tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82549301321027044812024-03-13T16:52:13.877-07:00Cadiz - Costa de la LuzUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-59263550705755906662010-12-14T05:59:00.000-08:002010-12-14T05:59:49.064-08:00Sevilla<div class="MsoNormal"> Hello,</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, I am back from my last API Excursion. Natalie and I took a trip to Sevilla on Saturday with Carmen to explore the city a little bit. Once again, we ended up having a bit of bad luck!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our plan on Saturday was to eat lunch and then tour the Catedral – which is not only one of the largest in Europe, but one of the most impressive. As it turned out, the Catedral had special hours posted for the Christmas holiday and unfortunately, we wouldn’t be able to visit on Saturday. So, we decided to walk around the city and shop. I have never in my life seen any place filled with that many people. Granted, it was a Saturday, it is the holidays, and all of the shops were having sales. I still was not expecting to see such a crowd. I think that literally every person who lives in Sevilla was out that day. In addition, I also saw a very large number of twins, more specifically, twin boys. Everyone was dressed to the nines and really enjoying their afternoon out. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdgbmWdI3kurLiHe2salEe8MXtYp6j6fol0eqr7C-DNJ3_UZibMsEu90ZJUlwr-4ZrQCI6S4g6U_8Cicd4iQWGk3eJFVrQsa_6D818coptOl6zKuGl52jWSSIi6fDdLYTY7GE3fsZpI0T/s1600/DSC03907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdgbmWdI3kurLiHe2salEe8MXtYp6j6fol0eqr7C-DNJ3_UZibMsEu90ZJUlwr-4ZrQCI6S4g6U_8Cicd4iQWGk3eJFVrQsa_6D818coptOl6zKuGl52jWSSIi6fDdLYTY7GE3fsZpI0T/s320/DSC03907.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many Nativity scenes that can be found throughout the city. This was one was located inside a hallway of the Catedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvgR7WcBX4EZqo_AkTl9Qs6mqVkj2dOPoC6Usmdaa4T2XlyLqp2VKBuLqeiFgFksh5JUZrqBk1UHpa8mn7Y4KIr2fdsobqFqC6wTCmUFFWlZWa_e415mb1V3VhsA4pJJWfYEybpAGP75q/s1600/DSC03908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvgR7WcBX4EZqo_AkTl9Qs6mqVkj2dOPoC6Usmdaa4T2XlyLqp2VKBuLqeiFgFksh5JUZrqBk1UHpa8mn7Y4KIr2fdsobqFqC6wTCmUFFWlZWa_e415mb1V3VhsA4pJJWfYEybpAGP75q/s320/DSC03908.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horsedrawn carriages everywhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchxNhuzyfqeIEmVwzJfppGyyvamCnrJfG-5Bei7l2r3IG3VVIpUr8DUXvr7yZm91LHA_KxesHD4s_dJaPc43p-Npr6IiDHa28wIUyx3y7jyoyvwSASiaXEhWmmEvZ0-v82d5OoErL5qBu/s1600/DSC03910.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjchxNhuzyfqeIEmVwzJfppGyyvamCnrJfG-5Bei7l2r3IG3VVIpUr8DUXvr7yZm91LHA_KxesHD4s_dJaPc43p-Npr6IiDHa28wIUyx3y7jyoyvwSASiaXEhWmmEvZ0-v82d5OoErL5qBu/s320/DSC03910.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Catedral.</td></tr>
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</style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026"/> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout v:ext="edit"> <o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1"/> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal"><span>After shopping, we went back to the hotel to do homework. Around 8:30 we met up with Carmen to walk to the theater where her brother Juan was waiting to join us. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to see one of the best comedic-theatrical performances there is in Spain put on by a group known as Tricicle. The theme of the show was laughter and it was fantastic because there was almost no dialogue during the performance. It didn’t matter. We literally did not stop laughing the entire time. It’s amazing how universal laughter is – we didn’t need to understand any language in particular in order to me amused. After the show, the 3 performers were waiting by the exits to greet the audience. We got lucky and were able to take a photo with one of them. Check it out!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VoHOkSb_eEdaKlQxcJW-EBTRpy2n3VznRx1wzaNJOHdrTq0dQ7tDGvZ0RjuB2insVvD5cIQXsw5CHSXB3im-jG0kxpxjyG15H2558_SL7rFcu5apikyngfTXFeAtyOUSD7OSwrZZcBEY/s1600/68177_1459496136968_1520340142_30995950_7509469_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VoHOkSb_eEdaKlQxcJW-EBTRpy2n3VznRx1wzaNJOHdrTq0dQ7tDGvZ0RjuB2insVvD5cIQXsw5CHSXB3im-jG0kxpxjyG15H2558_SL7rFcu5apikyngfTXFeAtyOUSD7OSwrZZcBEY/s320/68177_1459496136968_1520340142_30995950_7509469_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starbucks in Sevilla! Just for you MB!</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The next morning, we went to tour the alcazar, another impressive site there in Sevilla. Although, I must say, there are alzacars everywhere in southern Spain, and there comes a point in time, where they all start to look the same. This particular one served a different function. It was used as a place for royalty and religious figures to stay and hold meetings. Although it appeared to have Arabic influence, all of the writing pertained to the Catholic religion. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu9xX70JcOmLTlgIBawoCYUngGt_yc9DKkk9NsMWPHat6oZPhkgUf4OYIYYPIwNIoE_DK9mKPRKn6yWxfXwUGa4tvMBpx3To4jamBeISmpGWIjcyVsck6zfjc_W0wTV0JIOZ_Vr8MYaeT/s1600/DSC03911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNu9xX70JcOmLTlgIBawoCYUngGt_yc9DKkk9NsMWPHat6oZPhkgUf4OYIYYPIwNIoE_DK9mKPRKn6yWxfXwUGa4tvMBpx3To4jamBeISmpGWIjcyVsck6zfjc_W0wTV0JIOZ_Vr8MYaeT/s320/DSC03911.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Alcazar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GxoxJIQ0iDGmrFpc6drp7rZUjuC1BUtRO11TlwFPVUvy9yh_E_8DOZ9aXmX7tX4foAFsS6Ys3F6d6taVlOTn3IQ5M-9RP0PKrbyPgtj4DG2ioEMHxLnbr45ZXCg8fESr_Yc-Ed_Xb8J5/s1600/DSC03926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GxoxJIQ0iDGmrFpc6drp7rZUjuC1BUtRO11TlwFPVUvy9yh_E_8DOZ9aXmX7tX4foAFsS6Ys3F6d6taVlOTn3IQ5M-9RP0PKrbyPgtj4DG2ioEMHxLnbr45ZXCg8fESr_Yc-Ed_Xb8J5/s320/DSC03926.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the beautiful, detailed work on the walls and ceiling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNjRH7PIHR0l2PJT8e5tNqpF4DupcStL2IAwum3yDGYyWtRVtAhHDd-epq2H7awXQsm1KRpTzTP8nSFbPwRzZp-LciJ95Z1eo4MW-lyT022WqyciCaTmIFCepozSis0FDi4tbFfGrtPVP/s1600/DSC03953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNjRH7PIHR0l2PJT8e5tNqpF4DupcStL2IAwum3yDGYyWtRVtAhHDd-epq2H7awXQsm1KRpTzTP8nSFbPwRzZp-LciJ95Z1eo4MW-lyT022WqyciCaTmIFCepozSis0FDi4tbFfGrtPVP/s320/DSC03953.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The highlight was the Peacock! Actually...several of them...about a dozen that walk the gardens freely</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We got lucky and one of the males opened his feathers.</td></tr>
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After, we decided to try the Catedral once again. No luck. Carmen went and spoke to one of the workers about the schedule. I had to keep reminding myself that we were in Spain – and schedules here (if you can even find one) are basically worthless. The woman said that we could enter at 4:30 and that at 5:30 there was a special mass and dance that we could attend. So…we decided to take the later train and hang around for a bit. Carmen took us to this great tapas bar to kill some time. On the walk back to the hotel, we overheard a chorus in the street. I was so excited! Here in Spain, they have their own version Christmas carols. Not exactly Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. It was still pretty cool to hear in person and I bought a copy of their CD to take the music back to the States with me. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB64NVwkAWweLehGczRC9y7lXIGYCxbdF5pT2s6OE9yQiiBk9SpxrkK7X786uiRYOc7z10tgN47MP4P8lNnDkKKTLx1sCk3WmlQxUdrEB6Nn3HRuAifgF2og8DekbWz1mQYErKVlPVqC3/s1600/DSC03964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB64NVwkAWweLehGczRC9y7lXIGYCxbdF5pT2s6OE9yQiiBk9SpxrkK7X786uiRYOc7z10tgN47MP4P8lNnDkKKTLx1sCk3WmlQxUdrEB6Nn3HRuAifgF2og8DekbWz1mQYErKVlPVqC3/s320/DSC03964.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singing in the streets!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">We reunited again at 4:30 but guess what…? We couldn’t get into the Catedral! What a surprise!!! But we would still be able to get into the mass/dance, so we really couldn’t complain. I guess I should probably tell you a bit about this “dance.” Evidently, in the 16th century, the religious figurehead at the time permitted a group of boys to perform a short dance on the actual altar of the Catedral during a mass. This was something incredible and very rare. Well, the only way that the tradition could be carried on was for the boys to wear literally the EXACT same outfits each year. Surprisingly, these costumes have endured centuries of use (only to be repaired a few times) and the tradition lives on. Now, when I first heard about the “dance” I was excited. I was expecting an actual, well, dance of some kind. It turned out to be something entirely different. The event began with an abbreviated version of a Catholic mass. After the homily, a small orchestra and a children’s choir walked down the aisle and situated themselves on the altar. Next thing I know, 2 rows of little boys in costumes come down the aisle and form 2 lines in front of the altar. The music starts playing; the choir starts singing, and the little boys start “dancing.” In reality, they were just doing calf-raises and turning around in circles. There were 4 songs that lasted a total of about 10 minutes and that was it. Then the boys left and the priest continued with mass where he had left off. Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed in the performance and the weekend in general. I thought we would have been able to have better use of our time. I still had the opportunity to see some things that I wouldn’t have otherwise seen, so I guess it was worth it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkB64NVwkAWweLehGczRC9y7lXIGYCxbdF5pT2s6OE9yQiiBk9SpxrkK7X786uiRYOc7z10tgN47MP4P8lNnDkKKTLx1sCk3WmlQxUdrEB6Nn3HRuAifgF2og8DekbWz1mQYErKVlPVqC3/s1600/DSC03964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those boys looked so miserable the entire time!</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I can’t believe I’ve got 9 days left – into single digits now! I just have to make it through the last of my school work and then its smooth sailing! I can’t wait for Christmas!!!!!!! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Besos</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-4429282088558703402010-12-11T10:58:00.000-08:002010-12-11T10:58:45.452-08:00I found my roots!<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Hello everyone,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I have just returned from a fabulous trip to Ireland and I have so much to share!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Our trip started out with some bad luck. Our flight from Malaga to Dublin was delayed and rerouted to Belfast. From there, we had to take a 2 hour bus ride into the city and then find our way to our hostel. For those of you that hadn’t heard…the entire country of Ireland got hit by a horrible snow storm last week. While it is typical for some parts of the country to get snow during the winter, it was almost unheard of for the entire country to get hit that hard, that early into the season. So, on the bright side, I guess we can say we were part of history!</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKaMupr6Qt39pYR6pq2Oihz1WbyGFVw7zNpxQO5kPrIiPt9V3GUT6Vxb0TTpGxduQwrNhG_W44bID_LsDESVan3-kRDDKFEcHV_3t6qQT8oKQwIWh-1_jPdRaO3IabsnPa2NCjMgeo59M/s1600/DSC03604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKaMupr6Qt39pYR6pq2Oihz1WbyGFVw7zNpxQO5kPrIiPt9V3GUT6Vxb0TTpGxduQwrNhG_W44bID_LsDESVan3-kRDDKFEcHV_3t6qQT8oKQwIWh-1_jPdRaO3IabsnPa2NCjMgeo59M/s320/DSC03604.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A snowman! This was taken outside of Dublin Castle</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Last Friday (the 3<sup>rd</sup>) was our first full day in Dublin. The city sponsors free walking tours so we decided to take advantage of the offer. It turned out to be a great way to learn about Dublin. Our guide, Dave, was born and raised there and it was great to hear his perspective on the city and the overall economic situation in Ireland. He knew a lot about the history of the country, which was also great. Over a period of about 2 hours we saw all the best parts of the city (or at least tried to): Dublin Castle, Dub linh Park, Temple Bar District, the Bank of Ireland, Trinity College, and St. Stephen’s Green. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYd4Oqc1R9ZSWllzJhuNTKJZfmI5P2KBvWKOeBdO3YxJTp7Q7zEECKdoHtR8bxZBh-hO4P7dEyzIeNU5cT0MiKzSKrWhQYMjG-yBDxD6v1C5tALmeiOEx-6-diHEnCO8PSvXN2iB7baP-/s1600/DSC03609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpYd4Oqc1R9ZSWllzJhuNTKJZfmI5P2KBvWKOeBdO3YxJTp7Q7zEECKdoHtR8bxZBh-hO4P7dEyzIeNU5cT0MiKzSKrWhQYMjG-yBDxD6v1C5tALmeiOEx-6-diHEnCO8PSvXN2iB7baP-/s320/DSC03609.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dublin Castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Bd87sAop8vjWtdK0psw6HmXEhJVIZqs89N7lcUFBU4IM_SIz1u7muwH24XC_gVpZTMcLmtmhoA5YUvzBKokSnoYsZo-6soiB467BHmUTU_8n6_gSARcTTCDNPYz5emP7vIoYLpRzszR1/s1600/DSC03618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Bd87sAop8vjWtdK0psw6HmXEhJVIZqs89N7lcUFBU4IM_SIz1u7muwH24XC_gVpZTMcLmtmhoA5YUvzBKokSnoYsZo-6soiB467BHmUTU_8n6_gSARcTTCDNPYz5emP7vIoYLpRzszR1/s320/DSC03618.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dub linh Park (there is a helipad under the snow)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwR-3MM0ohL_IikueA26YS5WFCWPibYNkXDxrHl-U884zUGibvJ4t5IOcfEVJqt7OPpmtPNtyGHnnSw49dse7-LFrnvg0OrUHbWk1fLMz1-CeXWkHIW98uJ7MwiJHlMq_WvET-MUzJRdF/s1600/DSC03634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwR-3MM0ohL_IikueA26YS5WFCWPibYNkXDxrHl-U884zUGibvJ4t5IOcfEVJqt7OPpmtPNtyGHnnSw49dse7-LFrnvg0OrUHbWk1fLMz1-CeXWkHIW98uJ7MwiJHlMq_WvET-MUzJRdF/s320/DSC03634.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Temple Bar</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dave also shared an interesting fact with us: about 15 years ago, when they were excavating to build the City Council building, a Viking community was discovered. At that time, the city was faced with a huge dilemma: excavate the historical site and relocate the City Council building or build anyway. The final decision was to build anyway and only a tiny portion of what was found was actually excavated and put into a museum. I personally believe it is disgusting that the city built over such an important part of history, which is now lost forever. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway, the highlight of the tour, and one of the highlights of the trip, came as I was standing outside of The Temple Bar. I had bumped into a few people who were walking opposite me on the sidewalk. As soon as that happened, our tour guide shouts to the group “Hey everyone, see that lady that just walked past? Yeah, well, you just walked by the President of Ireland.” I couldn’t believe it. I had literally walked into President Mary Macalese. Very cool. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMYfITDXWpz_8LSzADp0b9MO0WD_lILxoQARRVwmUfCphjmcAwCn3ucpR0hf6zK7ULNzKAILJXF71WWzYfzjmbLLhhinNZ9F2sOgb7R_OD8XyCa4XGZjra7mb_eC8kqAljgmFEwTmj3S7/s1600/DSC03633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMYfITDXWpz_8LSzADp0b9MO0WD_lILxoQARRVwmUfCphjmcAwCn3ucpR0hf6zK7ULNzKAILJXF71WWzYfzjmbLLhhinNZ9F2sOgb7R_OD8XyCa4XGZjra7mb_eC8kqAljgmFEwTmj3S7/s320/DSC03633.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was so shaken - I fumbled for my camera and this is the best pic of her I could get..she's walking off in the distance on the left hand side of this picture.</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Later that day we toured the Guinness Storehouse. I didn’t really have any expectations, but it turned out to be more of a museum. The best part was obviously the free pint of Guinness, up in the Gravity Bar, which had a 360</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">°</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> view of Dublin. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2VN6WWCLTajYsbMsvKOT4vKs4HS8O_3Gt2CqJRhpmyaA_Jm9n9KPa1Drr01_eB_DxaRiR66OBOHMbtakKYvTKyI2Z8G8md6Ag8PIN106tws7OaqZTVFzggsq333bIiZzG91hdQyNZ1vh/s1600/DSC03661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2VN6WWCLTajYsbMsvKOT4vKs4HS8O_3Gt2CqJRhpmyaA_Jm9n9KPa1Drr01_eB_DxaRiR66OBOHMbtakKYvTKyI2Z8G8md6Ag8PIN106tws7OaqZTVFzggsq333bIiZzG91hdQyNZ1vh/s320/DSC03661.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying our pints of Guinness!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCikL3p353eMCnwcwrX4wGaLbmVF37EgOdG3VqvNFrrwoN8mZaAWNKU7m-3SCCfqpoJgXRkz_JVAZHX4OCjBoXvoECHCWEMJ1-RBOK6UkhIj1jH_jVQiUst6AV1kBqZZsLtosj1xyp7_Jl/s1600/DSC03667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCikL3p353eMCnwcwrX4wGaLbmVF37EgOdG3VqvNFrrwoN8mZaAWNKU7m-3SCCfqpoJgXRkz_JVAZHX4OCjBoXvoECHCWEMJ1-RBOK6UkhIj1jH_jVQiUst6AV1kBqZZsLtosj1xyp7_Jl/s320/DSC03667.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the Gravity Bar</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The next day, Saturday (the 4<sup>th</sup>), we spent the morning touring the city on our own. There were a few sites that were closed the previous day due to the snow, so we made another attempt. We were able to get into Christchurch, St. Stephen’s Green, and St.Patrick’s Cathedral successfully. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ6aNJJ0RIufP9ivz3MMCtCVz4D1zKQ3DbaIgoUiWwRNC_KGaULae-1t4F-yJS3WIWTiaIBKwE7SS4cKK7Dca6Zh7Vn_Z8XUeyYcA_Kr0WkwoLcG-7Pvpe-LIdZGAoKgzYXoo0pBP9WNj/s1600/DSC03723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQ6aNJJ0RIufP9ivz3MMCtCVz4D1zKQ3DbaIgoUiWwRNC_KGaULae-1t4F-yJS3WIWTiaIBKwE7SS4cKK7Dca6Zh7Vn_Z8XUeyYcA_Kr0WkwoLcG-7Pvpe-LIdZGAoKgzYXoo0pBP9WNj/s320/DSC03723.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie with the birds in St. Stephen's Green</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURHvlzmpu_PxBlSe5I7C5j5-KpDDepiHbU0YnRc16R0CdJbjKrsv-SGU5C8NzMke1YcxvdaSTVk4OfeU_j1Q_NQ4RJFFQ2tnVyhpDHYIn5iIumsnHvj4jDhkrpLoGB-2W3aZOCQSYOEoP/s1600/DSC03737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgURHvlzmpu_PxBlSe5I7C5j5-KpDDepiHbU0YnRc16R0CdJbjKrsv-SGU5C8NzMke1YcxvdaSTVk4OfeU_j1Q_NQ4RJFFQ2tnVyhpDHYIn5iIumsnHvj4jDhkrpLoGB-2W3aZOCQSYOEoP/s320/DSC03737.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teri built a snowman!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEh8pTkwt-NWNeP2ohdB3nowqm97uknaZg3Hbth2jQmO_2Ff8hI2bwhj4UdaYH5GpgjoJOh95qKLt68HZdBYAT1XpoZjftvJcl5WABeQiHfB7l582gkjWK0BqVBpfNLqyU97TWBWC45WA/s1600/DSC03745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEh8pTkwt-NWNeP2ohdB3nowqm97uknaZg3Hbth2jQmO_2Ff8hI2bwhj4UdaYH5GpgjoJOh95qKLt68HZdBYAT1XpoZjftvJcl5WABeQiHfB7l582gkjWK0BqVBpfNLqyU97TWBWC45WA/s320/DSC03745.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Patrick's Cathedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then it was time to board the bus to County Cork! About 4 hours later we arrived in Fermoy, a small town in the middle of the countryside about 30 km outside of Cork City. We had found a great Couchsurfing host that was willing to spend time with us and give us a place to stay for a few days. At the bus stop, we were greeted by Jim (JC for short) – the head of the Crilly family. Our host, Sarah, was stuck in the city at work and the roads were so horrible, she couldn’t make it home. Fortunately, her parents were kind enough to fill in for her that night. Jim drove us home in his little bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle and within minutes we arrived at this stunning home in the middle of the country. There, we were greeted by his wife and their 2 dogs: 1 short-legged Jack Russell named Chloe (she is 2 years old) and 1 long-legged Jack Russell named Max (he is 19 years old!). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwvXZ_Ybg_YiddbwpXJU-pRhuE7ld0duo7K57DI8mJIX3Iivs0QTwggjPNtVuVW-sXkv6WlTmr_K56iMJt82fe3tLYhsre_vcSInD5l2MVM2RSN4_pmWa_1Jy-ycNwAhPGX_0oZIWyiI6/s1600/DSC03764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwvXZ_Ybg_YiddbwpXJU-pRhuE7ld0duo7K57DI8mJIX3Iivs0QTwggjPNtVuVW-sXkv6WlTmr_K56iMJt82fe3tLYhsre_vcSInD5l2MVM2RSN4_pmWa_1Jy-ycNwAhPGX_0oZIWyiI6/s320/DSC03764.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my new friend Chole</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNMVrGwgqBnEN-Uv3IkKWguxFqpPM8Wr3uNw-S3gJ_wZ4gCbllDub1YfTLgn98hTvk-ne0BjfxdvnHZOfdXhZXD7E4QenUq8M8mAnDla-n5VpZJ8S4ptlZ2x3fwcOE-oU27Ala4jWrmjH/s1600/DSC03796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNMVrGwgqBnEN-Uv3IkKWguxFqpPM8Wr3uNw-S3gJ_wZ4gCbllDub1YfTLgn98hTvk-ne0BjfxdvnHZOfdXhZXD7E4QenUq8M8mAnDla-n5VpZJ8S4ptlZ2x3fwcOE-oU27Ala4jWrmjH/s320/DSC03796.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful Crilly Family Home</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We immediately felt right at home and I couldn’t have been happier to be around dogs! Finally! We weren’t expecting home cooked meals, but the Crillys insisted on cooking for us. That night we had a great meal and great conversation. Jim, a veterinary epidemiologist, and his wife have lived all over the world: Mongolia, Yemen, Iran. They had some amazing stories. Jim had asked what we were doing in Cork and I explained to him that my great-grandmother’s family was originally from that area. In fact, based on my research, she had grown up in a town called Riesk that wasn’t more than 20 minutes away. Little did I know at the time, Jim is a big fan of genealogy searches and really wanted to help me find the family home. He left the table for a bit and came back with a couple of phone numbers. Evidently, not many people live in Riesk so he thought it would be best to get in touch with some farmers when we got there, since they are guaranteed to always be home, working on their land. I couldn’t believe he was so willing to help, and I was very excited about going on an adventure the next day!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On Sunday (the 5<sup>th</sup>) we woke up to frost covered countryside. The temperature had dropped over night and everything was frozen. Jim wanted to take us on a walk to show us the country side, so we grabbed Chole and headed out! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1OY2sv6-kcmgZOAv9M4jm9teHDjFAE4WYUBwRxvTJEs3wFwVz7wmawGodNRO27oQ6m_fGDJeWsRyVb7z1C1ZHxf6W15VzRNuhaOH1RlhEPrp0ol7LacxAKBSBMxahycbmvlljb_NcfIY/s1600/DSC03777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1OY2sv6-kcmgZOAv9M4jm9teHDjFAE4WYUBwRxvTJEs3wFwVz7wmawGodNRO27oQ6m_fGDJeWsRyVb7z1C1ZHxf6W15VzRNuhaOH1RlhEPrp0ol7LacxAKBSBMxahycbmvlljb_NcfIY/s320/DSC03777.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frost</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnqjF4XdrZ9XFCDU3m7pUx1nN1VNouArbkx2rc8OdyZEGdDvlSZt5s70QkMfA0aQIgJOJknB3pxhjWFNxE9q2VhO_WB2EimMiGxTyOQlTn-UmK2ym5LR_i-z8rE8ExvLLtixN3ImrElHR/s1600/DSC03797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnqjF4XdrZ9XFCDU3m7pUx1nN1VNouArbkx2rc8OdyZEGdDvlSZt5s70QkMfA0aQIgJOJknB3pxhjWFNxE9q2VhO_WB2EimMiGxTyOQlTn-UmK2ym5LR_i-z8rE8ExvLLtixN3ImrElHR/s320/DSC03797.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful view of the countryside</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">By the time we got home, there was a traditional Irish breakfast on the table waiting for us. Once again, we had not anticipated food, and could not have been more excited to eat a proper breakfast (which included homemade scones and jam). At this point, Jim had advised against us traveling anywhere. Our plans to find Riesk that afternoon and our plans to travel to Dingle the next day were put on hold. We spent the day inside by the fire.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> At around 1 I was getting antsy. I went outside to sit with the dogs for a bit and that was when I asked Jim about a possible journey to find Riesk. After consulting a few maps, we eventually came up with a route that would be best. Next thing I know, we are getting into his car and hitting the road. We go as far as we can with the help of the map before we ask for help. The main problem is that Riesk is such a small town, it isn’t on most maps and there are no signs on the roads leading you where to go. The first man we spoke to told us we had gone too far and needed to go back the other direction. So, that is what we did. We drove another quarter of a mile before Jim pulled over to speak to a man who was outside in his driveway. Jim leans out the window and says to the man, “Excuse me, can you help us? We are looking for Riesk. I’ve got an American in here looking for her ancestors.” To which the man replies, “Well, you’re in Riesk. Who are you looking for?” I shout out the last name, Geary, the maiden name of my great-grandmother. The guy says, “I’m a Geary,” and he proceeds to wave his wife over to the car. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbAEn1P_1t8wZVuuFOOzFJa5kfh8Tr8KZsYR0zzULDgp6aaX8cDCjFOikQzCBaKNHy9_md40D6YYNAZ9Emt3XvxmoCDECNNskbBAMy7N4TMfVWlxoqqfRHatkRWL8c3h6Km_GurWxkfuC/s1600/DSC03805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbAEn1P_1t8wZVuuFOOzFJa5kfh8Tr8KZsYR0zzULDgp6aaX8cDCjFOikQzCBaKNHy9_md40D6YYNAZ9Emt3XvxmoCDECNNskbBAMy7N4TMfVWlxoqqfRHatkRWL8c3h6Km_GurWxkfuC/s320/DSC03805.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The newly remodeled Geary family home</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FbkC6fK5S0LzmMglMBdynr4d2bAUBXLK8mmEPCsByVeZXKb8ByQAWuNfsh4tHWGeGN0icw481dsfoKl5B0gkVcBz4SNwg-0TNLZTFe876eA7GICk2Why46YWw9aCGFwiOOrg36vKGwNA/s1600/DSC03808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FbkC6fK5S0LzmMglMBdynr4d2bAUBXLK8mmEPCsByVeZXKb8ByQAWuNfsh4tHWGeGN0icw481dsfoKl5B0gkVcBz4SNwg-0TNLZTFe876eA7GICk2Why46YWw9aCGFwiOOrg36vKGwNA/s320/DSC03808.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original part of the house</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The next 20 minutes went by so fast, I had no idea what was happening. As it turns out, the man in the driveway and his wife, are Stephen and Katherine Geary. Stephen’s great-great grandfather (Timothy) would be my Gee-Gee’s great-uncle (the brother of her grandfather John). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPz7S25V7JkoieAaiTpwrj54FPV-mHI8Z1P1la9qIZOXamivbzkV3DYUIezyqz6MhkiqlATFQf7Np-_bOGXG3AUYjYbfbkBiEWens9y2I-iy0VtbfFcqfpdc-0bBr3vqva8xnFaq8K1YnH/s1600/DSC03807.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPz7S25V7JkoieAaiTpwrj54FPV-mHI8Z1P1la9qIZOXamivbzkV3DYUIezyqz6MhkiqlATFQf7Np-_bOGXG3AUYjYbfbkBiEWens9y2I-iy0VtbfFcqfpdc-0bBr3vqva8xnFaq8K1YnH/s320/DSC03807.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Timothy and his wife Catherine - and their son</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Not only that, but his aunt is a woman named Annie Reardon, a cousin of my Gee-Gee, who had showed my family around Ireland when they had visited over 20 years ago. The next thing I know, Stephen and Katherine are showing me around their home, which is the Geary family home, but has since been renovated. They are showing me pictures and offering me tea, and telling me story after story. It was a complete and total whirlwind. I still couldn’t believe what was happening. We exchanged contact information, posed for a few pictures, and then Stephen showed us around. We stopped at Annie Reardon’s former house so that I could take a few pictures. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYyR5iX4Ah-gFxuwm_2wPDKzP7309gL1qleOdZAijCMOcqztII66sVPuG70WnPOfVYt6K86plQzoB_hQJJhB1F0K8xbxFTNCsCJv8JQnZ44s9965q_AJf61ptKeOI61YDrBFwhaKqMybE/s1600/DSC03809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYyR5iX4Ah-gFxuwm_2wPDKzP7309gL1qleOdZAijCMOcqztII66sVPuG70WnPOfVYt6K86plQzoB_hQJJhB1F0K8xbxFTNCsCJv8JQnZ44s9965q_AJf61ptKeOI61YDrBFwhaKqMybE/s320/DSC03809.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of Annie Riorden's house</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We then went to the schoolhouse which was built in 1901, meaning my great-grandmother would have attended school there. Our final stop was to the Templeboden Cemetery. After a bit of searching, we eventually found the Geary family plot. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiru1zm2GCoRqphmp_yZZRZzF9oDERznVGO2DdJL2aj6QzaHJuhLbkZ1NkMcbq9ABSeH-YjFjUizQIbCeoPisbDGomIWhR1W50fWBF2GQszODF1tmGt7W7YDSlJN9zvF1kUgsXSgGdimlcK/s1600/DSC03810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiru1zm2GCoRqphmp_yZZRZzF9oDERznVGO2DdJL2aj6QzaHJuhLbkZ1NkMcbq9ABSeH-YjFjUizQIbCeoPisbDGomIWhR1W50fWBF2GQszODF1tmGt7W7YDSlJN9zvF1kUgsXSgGdimlcK/s320/DSC03810.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The schoolhouse built in 1901</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Y4fmVQseV3aehP-9EqbP4FXx_3ZzaEkV-XISJjH-6Al7-CCNE4upIP9g8eQUK3eUIpSa-gL2nN17YOkXc9jRwcW5wvESLyWuM8FWLEtbhNglG3Ay063c_WkRUN5ysir4f1_wdrm3lguD/s1600/DSC03818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Y4fmVQseV3aehP-9EqbP4FXx_3ZzaEkV-XISJjH-6Al7-CCNE4upIP9g8eQUK3eUIpSa-gL2nN17YOkXc9jRwcW5wvESLyWuM8FWLEtbhNglG3Ay063c_WkRUN5ysir4f1_wdrm3lguD/s320/DSC03818.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Geary Family plot</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqIPNSbMvzOpRJBmshOlyZh3oD0K8E4QmmEWqMf1OXOqK_jEyTJkZI5VrhixBXVwfdfY5a5IrHtRHcUB-pm7QgjwmG7ig6Bb4fvKtmdEKdPamkV-mAArw3fPvVYv6lupb49nDpN7KyYjU/s1600/DSC03819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqIPNSbMvzOpRJBmshOlyZh3oD0K8E4QmmEWqMf1OXOqK_jEyTJkZI5VrhixBXVwfdfY5a5IrHtRHcUB-pm7QgjwmG7ig6Bb4fvKtmdEKdPamkV-mAArw3fPvVYv6lupb49nDpN7KyYjU/s320/DSC03819.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unidentified headstone also on the plot</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was quite the day! We followed it up with another great meal and then X-Factor! Later that night Sarah came home and we stayed up for a couple of hours talking to her. She is such a great girl and we had an absolutely wonderful time with her. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The next morning Sarah took us on a long walk and then took us into Cork City to meet up with her boyfriend and some of their friends. They showed us the university (which we all fell in love with) and then took us into the downtown area to walk around and see the shops. It was lovely. I was so happy to be in a place with Christmas decorations. It really put me in the mood to go home for the holidays. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After dinner we taught the family how to make s’mores using their fireplace. Then Sarah straightened Teri’s hair…a shocking experience…and showed us some of her pictures from Africa, where she had volunteered for about 6 months. She had an incredible time over there and I have never seen more beautiful pictures!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The next morning, we made our way back to Dublin. I was a bit disappointed that we hadn’t made it to Dingle or Galway as we had planned, but how could I complain…we had just spent close to 4 days with an incredible family in Cork. I can’t say enough about the generosity and hospitality of the Crilly family. I’m not sure how our trip would have been if we hadn’t been fortunate enough to stay with them. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So our last few days, Tuesday and Wednesday (the 7<sup>th</sup> and 8<sup>th</sup>) were spent in Dublin. We went back to the same hostel we had originally stayed at since we had such a great experience there. We met some awesome people as we were cooking dinner and decided to all go out together on Tuesday night. We went out to The Porterhouse Brewery to try some locally-made beers and had a great night. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On our last day, we FINALLY made it into Trinity College, and then spent the rest of the day just walking around and exploring the city. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgYurT0nvUre1Vz8mDh1wGytBvIy5NC_0QGkOAweo6ZmlvTHUOv1oVLuRudAEzJ2Fwz2uilFYHhzSFn4BBk8Gqfqk936vJt6g-FSQ3q8k912FuAF927NHsOagm4pzo9uJ9VW4Yct6iTwm/s1600/DSC03853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgYurT0nvUre1Vz8mDh1wGytBvIy5NC_0QGkOAweo6ZmlvTHUOv1oVLuRudAEzJ2Fwz2uilFYHhzSFn4BBk8Gqfqk936vJt6g-FSQ3q8k912FuAF927NHsOagm4pzo9uJ9VW4Yct6iTwm/s320/DSC03853.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porterhouse Brewery</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibW7YlxMC_AH3wxkpPv73-QNNA86TL69hNzr0yqrbwShpjYQn1TB7vfpMt0xNxsG7-pRVgW9jEXIvQV3wg173W3bfbWcTeBd8CbzeDYOT_GNIgoEEk8fin5jLkPXFb6KSshR5GfFpkCVSC/s1600/DSC03864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibW7YlxMC_AH3wxkpPv73-QNNA86TL69hNzr0yqrbwShpjYQn1TB7vfpMt0xNxsG7-pRVgW9jEXIvQV3wg173W3bfbWcTeBd8CbzeDYOT_GNIgoEEk8fin5jLkPXFb6KSshR5GfFpkCVSC/s320/DSC03864.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trinity</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Reflecting on the trip, it still seems surreal to me. I have to keep looking over my pictures to convince myself that it actually happened! While I was disappointed that I wasn’t able to do as much traveling as I had hoped, it is just an excuse to go back!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Unfortunately, I am back in Spain now! I’ve got a couple of exams, a presentation, and a paper to work on before I can head home. I still can’t believe that I have less than 2 weeks in Cadiz; it feels like just yesterday that I got here! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We have an API trip to Sevilla this weekend, so look out for another blog post (a shorter one, I promise) sometime next week. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
Can’t wait to see everyone when I get back! Less than 2 weeks!!!!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Besos</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-3757617196024601632010-11-27T04:59:00.000-08:002010-11-27T11:12:34.528-08:00Pedro XiménezHola,<br />
<br />
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I certainly missed be home with my family and of course - I missed all of the food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Carmen took us all out for a nice dinner on Thursday to celebrate, but nothing can compare with Gig's stuffing!<br />
<br />
Yesterday we took a trip to Jerez - a city just north of Cadiz, where Carmen lives. The city is best known for its sherry wine, which is produced in "bodegas" - which are similar to wine cellars. There is literally a bodega on every corner and when you walk outside, you can smell the wine in the air. It was incredible.<br />
<br />
When we arrived in Jerez, Carmen took us for a little paseo and we all fell in love with the town. It had everything we loved about Cadiz combined with everything with love about Sevilla. It was the perfect combination. We then met with a tour guide (I can't remember her name), a gitano (gypsy), who I was not a fan of. Regardless, she was very knowledgeable and she was kind enough to take us to a very special bodega.<br />
<br />
Apparently, we were supposed to tour a larger, more commercial bodega in town - but our tour guide took us somewhere very unique, a "regalo" (gift) she told us. We had the incredible opportunity to tour Bodega El Maestro Sierra - a local bodega famous for its high quality, all natural, handmade sherry and vinegar. El Maestro Sierra has been a family run business since 1830. The bodega was founded by a carpenter (of wine barrels) who decided to buy a small vineyard. Today, El Maestro is one of the best sherry bodegas in the world. Most impressively, it is owned and operated by 2 women - Pilar Pla Pechovierto and Ana Cabestrero. It was a real honor to meet these women, especially Dona Pilar, who was full of wisdom and advice.<br />
<br />
Our tour began with a visit to the room where the barrels are made. To this day, all of the wine barrels are made by hand, using special American wood and hand-formed copper rings. There is only one man the bodega trusts to build and repair these barrels. We then visited the vinegar cellar and had the opportunity to smell some of their renowned sherry vinegar. AMAZING. We then walked around the wine cellar for a bit and learned about the process behind making the sherry. It amazed me that El Maestro does not use any chemicals or preservatives of any kind. They have truly mastered the art of making sherry. ***An interesting fact - all bodegas have windows that face the ocean. The secret: the ocean breeze has salt in it, which adds a unique flavor to the wine.<br />
<br />
After the tour, we had a tasting! I must say - I am very picky with wine, and I am not a big fan of sherry. But, it was still quite a treat to be able to sit in Dona Pilar's personal office and taste 8 different types of sherry, including 3 reserve bottles (one aged 30 years, one 60 years, and one over 80 years). My personal favorite - Pedro Ximenez - a VERY old sherry, a little thicker, and tastes like raisins. It was delicious. Best part - they gave us a bottle of wine to take home. We can't wait to try it!<br />
<br />
Following the visit to the bodega, we toured the Alcazar in town. We then had lunch and returned back to Cadiz. I didn't take any pictures inside the bodega - but Natalie did. Here is one that I stole from her:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPAoOw4wf9RlM4v4rmw7MOxVaWhMz12pqFvK-mtKF8R1Z_vp5tD9zAMJ_JWJ0ycHMP5s1EUJvb-_L1tQUqPq40ZdyIQJ_Q7x4Vt2plBevy1nluBm69iiEhgIi7Ko3oIi8A-CYOAWVXriZ/s1600/bodega.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPAoOw4wf9RlM4v4rmw7MOxVaWhMz12pqFvK-mtKF8R1Z_vp5tD9zAMJ_JWJ0ycHMP5s1EUJvb-_L1tQUqPq40ZdyIQJ_Q7x4Vt2plBevy1nluBm69iiEhgIi7Ko3oIi8A-CYOAWVXriZ/s320/bodega.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Tomorrow we are going to a Cadiz futbol game (if the rain lets up!) - so be sure to check back for another post soon! <br />
<br />
BesosUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-90728169256222025582010-11-24T03:57:00.000-08:002010-11-24T03:57:49.906-08:00Italia - Manga, Manga, Manga!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>ZH-CN</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES-TRAD">Hello Everyone!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>I am FINALLY back from Italy! A day later than planned, but it was totally worth it! I had an incredible time and I have so much to write about!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>To start, I think it would be best to tell you a little about the people I met and got to know over the weekend, otherwise, you will be very confused!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Dominick: </span></b><span>Pop-Pop’s first cousin. He lives in New York. We communicated by email to organize my trip.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Maria: </span></b><span>A wonderful woman, 75, and the first cousin of my Pop-Pop. She is also Dominick’s brother. Maria lives in a house by herself next door to Dominick and Tony’s (her son) house. Maria is Gee-Gee’s twin. You hear that Gigs, you have an Italian twin! I cannot even begin to tell you how similar you both are! Everything about her seemed so familiar and I felt as though I had known her for years. She is such a sweet woman and she is very funny!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Tony: </span></b><span>One of Maria’s sons. He is in his 50s and works for TrenItalia. He took charge of my visit and arranged all of our visits around Italy. Tony is also incredibly nice and is funny just like Maria!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Claudio:</span></b><span> Tony’s wife. She is a hair stylist and has a little salon downstairs in their house. Although I didn’t understand the majority of what she was saying to me, I could tell she has a good, sarcastic sense of humor. She was very sweet and took good care of me while I was there.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Chirro:</span></b><span> Tony and Claudio’s only son. He is 25 and is studying architecture. Chirro was great and with the help of his computer – and Google translate – we were all able to communicate with each other. Chirro was very kind to let me spend time with him and his friends over the weekend. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Pascualina:</span></b><span> Chirro’s fiancé. She is also very nice, and very pretty and has a great personality.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Madallena:</span></b><span> Pascualina’s cousin (I think!) Chirro introduced her to me as HIS cousin, but when we went to her house, Pascualina told me they have the same grandmother. Anyway, she is beautiful and absolutely hysterical. I loved spending time with her and she made an effort to make sure I was included.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Mario:</span></b><span> Madallena’s fiancé. LOVE HIM. He also speaks VERY GOOD English, which was wonderful. He helped to translate when we went out. He is also incredibly nice, and funny. He and Madallena make a great couple. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span>Oscar:</span></b><span> Tony and Maria’s German Shepard who lives outside. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Chirro has 2 sisters. I met the oldest one and her husband briefly. The other sister, Rosanna, is actually a model and was in a fashion show that weekend and couldn’t be there. I was also surprised to learn that she has competed in Miss Italy, Miss World, and Miss Universe pageants. From the pictures I saw, she looks gorgeous. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Over the course of the weekend, I met a ton of people! Too many to write about! I will say this, everybody in this area knows everybody else. And – everyone is someone else’s cousin. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Now it is time to tell you about all of the wonderful experiences I had!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span>Friday: </span></i></b><span>Tony, Maria, Chirro, and Pascualina all came to meet me at the train station in Naples and we made the 1 hour drive back to their home. When we arrived, we were greeted by Claudio who had a wonderful meal prepared. First course – tortellini. This was followed by a salad with chicken. Then, we ate bread and actual chunks of Parmesan cheese. Next came pistachios, mandarins, and Torrone. We finished the meal off with some ice cream. Oh – and don’t let me forget about the wine – delicious. I honestly don’t know how I fit so much food into my stomach. After we ate I showed them some pictures of my family that I had brought with me. They loved seeing everyone. A little while later, Chirro took me out with him and Pascualina to meet Madallena for a coffee. I took this opportunity to have a Nutella Cappuccino, which was recommended to me by one of the Italian girls in my Spanish class. FABULOUS. After coffee, we went home and then went back out again to meet up with Mario for pizza. I was stuffed, but I could not resist homemade, brick oven Italian pizza. Before heading home, we stopped for coffee, which I have to say, is the best coffee I have ever had. It’s basically a little shot of espresso with sugar.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span>Saturday:</span></i></b><b><span> </span></b><span>Before starting the day, Maria wanted to show me around their property. We started at her house, which she is in the middle of renovating. I couldn’t get over the view from the balcony on the top floor. Next, she showed me Dominick’s house, which he stays in when he comes into town. He has a mandarin tree outside which provided the fruit we had been eating. There is nothing better than fruit picked straight from the tree. There is also a small collection of grape vines in the backyard and they use the grapes to make wine. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Next, Tony, Maria, and I took a short drive to Pompeii. Although the weather wasn’t the greatest, we still made the most of it. We spent a few hours touring the ancient ruins which date back to the 7<sup>th</sup> century BC. I could not believe I was actually there. It was funny because Tony and Mario were walking around as if they had been there a million times before, navigating the streets without a map. And there I was in complete shock that I was in a place with so much history looking at buildings and temples that have been there for centuries. Not to mention the fact that Pompeii is situated on a plateau of lava from Mount Vesuvius – and from everywhere in the city you have an incredible view of the volcano. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk7_bWEBOGZ6PtB4phHDmTx279V9e6l_F_f1HvxWVmOIAkH-Ex5QH_H9NPdRapP0Xomn7OV1mO2TBEyfLRfCLGErN8Tt3lHYwBjicdmQnI-Mf3b13ldcKGCshzjkMxd2jYRuhLKP9VGwU/s1600/DSC03336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlk7_bWEBOGZ6PtB4phHDmTx279V9e6l_F_f1HvxWVmOIAkH-Ex5QH_H9NPdRapP0Xomn7OV1mO2TBEyfLRfCLGErN8Tt3lHYwBjicdmQnI-Mf3b13ldcKGCshzjkMxd2jYRuhLKP9VGwU/s320/DSC03336.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the Temple of Venus, Pompeii</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19I2hGdTJyROBJgYhojSNm-JxpQ-V7gfNncW8PqPY8at3VXtLxPesHK7xfyt-8jwQLISn9X7W0nUEZKswujmaBSJfRqthCD_AxFxKGsow-DM7KXqzwZR-Lu0ijh2SmnY5nYIkpnUmtIHv/s1600/DSC03350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19I2hGdTJyROBJgYhojSNm-JxpQ-V7gfNncW8PqPY8at3VXtLxPesHK7xfyt-8jwQLISn9X7W0nUEZKswujmaBSJfRqthCD_AxFxKGsow-DM7KXqzwZR-Lu0ijh2SmnY5nYIkpnUmtIHv/s320/DSC03350.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Maria among the ruins of Pompeii</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>After touring Pompeii, Tony and Maria took me along to buy some cheese. Now, when you and I want cheese, we go to the supermarket to buy it. But not in Italy! We drove up a windy, narrow, one-lane road to reach an actual farm/small factory that makes fresh mozzarella and ricotta. Tony took me inside with him so I could see how it works. When you walk in, there are 6 large, metal basins filled with milk and water and inside there are hundreds of balls of mozzarella cheese floating around. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Tony must have bought about 20 balls of mozzarella and 2 things of ricotta. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>When we got home, Maria brought out bread and prosciutto. She put 2 balls of mozzarella on each plate and we sat down and ate! It was fabulous! I also learned a little trick to tell how fresh the mozzarella is – press down on the top with a fork – the more milk that comes out, the better! Maria didn’t bother cutting her cheese. She stuck her fork straight into it – and ate away! Too funny!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>About an hour later, Madallena and Mario came to pick me up. Chirro and Pascualina both had to work, so they offered to keep me entertained for the evening. We went out even further into the country to Madallena’s sister’s house. They live on a little farm with goats, chickens, cows, and horses. Her sister Laura, her husband Angelo, and their 2 year old son Nicolas were kind enough to have us over for dinner. We spent some time playing with Nicolas which I loved! I have been going through withdrawal from family interaction (my family in Spain is not exactly what I consider “family”) so it was great to be around them, even though I didn’t understand most of what they were saying.<span> </span>For dinner, we ate pizza that Angelo’s mother had made. It was hands down – the best pizza I have ever eaten. My favorite – white pizza with sliced potatoes, onions, and rosemary. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>After desert and coffee, we headed out. Mario and Madallena took me to a little “disco-café” as I like to call it. It is basically a coffee-bar with a small stage and a DJ. There were a ton of people there and we had a good time just hanging around and people watching. Eventually, Pascualina met up with us and we went to another place down the street which had a live band. And…that’s about it for Saturday!</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvZC_EfSQcXg6mvwliPtR4RYYkOiSkTq731woP5sGGVZ74ewTql74ypFE0eetz8M7OIXCJyyKZ2W7dg8iKgTVqSqMrDmTp5AaqL90Bs3aANu072XxG-FTp9S9b_03YH70HEwNpUheHWks/s1600/76362_162255103811025_100000796102699_276228_5136054_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvZC_EfSQcXg6mvwliPtR4RYYkOiSkTq731woP5sGGVZ74ewTql74ypFE0eetz8M7OIXCJyyKZ2W7dg8iKgTVqSqMrDmTp5AaqL90Bs3aANu072XxG-FTp9S9b_03YH70HEwNpUheHWks/s320/76362_162255103811025_100000796102699_276228_5136054_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pascualina, Madallena, Me, Mario - at the discocafe</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span> </span><b><i><span><br />
</span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span>Sunday:</span></i></b><i><span> </span></i><span>In the morning, Tony and Maria and I went for a little drive through the countryside. The landscape was breathtaking. I can’t even put it into words and no amount of pictures could do it justice. Tony actually has another house in this part of town, complete with olive trees in the backyard. Maria also took me to a small church in the area so I could see what it looked like. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the top!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span> After the drive, we made our way to Claudio’s parents’ house – were lunch was waiting! Claudio’s mother is this little old, 85 year old Italian woman. She is hunched over and walks around with a little chair as a walker. I didn’t understand a word she was saying to me, and she didn’t quite understand that I only spoke English. Regardless, she was absolutely hysterical. Claudio’s father is also a funny old man, 87, and very nice. The food was amazing. Homemade pasta and sauce, more cheese, more Torrone and more sweets. Mmm!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>After lunch, Tony, Maria, Claudio, and I went to visit the Royal Palace and Gardens of Caserta. Once again, another beautiful place. I was surprised to learn that the statues in the gardens represent different episodes from Virgillio’s Aeneid – a book of classical mythology. It was great to be able to connect everything I have been learning in class to the statues I saw during our visit. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPBFVCSoM3rLrPYflbMRdrLT-JExobEN3KgnH1WsGjG456qXJIo9GhQ_lpfU1N9nKe7PmD3YtTCgS7RRn4aMSyrguxtHmC7tBMp3ALka3U-KVMk9l4H-JEIiZWQsHCR4PrjbxsX5gpIZg/s1600/DSC03434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPBFVCSoM3rLrPYflbMRdrLT-JExobEN3KgnH1WsGjG456qXJIo9GhQ_lpfU1N9nKe7PmD3YtTCgS7RRn4aMSyrguxtHmC7tBMp3ALka3U-KVMk9l4H-JEIiZWQsHCR4PrjbxsX5gpIZg/s320/DSC03434.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claudio, Me, Maria - outside the Royal Palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony, Maria, Me - outside the fountain</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span> On the way home – we stopped for sweets. I enjoyed a lovely cannoli. Then Pascualina, Mario, and Madallena came to get me for another adventure! We ended up going to see Mario play basketball! While the skill level is low, as Mario admits, these men take the game very seriously. By the end of the game, Mario’s team was up at least 30 points and the other team started verbally assaulting the ref out of frustrating. Before the clock was up – the majority of the other team had been thrown out on technical fouls. The three of us girls had a fun time watching and making fun of some of the players. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Afterwards, we all went out for pizza – again! I have to say, I thought it was just a stereotype that Italians ate so much pizza, but now I am not so sure. We had great conversation at dinner, thanks to the help of Mario, the translator. They had a lot of questions about the United States, which I was happy to answer. After dinner, we called it a night!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span>Monday:</span></i></b><span> Although I wanted to take the train to the airport, Tony and Chirro insisted on driving me allllll the way to Rome to catch my plane. We left first thing in the morning, around 6:30, to make the drive. Unfortunately, we ended up getting stuck in some SERIOUS traffic in Rome and the trip took roughly 3 and a half hours. By the time we got to the airport, my plane was gone! My only option was to pay a penalty fee to change my flight to Tuesday morning. So – that is what I did! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Since we were in Rome, Tony and Mario surprised me by taking me to see the Vatican. I was thrilled. Standing in St. Peter’s Square gave me goose bumps. It is a truly breathtaking place. We then took a tour through the Tomb of the Popes. I had no idea that all of the Popes were buried beneath the Basilica, and I have to say, I am not too fond of the idea. Although there are signs, and security guards, and a voice recording in 5 languages reminding people to be quiet, most of the visitors were not respectful. It really offended me that as people were kneeled down in front of Pope John Paul II’s tomb, praying, other people were walking all around them, chatting away. Anyway, next, Chirro and I walked through the museum to see the collection of religious items that church had in their treasury. Then, we walked through the Basilica. Once again, I was left speechless. There are no words to describe the feeling as you walk around inside. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipta61_MG6ZcRtJWcUHIj9H_5TFrCTkwZOUn5Aj_tgZq3r0TQyjf2LySdVDNwoFcxeDRD9GJzPhFwifdu1fq3IV1Obt_vpShp4GB9vj0JzoEtIiUOXy8vLIhGS_Ws0Sh3g06gM4ANXYn98/s1600/DSC03524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipta61_MG6ZcRtJWcUHIj9H_5TFrCTkwZOUn5Aj_tgZq3r0TQyjf2LySdVDNwoFcxeDRD9GJzPhFwifdu1fq3IV1Obt_vpShp4GB9vj0JzoEtIiUOXy8vLIhGS_Ws0Sh3g06gM4ANXYn98/s320/DSC03524.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Peter's Square</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiro and I outside the Basilica</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Basilica</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span> After the tour, we stopped for a late lunch and then made the long drive home (with a few coffee breaks along the way!) For dinner, Maria invited us over to her house. Chirro went to go play soccer, so it was just three of us. Once again, she reminded me of Gigs. She had all of the pots on the stove, ready to go. The table was all set and she putzed around the kitchen getting dinner ready. I though the pasta and sauce was delicious – but Maria is very picky and she kept shaking her head as she ate it. The second course was chicken (with lots of garlic), peas, and broccoli. And then, of course, desert. By the end of the night, I was exhausted and about to explode, I had so much food inside of me! I said goodbye to Maria – for the second time, and then went to bed!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span>Tuesday: </span></i></b><span>Today we decided to leave at 5 am to avoid any unforeseen traffic jams. Which was great, because I did not have to rush around the airport to catch my plane. Two buses and a 2 hour train ride later, I am now back in Cadiz!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>This weekend was by far, one of the best I have had. I am so grateful to everyone for having me. Everyone was so kind and hospitable and treated me as if we had known each other forever. There are so many things I love about Italy; I don’t even know where to start! From the beautiful countryside, to the fires that burn in everyone’s fireplaces (yes, MB!), the coffee, the oranges, the pasta, the people… The list is never-ending. I cannot wait to go back! And next time – I’m not going alone! To everyone in my family, you MUST come see this place! It is truly amazing and something you have to experience in person. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Well, that is all for now! Be sure to look through the photo album on Picassa for more pictures. I took far too many to add to my blog!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span> Ciao!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-50465392969616751652010-11-14T09:16:00.000-08:002010-11-14T09:16:15.865-08:00Benalup-Casas Viejas<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>ZH-CN</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span>Hola Todos,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I’ve been quite busy the past few days – but I am happy to say that for once, it is raining here in Cadiz, which is great because I have a ton of homework to do!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>On Friday, Natalie and I went to Benalup – Casas Viejas, a small little town about 40 minutes outside of Cadiz. Our history professor had organized a conference and invited us to come and learn about some of the new research related to the Prehistory of Andalucia. We spent the ENTIRE day (about 12 hours) listening to presentations by professors, archaeologists, and other researchers. It was a great learning opportunity. The highlight of the day was our 2 hour lunch break. We decided to explore the town a bit and look at what we discovered!</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_OnAm-LmbZxTlwNhiHTHmBd1JWlBF63jYRKSbgQ5yFEoyCobuq0W_Dp7ZlaiGtNTZvEupx6iHAEs6W56mz-fYtEUieL83TKS4-DhkdxkSbgRnd5S3KALYxhcRHbMpYjkGd5pDB4Rpy2L/s1600/DSC03142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_OnAm-LmbZxTlwNhiHTHmBd1JWlBF63jYRKSbgQ5yFEoyCobuq0W_Dp7ZlaiGtNTZvEupx6iHAEs6W56mz-fYtEUieL83TKS4-DhkdxkSbgRnd5S3KALYxhcRHbMpYjkGd5pDB4Rpy2L/s320/DSC03142.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie and her sheep!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A colt and a baby! They were gorgeous in person</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the view!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donkeys</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goats</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span> On Saturday we returned to Benalup for the last part of the conference. The better part of the day was dedicated to a roundtable discussion/debate about the role that local government and private business play in archaeological discoveries. My favorite presentation was by a director in Malaga who discussed some of the amazing things that are being done to display the ancient history in the area. He provided us with some materials to take home – so I hope we can plan a day trip out there sometime soon. <span> </span>The highlight of the entire weekend came later in the day. Even though we were about 2 and half hours over schedule and were both tired and exhausted – we didn’t care! The entire group – about 60 of us – traveled by bus to the base of a mountain to explore the ancient Cueva del Tajo de las Figuras. This cave was discovered in 1913 and dates back to the Neolithic period – or New Stone Age which is believed to have begun about 9500 BC. Inside, we saw some cave drawings. These drawings represent the culture and daily life of groups of people over a period of hundreds of thousands of years. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look closely - we had to climb that ladder to enter the cave opening</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cave drawings</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>I had to pinch myself when I finally got back to Cadiz. I could not believe I had hiked a mountain, entered a Neolithic Cave, and had seen drawings from thousands of years ago. I am glad I gave up part of my weekend to attend this conference. I will never have an opportunity like this back home in the States!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Hope you all have a great week! I will be in touch when I get back from Italy!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span>Besos</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-58727256099142185682010-11-09T14:10:00.000-08:002010-11-09T14:13:54.277-08:00Paris - Good thing they gave us a map...<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hola,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">What a weekend! As you already know, I left for Paris on Friday for an API sponsored excursion. We spent 4 days exploring all the city of Paris has to offer. Here is a play-by-play of my trip!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Friday:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> We left Cadiz before 5 am to catch our flight to Paris. We arrived in the city around lunch time and had a few hours to explore before we could check into our hotel. Natalie, Teresa, and I met up with Lindsay and a couple of her friends from the Sevilla group to have lunch. Let’s just say that our first meal in France was fabulous - I FINALLY had the chance to eat steak!!!! Later on, we departed for a “paseo” around the city. It was later brought to my attention that we walked the longest street in the city of Paris (about 5 km). Lovely.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjov06f8cEGp-RxzbLwi2dXhQLFKwo8RfIktSCeginBXbfsSFR0ZPC_13NVdGRdXBQH2pwKZ26mihCRfoeZFwK7e_BRs6KJWD7wygv65ahPBC0sPqAjOqU5_SbMoKJ8MtN_m1oi89mG2Kim/s1600/DSC02843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjov06f8cEGp-RxzbLwi2dXhQLFKwo8RfIktSCeginBXbfsSFR0ZPC_13NVdGRdXBQH2pwKZ26mihCRfoeZFwK7e_BRs6KJWD7wygv65ahPBC0sPqAjOqU5_SbMoKJ8MtN_m1oi89mG2Kim/s320/DSC02843.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Louvre on Friday night</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Our final destination: the Museo del Louvre, one of the most famous museums in all of the world. The museum has about 10 miles of art on display, so as you can imagine, we didn’t see much in our 2 hour tour that night. But, we did see some of the most important pieces: Medieval Moat, Venus de Milo, Pysche and Cupid, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, The Consecration of the Emperor Naploeon, The Wedding Feast at Cana, and of course…Mona Lisa. In addition, I was able to see some paintings that I have been studying in my Roman Religion and Mythology class. Just days before I left, we had learned about “El Rapto de Sabina” and it was so great to be able to see “Las Sabinas imponiendo paz” and “El juramento de los Horacios” (both by Jacques Louis David) in person. When you know the story behind a work of art, it makes seeing it in person that much more exciting! After our tour we decided to go back home and rest up. It had been a very long day and we needed our energy for the rest of the weekend!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venus de Milo</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Winged Victory of Samothrace</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Las Sabinas imponiendo paz</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">El juramento de los Horacio</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mona Lisa</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Saturday:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> In the morning we left for a bus tour for a chance to see the most important sites in Paris in a more ‘efficient’ way. I personally was not a fan of driving around for 3 hours and only getting off the bus to take pictures of places. I would prefer to have been able to at least go inside – but, it was cold, and raining, and we did only have 4 days in Paris. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside Les Invalides - Napoleon is buried here</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_yA6XPaXNATHp8cQ5uSooXQRdurMuJVaFZgVI-E47eVJHIU2KgcO9Q_C4uA3ISVaJ0uAGjvtiXwQQ8m5Y-Sjc7Oc4OI-XswcK5EZaLxdgO1Yv2pQtfJ2Z8cIMU1t6iseP50wHrJ7wSPA/s1600/DSC02962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8_yA6XPaXNATHp8cQ5uSooXQRdurMuJVaFZgVI-E47eVJHIU2KgcO9Q_C4uA3ISVaJ0uAGjvtiXwQQ8m5Y-Sjc7Oc4OI-XswcK5EZaLxdgO1Yv2pQtfJ2Z8cIMU1t6iseP50wHrJ7wSPA/s320/DSC02962.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGMkupL1HjgqGhSVcpJYzWRDOILvTqMOmlH9WG_WdPAfxuyPrG8KaqPX8INzOMLYBSrDqEZ-vh__4xmLe88yrSeEvb3U_5Gvfnl0w9mnA7GraMdurpvMsWaLMc6lGg0nIQi2PzGNEj5dn/s1600/DSC02963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGMkupL1HjgqGhSVcpJYzWRDOILvTqMOmlH9WG_WdPAfxuyPrG8KaqPX8INzOMLYBSrDqEZ-vh__4xmLe88yrSeEvb3U_5Gvfnl0w9mnA7GraMdurpvMsWaLMc6lGg0nIQi2PzGNEj5dn/s320/DSC02963.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKB-aoYDrTM74iQivdZ5d3Sd47LABCho12lJpAO8j-bTZiCzG9Pr-d-EJlEuhGsZPAMQzmcs-AtdBVSaC2ZbiaerPP9dS841bJ2KcuGAA9kyAC8-pQkQVrsfgvlZ87m1fo5DYGRbY6LkZd/s1600/DSC02970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKB-aoYDrTM74iQivdZ5d3Sd47LABCho12lJpAO8j-bTZiCzG9Pr-d-EJlEuhGsZPAMQzmcs-AtdBVSaC2ZbiaerPP9dS841bJ2KcuGAA9kyAC8-pQkQVrsfgvlZ87m1fo5DYGRbY6LkZd/s320/DSC02970.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The bus tour ended at Notre Dame. Lindsay and I lit some candles, prayed, and walked around for a bit. Notre Dame is a truly incredible place. I was amazed by the architecture and the stained glass. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notre Dame</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stained glass</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UJn6lxDjC1l47FKoPb_P-23hL3E3f51Fmi9DJjun0e1PpDPcgrUyncpnL6TpDAOgINRi49x58hKe0hv4TjcJG56Fi3eqWtx30OZET59gQE2loPF91yfDNbf2fFZusOc9xfXlDVegKQYC/s1600/DSC03002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UJn6lxDjC1l47FKoPb_P-23hL3E3f51Fmi9DJjun0e1PpDPcgrUyncpnL6TpDAOgINRi49x58hKe0hv4TjcJG56Fi3eqWtx30OZET59gQE2loPF91yfDNbf2fFZusOc9xfXlDVegKQYC/s320/DSC03002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside Notre Dame</td></tr>
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We took a quick break for lunch and then developed a game plan for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, due to some inaccuracies in the maps we had, our afternoon turned into a huge mess. First, we tried to find the Picasso Museum. That was an epic fail because the museum is actually closed for renovations until Spring 2012. Fantastic. We then got lost trying to get back to the metro stop, thanks to our incredibly helpful map. We decided to stop at Starbucks to treat ourselves for walking around aimlessly in the middle of Paris in the middle of a rainstorm. Yes, MB, I can now say I have had Starbucks in 3 countries. Here is proof! Our next stop: Père Lachaise Cemetery. There are a number of famous people buried here including: French playwright Molière, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Richard Wright, and the lead singer of The Doors, Jim Morrison. I did not get to see any of their graves, however, because thanks to the inaccuracies in the lovely handbook API provided us with, we ended up arriving at the cemetery about 15 minutes before it closed. At this point, we were totally disheartened and decided to just give up on the rest of our day, grab some food, and go back to the hotel. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starbucks in France</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBAhDkiVcBZVhIEvJkYag6Vpmwbr2_7q9YJn0p5G2CwVpZ85AOWQ3PJT6j-PNRzExgDxP1TzIxNCnEK8oJ10_WlyaEo01kwzj17Xzps0lfiOohPOcyLIaxuGIxjV55u_Znzy-q5xj8qbs/s1600/DSC03016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBAhDkiVcBZVhIEvJkYag6Vpmwbr2_7q9YJn0p5G2CwVpZ85AOWQ3PJT6j-PNRzExgDxP1TzIxNCnEK8oJ10_WlyaEo01kwzj17Xzps0lfiOohPOcyLIaxuGIxjV55u_Znzy-q5xj8qbs/s320/DSC03016.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool cemetery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoC2SMwp0_yLCriORoDFvipHv7CUXB8a2wXzuTsh0svv5kpgjv8DgiHhmrcClKifUNnFCVkG-unPPfrCetg8kjnImQhEoQoDAsNy937-iT0OTJf09pxFFkWJtCSuvg7H14AlQNpOB9umW/s1600/DSC03031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoC2SMwp0_yLCriORoDFvipHv7CUXB8a2wXzuTsh0svv5kpgjv8DgiHhmrcClKifUNnFCVkG-unPPfrCetg8kjnImQhEoQoDAsNy937-iT0OTJf09pxFFkWJtCSuvg7H14AlQNpOB9umW/s320/DSC03031.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very cool cemetery</td></tr>
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</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sunday:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> On Sunday, Teresa decided to go to mass at Notre Dame, so Natalie and I went back to the Louvre (it is free entry the first Sunday of every month) to look at some of the pieces we weren’t able to see Friday night. Oh – I should mention, that prior to going to the Louvre, we went searching for Longchamp. We couldn’t find it and every other store was closed. Once again, just my luck! Anyway, it was pouring outside so we didn’t feel guilty spending most of the day in a museum. We stopped to look at the “Romulous and Remus” statue that we had missed the first time around. We also walked through the hall of Italian paintings to see some of Di -Vinci’s work and then ended our tour at the Egyptian exhibit. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80m_4794h40bm8jIbUI-FPGThVtrJbc19VD5NTEkdCXwqt9rZ0dyNlQm9uCxsovpXyUij_ZqIJ56foSjeAexKzeRd25sX0gVHSex26lseD3mvsdBd8cUQxq2qUQWyj-RZosrNXW7-EA7V/s1600/DSC03046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80m_4794h40bm8jIbUI-FPGThVtrJbc19VD5NTEkdCXwqt9rZ0dyNlQm9uCxsovpXyUij_ZqIJ56foSjeAexKzeRd25sX0gVHSex26lseD3mvsdBd8cUQxq2qUQWyj-RZosrNXW7-EA7V/s320/DSC03046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romulus and Remus</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> After lunch, we met up with Teresa and the 3 of us made our way to the Catacombs. Once again, thanks to our incredibly helpful map, we ended up lost – about a mile or so away from our desired location. After a long walk in the rain, and a 45 minute wait outside (also in the rain) we finally entered the Catacombs! The Catacombs of Paris were created in the 18<sup>th</sup> Century following complaints about the Cemetery of the Innocent. The government selected old quarries to deposit the bones in. For centuries many have been intrigued by the Catacombs and many have gone down there to witness the bones of over 6 million Parisians. It was quite an experience walking underground, through dark, damp tunnels, surround by walls of human bones. I’m not sure it is something that I will ever want to do again – but it was worth the visit. Sunday night was the highlight of the trip. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxvzGeP8qC2pyrsZQjAkWBTAUzgkpw2FXWYtAkhQGIPM7yUwubIi7Rag-Pv-QRt93pjrgUsw0aUcLiR99D4FTnaTW8uJKY6d2lI8xxa8LMyTnghD72rthXY48dmiOeUGreavksp-xsRHm/s1600/DSC03054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxvzGeP8qC2pyrsZQjAkWBTAUzgkpw2FXWYtAkhQGIPM7yUwubIi7Rag-Pv-QRt93pjrgUsw0aUcLiR99D4FTnaTW8uJKY6d2lI8xxa8LMyTnghD72rthXY48dmiOeUGreavksp-xsRHm/s320/DSC03054.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunnel of the Catacombs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGk97EZdMEuu_-vk2BSWRO-2RpOp89eKzO-TTZ-1lX9onJiSl-LEeRfdwubsG2uMu3_sRg2pFby0BLWtDdHN4TMx6_AO-9jrDZ9X3CCZA7y4GNUtT366Pmf4qTlqigaGiObxEf4EpHFIy/s1600/DSC03068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGk97EZdMEuu_-vk2BSWRO-2RpOp89eKzO-TTZ-1lX9onJiSl-LEeRfdwubsG2uMu3_sRg2pFby0BLWtDdHN4TMx6_AO-9jrDZ9X3CCZA7y4GNUtT366Pmf4qTlqigaGiObxEf4EpHFIy/s320/DSC03068.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes - those are bones and skulls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_G4dZMLwLIEFOQuSUZC0O36pve9rEzpfWIq76GBJoV5nNi6IDToP32jMBbyGOJ582xDzIRTFIuOnDuOEU26kAY0g90du8dSnbEbnSXtYrk_BBmMFTPXd5RdfUsmd6l7BIuLh7DcyzsMp/s1600/DSC03088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_G4dZMLwLIEFOQuSUZC0O36pve9rEzpfWIq76GBJoV5nNi6IDToP32jMBbyGOJ582xDzIRTFIuOnDuOEU26kAY0g90du8dSnbEbnSXtYrk_BBmMFTPXd5RdfUsmd6l7BIuLh7DcyzsMp/s320/DSC03088.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quarry reinforced with concrete so it doesn't collapse</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We decided to take the lift up the Eiffel Tower at night! Once again, it was freezing and raining, but we didn’t care. After waiting in line for probably close to an hour, we joined a Chinese tour group in the lift to the top! (Coincidence? HA!) I feel the need to comment that I was surprised by the lack of security at the Eiffel Tower. Despite the recent terror threats, it didn’t seem as though anyone there was too concerned. Anyway, the view from the top was indescribable. Here are some pictures!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwtOnvVnrTloaY1U8f8d25GRcZ_CXAlkfou4kq2W1RpAZ_-IEkN_MoflCWM817PFER2VX-jPAdj_smtewRzE_q14143D_1Sq7muscrMbn1NO-E-iEL6AcDgJ2eZYTeP81JsDeuatkS4qy/s1600/DSC03116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwtOnvVnrTloaY1U8f8d25GRcZ_CXAlkfou4kq2W1RpAZ_-IEkN_MoflCWM817PFER2VX-jPAdj_smtewRzE_q14143D_1Sq7muscrMbn1NO-E-iEL6AcDgJ2eZYTeP81JsDeuatkS4qy/s320/DSC03116.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Made it to the top!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhjG231jnJLArZs7eoSZuRp3fasTCcvKSR5eVmWWlrA2mXpjuoflKFyJgX1Hr9KRrnXzEhFWLJC7YoTNbIZ_KWckn5YtnHOrXfwLylUK1BufAoE5tryTrOEcU3oxKQKVH-cMCFo-6zxVJ/s1600/DSC03121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhjG231jnJLArZs7eoSZuRp3fasTCcvKSR5eVmWWlrA2mXpjuoflKFyJgX1Hr9KRrnXzEhFWLJC7YoTNbIZ_KWckn5YtnHOrXfwLylUK1BufAoE5tryTrOEcU3oxKQKVH-cMCFo-6zxVJ/s320/DSC03121.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't figure out how to rotate this - but here is the Eiffel Tower sparkling. Due to the "crisis" it doesn't happen as often/for as long.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Monday:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> After hearing the weather report from Lindsay, I decided to join her on a trip to the Sacre Coeur Basilica. What an adventure that was! Once again, the map was no help. Thankfully, we found a kind Italian woman on the side of the street to point us in the right direction. After hiking up thousands of stairs in the wind, cold, and rain, we finally reached the Basicila (which sits at the highest point in Paris), and just in time for mass! I can now say that I have been to Catholic mass in 3 countries and in 3 languages, pretty cool! After mass, we toured the inside of Sacre Coeur, which, not surprisingly, was incredible. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLzg9W-WaLPh0g-f_iVMJdMB7M_6hJMPf-yCh-oFRHnKdAt93V8jHxLtYGIyJqe7Tb9jkruK-TJ4-yPO1ng1InCIUDiC10DiQf9awgLwqoO9demRPD-fM7t2IY2DnJ42UQ8pUADg8wRNt/s1600/DSC03123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaLzg9W-WaLPh0g-f_iVMJdMB7M_6hJMPf-yCh-oFRHnKdAt93V8jHxLtYGIyJqe7Tb9jkruK-TJ4-yPO1ng1InCIUDiC10DiQf9awgLwqoO9demRPD-fM7t2IY2DnJ42UQ8pUADg8wRNt/s320/DSC03123.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the highest point in Paris</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mQ6-GqOKY5LwfVN-e77Ro2lDOtilhHWm9v0Xff4s-ap-OJUtB8wiYi8d1O3LnZU00GwO0UxSilkqy7o6tj7ORwisT6CQL-VtyWOhEGWTCBNIf9TNUDE1_W7h1zjC106mWLc5wadyYnZW/s1600/DSC03128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mQ6-GqOKY5LwfVN-e77Ro2lDOtilhHWm9v0Xff4s-ap-OJUtB8wiYi8d1O3LnZU00GwO0UxSilkqy7o6tj7ORwisT6CQL-VtyWOhEGWTCBNIf9TNUDE1_W7h1zjC106mWLc5wadyYnZW/s320/DSC03128.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sacre Coeur</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We then sprinted across the street to take a lift down the stairs, sprinted up and down a few more streets, and finally made it to the metro. In our infinite wisdom, neither of us had a rain coat or an umbrella. We braved the downpours to walk to lunch and then to grab a Nutella crepe. The only thing I wanted the entire time I was in Paris was a Nutella and banana crepe. But, of course, they were out of bananas! On that note, I made my way back to the hotel for our departure back to Spain and 9 hours later, I was home in Cadiz.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In reflection, that was quite the trip. A total disaster in so many ways. However, I cannot forget how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to travel to Paris and spend 4 days exploring the city. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and I am so grateful that I went. I am, however, a bit disappointed that I was NOT in Barcelona the ONE TIME the Pope comes to Spain!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This week is going to be loaded with school work. I will be spending Friday and Saturday at a conference for my Prehistory of Andalucia class. I also will be booking my plane ticket to Italy! The weekend after next I will be traveling to Alvignanello, just outside of Naples, to spend time with some cousins who I have never met before! How exciting! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Besos to everyone!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-12402821025068209682010-10-30T15:19:00.000-07:002010-10-30T15:23:14.875-07:00Spectacular!Hola,<br />
<br />
It's been a busy week of class but we managed to find some time for fun! This was the last week of the theater festival so we made an effort to catch a few shows. Thursday night we saw a free show at the patio of the Baluarte Candelaria. The Baluarte was constructed in 1672 by the governor to protect the natural entrance to Cadiz. The cannons used to protect the city were located there. It was restored and is now used as a "Sala de Exposiciones." <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqf9sW213Amgx82NTo_-c_Cflrljggrg8r908qRhqftRLQq9Hs73ga-t3Jg_7GU4-Q6fHkDz9nQEWDpP63v1hT7ruLVLDW2YSytrEQ5B6-ysEeQaZPCCGGWyvWzCQomNuVjrsGKvGDXkh/s320/baluartecandelaria3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patio of the Baluarte</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLqf9sW213Amgx82NTo_-c_Cflrljggrg8r908qRhqftRLQq9Hs73ga-t3Jg_7GU4-Q6fHkDz9nQEWDpP63v1hT7ruLVLDW2YSytrEQ5B6-ysEeQaZPCCGGWyvWzCQomNuVjrsGKvGDXkh/s1600/baluartecandelaria3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>The show was odd. It was loosely based on Grimm's version of Snow White, but I saw no real connection to the story. On Friday night we bought tickets to see "2036. omenga-g" a production put on by the theatrical group Joglars. AMAZING. The show was full of sarcasm, humor, and political puns. It traced the transformation of Spanish life over the years. Here is a link to a video clip that sums up the show. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QddRpI0piGo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QddRpI0piGo</a><br />
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I enjoyed every minute of the performance. Its great that we have mastered the language to a point where we can laugh along with the rest of the audience. Tonight was the last night of the festival and it is tradition that on the last night there is a large, free performance. We joined everyone from Cadiz in the Plaza Catedral to watch the final show. OH MY GOODNESS. I have NEVER in my life seen anything so amazing!!!!!!! The show was put on by Xarxa Teatre - a group from Spain - and was titled "Proserpina." The artists used these amazing structures as costumes to narrate the Greek myth of Persephone. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGvE-RdSoMy163hyphenhyphen-7EU7-fYfhFM5ijPnshnnEny2ygWRE_s1QD7eAY_pjpSHDy5RE3-24bpae6Ewn6lXxG-Odnga0JQBpqjHJSL0nfw71Ryc9G2HrkIvC6fhcGfzHDIp2UL7PpUuPvkg/s320/vilteatro4g.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the people inside the structures. They used metal poles to manipulate the arms and head</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheGvE-RdSoMy163hyphenhyphen-7EU7-fYfhFM5ijPnshnnEny2ygWRE_s1QD7eAY_pjpSHDy5RE3-24bpae6Ewn6lXxG-Odnga0JQBpqjHJSL0nfw71Ryc9G2HrkIvC6fhcGfzHDIp2UL7PpUuPvkg/s1600/vilteatro4g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>The group performed on a large stage with the Cathedral as the backdrop. Rather than using a screen, they projected the artwork directly on the church. My favorite part was the fireworks. YES - fireworks! On either side of the stage there was scaffolding with fireworks on top. During the significant moments in the story, they would shoot out and bounce of the Cathedral. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. I was so impressed by the creativity that went into this production. Not only that, but the strength and talent the artists needed to manipulate the characters. Here is a link to a video of the performance at a different location. Its summarizes the hour-long show perfectly. This is a must see!<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdZ_lDR9kRE">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdZ_lDR9kR</a><br />
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Aside from seeing some amazing theatrical productions, I also did some volunteer work this weekend. On Friday Teresa and I participated in another volunteer project sponsored by the University of Cadiz. We were joined by some locals and some other students from the Sevilla program. The project was held at Salinas La Esperanza - one of the many salt marshes here in Cadiz. Over the years, the salt marshes have been neglected and as a result, the precious salt cannot be harvested and a number of bird species are becoming extinct. There is a local man named Joaquin, who, along with his sons, commits every day he can to maintaining the integrity of the salt marshes. It was an honor to be able to work with such amazing people on such an incredible project.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Salinas in the morning. Beautiful</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNz5YhvEFzvt-pjRuyPd8CaWOZ264oQSgQgb48wR3GEP8XJu809hq3GauXIKpVQBmSZo9s4Jwi-jag19MKEigWMpcVwfbE0oFoMmZ_fbDplFSUQgXAlSxZqK9vL7ETxgEG1uzEsS10NARV/s1600/DSC02738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
Over the course of the day we worked on several small projects.<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We repaired a dock, built wooden shelters for bird nests, and hauled stones to create a filter for the marsh water.</span> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoveling rocks into a wheelbarrow. It took many trips to fill the marsh with enough to make the filter!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_aAgMCse8rywaaXEF61JAqruQ8fJIZMIdO8SWZ1su94On_zGQDU1U2qWy4TWGxDTsAckjePRYDZkhRwC1BN-hFFnq5ObkzNdyESX00ydNCXUrWOTYAWv6TG5wgFspmrn-5cREm2EDcSu/s1600/DSC02759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teresa admiring the wooden shelter she made to protect the bird nests.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6spc8I-RnRz3tmjgqvPGI2IpUIIYNDXMPZ5C9BE04R24icBF3jGvHYJ9_gcFO-G4sTDRtb79cZPSTIu-acQWK9_tvDVOmo8taXsha7PBhFUP2RSbqpm_-0euy2T_Zh87SjyrvawzlRq_G/s1600/DSC02817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZE1CoiZ_weOQIN3dDScPTtqY6IvFsbkRzyYrX1ugoZdPS6AVM-c-NAPHe4G8RPpqBV4CuJwnp-7w_Wgn7ew7TjbcwzkPaads1alwZQbjTDA9O2UZ0cQghafI5YgfCN4WAH6Yvy3YFaCG/s320/DSC02764.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="213" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working hard on repairing the dock!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZE1CoiZ_weOQIN3dDScPTtqY6IvFsbkRzyYrX1ugoZdPS6AVM-c-NAPHe4G8RPpqBV4CuJwnp-7w_Wgn7ew7TjbcwzkPaads1alwZQbjTDA9O2UZ0cQghafI5YgfCN4WAH6Yvy3YFaCG/s1600/DSC02764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">One of the best parts of the day was the bird watching. We used telescopes to see the many bird species that are unique to this region. Thanks to Teresa and her parents, I now know exactly what species we saw. We saw: Spoonbills, Black Storks (incredibly beautiful), and Ruddy Turnstones, and a few others. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbab_fjpURWKAdeAKCWePG6uvGe5xpMZoeLyQJdLRMUpw2zlQROWaPR97DZ68Vwd4eXjGzeXZQ0rflxP8gPTM-ffcm0Pb0mQUtf4JC5TIXQYjJyakC-r1aKXG4pIe1sRUa5Gz21qjwGOD/s320/DSC02747.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birdwatching!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbab_fjpURWKAdeAKCWePG6uvGe5xpMZoeLyQJdLRMUpw2zlQROWaPR97DZ68Vwd4eXjGzeXZQ0rflxP8gPTM-ffcm0Pb0mQUtf4JC5TIXQYjJyakC-r1aKXG4pIe1sRUa5Gz21qjwGOD/s1600/DSC02747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We also had the opportunity to rake salt. Which - I will tell you - is VERY difficult work! The salt found in these marshes is known as "flor de sal." It is a form of pure salt. Flor de sal is rare, and therefore, very expensive. (Don't worry, they gave us some to take home!) The salt is best used on foods that are uncooked, or already cooked. For example, my former host mom used to sprinkle it over fresh cut tomatoes. This salt can only be harvested in the summer when it is hot and most of the water has been evaporated from the marshes. We were fortunate to be able to rake some of the salt during our visit, something that typically doesn't happen in late October.</span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGymkJUnfqFq0RSqxDFypuyLj0z9jTywrZA5Fw1Fke44qIakxXZb-Xz4IXtZobxS87TOcFTLqYUXlfU_Z3vE3CYgucv-OHhnxAGUsxtG3GvaSdu6AsDnDxor2gsHH-apV4Vjz1R8drs6ui/s320/DSC02781.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I am raking the salt - with the help of Joaquin's son</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flor de sal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkiP1Q5zSefgT8vif6-bjkLD4o07O5kIex7l5j6qOxJdZ7NMgUsK2ZcthXgsVv_hfLwYHxT6tEgKbOboZ8Ij5fx9DZsjXoLRlkD3EWn3Qa1TObreBMkScbD8iTeKPKUEb4QgU8m4fLKw2/s320/DSC02795.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new friend I made!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkiP1Q5zSefgT8vif6-bjkLD4o07O5kIex7l5j6qOxJdZ7NMgUsK2ZcthXgsVv_hfLwYHxT6tEgKbOboZ8Ij5fx9DZsjXoLRlkD3EWn3Qa1TObreBMkScbD8iTeKPKUEb4QgU8m4fLKw2/s1600/DSC02795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Over the course of the afternoon a lot of people came and went. The day ended with a traditional Gaditano lunch - FISH! Some of the men built a large fire and Joaquin cooked up a bunch of fish that are native to the salt marshes. I have never had to peel the skin off my fish before eating it before. It was quite the experience. I must admit, that was some of the best fish I have ever eaten.</span> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fish cooking on the open fire</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJromvjmOKgmHlerN6zm0GI26FyWD03188GmXC3cAy7o7Lzj1flWRWf38sNAeVwm_-WofTzSeHpnqyry8bz8FK1M_i4fv_tlIRdxJabXx_7yR8s3IAWy_huXDKiC2rcTNh68NRKjFVVp3P/s320/DSC02834.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My delicious lunch!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJromvjmOKgmHlerN6zm0GI26FyWD03188GmXC3cAy7o7Lzj1flWRWf38sNAeVwm_-WofTzSeHpnqyry8bz8FK1M_i4fv_tlIRdxJabXx_7yR8s3IAWy_huXDKiC2rcTNh68NRKjFVVp3P/s1600/DSC02834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> But the best part was the company of the people we were with. It was great to be surrounded by locals who were so passionate about preserving the marshes. Its days like these that make me fall in love with Spain even more. The people here are just so friendly, social, and passionate about life. I cannot wait to go back to help out again!</span> <br />
Well that is all for now! I've had a busy day today and I cannot wait to get some sleep!<br />
<br />
Besos!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><span id="goog_1687968139"></span><span id="goog_1687968140"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-20029734156017642382010-10-24T07:53:00.000-07:002010-10-24T07:53:08.702-07:00El CineBuenos tardes,<br />
<br />
Last night I made my first trip to the movie theater here in Spain. What a blast! Teresa was away for the weekend with some of her German friends from class on a climbing adventure - so Natalie and I decided to go out to the movies to see Paranormal Activity 2.<br />
<br />
I love everything about this movie theater. First, the tickets are not that expensive. Second, the popcorn is amazing!!! Third, the seats are incredibly comfortable. Natalie and I both agree that American movie theaters should be more like this. <br />
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The other unique thing about television and film here in Spain - there are no subtitles. Translation is done using "dublada" or voice-over. In fact, most Spanish people recognize the voices and even have favorites. I prefer this when watching television or movies. Subtitles can be distracting and aren't as useful in helping me practice my Spanish.<br />
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Overall, the night was a success. Although, I must say, the movie left me pretty terrified. I'm sure we will be going again!<br />
<br />
Hasta luego!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-72307248118502412092010-10-23T07:59:00.000-07:002010-10-23T07:59:47.286-07:00Estrellas del Mar and Ballet Flamenco!Hello!<br />
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I have so much to write about! Friday was a day filled with exciting adventures!<br />
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We got an early start to the day yesterday leaving Cadiz at 8:00 am for the coast. There, we met up with Carmen and Vanessa, two women who are working on their Ph.Ds in marine plant life. Their research is focused on sea grass that grows along the coast in Cadiz. They are fortunate that 3 out of the 4 types of sea grass found in Europe can be found in Cadiz. The women collect samples 4 times a year - one time each season - from the same location. We were fortunate to be able to accompany them yesterday to help them with their fall collection.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous sunrise</td></tr>
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Dressed in neoprene jumpsuits and rubber boots, we made the trek through the cold, muddy water out to each of the 3 collection zones. The zones are staggered - each a little further from the coast. To collect the sample, you have to place a metal, rectangular box (similar to a cookie cutter) into the ocean floor. Then, you remove everything from inside the box. This includes the sea grass (with roots), shells, clay, and sand. All of the material that is gathered is then placed into a mesh bag. Finally, you have the shake the bag around in the water a bit to clean the sample and remove any unwanted debris. There are 2 samples collected from each zone.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie, Carmen, Teri in jumpsuits!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way into the cold water!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing the sample</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collecting sea grass!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carmen and Vanessa collecting sea grass from Zone 3 - the furthest from the shore!</td></tr>
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Although it was freezing out, and the water was cold, there were a few surprises that made this adventure worthwhile. Take a look at what we found in the ocean!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An anenome! We were lucky enough to see a few before they slid back into their homes under the sand</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A medusa (jellyfish)! Its uncommon to see one this time of year</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A real life starfish! I've never seen one in the wild until now!</td></tr>
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We were relieved to take our suits off and join Vanessa and Carmen for a breakfast before heading off to the lab. There are 3 things that I love about Cadiz. Cafe con leche - which is nothing more than espresso and milk. Fresh squeezed orange juice. Toasted bread with olive oil and crushed tomatoes. Do I really have to go home in 2 months?<br />
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After a short break, we headed off to the lab! Dressed in lab coats, we learned how to work with our samples. The lab assistant Bea gave us a brief lesson on the structure of the sea grass. We had to go through our samples and make notes of the types of stems, branches, roots, and leaves. It was very interesting!<br />
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But our day didn't end there! Later at night we met up with Carmen at Teatro Falla. There is a festival teatro (theater festival) here in Cadiz during the month of October. Some of the productions are held in the theater and others are held in the streets- free for anyone who wants to watch!<br />
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Last nights show was a ballet- flamenco "Eva la Yerbabuena." I have never in my life seen anything like it. The dancing was a combination of ballet, flamenco, and interpretive dance. The band was incredible. The male flamenco singers were outstanding. There was so much raw talent on that stage it was unbelievable. Here is a link to the show since I didn't bring my camera with me to the theater!<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn3hzMx_88Y">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn3hzMx_88Y</a><br />
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You know what else I also love about Spain? During the show, people were cheering, yelling "ole," clapping, singing, stomping their feet. There was so much excitement and energy in the room. You could tell that the crowd really appreciated the show and loved every minute of it! I can't wait to see some of the other productions in the street this weekend!<br />
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Well, that's all for now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-44138097896886876712010-10-20T14:57:00.000-07:002010-10-20T14:57:12.787-07:00GranadaHola amigos,<br />
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I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post. I have been very busy with school work these past few days. Last weekend was our trip to Granada and I have so much to share!<br />
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We left early Friday morning to take the train to Sevilla. It was there that we met up with another API group - apparently the snobby kids who are studying in Sevilla. All of the Bryant kids, of course, were in the other group. It was a shame that they weren't more friendly - it certainly made the 3 hour bus ride to Granada uncomfortable. But, this gives me an opportunity to teach you all a new word! The word is "bija." It is colloquial, Gaditano (from Cadiz) and simply means: snob.<br />
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So after 6 hours of traveling to a place that is no more than 3.5 hours away....we finally arrived at our hotel which was located across the street from the Alhambra. It sounds like the perfect location, but it was slightly inconvenient since it sits on top of a hill - no, no, not a hill - a mountain. We got settled in and then Carmen took Natalie, Teresa, and I for a stroll around Granada. It was great that we were able to break off into our small group because Carmen was able to treat us to churros and tea!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The churros in Granada were much better than the ones in Cadiz!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stopped for mint tea at a local Moroccan inspired 'teteria." Delicious!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzTsJx4_QdPodXekuEZ9_RzUJd1RIY8r5CUVvNVliuJ_zdOhHNipcOGpJ7XV5NTmAWSsbKVRYvflgQ3u8Fk4b2o_IgxQpNWMH5rL2BQtsNiChOzwbNtrUpEbl4m7jI8pII1VvIsXvhs1g/s1600/DSC02348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>After dinner we all went to a "cueva gitana" - a cave - to see a flamenco show! The particular place we went to, Cueva de la Rocio, is famous because that is where Michelle Obama went over the summer when she took a lovely vacation here in Spain. The Spaniards LOVE the Obamas, so as you can imagine, there was a huge picture of her on display. Anyway, the show was awesome. Teresa had a great seat amongst a crowd of elderly Italian people. There were hysterical! They kept talking to her in Italian as if she understood.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teri with her Italian friends.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie and I at the show.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Here are a few pictures of the flamenco show. Afterward, we stopped at a local hotspot - La Cueva, a popular tapas place in the downtown area. In Granada, when you buy a drink, you get a 'tapa' or a little snack, free. We met a group of older men from Cordoba who were out celebrating their friend's upcoming wedding - and they were out drinking with their professor from college! They were great and challenged our knowledge of Gaditano (Cadiz) words.<br />
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The next morning we toured the Alhambra, which is hands down one of the most impressive sites in all of Europe. More than 8,000 people visit everyday. It was built in the 14th century as a Moorish palace.There is so much history surrounding the Alhambra, for me to tell it, would take forever! I encourage you to research it online! I will share some of my favorite pictures below - I think they speak for themselves.<br />
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</div> So after the Alhambra and lunch, came the BEST PART of my trip to Spain so far. We went to the Hammam Arab Baths.<br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fYCf9H49iuIyMFVsFvcyLTznJBFPdkv3xC3w7q901qji-BjFudjASutmP4HC0WEAAVH7XJOn_T-A8AsmaD3_WsGknm9HtayoIZjOhf1qRW5rOk4gj8VbduEgVB4rY6_Kp1b9wN3oZdjz/s1600/banos-arabes-granada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> Above is a picture I found online of the Arab baths in Granada. Oh. My. God. What an experience. There are 3 baths: hot, temperate, and cold. You have to start out in the temperate bath for a bit until they call you for your MASSAGE. Yes, you heard correctly. Massage. I was fortunate enough to have the only male masseuse. I'm not sure how, but that man took out 4 years worth of knots in my neck and back in 20 minutes. Best massage of my life. So....after your massage you can basically do whatever you want for the next hour and a half. I spent most of my time soaking in the hot bath and then ended with some lovely mint tea. I have to say that this was hands down the best experience I have had here in Spain.<br />
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The next day we decided to go exploring. We had walked past a staircase leading up to some olive trees a few times and it sparked out curiosity. So, on Sunday morning we decided to go on an adventure and we were not disappointed! While the rest of the group was off shopping - we found this!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teri standing by one of the many olive trees</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the "spot" we came upon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grape vines with 'fall foliage' as Teri calls it</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMYM7KnO0Q9rTXNJ4AHftG4SMlDgIQv3_iHIENg-24ZD3_Xo-xH2CRJ7JA0IQmqcwueHRJcb2Eu3obo5z3vn1qLtT9Bi4POOy4ajQIntjjXng4sQQEBSZLaqPEk190CKXnQSwgEI9Ffni/s1600/DSC02629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful building with wines and a trellis</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROQTSkx3k8_MkisdJWC7cynrxrYaDOTiegRxL0BJ87PkGlQ5U6YrFoDrj8mWgPzxzXZO4DMOM_ywcquVyp0GpsII6yF-6ritD-Di564Mr0G7u9SOpLTEo61S2FeRriSCV2El8FHO5Ar7d/s1600/DSC02632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>We spent about 2 hours exploring Granada on our own on Sunday. Sometimes now following the crowd and going off the beaten path leads to the best adventures. We discovered things about Granada that most other people don't see on a typical tour.<br />
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Overall, the trip was great. The 7 hour trip home was INCREDIBLY long and we were happy to get home.<br />
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This week has been very busy trying to get ahead with school work. I am also moving to a new host family tomorrow morning so I will have lots to share about my new family this weekend!<br />
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Besos!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-86581565620576490502010-10-12T12:55:00.000-07:002010-10-12T12:55:19.696-07:00Linea! Bingo!Hello everyone,<br />
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I just wanted to share a wonderful little story with you all. Last night I went to BINGO! YES! As many of you know, I am a serious Bingo player. Whether it be the real thing or the scratch-off version, I have some luck with this game. Well, that was until I played Spanish Bingo. Allow me to explain. Here is a picture of a typical Bingo card.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjY_jqxmMAcpgaGRCxQPD9viPIZb7Y_QZ3ZMFiyld5uaXfd_hIw3Vt2_oAOE_YejRMpOswwVadfnjx096wSrqIS3SN4b98um_oS4EjQJ9GYX1gOOBNtEf7wWiFygTAN4OJquxYOzec8hUZ/s1600/DSC02298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjY_jqxmMAcpgaGRCxQPD9viPIZb7Y_QZ3ZMFiyld5uaXfd_hIw3Vt2_oAOE_YejRMpOswwVadfnjx096wSrqIS3SN4b98um_oS4EjQJ9GYX1gOOBNtEf7wWiFygTAN4OJquxYOzec8hUZ/s320/DSC02298.JPG" width="320" /> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Each Bingo card costs 2 euro. Here is how it works. There is a giant light-up board with numbers 1-99. The caller shouts out the numbers. The first person to get "linea" or all of the numbers in the 1st row, wins a small prize. After someone gets a linea, the calling continues until someone gets every number on their card. If you notice, I was VERY CLOSE with both of these cards! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bingo here is a lot of fun! We hope to go once a week just to play a few cards and test our luck. We are no competition for the regulars (like our host mom and her friend) our the high-rollers (who sat at the table next to us) but its a fun way to practice our Spanish numbers!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hopefully next time I walk away with some money! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hasta luego!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-61963277330152210722010-10-11T08:50:00.000-07:002010-10-11T08:50:55.257-07:00Morocco: Great Culture, Great People, Great Food!Hola!!!!<br />
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I don't even know where to start! Our trip to Morocco was absolutely fantastic - worth every penny! I just want to start by saying that I am so thankful that I have this opportunity to travel the world and learn about new cultures. I have not taken one second of this experience for granted and I am making the most out of every opportunity that comes my way. Natalie, Teresa, and I had the time of our lives in Morocco and walked away from the trip with a new outlook on life.<br />
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We left late Friday afternoon for Algeciras to board the ferry to Ceuta where would spend the night. We were surprised to find that our group was not comprised of only study abroad students. There were several couples and groups of friends from Spain, Holland, and the United States who were also traveling to Morocco with us.<br />
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A little bit of background history, Morocco only gained its independence in 1956. It had previously been controlled by Spain and France. For this reason, many of the people are multilingual. I spoke Spanish the entire trip and had no issues communication. It was interesting to see the influence of the European countries in a region that is so connected to the Islamic faith. <br />
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We got to Ceuta late in the evening, had dinner, and went straight to sleep! We woke up the next morning and walked to the beach behind our hotel. I can now say that I have been in the Mediterranean Ocean! Not only that, but I now also have a small collection of sea glass from the Mediterranean coast! Very exciting!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here I am in the Mediterranean Ocean!</td></tr>
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We departed the hotel early and left for Tetuan, which was only about 12 km away. This part of Northern Morocco is breathtaking - even in the rain. The Northern Rif Mountains are incredible. Our tour guide led us through the narrow streets of Tetuan. The streets are lined with vendors selling all types of produce, eggs, clothing, and other goods. There were plenty of people out, despite the torrential downpours!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical street in Tetuan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street vendor with fresh produce</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRE1vezFtXblsoKTZlllVeQ58VO14DjZH718Qb6iMOR6kcESUR4ZoNh31X6QOzAFLZTL0ZDvqadK97Siw8manwa2eAJWv7kybX7VjeaYtUMM4d3mN9yVNvh8aFyAFXyku7crIu6mNfmzZN/s320/DSC02058.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More olives!</td></tr>
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Oh, and this is where we stopped to take a break!! At one time, this was someone's home - but it is currently being used as a restaurant.<br />
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After the break, our guide took is to a local chemist/pharmacist. Many of the people in Morocco still believe in holistic treatments. The pharmacy walls where lined with shelves with jar after jar of spices, herbs, flowers, etc. The pharmacist was wonderful and spent a considerable amount of time explaining the use of each item and walked around so we could all smell them.<br />
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After, we had a traditional Moroccan lunch. What wonderful food!!!!<br />
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Following lunch, we boarded the bus for a short drive to Tangier. On the way we stopped to see the location that divides the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea. This yellow light house is said to be the marker.<br />
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We also stopped at The Caves of Hercules. I have to be honest, none of us knew anything about these caves and I had to do a Google search to learn more. To this day, nobody knows who carved out the caves, or why or how, but they are said to be the resting place of Hercules after his 12 Labors. For those who don't know the story of Hercules, the legend goes that after he killed his son in a fit of rage, he was required to complete 12 almost impossible tasks as a punishment. The caves are stunning and we got there at the perfect time. When the tide comes in, the water gushes up through the enormous holes. So cool!<br />
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Our final stop was on the side of the road. It was here that we got to ride the camels!!!! <br />
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Eventually, we got to the heart of Tangiers and our guide gave us about an hour to walk the streets and shop. I didn't see anything in particular that caught my eye, but the other girls got some good deals after bargaining a bit!<br />
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The next morning we woke up VERY early to depart for Chechuan, a city in the heart of the Northern Rif Mountain range. We had a wonderful tour guide who was absolutely hysterical and led us through the beautiful streets of the city. You will notice that most of the houses here are painted blue as the color is said to repel mosquitoes. Along the tour we stopped to see a local bread maker and a shop that makes hand woven rugs. I made a few purchases here, the items were too beautiful to pass up. Before lunch we had about 45 minutes or so to shop some more - everything is set up like a flea market.<br />
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Lunch was held in a traditional, very rustic, Moroccan restaurant. Once again, we had AMAZING food!!!<br />
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After lunch, we headed back to ferry to depart for Spain. Aside from the history, culture, and wonderful food, one of the highlights of the trip was the opportunity to spend time with some wonderful people. We had lunch with a woman from Mallaga who is a teacher and one of her students, Brian, who was born and raised in Senegal. We also met a wonderful couple who are American citizens but are of Iranian decent. They now live in Los Angeles (with pretty impressive jobs!). The woman had pretty much adopted Teresa as her child the whole trip. They were such wonderful people and we had great conversation. We also spent some time with 3 couples from Jerez. They taught us some Spanish "play on words" and practiced their English a bit with us.<br />
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We all walked away from this trip completely changed. People are people, no matter where they are from. It really isn't fair to associate someone with their country of origin. We hate it when people here find out we are American and all they want to talk about is Obama. We have been very careful not to judge others solely on their home country. As people, we all want the same basic things in life. <br />
<br />
Now that we are back home, we have most of the week off from school and plan on spending our time at the beach, studying. What a life! On Friday we leave for Granada with Carmen for an API sponsored trip!<br />
<br />
Hasta luego!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-58633075945187975482010-10-07T08:47:00.000-07:002010-10-08T05:28:36.488-07:00First Week of Class: Complete!Holaaaa,<br />
<br />
Well, I have been here for almost a month and I JUST finished my first week of class! I must say, it went pretty well. My professors are all very helpful and are going out of their way to make sure that I am adjusting well. I can't say that I 'm not surprised, all of the people here in Cadiz are friendly. I definitely think that it is going to take a little while for me to understand each of my professor's accents, but for now, I am understanding the majority of what it is said during class. Thankfully, most of my grade will be based on my performance on a final exam and little assignments here and there. I am confident that by reading the class material and attending class, I will be fine. We also have Spanish class every night from 6-8, which is a great way for me to perfect my grammar and work on my speaking.<br />
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I won't be in class much the next week - there are a lot of holidays/faculty days. No complaints here! More time for the beach! I need to step up my sea glass collecting and work on maintaining my TAN!<br />
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Today is a holiday here in Cadiz, "Virgen del Rosario" is the partron saint of this wonderful city. There was no school today and tonight there is a celebration in town.<br />
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The girls and I booked our first trip of the semester and we are leaving for MOROCCO tomorrow! Lindsay went last weekend with the same group and the trip sounds amazing. We are all VERY excited!!! I can't wait to explore a new country, a new continent, and a new culture this weekend!<br />
<br />
Be sure to check back on Monday to hear all about the trip!<br />
<br />
<br />
Besos y un abrazoUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-35652397266996450762010-10-03T10:16:00.000-07:002010-10-03T10:16:11.281-07:00Do we really have to go to class?Hola todos,<br />
<br />
I am happy to say that I have officially completed the "intensive" language portion of the program. The exam was nothing like I thought it was going to be, in fact, there were several parts that were completely unrelated to class material. But, oh well! Its over and done with and I am sure I will end up in the next highest level regardless of my nota. We celebrated by spending the afternoon on the beach on Friday after lunch. We have officially become regulars - and we now have nicknames for the locals who frequent the same beach around the same time we do. Our favorite - a 5 year old girl we have nicknamed "demon child." She likes to run around terrorizing other children and their families. <br />
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We spent Saturday at the beach as well. The weather was gorgeous. When the tide went out Natalie and I walked around the other fort at the beach and found some pretty interesting things. She has some great pictures and as soon as she is able to upload them I will share with you! I look very tan in all of them!!!<br />
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Since today is Natalie's 22nd birthday, all 3 of us girls went out to celebrate last night. We stayed out dancing until about 4 am - which is actually EARLY here. In fact, most of the people here, regardless of age, stay out until around 7 am. But for us, 4 am was late enough!<br />
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Today we are just relaxing and preparing for the beginning of our semester. I still can't believe I have been here 3 weeks and I'm not even starting class until tomorrow! This week should go by fast as Thursday is a National Holiday and we don't have classes on Fridays. We are going to book our trip to Morocco tomorrow and we are planning on leaving for the African continent on Friday. Lindsay is on the trip now - I can't wait to hear all about it!<br />
<br />
Hasta luego!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-31447497731378961822010-09-30T12:58:00.000-07:002010-09-30T12:58:07.835-07:00Quick UpdateHey Everyone,<br />
<br />
All is well here in Cadiz. We survived the huelga! Actually, there was no real evidence of a strike here. People just used it as an excuse to skip work and go to the beach. And we used it as excuse to skip class! It was so fantastic to sleep in until noon! <br />
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We saw a chipmunk in a cage at a pet shop the other day. Very interesting. Especially since in New England we don't shed a tear if we see one lying in the middle of the road, but here, people consider them pets?!<br />
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Also, I got pooped on by a seagull today at the beach. Yep. It only took 2 weeks! Needless to say it was a less than pleasant experience, and I am hoping that it doesn't happen again soon.<br />
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Tomorrow we have our "examen" as a conclusion for our "intensive" language course. We are currently in the plaza "studying." I'm not too worried. It shouldn't be difficult. In fact, its more of an annoyance than anything else. This course did not help us improve our Spanish as much as we thought. For the most part, it conflicted with all that we have been taught over the years. I will be relieved to hand in that test tomorrow. <br />
<br />
I am soooo looking forward to the weekend. Natalie's 22nd birthday is Sunday, so we plan on celebrating from the time we finish our exam tomorrow, until Sunday morning! Should be fun!<br />
<br />
Besos!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-69236311464420839072010-09-28T11:17:00.000-07:002010-09-28T11:17:02.229-07:00Huelga?!Buenos dias,<br />
<br />
Today was relatively uneventful. I finally figured out my class schedule! I will be taking Roman Mythology, Prehistoric History of Andalucia, Roman Linguistics, and the regular Spanish class. On Fridays I have no classes and instead will be volunteering to help rehabilitate the salinas (salt marshes) in the area. I am looking forward to this the most as we will also be working with different species of birds. Mom, I'm sure you are very jealous!<br />
<br />
After class Carmen took us to the Museum of Cadiz. It was interesting - there were a lot of historical artifacts. The first floor had many Phonetician artifacts including the coffins of 2 mummies made of Italian marble. The second floor had a number of artifacts that washed up on the beach in Cadiz. The final floor had a variety of paintings on display along with some creepy puppets. La Tia Norica is a marionette collection that is over 200 years old. The collection is unique to Cadiz and served as entertainment for people that could not read.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta6nM-jWdksSKB7NTwq7a2Jb-Ur39GFSxWhhO9vyOHyRtGE-dE90HLC_Go5zzdu0g3eLycPledBboX-MKDc_My9M9x7DDsS7sKgnbAEmSIIUVY9bRvpAFdPXHYVe1VDffAvuL2Is37_fG/s1600/T%C3%ADa_Norica_Batillo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creepy, right?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgta6nM-jWdksSKB7NTwq7a2Jb-Ur39GFSxWhhO9vyOHyRtGE-dE90HLC_Go5zzdu0g3eLycPledBboX-MKDc_My9M9x7DDsS7sKgnbAEmSIIUVY9bRvpAFdPXHYVe1VDffAvuL2Is37_fG/s1600/T%C3%ADa_Norica_Batillo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> Tomorrow there is a "huelga" or strike across the entire nation of Spain. Therefore, all public transportation will be shut down and stores will be closed. So, we are going to make the most of going out tonight! We are hoping there is no class tomorrow, but we won't know until we get there. The strike is being held by mainly lower class citizens who are in opposition of new government regulations. These include wage cuts, an increase in the retirement age, and reforms that make it easier to hire/fire workers. As you may know, Spain has been hit hard by the economic crisis and unemployment rates are still very high. However, the strike is incredibly unproductive. The new reforms have already been made legal and there is nothing a strike can do. In fact, had it not been for the World Cup, this strike would have happened months ago. So - fingers crossed for no class tomorrow! I could use a day of relaxation at the beach!!!!<br />
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Hasta luego. Besos!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-52503537375270118422010-09-27T14:13:00.000-07:002010-09-27T14:13:20.825-07:00Oh dear God.....this is a bullfightHola todos,<br />
<br />
I'm sorry it has been a while since my last post. We have been trying to keep busy, so finding time to sit down and blog has been difficult. Class is more of the same - can't wait for it to be over! It's not exactly as "intensive" as I thought it was going to be. I'm anxious to enroll and be in true classes with other students next Monday.<br />
<br />
We had a relatively quiet weekend. We were so tired and drained from the week we spent a lot of time watching Spanish movies and relaxing at the beach. <br />
<br />
Remember how I had said that we would be going to a "running" of the bulls? Well - Sunday night we ended up at a bullfight. Yes. A bullfight, and I was not at ALL prepared!! Natalie, Teresa, and I had been told by our program director that there was going to be a Festival in San Fernando. She explained that there was going to be a party with people in the streets, music, and other things - or so we thought. We should have done our homework because here in Spain - "festival" is the same as "bullfight."<br />
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Anyway, our director said she was going to purchase our tickets, but didn't, so we boarded the bus to San Fernando relatively early on Sunday with the intentions of purchasing them there. At the bus stop, this guy overheard us speaking English, and came over to talk to us. His name is Alex - from Manchester, England - and is here in Cadiz for the year studying. He had just arrived and didn't know anybody in the city. He was relieved to meet some English - speaking people! So he tagged along with us for the night and we had a great time getting to know each other.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group before the fight!</td></tr>
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The bullfight began around 6:30. We chose to sit in the "sol" (sun) because it was such a nice day. Notice in the photo that because of the shape of the arena - you can buy your tickets based on "sombra" (shade) or sol. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid289pw3oiDZTstA_UNBHcDJeU91eUkbjffWbLOkZaYPBeKwvmrD3P-WhQYhmfoGbbIClLc4bI_8bc0KEaniptXtt78D6bUWidpRdE2vct1dYVzbCQ98rFyTxUof4XhyphenhyphenCfQ0Wncg8WkuEx/s1600/DSC01813.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid289pw3oiDZTstA_UNBHcDJeU91eUkbjffWbLOkZaYPBeKwvmrD3P-WhQYhmfoGbbIClLc4bI_8bc0KEaniptXtt78D6bUWidpRdE2vct1dYVzbCQ98rFyTxUof4XhyphenhyphenCfQ0Wncg8WkuEx/s320/DSC01813.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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So here is some basic information about the bullfight. There are 3 matadores who each fight 2 bulls over the course of the event. Assisting the matadores are picadores who are mounted on horses and hold long spears. They stab the bull. At our bullfight there were 3 picadores. In addition, there are banderilleros - they assist the matadores in distracting the bull. Together - the matadores and the banderilleros are known as "toreros" and you can hear that word being chanted by the crowd throughout the fight. It is also worth mentioning that there is a small army of men and a set of 3 horses who are responsible for dragging the bull from the arena once it is killed. I know, this is a lot to take in, it took until the 4th or 5th bull for us to understand the process.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is a photo of the procession that begins the bullfight. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqe9ikUWmcOH5cXRtTmmX1w-3cULGQTAnVU2DFJMc6OGV33vbWd4CmgsPWIP9Nh2ufsvT3cHXSVK28EKyYB8P-v-ssuNMKav6nH8-0Nu5SC3G6rnGjKB_A7LDMeeesD6a7OQSjHa15-iR9/s1600/DSC01824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
A bullfight, as gruesome as it may be, is truly an incredible performances. There is a specific sequence of events that must be followed. First, the bull enters the arena and the matador tests his strength. Often, the baderilleros assisted him. This only lasts for a few minutes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 3 matadores being praised by the crowd prior to the bullfight</td></tr>
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When the trumpet sounds, a picador on horseback enters the arena. The bull is drawn to him and the picador stabs him several times with a spear. The crowd cheered quite loudly during this part. The spear is aimed at the bull's neck to weaken him and this is when we first saw blood.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQofxl-JQOKqJkY3p4LBmoqu6blLQUTfI7-4o7WA_ibdYIXm7uUfV1grgUUHVctk1ic9lE1z6YuE7hHxt0C3TP8LR9IJRjMhPNlXcm7Kr_GN0NTB3lhixXiMRExpvavqxPy9UlP4BMZhpn/s320/DSC01832.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit gruesome</td></tr>
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Following this, is another round of taunting the bull. The banderilleros and sometimes the matadores, "dance" with the bull in an attempt to pierce 2 barbed sticks into its back. This happens 2 or 3 times.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqmbqU6Qk6lKTZXb9JqbyXGaHgl1l227HQzjj8ldQkwiZY02qGRl1I1ptEG7bWs7VDwRWwY6MsnjoOruJB0w89qsysLBZ572ZJDo2HL1i5TNu6zSBXbdmVaMG9kilxjiNA2wDTywkMZ03/s320/DSC01834.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Action shot</td></tr>
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The last stage is the most dramatic. It involves the matador with his sword and red cape and the bull. Music is playing in the background and it seems like a dance between man and bull. Towards the end of this stage, the matador pierces the bull in the back with his sword in attempt to pierce him in the heart. Sometimes it would take only 1 stab and the bull would be down, other times it would take several.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPqXZiyYjgo9ff9-dAHgmyFFAhLVFl6vI9kSqJ1vxYM11aTphk0l5S_iE8Ylw6THfih2ZSSo3Vrxu6ZitW4hYo2RAPp0Ub4AH9lWLEltUJmvUGH7olXn48SI6CLjlBtnWknXj7YeKAqCf/s320/DSC01858.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just the matador and the bull</td></tr>
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Immediately after the bull hits the ground, other men approach it with a small sword to kill it so it doesn't suffer further. At this point, the ears and tail are usually cut and awarded to the matador and then the bull is dragged off. There was one matador that was fond of throwing the ears into the crowd before he left the stage. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bull being dragged off</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIwz-VqzY7f__r3dU88oC754u9SRFrQIeDVutzcL8r7H1kq2kDxonVmdQR10jye1exNNbtjI1D9oXwNBM-eSwjPQYKODO4pOcjFeYmcBQt-0RLwAwmUhF-JYXK3LGGX1-JzFgxQ_HQFswE/s1600/DSC01864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFLinzL9Gb34pvOdRtfkcovwLb8xfjX5qYbcVfz_scejChI17l-8uUgW8wEAYspHjl3dKc4guJuRFws6wjCzA5JlLRTm8ycspc04ohTDzfMQgz4DY-JNKrqzwPNuzyHppq5RSbwX7zkAY/s320/DSC01934.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Presentation of the ears and tail to the matador</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFLinzL9Gb34pvOdRtfkcovwLb8xfjX5qYbcVfz_scejChI17l-8uUgW8wEAYspHjl3dKc4guJuRFws6wjCzA5JlLRTm8ycspc04ohTDzfMQgz4DY-JNKrqzwPNuzyHppq5RSbwX7zkAY/s1600/DSC01934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div> As I mentioned above, we had to endure this process 6 times. None of us were prepared for a bullfight and I have to say, my stomach was upside down and my whole body was tense the entire night. For me to watch 6 bulls be murdered over the course of almost 3 hours was a very intense experience. It took until the last bull for me to actually feel comfortable watching.<br />
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I am glad I went. It is something very unique to the Spanish culture and it truly is theatrical. I have spoken to many Spaniards about it and I can understand why some people respect, honor, and appreciate the bull fighting. I also understand why for many it is cruel, inhumane, and gruesome. Nevertheless, it is something that you must see in your life.<br />
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That was enough adventure for me for one weekend! Back to the normal routine for this week. We have a trip to the Museum of Cadiz planned for tomorrow afternoon, so be on the lookout for a post tomorrow night!<br />
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Besos!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-5163953313516424152010-09-25T08:26:00.000-07:002010-09-25T08:26:44.726-07:00YES!Hey there,<br />
<br />
I just wanted to quickly update everyone - I found out last night that I was officially accepted into the Omicron Delta Kappa chapter National Leadership Honor Society at Bryant. After a month long application process, I am so relieved that it is all finally over! I am also very excited to be 1 of the 20 juniors at Bryant to be inducted this fall!<br />
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Be sure to check out my next post soon - tomorrow we are going to a running of the bulls in San Fernando! Don't worry - I'm not running, just watching!<br />
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Besos!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-19329471174300228562010-09-24T13:33:00.000-07:002010-09-24T13:33:12.630-07:00Oh those summer nights, o-well-a, o-well-a, o-well-aLast night was a blast!!! I don't think I have laughed so hard in all of my life! Last week our host brother Hugo had told us that one of his friends was going to be celebrating his birthday, and that we had been invited to tag along. We had forgotten all about it until last night when his two friends came over and they were getting ready to go out. These are the same friends who met us at the train station and carried our luggage all the way back to the house.<br />
<br />
Hugo's friends are absolutely hysterical. Hands down they are two of the nicest and funniest people I have ever met. They really enjoyed showing us pictures from last years Carnival when they dressed in drag! One of his friends will be participating in another festival on October 1st (dressed in drag) and we can't wait to go! Anyway...Natalie and I got ready and Hugo did our hair for us. Gotta love having a brother who does hair, so convenient. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4DeastvVstPOxTI8PBmFzn7brWJE-x7zwwiNX2_G4Q_3IWGz_ACTY9S98n76iZy05QT2u20IJcH07YeG2dgGrxN8mJ-GDRsMLkL45fTu7cbpbQPUT2CfnE-nx4nPQe8wwTHOqn3VFINq/s1600/DSC01778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4DeastvVstPOxTI8PBmFzn7brWJE-x7zwwiNX2_G4Q_3IWGz_ACTY9S98n76iZy05QT2u20IJcH07YeG2dgGrxN8mJ-GDRsMLkL45fTu7cbpbQPUT2CfnE-nx4nPQe8wwTHOqn3VFINq/s320/DSC01778.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of Hugo's friends.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NJc3jqX9LOXWB86YiNOV4-ymgF-NWSeKYWEmHalEpqoMdUSVF8WJuYV3PRrgVBQk_cb9vEkZL6sPDG6-7O02uZWshS0_cd2Wc7Sbmd3QVzlY3YHm_sWz-na8KpdOG_3za_jh3vpfdLLZ/s1600/DSC01782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2_J6CL5XhPIpoGB7gd1kJIgfJWSRSIIxJ-00bAYRwns7IkTaY_KhIbCNXbRBxr_I7AOieLBtjZHDQ29HMWl-15tG6mBAVU88urnj4kcCFUGFo5gdcVUjsF02Vj-zMPvRSHfjpQWPOY3F/s1600/DSC01782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2_J6CL5XhPIpoGB7gd1kJIgfJWSRSIIxJ-00bAYRwns7IkTaY_KhIbCNXbRBxr_I7AOieLBtjZHDQ29HMWl-15tG6mBAVU88urnj4kcCFUGFo5gdcVUjsF02Vj-zMPvRSHfjpQWPOY3F/s320/DSC01782.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: x-small;">This is Hugo's other friend. It was his birthday!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX0qLXvQrBvtsE5uURWSW8oFIN_4TEGuspFW745Sm6rOLAw6bAYUsCo-DC9gHpgcs2mlGU2PsKeCd46QYGzBByG0KyfxFw45vVLyDtcDlrGyCz9KnezW6Bf6gIRkU8yifyIBg0-nuALdW/s1600/DSC01780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next, we went to a karaoke bar. WOW! So much fun. We sang a bunch of spanish songs as well as "Stronger" by Britney Spears and "Summer Nights" from the movie Grease. Absolutely hysterical. We didn't leave until the bar closed for the night. Then, Hugo and his friends took us to some dance clubs (discotecas). Apparently, the night life here doesn't get started until at least 4 am - so when we got there, they were empty. By the time we had left, they had filled up. Hugo and his friends were so protective of Natalie and I. They wouldn't let anyone near us and we danced allllllllll night! So much fun! We really hope that we have the chance to go out with them again before Hugo moves next month. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmR6tR53PgYqLBR59gPALA2PT-I07L6hKOqZScLCFkpYvV1fDujQyVoltGwWdBJMAXJ0NYiyNawP_gkd2Pxmese0KvQlCYjMy2IQbXvv-yhol0c8gTgZlA98daROY_TInMzp82bxEXvHO/s1600/DSC01788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmR6tR53PgYqLBR59gPALA2PT-I07L6hKOqZScLCFkpYvV1fDujQyVoltGwWdBJMAXJ0NYiyNawP_gkd2Pxmese0KvQlCYjMy2IQbXvv-yhol0c8gTgZlA98daROY_TInMzp82bxEXvHO/s1600/DSC01788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmR6tR53PgYqLBR59gPALA2PT-I07L6hKOqZScLCFkpYvV1fDujQyVoltGwWdBJMAXJ0NYiyNawP_gkd2Pxmese0KvQlCYjMy2IQbXvv-yhol0c8gTgZlA98daROY_TInMzp82bxEXvHO/s1600/DSC01788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRmR6tR53PgYqLBR59gPALA2PT-I07L6hKOqZScLCFkpYvV1fDujQyVoltGwWdBJMAXJ0NYiyNawP_gkd2Pxmese0KvQlCYjMy2IQbXvv-yhol0c8gTgZlA98daROY_TInMzp82bxEXvHO/s320/DSC01788.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> All of us (minus the b-day boy) prior to dancing!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukFL_F7W0hj7zWuDG5kRNwk6JkueJgaIWqQBLFcuMhLG4Nrj7bxWX4UJBTa5gS4BVNRuZs0uS2-Z8owu6tL6C2_LpD0v_LhviehP2tbeMyZgeva4OWxT4qKNAnGbQMPsTq0JAjV94SUHx/s1600/DSC01791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukFL_F7W0hj7zWuDG5kRNwk6JkueJgaIWqQBLFcuMhLG4Nrj7bxWX4UJBTa5gS4BVNRuZs0uS2-Z8owu6tL6C2_LpD0v_LhviehP2tbeMyZgeva4OWxT4qKNAnGbQMPsTq0JAjV94SUHx/s320/DSC01791.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> All of the boys together! So cute!<br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">What a night! So many laughs!!!!! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today was more of the same. Class, lunch, beach. I did in fact get my first sunburn today. I hope it is also my last while I am here. Oh! - And today, Encarna's family bought her a bird! So now we have a pet parakeet! It isn't very friendly, but I'm sure it was just terrified by all of the noise and action that there is in this house. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Time to rest up for tomorrow! Lindsay and her friend from high school are going to be in town. We have plans to meet up during the day - most likely at the beach. Can't wait!!!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Besos!</span></div></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigTI9ZAte-gsK-QA4818EauomJNZERJ5ui5Vjkj21mkOo5oCZjfMB4f6-YCG4impm69bbwVsfMuYeE0D7u58YIyUQJsbFCZs7fmERXssUUv_bHxw9K0S5aAb-EbtrGirK7ljq9xL969Mtk/s1600/DSC01780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-21510446027307250002010-09-23T21:31:00.000-07:002010-09-23T21:31:38.134-07:00There just aren't places like this in the States...Today was more of the same. Class, lunch, rest. The weather was awful today. No sun. Just clouds and a little bit of rain.<br />
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After a siesta, we skipped our run to go exploring with Carmen. She took us to the Catedral de Cadiz. Apparently, a very, very long time ago there was an old cathedral in Cadiz that burned to the ground. So they decided to build a new one down the street and it took several hundred years to build. When you look at the outside, you can clearly see that each level of the cathedral came from a different time period. The bottom has baroque influence and the top has a classical influence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrRe1eFClFAcWzqqX4ZyeCzCAkVV_lWWG3L2l7WZT0OeV-jNBhtm2to5oJ0H5zfEPC3Gw_C64kYBoyD7Qa1itGmMiA0utD39_5PlHvaYC_TPyORV8SALZZzHHwwohS8JCojHRLvjX28Bo/s320/DSC01504.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of the Cathedral</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXrRe1eFClFAcWzqqX4ZyeCzCAkVV_lWWG3L2l7WZT0OeV-jNBhtm2to5oJ0H5zfEPC3Gw_C64kYBoyD7Qa1itGmMiA0utD39_5PlHvaYC_TPyORV8SALZZzHHwwohS8JCojHRLvjX28Bo/s1600/DSC01504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>Inside, there are a number of small chapels as well as a chorale chamber similar to the one in the Cathedral in Toledo. The altar is very simple, but is incredibly beautiful. I would also like to mention the relics that we saw today. Apparently, it is quite common to save the bones/body parts of Saints and display them in ornate monstrances. Check out some pictures below:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE3-mcekrhZ2s5uQhQm_EHk4QVb7dL-7rQ3GQ7ZyOyMyTTbgMyrx8pPomSECAw8xHctcKeIYCG7o48qwZBZhcb_0WL5JPEJRF4sHUmibQZHDQQGAjn0NIl7Gg9aPLP3XPFRLU2P8SBbxf/s320/DSC01698.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The chorale chamber</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyE3-mcekrhZ2s5uQhQm_EHk4QVb7dL-7rQ3GQ7ZyOyMyTTbgMyrx8pPomSECAw8xHctcKeIYCG7o48qwZBZhcb_0WL5JPEJRF4sHUmibQZHDQQGAjn0NIl7Gg9aPLP3XPFRLU2P8SBbxf/s1600/DSC01698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq45o7h0PeVwWJWdFxEuGdnOMV6yYJNbwkTwwPXKxEQ8ZSv6irrSwFTVOC82pVVmx1Z8nliKyUp0osq36kasnvvE6H4fUHj73F5rmjuTS864vvoEaogYctEL7SNvg728pza51r7t5icJz/s320/DSC01723.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The altar</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq45o7h0PeVwWJWdFxEuGdnOMV6yYJNbwkTwwPXKxEQ8ZSv6irrSwFTVOC82pVVmx1Z8nliKyUp0osq36kasnvvE6H4fUHj73F5rmjuTS864vvoEaogYctEL7SNvg728pza51r7t5icJz/s1600/DSC01723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6LDssTmR9dQCC31mpDLyYEd15iXKI1GCy8Jfq5IX8RZzuwBhdws9VYhYq2uPmfNSqsG5B6R68s9OkUl_VkfJkobHYJyT00hP7t1ErVOon63m4emJstVn9aTKFKmwSqL5ow0-0cssI-uH/s320/DSC01708.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The monstrance made entirely of silver<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">So the coolest part of the day was the crypt! I have never been in a crypt before - I mean, really, who has? It was a very cool experience. Apparently this crypt is below sea level, so it had a very unique smell. They say if put your ear up against the wall, you can hear the ocean. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEzBn6k39XSyfWAupJWUKsZHaf3dU96P8D3taLbZmgUxuJE4NmXNfs_X1xmQOHr-8LDo1Ys539qRrz7Kw2Wqckl5FNbkWb2HULlUDrizBmMd_GxVoCJHe8JGU-bNj-L6WB7Jj5ONZXErqV/s320/DSC01732.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls at the entrance to the crypt!!</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQAaTFfapCXpmrC0qVD31p9OZyyR0BOAZhw5Y6s1hIJCkggj7TQ9_-JZhOXooqhNCz-GMCDQI5VRKqrvotJdXdqaqYZelrt8KMmcwXUjDET984RqlRBKinDA1Mz5ZAkQcJfy9M-2Ky3Ba/s1600/DSC01738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQAaTFfapCXpmrC0qVD31p9OZyyR0BOAZhw5Y6s1hIJCkggj7TQ9_-JZhOXooqhNCz-GMCDQI5VRKqrvotJdXdqaqYZelrt8KMmcwXUjDET984RqlRBKinDA1Mz5ZAkQcJfy9M-2Ky3Ba/s1600/DSC01738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQAaTFfapCXpmrC0qVD31p9OZyyR0BOAZhw5Y6s1hIJCkggj7TQ9_-JZhOXooqhNCz-GMCDQI5VRKqrvotJdXdqaqYZelrt8KMmcwXUjDET984RqlRBKinDA1Mz5ZAkQcJfy9M-2Ky3Ba/s320/DSC01738.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQAaTFfapCXpmrC0qVD31p9OZyyR0BOAZhw5Y6s1hIJCkggj7TQ9_-JZhOXooqhNCz-GMCDQI5VRKqrvotJdXdqaqYZelrt8KMmcwXUjDET984RqlRBKinDA1Mz5ZAkQcJfy9M-2Ky3Ba/s1600/DSC01738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">We are pretty sure this thing is a mannequin, but we weren't entirely convinced.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was a creepy experience, but its not anything you can do back in the States. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. After, we stopped by the museum down the street. It was filled with mostly religious artifacts and of course, more relics. We saw a lot of old bones. Very odd.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">As Natalie and I were walking home, we stopped at a pasteleria (a bakery) to try some local pastries. They were delicious! I hope I can bring a box home for Christmas! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's all for now! We need to get ready to go out with our host brother Hugo and his friends!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Besos</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6LDssTmR9dQCC31mpDLyYEd15iXKI1GCy8Jfq5IX8RZzuwBhdws9VYhYq2uPmfNSqsG5B6R68s9OkUl_VkfJkobHYJyT00hP7t1ErVOon63m4emJstVn9aTKFKmwSqL5ow0-0cssI-uH/s1600/DSC01708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><span id="goog_1902021493"></span><span id="goog_1902021494"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-13579493025399460642010-09-21T15:28:00.000-07:002010-09-21T15:28:02.166-07:00Life is for LivingSo today was a pretty average day. We had school in the morning and then came home for lunch in the afternoon. I took a short rest and then met up with Teresa to go for a run. We went on our usual route along the coast. We are still getting used to being stared at by every single person. Its not normal for many people to run outside here, so we are the main attraction every afternoon. Also, its typical for men here to stare at women, regardless of appearance. So we can see eyes wandering as we run. Today, a lovely little 70+ year old man with a cane gave us the look, we couldn't help but laugh.<br />
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After the run, we all met up at the beach. After about an hour of sunning ourselves, we decided to walk around El Castillo de San Sebastian. At night, around 8, the tide is low enough that you can walk completely around the castle. If you remember my post a couple of days ago, during the day, the water is high enough that we could safely jump off the side of the Castillo. We had a blast! Of course we were scanning the sand for sea glass.... I found some great pieces to add to my collection! It was truly amazing night and is hard to put into words. Enjoy the pictures!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6zZHRpozjqn8RaLJw6ogV3cLoMxPsEKMJxYNxUs1KEz78YlwntWmV-4PA6nSYArHkmXDOaRbnCf7sPrpbY6LhYAi3qJh5O0v58E6v068oy0y4p4YMQDM1nYBkOTWgoQ4v_d53u9dfvgX/s1600/DSC01603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6zZHRpozjqn8RaLJw6ogV3cLoMxPsEKMJxYNxUs1KEz78YlwntWmV-4PA6nSYArHkmXDOaRbnCf7sPrpbY6LhYAi3qJh5O0v58E6v068oy0y4p4YMQDM1nYBkOTWgoQ4v_d53u9dfvgX/s320/DSC01603.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JsvaC0C5GyFatI100j4lBcpVAcka_omMiS4W-Sq8j-kA5PVfey5Ah9rmjbsxZUfPVG-mcpMAA2RMhC-r_OlzkO4tW8MZnBqMVzMUvaH75rC2xwXicVRDbOqYPJflpKkm7nlLFsIB0-rp/s1600/DSC01606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JsvaC0C5GyFatI100j4lBcpVAcka_omMiS4W-Sq8j-kA5PVfey5Ah9rmjbsxZUfPVG-mcpMAA2RMhC-r_OlzkO4tW8MZnBqMVzMUvaH75rC2xwXicVRDbOqYPJflpKkm7nlLFsIB0-rp/s320/DSC01606.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbFSavI5EzvgwSoyLFxOrepeHxdtuBFYLlw9uqoufU40wfo7PZlYAFA-5X7iYsCJnRKj8VhM6IC8pd7yBbcaJQXPSBKrHwjFPQ3UeqyJv3fUy_0giPoETeo5rF19zrL8bCjjGzUvOWy-k/s1600/DSC01620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbFSavI5EzvgwSoyLFxOrepeHxdtuBFYLlw9uqoufU40wfo7PZlYAFA-5X7iYsCJnRKj8VhM6IC8pd7yBbcaJQXPSBKrHwjFPQ3UeqyJv3fUy_0giPoETeo5rF19zrL8bCjjGzUvOWy-k/s320/DSC01620.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhV2pI6piX8BqvrI-uG_jAH53Uj7mIbuEkE3E_8f7wRuQAtwR71aqz_Sy3ElHUfGVk6PmCULSMQCZUOJ87K1RrlAbauYFbJRhaHY1nJDmrePaKfOB4jEkjI3pMvH5sA1iDonkDXCEgrtv/s1600/DSC01631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhV2pI6piX8BqvrI-uG_jAH53Uj7mIbuEkE3E_8f7wRuQAtwR71aqz_Sy3ElHUfGVk6PmCULSMQCZUOJ87K1RrlAbauYFbJRhaHY1nJDmrePaKfOB4jEkjI3pMvH5sA1iDonkDXCEgrtv/s320/DSC01631.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrFtXBt8_IRgSWm4b49QApnVbzBCk9vt6RKRSFBt9XtzCmX2wGoqMfa827V8KE00OYW_5atzS9yFyY6lnFLWqfWbndExaPz3M8y6RCvEJWRmXIwtrojb6M3oTpZTEmptiL95H5BjnJWxm/s1600/DSC01689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrFtXBt8_IRgSWm4b49QApnVbzBCk9vt6RKRSFBt9XtzCmX2wGoqMfa827V8KE00OYW_5atzS9yFyY6lnFLWqfWbndExaPz3M8y6RCvEJWRmXIwtrojb6M3oTpZTEmptiL95H5BjnJWxm/s320/DSC01689.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimO__6rSYc6zT6dEDG2_oOHJSmRJFQUQKk0QDBLHfhLd9yw-nU2TNg4KprTn0QAht-9UHqUItpSY6SvhsghLUKmHfVOeuTF6AHqDJ7N9ltnMw0ayOuVq-Bb7TZbdKNHNce3bHY0Vwh2XU4/s1600/DSC01686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimO__6rSYc6zT6dEDG2_oOHJSmRJFQUQKk0QDBLHfhLd9yw-nU2TNg4KprTn0QAht-9UHqUItpSY6SvhsghLUKmHfVOeuTF6AHqDJ7N9ltnMw0ayOuVq-Bb7TZbdKNHNce3bHY0Vwh2XU4/s320/DSC01686.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Buenos noches. Hasta manana. Besos!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-4806913015650696742010-09-20T14:20:00.000-07:002010-09-20T14:22:41.285-07:00Adrenaline Rush Continued..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Ok, I'm sorry that I couldn't finish posting last night! For some reason I can't post the video of us jumping on the blog, but I will try to post it to Facebook. I want to stress that this is not something I will likely ever do again, it can be dangerous if the tide is low. We were lucky it wasn't the day we were there.<br />
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Today we had our first day of class. When we arrived we were given an exam to determine our placement level. The highest level is 8 and below that is level 6. I had no confidence in that test, not at all. I haven't done grammar exercises in ages and I was rusty after a summer without any Spanish, but lots of Chinese! Anyway, I was able to stay in level 8, which I partly feel is a little high for me. I understand everything that is going on. My writing, reading, and listening skills are superior, but my speaking is not as good as the other students in the class. I'm sure after this week I will be back to the level I was at my senior year of high school.<br />
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In the morning I have class with Alberto from 9-11:20. He is a blast! I love him! He is so fun and has a great personality. We then have short break until about noon. We went down the street for coffee and pan tostado. Toasted bread with olive oil, crushed tomatoes, and salt is very popular here. And it is delicious! Then I go back for class from 12-2 with Theresa. The break between is very much appreciated, the day goes by much faster. There are 4 Germans in my class, 3 Chinese, an Austrian, and myself. It is quite the mix!<br />
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Then Natalie and I went home for lunch. Encarna had her daughter, son-in-law and their 2 children over for lunch as well. They are such nice people. They all love to talk and they treat us like part of the family. The kids are hysterical, especially Joel, who is quite the mujeriego (ladies man) and he is only 9! Oh - and Hugo, our host brother returned from Madrid last night. He is probably one of the nicest people we have met since we have been here. He is so warm and welcoming and Natalie and I hope to spend a lot of time with him before he leaves next month. He bought his own place a few towns over and today he passed his driving exam so he is one step closer to leaving! He is VERY handsome and so is his boyfriend! <br />
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After lunch, we rested for a bit and then the 3 of us met up for a run. We jogged for a few miles along a paseo (walkway) that lines the coast. It was absolutely beautiful. We hope to make a habit of it and plan on running everyday around the same time.<br />
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That's it for today! Time to finish some homework and get to bed! More school tomorrow.<br />
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Buenos noches <3Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-77002994012558203042010-09-19T14:30:00.000-07:002010-09-19T14:30:59.424-07:00Adrenaline Rush** I apologize if my English is a little off. We hear/speak very little of it here and lately we have all had a difficult time composing sentences! <br />
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Today was a fantastic day. Absolutely fantastic. We slept in until 11 and took our time getting ready for the beach and I had the best breakfast - toasted bread with Nutella!<br />
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We went to the beach closest to our school - its the only main beach on the old part of Cadiz. The beach was full of people. Sundays here are family days. Most stores are closed and only a few restaurants and bars stay open. Everyone loves to just get out of their homes and spend time with friends and family.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9s-O-KFQaTBlGRRb4FcrZ8E9E_3FDCJZ238eINrjEWXDCIPHQwfgWzTkusAN1uen8gLxBG6nUAsbfkxMolVfZq-lpj8PNYFd_rYaqL6GsZjpAtUXSaroQnfWNNySs-EwVTQDGBPk9lPC/s1600/DSC01536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9s-O-KFQaTBlGRRb4FcrZ8E9E_3FDCJZ238eINrjEWXDCIPHQwfgWzTkusAN1uen8gLxBG6nUAsbfkxMolVfZq-lpj8PNYFd_rYaqL6GsZjpAtUXSaroQnfWNNySs-EwVTQDGBPk9lPC/s320/DSC01536.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the beach!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The beach was great. I got some more sea glass today - a lot of very pretty green pieces. There were lots of guapos (handsome men) that we had our eyes on for Theresa (she is the only one of us without a boyfriend and she is here for an entire year!) We spent a lot of time in the water. At first it feels a bit cold, but eventually you get used to it and it becomes like bath water. Theresa was the only brave one - she swam all the way out to the buoy, which by the way, is further out than any of the buoys in Rhode Island. I would also like to note that it is quite common here for women to go to the beach topless, and we saw many women doing just that today.<br />
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After a few hours, we decided to take a walk out to El Castillo de San Sebastian - which is basically a fort and was built in 1598. We took our time walking out to the fort, admiring the little beaches on either side. Close to the fort itself there are some little fissures that squirt water out when the time comes in. The fort was closed as it is only used for special events, but I was able to stick my hand through the gate and snap a few pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRqZnLjIDLgBTOxN-YGZoSGt3D7IL1_XFyyaYl1lp4wROU1Ee1ny3BPxrj8_xHQ0fo6CGFExpGanubaWnJFK3LHzSa-0vcf0WYcgntdi-8fRDFeb3zpjO6Wf4hU37jLTxqzujem6eVMIE/s320/DSC01552.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Castillo de San Sebastian</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHRqZnLjIDLgBTOxN-YGZoSGt3D7IL1_XFyyaYl1lp4wROU1Ee1ny3BPxrj8_xHQ0fo6CGFExpGanubaWnJFK3LHzSa-0vcf0WYcgntdi-8fRDFeb3zpjO6Wf4hU37jLTxqzujem6eVMIE/s1600/DSC01552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
The highlight of the day - no, the highlight of the trip so far - was jumping off the side of the fort. On our walk up we noticed some of the local girls jumping off the side. The water is very deep and there are rocks close by that you can swim too. Theresa was the only brave one at first, neither Natalie nor I wanted to jump. But after a few minutes, we had stripped down to our bathing suits and decided to do it. It was the most exhilarating thing I have ever done in my life. I loved it so much, I jumped twice. <br />
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Oh, and you probably won't believe me, but I actually have a tan. Not a burn, but a tan.<br />
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Well, I can't finish this post because my computer battery is dying! I will finish it tomorrow and add more pictures and a video of me jumping!<br />
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Besos y un abrazo!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-65052359606820164202010-09-18T15:09:00.000-07:002010-09-18T15:09:41.506-07:00I almost forgot!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Yesterday we visited an outdoor market. There really is no such thing as a supermarket here. This place took up an entire plaza. One half was all seafood. Every type of fish, shrimp, shellfish, eel you can imagine. The second half was fresh vegetables and fruits. Here are some pictures I stole from Natalie<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaNwgPjmT5qK5ck6RhxquQvkZmagVcsr0SOjiE74BepQY5gin-Z7intytjM3udbJWrT05Vck6AQ7f2pF4s0DsF7qWv1b0ih8hwpk0yXag6d3PoSFf7i-gon_ooxMwMYkPOooAN-usQ5LY/s1600/60802_1367482476684_1520340142_30841274_3250880_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaNwgPjmT5qK5ck6RhxquQvkZmagVcsr0SOjiE74BepQY5gin-Z7intytjM3udbJWrT05Vck6AQ7f2pF4s0DsF7qWv1b0ih8hwpk0yXag6d3PoSFf7i-gon_ooxMwMYkPOooAN-usQ5LY/s320/60802_1367482476684_1520340142_30841274_3250880_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONhvml1cQvAoQlBaTpwkRrzFyerwpPuS0lSElmsQS9NHAZSAHwN8h8Vufp06g5pNJ0Shfq3MBF0sGyvnXplBOe-rqySqP38lth1T9Z8SAeVU0iHQ8ja_A3MHA1afrsCF0_R69pcxiTuvq/s1600/62823_1367482316680_1520340142_30841273_6776768_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONhvml1cQvAoQlBaTpwkRrzFyerwpPuS0lSElmsQS9NHAZSAHwN8h8Vufp06g5pNJ0Shfq3MBF0sGyvnXplBOe-rqySqP38lth1T9Z8SAeVU0iHQ8ja_A3MHA1afrsCF0_R69pcxiTuvq/s320/62823_1367482316680_1520340142_30841273_6776768_n.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254930132102704481.post-84412672003296537562010-09-18T14:20:00.000-07:002010-09-18T14:39:59.120-07:00Are there night birds? There is no climbing wall in the city.Hola!<br />
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Primero - let me explain the title of this entry. My friend Theresa, the one from is Alaska, is currently sitting on the bench next to me skyping. As I mentioned last time, her parents are biologists/park rangers. Mind you, she hasn't spoken to her parents at all except to tell them that she got here safely. The first question her mom asked her was the following: "are there night birds?" LOL Later, her father asked if there was a climbing wall in the city. LOLZ.<br />
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Segundo - I am not an expert, but each day I am becoming more and more convinced that Spain is experiencing a baby boom. I mentioned that Madrid was the city of love, but nothing compares to Cadiz. Everyone here is paired up. From the five year old kids to the old people. Love is in the air! Every young couple has children and the majority of women we have seen here are pregnant. Natalie and I are convinced that it is a national epidemic. Honestly, we have never seen anything like it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiLnIwxCAgjFPGikTlb3bcwkNS-Ig6ojnAokTFrZcTQhQ8-mnWLgy2q5aUFgMtvvGb_IXLfw36NGka1r14kP5BOgiBFooEaM5bdvsQdKQ1H6M8HuJsODZyhzkS3v8uBrKKxApzaDoMdUy/s1600/DSC01523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtiLnIwxCAgjFPGikTlb3bcwkNS-Ig6ojnAokTFrZcTQhQ8-mnWLgy2q5aUFgMtvvGb_IXLfw36NGka1r14kP5BOgiBFooEaM5bdvsQdKQ1H6M8HuJsODZyhzkS3v8uBrKKxApzaDoMdUy/s320/DSC01523.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutest father and son ever. Notice the little naked boy with swimmies!</td></tr>
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Ok, now to the good stuff! We are sitting in our favorite spot - La Plaza Mina. Honestly, I have never been happier. Natalie and Theresa feel the same way. We sit here in smile. Between 6 and 8 pm is the best time to come. All of the families are out. Children of all ages are playing - roller skates, bikes, skateboards, jump rope. Dogs are walking around. Old couples are strolling arm in arm. This place is just a microcosm of the city, and Spain in general. Its a very social, family oriented place from what we have seen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwHOQUhu8_vWOq2gxwmjYPub-IHYY0vzVl0zuMHxsRe1D8m7WAY-srualKBv4hC35xj-xBhO5U4avXbEJdNc4lEeWO35GEle492OoEClxS0X5RJAulFmhbktXV8vTI4u3YqpUT5Y_aXpZ/s320/DSC01520.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute little boy in La Plaza Mina</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Plaza Mina</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwHOQUhu8_vWOq2gxwmjYPub-IHYY0vzVl0zuMHxsRe1D8m7WAY-srualKBv4hC35xj-xBhO5U4avXbEJdNc4lEeWO35GEle492OoEClxS0X5RJAulFmhbktXV8vTI4u3YqpUT5Y_aXpZ/s1600/DSC01520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqn1m1aq3hYs36iezaNQQaNyYVvd_RPfIKJI9wE1AX7ldgL-EPvJKjbHWLCQgveFfF5wfTEY5jDw2Ni1w6JpD5HFx3phlFvHrfYkKGKaILCNakzew7MtUirEqCcZ3_XYSO0iAbF2lUXpds/s1600/DSC01519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />
Now time for a play-by-play of the day! I had to get up early for a quick trip to the doctor. Between the jet lag and climate change, I have a bit of a cold. I got some medicine at the pharmacy but I haven't taken it. Going to the beach today helped a ton and I don't even think I need it. <br />
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Carmen and her husband then walked me to the beach to meet up with Natalie and Theresa. I took a little stroll by myself to buy a beach towel. Thank god the people here are so friendly or I never would have found a place to buy one!<br />
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The beach here is nothing short of FABULOUS! The highlight - - - SEA GLASS!!!!!!!!!! You all know how much I love sea glass and I never thought I would find it here! In Rhode Island it is so hard to find! But here, it was everywhere. I filled a plastic bag and each day I go to the beach, I am going to add to the collection. I hope to get in touch with the woman in Narragansett that I know who makes the sea glass jewelery. I plan on making several pieces (pendants, earrings, bookmarks, bracelets) for everyone and giving them as gifts! Natalie and Theresa had never seen sea glass before but they sure got a kick out of collecting it with me! We had a blast. The sand is wonderful - it feels like velvet. The water is incredibly warm and the air is so pure. Honestly, there is no place like it. You can't help but feel happy there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea glass collection: Day 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls on the beach</td></tr>
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We took the long way home, walking along the coast. The water is every shade of blue, its impossible to describe and no picture could do it justice. We saw a bride standing on the street corner all done up in the most beautiful dress I have ever seen in my life. We came upon the wedding party a block ahead, and then we came to the church where there was an old car waiting. We haven't learned much about weddings here, but it appears that the family waits for the bride and then they all processes to the church.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Car for the wedding - wish we could have gotten a picture of the bride!</td></tr>
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Then we had lunch and met one of Encarna's daughters and her husband. Such nice people and very family oriented. We rested for a bit and then met up with Theresa for a trip to El Corte Ingles (the shopping center) It is only a 3 minute bus ride away in the new part of Cadiz. We scoured the supermarket and bought lots of chocolate, pretzels, and NUTELLA! Encarna thinks we are crazy, but we can't live without it here!<br />
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Then it was back to the house for a light dinner (soup) and then Encarna took us down the street to a little candy shop that her family owns. She brought soup to her granddaughter that works there. Natalie and I had a BLAST in this store. Oh my god, there were so many interesting things there! Encarna and Monica could not stop laughing at us - they must have thought we were nuts, but we didn't care. I am going to go crazy picking out candy to bring home for everyone. Connor and Collin - you will love all of the sour candies they have here. Andrew is going to love the variety of sunflower seeds. And everyone else - there are so many delicious types of Ferrier Roche here - not just chocolate like in the states.<br />
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So that was the day. Tomorrow, we are all going to the beach. Encarna is going to make us bocadillas (little sandwiches) so we can stay there all day instead of having to come home for lunch. We are very much looking forward to tomorrow! Oh, and our brother Hugo is coming in tomorrow night, so I can't wait to meet him! And I can't wait for him to help me with my hair. My hair and the climate here don't get along too well!<br />
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Buenos noches. Besos y un abrazoUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0