definitely stayed longer if I could! Overall it was a great weekend and I can't believe how much we saw in such little time! Off to Sevilla and Córdoba on Sunday until Tuesday (more fiestas in Spain!). Hasta luego!