Oslo, Norway

Afternoon 20 October to Late Evening 21 October 2007

The four hour bus ride to Oslo from Gotenborg was actually really nice. The scenery was just breathtaking and I sat next to a Scottish guy who was now living in Sweden as he was finishing his graduate work there. It was interesting to here is opinions about various things in Europe.

When we arrived, mid afternoon, it took a while to get oriented to figure out where our hostel was. After we checked in we went to get some food. I had heard that this chain "Deli de Luca" was pretty cheap and had a lot of variety, so I picked up some "famous Norwegian Brown cheese" to sample, didn't care for it too much though.

Like Sweden, most things closed up early, so we just spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Oslo, exploring. We eventually decided to try to find a coffee shop to get a warm drink and sit and talk, but ran into some problems finding one that would be open at 9pm. Eventually we went back to another Deli de Luca which had some seats and stayed until 11pm talking. When we got back to our hostel I had a pastry that I had bought in Sweden which a friend had recommended (vanilla hearts: basically a croissant in the shape of a heart filled with a vanilla custard type cream...very good!).

We didn't get that much sleep that night as we were rooming with Spaniards that went out when we were going to sleep and came back around 3am. Some of them snored a bit, so i woke up every once in a while.

We checked out Sunday morning around 10am and headed to find a coffee shop for breakfast since museums don't open on Sundays until 11 or 12. We stumbled upon a very nice one. I had some great fruit tea and fruit cup. Again, they served my tea in a milk shake glass and I had to drink it with my mittens on because it was too warm. :) They had blankets there too in case anyone wanted to sit outside...love that about Scandinavian coffee shops.

After breakfast we hopped on the Metro to go the Noble Peace Center. It was along the water and was very much worth the visit. The first exhibit, on the bottom floor, was on "freedom". It examined what that word means to different people and what positive and negative things have been done throughout history in the name of "freedom". There were artistic films, information boards, video clips (with the Enron scandal and President Bush for example), pictures, and pull-out-information cards with quotes (from people who had suffered to achieve some objective of "freedom"). I liked the quote section the best (as I am a quote fanatic) and wrote down a few to put in my "quotes to keep" archive I have on my computer. I want to read some of the books written by and biographies on some of the people covered in this exhibit...I am turning into my mother after all :) (she loves reading bios for all you who don't know)

The second part of the museum was in a dark room. There were little TV monitors help up in a field of neon-lighted plastic rods. When you approached, they sensed the motion and would change from a picture of a Noble Prize Recipient to a paragraph explaining who they were and what they won it for. It was a really cool way to show who has one in the past, and very informative. It would be a kind of place I would love to work in and could spend hours in.

Next we got back on the Metro and went to the Munch Museum. It was pretty far from the city center but next to a beautiful park and botanical garden. We got lunch at a wonderful and cozy cafe right near the museum, kind of hidden on a side street. If I lived in Oslo, this would for sure become my regular spot to hang out, read, study...whatever. I had tea (obviously ;) and mozzarella-herb-tomato bruschetta on hearty-thickly sliced-whole grain-toasted bread with pumpkin seeds on the crust. It was amazing, could barely keep myself from scarfing it down.

After a warm and hearty meal, we toured the museum. It ended up being free that day, which was a nice surprise. It held mainly lesser known works but was still very interesting. There was a pencil drawing of "The Scream" and posters of the actual painting saying "help find me" (in Norwegian). It is really too bad that painting was stolen, I would have loved to see it as it is one of my favorites.

After the museum we walked around the park which was beautiful (like all the parks in Scandinavia) :) Then back to the hostel to collect our bags, a tram-ride-walk to the bus station for a 6:30 departure for our 1 hr 40 min bus ride to the Oslo Torp Airport. Our flight departed at 920pm getting us to Madrid just after midnight. From there we had to get the metro to Avenida de America bus station to get the late night bus back to Alcala. Then we had to take a taxi back to our apartment (buses don't run after 11:30pm) and to bed around 3am. 5 hours later we were up for school, but the sleepiness was much worth the trip.

HIGHLIGHT OF OSLO: The wonderful coffee shops we visited and ate at and our visit to the Noble Peace Center.

1. Some views of what I loved best about Oslo:
-near the Noble Peace Center

-Near the Munch Museum

-Liked the color palettes and architecture

-Following four also in the park near the Munch Museum




2. Noble Peace Center

3. City Hall

4.
5. Our Lunch Before the Munch Museum
-View from inside (note the blankets outside they provide for customers :)

-My wonderful bruschetta on hearty whole-grain-toasted bread w/pumpkin seeds ;)

-My mango-apple hot tea...in a milk shake glass?

6.Munch Museum

7. Random Statue I liked

8. "Famous" Norwegian Brown Cheese (didn't care for it too much ;)

9. The "Vanilla Heart" from Sweden...very good!

Gotenborg, Sweden: I fell in Love

Late Evening 18October – MidMorning 20 October 2007

WARNING: VERY LONG BLOG WITH LOTS OF PICTURES! ☺

One of my apartment-mates and I left right after school to get to our 1705 Ryan Air flight from Madrid to Gotenborg Sweden. I had very few expectations of Gotenborg as the people I had talked to who had been to Sweden had never been there.

We arrived late at night, seeing a beautiful Scandinavian sunset from our plane window. The airport consisted of a portable on an airfield, but it was welcoming all the same. We easily found the shuttle to take us into the city and checked into our hostel by 1030ish. We asked where we could go to get some food, and were told that the only thing open in Gotenborg at that time of night was 7-Eleven. It was funny to us because it was such a stark contrast to Spain where the night is just beginning at 1030 or 11pm.

The people who worked at 7-Eleven were really nice and spoke English (almost everyone we met in Sweden did). It was exciting for me to check out the different Swedish foods that were offered in a familiar-American establishment. There was actually a lot of good stuff in there so it wasn’t at all a unpleasant place to eat our first meal in Sweden. I ended up getting a whole grain roll, a hot tea, and a Swedish cinnamon roll…all warm and wonderful.

The next morning we got up around 9am and headed out to a breakfast place I had researched before we came and was quite excited about because it served pancakes! You just can’t find places that serve pancakes in Spain…so this was quite a treat. The place is called “Eggs & Milk” and it is a very stylish and warm café. After ordering our pancakes we were given a buzzer which would tell us when our food was ready. They were delicious…all four of them (huge too). I told the lady who took our payment that we would definitely be back again tomorrow morning.

Next we set out to get the “Gotenborg Pass” which gave us entrance into a lot of the sights and access to all the public transportation for a set fee. The first thing we went out and did was walk along the water (a moat) in these parks and tree-lined sidewalks. Everything was stunningly beautiful for me and it was in this moment, with a stomach happily full of pancakes, that I fell in love with Sweden. The fall air was crisp and refreshing, the falling of the leaves was calming and soothing to the soul somehow, and the golds and reds of the leaves on the many lovely trees was too beautiful for words. The best way to describe how I felt was complete contentment and joy…it was a spiritual experience for me as I felt the Lord’s presence all around me in the mastery of His artistic creations. I was in awe and constantly taking pictures to try to capture how I felt.

We went to a Botanic Garden by tram (which turned out to be a mini-adventure was we went the wrong way after getting off the tram and had to j-walk across a highway;). In the garden I was again Romanced by Sweden’s beauty with all the autumn wear on the trees and the sunlight playing through their branches. We went into a green house (since it was warm) and saw some tropical plants.

Next, we went to another park (known by my guide book to be “one of Europe’s best preserved 19th century parks”) that had the infamous “Palm House” (designed to look like the crystal palace in England). We saw more tropical plants there and were able to take part in that day’s special exhibition of exotic fruit tasting. We had horned cumber, star fruit, a fruit related to a potato, cactus, and more.

We took a boat tour (also part of our pass) of the moat, canals, and the harbor. The best part of the tour was going under these really low bridges. For one, our guide told us that we would have to sit on the floor in order to pass under it. We all thought she was joking at first, so no one really moved, but then she repeated herself and more firmly and we saw the bridge…so we all sat on the floor of this little boat right away. It was called “The Cheese Grater”…and for good reasons. The tour also showed us an old battle ship from WWII (that is now the Maritime Museum), a synagogue, a building called “The Lipstick Building” (that supposedly has a great view of the city), an old sail boat, a floating dock (where they repair ships), the “Fish Church” (a fish market, but also a location where some people get married), and the Gotenborg City Museum (location of the old East India Company in Gotenborg).

Right after the tour we hurried off to a café I had researched called Café Husaren: known for having “the biggest cinnamon rolls in the world”. We were cold and hungry, so a warm, stylish (complete with book shelves and a chandelier) café filled with Swedish pastries was just what we needed. They weren’t joking about the cinnamon rolls being the biggest in the world…they clearly were! I got two other pastries, once which was a long strip of a snicker-doodle cookie and the other was a sticky square of oats, dates, and something crunchy…Sweden does food right. I also got a big tea (tea comes in big mugs here which is nice because I have missed getting a big mug of tea in Spain…they are more into the small mugs of Espresso).

Next we went in search of some authentic Swedish Meatballs, as my flatmmate wanted to try some before she left Sweden. We got a recommendation from a local who said, “It was my living room last year” which I believe translates to “I went there so often last year, I practically lived there.” It was, again, very stylish with bookshelves and soft lighting, old oak tables and chairs. The meatballs were quite authentic I was told, better than one can get at an IKEA in the states ;)

We went and grocery shopped for some snacks because we had a 4-hour bus ride the next day to get to Oslo, Norway. Also, one of my friends who studied abroad in Sweden had told me that the grocery stores were very good in Sweden. Everything looked so good and interesting in the store, very healthy and organic. Between the wonderful coffee shops, pancakes, and great grocery stores…I could definitely live in Sweden!

All the tourist sights close early in Sweden, around 1700, so we had a few failed attempts to go and see some (The World Cultures Museum and the Lipstick building) but we ended up spending the rest of the night at another great coffee shop called “Café Tintin”. It was decorated with posters of the old comic strip “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin”. The tea was great and the place was so comfortable, we could have stayed all night.

We got up early the next day to get another breakfast at “Eggs and Milk” (a delicious Waffle this time) before we headed to the bus station to get to Oslo (see Oslo blog for more).
I have never felt so comfortable and drawn to any place in the world as I have in Gotenborg. I fell head over heals in loved, and was romanced by its autumn air, golden-leaved trees, charming parks, warm and inviting coffee shops, delicious pastries, and friendly locals. I hope that I can one day work, study, and/or live in Sweden. I just felt instantly at home, and I have never felt that way about anywhere besides my actual home. It was a very spiritual experience for me and I didn’t want to leave to go back to Spain after visiting! I highly recommend to you all that you make your way to Gotenborg, Sweden at some point in your life…you won’t ever forget this wonderful Scandinavian town.

HIGHLIGHT OF GOTENBORG: Spending time walking among the golden-leaved trees with the autumn sun peeking through the branches and then warming up in one of the abundant stylish and comforting coffee houses with a hot tea, Swedish pastry (or pancakes/waffle), and good conversation. In summation: being Romanced by Sweden and encountering God in some of His most impressive artwork.

1. My AMAZING pancakes from "Eggs and Milk"



2. When I first fell in love...(pictures of autumn trees and walkways near the moat)



(Very Robert Frost-esk below:)


3. Pictures from the Botanical Garden




4. Palm House (looks like the Crystal Palace)


5. The Boat Tour:

-Old Sailing Ship and the "Lipstick" Building

-Statue of a woman welcoming the sailors home


-Fish "Church" (really a fish market)


-Church

-The "Cheese Grater" Bridge

-WWII SHip


-My Flatmate and I...very cold!

-View from our boat

-Goteborg Sea Monster

6. The "Biggest Cinnamon Roll in the WOrld"!

7. Snicker Doodle Strip

8. Sticky-Oat Pastery

9. My waffle from "Eggs & Milk"

10. Farewell Sunrise in Sweden!

Bilbao and San Sebastian, Spain: País Vasco

13-14 October 2007

This weekend I went with a girlfriend I met through a church event (our meeting during Noche en Blanco a few weeks back in Madrid) to Bilbao and San Sebastián: two cities in the Basque Region in northern Spain.

We left at about 10:30 pm from Madrid to take an overnight train to San Sebastián. We slept in a 6-person bunk -dorm type room. The quarters were small, but it was fun. When we arrived I found myself to actually feel quite rested, and an overnight train is MUCH better than an overnight bus (see Barcelona blog ;)

When we got to San Sebastián, at about 7am, we immediately set off for the bus station to catch a bus to Bilbao to go and see the Guggenheim Museum there. The bus took about 1 1/4 hours and it was a BEAUTIFUL ride. It was the first time I have really seen a green Spain, but every turn brought a new picture-worthy seen of some sort.

When we got to Bilbao we headed to the Metro to see if we could figure out how to best get to the museum. Luckily A.)there was a stop that had the name "Guggenheim" in it and B.) everyone in Bilbao seems to be overly eager to help lost looking tourists. Anytime we spent more than five seconds looking at our map or staring at the metro sign, someone would come up and offer to help us figure out how to get to where we wanted to go. We were taken a-back by how friendly and helpful everyone was.

We got to the museum right around 10am as it opened. So, we got in without much of a problem at all. The irony of going to this museum was that it was in Spain but it was featuring an exhibition on American art! However, the pieces were really good, and I have never spent much time looking at American art before. They had divided the works into periods of history, ranging from paintings of George Washington and the USS Constitutions to recent abstract art pieces and works by Andy Warhol. My favorite parts of the museum were the architecture itself and the giant spider sculpture (see pictures below).

By early afternoon we caught a bus back to San Sebastián. We spent the rest of the day walking around San Sebastián. We ate at a little historic-looking cafe (where I got to have some Basque Cheese-see picture below) and we also had some really good gelato on Boulevard (the main street in the historic area).

We checked into our hostel, which was on a side street off Boulevard. The place was really unique and had a hippy-vibe (if you look at the picture of the chandelier below, that about sums up the whole vibe of the place). We went to bed between 11-12 in order to be ready for more sight seeing the next day.

We checked out of our hostel in the morning and set out to explore. We first went to a coffee shop we happened upon while walking randomly up and down some streets. We haven't encountered many coffee shops in Spain (most places are cafes-bars which cell coffee or tea but don't have the feel of a coffee shop like the ones in the US). So we had some tea and just relaxed while talking for a while.

After that we headed to see the Catedral del Buen Pastor (The Cathedral of the Good Shepard). It was a really beautiful building, and just as we arrived we saw a bride and groom walk inside for their wedding. Being the hopeless romantic I am, I naturally had to go have a peak. Other tourists were inside as well to check out the church with them…we ended up staying for the entire wedding! It was a really cool experience to see what a wedding is like in Spain. The choir that sang was amazing especially due to the good acoustics in this church. It was a very unique encounter with God, sitting in an impressive Spanish church and listening to classical worship music in Spanish…what a blessing.

After the church service we went and got some amazing gelato, for the second time that weekend…if you don’t know this about me by now, I am obsessed with frozen dairy, esp. gelato (or my favorite frozen yogurt spot at home ;). We sat on a bench in the sun in a park near Playa de la Concha and people watched. After that we read for a while and then did some window and souvenir shopping for a while, this of course included a good 40 minutes in a book store ;)

Then we grabbed some dinner and walked along the water back to the train station to take the overnight train back to Madrid.

HIGHLIGHT OF BILBOA AND SAN SEBASTIáN: Hanging out with a new friend I found I had sooo much in common with, eating good gelato, seeing a giant spider, and being immersed in the charm of San Sebastián’s beautiful boardwalk and boulevards.







BILBAO

1. Jeff Koons' Puppy outside the Guggenheim Museum

2.Modern art outside the museum

3. The museum's exterior, designed by Frank Gehry

4. Maman by Louise Bourgeois (my personal favorite), outside the museum

5. Park in Bilbao





SAN SEBASTIáN

6. Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Statue of Jesus)

7. View of Concha Beach (Playa de la Concha) and Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (in the distance)

8. Playa de la Concha

9. Basque Cheese (yum!)

10. Chandelier in our hostel: about sums up how awesome it was ;)

11. architecture along "Boulevard" in the "Parte Vieja"

12. Catedral del Buen Pastor

13. Interior of the Cathedral (see the Good Shepard?) :)

14. Dusk image of San Sebastián

15. Nighttime shot along Río Urumea

European Street Art Part I

16 August-9 October 2007

My various sightings of European street art thus far.


1. Dublin, Ireland

2. Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK)




3. Fort William, Scotland

4. Edinburgh, Scotland





5. Alcalá, Spain


6.Porto, Portugal




























(Okay not really street art, but just a funny advertisement ;)

7. Barcelona, Spain

8. Tanger, Morocco

9. Seville, Spain

10. Porto de Santa Maria, Spain (Near ROTA)

Día de Cervantes: Alcalá, Spain

9 October 2007

One of the many reasons I love Alcalá is that their major claim to fame is that Miguel Cervantes (author of the infamous "Don Quixote") was born here. So, they host a medieval festival for a week culminating in the "Día de Cervantes" (Cervantes' Day) to celebrate his birth (or his baptism?).

Anyway, it was really fun to walk around the different booths which sold medieval type crafts, food, spices, and more. There was also an animal pen, donkey rides, a wooden merry-go-round, banners of coats of arms, a musical parade, and of course Don Quixote and Sancho Pancha riding down the street.

Alcalá is great for its sense of community and its joy in celebrating life. It finds an excuse to celebrate the little things, but this day was very popular and the streets were PACKED with people.

HIGHLIGHT OF DíA DE CERVANTES: Walking around a medieval fair with Don Quixote riding down the street on his trusty steed and realizing in my head that, "Yep, this is where I live."




1. Banners in the Plaza de Cervantes (set up before the festivities began)

2. Coat-of-arms banners down Calle Mayor

3. Used book fair in front of the main Cathedral



4. Wood carver and guitar player

5. Crepes!

6. The man: Don Quixote

7. His trusty side kick: Sancho Pancha

8. The Crowds!

9. Puppets for sale

10. Spices

11. Basket Weaver

12. Pulpo (aka: Octopus)

13. Cerdo (aka: Pig meat-favorite of the Spaniards)

14. Licorice (for mom ;)

15. Wooden Merry-go-Round

16. Fresh made potato chips (for mom again ;)

17. Dates (for mom one more time ;)

Andorra la Vella, Andorra (with a little Lleida, Spain)

6-7 October 2007
*WARNING: Sorry, this blog turned out to be really long for some reason, just many amusing-frustrating anecdotes to share ;)

I left early Saturday morning to get a bus into the center of Alcalá to get a train to Madrid to get a train to Lleida to catch a shuttle bus to Andorra (altogether taking 7 hours). When I got to Madrid, at about 8:15am I was told that I could either take the 8:30 train and pay for a first class ticket, or I could wait until 11:30 and get a cheaper price. I am a huge tight wad, and it killed me to pay for a luxury I did not need or desire, but I only had a day to be in Andorra, so I paid the extra and got on my way to Lleida, Spain.

Once in Lleida, I went up to a tourist office and asked a woman how to get to the bus station to catch a shuttle to Andorra (I had read this was how to get there as one cannot take the train into Andorra). She said that I actually could just catch the shuttle from the train station. I had an hour to kill so I walked a little around Lledia. There didn’t seem to be too much there, a few shops and cafes, it appeared to be an industrial sector. I got some fresh fruit from a local market and then got the “Viatges Montmantell” Shuttle to Andorra la Vella (32 Euros round trip).

It was a 3 hour bus ride, but the scenery was gorgeous and I was reading a very good book so I didn’t mind the journey at all. I was disappointed that there was not passport stamp when I crossed the border, but still giddy to be in a new country, and one that many won’t take the time to see as it is rather difficult and complicated to get there by public transportation.

The shuttle dropped me off near my hotel around 3:15pm: Hotel Viena. After I checked in and dropped off some of my stuff, I went out to explore Andorra la Vella. Andorra la Vella (the capital of Andorra) is known for its duty free shopping, called “Europe’s Shopping Mall” for this reason. I didn’t come to shop, but as it was the easiest city to get to and the journey was already complicated enough, I just decided to stay there for my Andorran experience. There were a ton of Europeans on the streets with all sorts of shopping bags. There were many stores for electronics, alcohol, chocolate, tobacco, jewelry, perfume…you name it they had it. It has the glitz of Vegas, only with shopping instead of casinos.

However, I was on a quest. I had researched into what was good to eat in Andorra and had discovered they had Creperies. So, I set out in search of a Crepe. I didn’t realize it would be such a challenge, and an hour and half later I was still looking. However, I was having fun exploring the random streets and taking in the chaotic juxtaposition of beautiful Pyrenees mountains (I hope to come back to this area someday to do hiking in them) and glitzy shopping. Finally, I found a place to get a crepe. However, to my great embarrassment, after traveling alone all day when the patron approached me all my Spanish speaking skills (the limited ones I possess) left me and I stumbled over my words to ask the simple question in Spanish “can I sit at any table”. I believe it was the combination at the joy of finally finding my crepe mixed with 8 hours of not speaking that much that made me incapable of communication, however the owner of the café was very kind and have me a look of pity mixed with mild amusement and was very attentive to me thereafter (I think he felt sorry for the poor girl who could not communicate). Still, the delicious crepe was well worth the embarrassment, I even contemplated ordering a second ;)

After my crepe, I set out on my second quest (which took another hour of exploring up and down the streets) to find gelato. I finally found a place in a department store of sorts. It was very good and looked pretty authentic (gelato-wise). However, as I was wondering back to my room I happened upon a legitimate geladeria (aka: all they sold was gelato). Although I had literally just finished two large scoops of gelato, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to try this place out too. So, lacking all self-control I got two more scoops and walked back to my hotel. It was starting to grow dark, and a food coma had set it, so I went to sleep ridiculously early but with a very happy stomach.

I woke up early Sunday, intending to catch the 8am shuttle back to Lleida. I had seen that the train left from Lleida at 12:22 or 15:05. Taking the 8am shuttle would get me there by 10:30ish but the next shuttle (9:30) wouldn’t get me there until 12:30 meaning I would miss the 12:30 train, have to wait until 3pm to catch the next train, and not get back to Madrid until 6pm instead of 3pm.

I had asked the shuttle driver when he dropped me off (in Spanish) where I could pick it up the next morning. He told me (in Spanish) something that sounded like “the other side” and seemed to point to another street. When I asked the owner of my hotel, he pointed on a map to a bus stop across the way, but when I went to this bus stop there was no sign indicating that this is where the shuttle stopped. I went to another (more upscale) hotel and asked where I could find the shuttle and he said I had to go to the bus station: 15 minutes walk away, but I had only 5 minutes until the 8am shuttle left. So I ran to the bus station only to have them tell me the shuttle did not leave from there, and that they weren’t sure where I could get it but it was likely at the street I just came from. Knowing I had missed the 8am for sure by now, I walked back to that street stopping to ask a bus driver if he knew where I could find it. He answered in Catalan (dialect of Spanish that I don’t speak) how to find it, and I nodded politely and thanked him without understanding what he was trying to relate. It was approaching 8:45 and if I didn’t figure it out soon I would have to wait for the 12:30 shuttle, so I went into a café and asked. The lady inside asked me in French if I spoke French, and I answered in Spanish that I spoke Spanish (Andorra’s official language is Catalan, but they also speak Castellan Spanish and French). She then kindly informed me that I could get the shuttle at ANY bus stop as it would go past them ALL, and I merely had to flag them down. The gist of this all being I could have caught the 8am shuttle no problem if I just would have gone to the bus stop 20 yards from my hotel and waited ;) God has a good sense of humor.

When I got to Lleida I found out that the train actually left at 1:15pm (again, God has a good sense of humor), so I had an hour to kill again. I walked out to explore and discovered that there was a flea market going on. There were locals selling everything from used books/records, old postcards, military stuff (hats, pins, gas masks), to trinkets, nuts and bolts, and a used car radio. It was fun to walk around and explore and then God blessed me after all my frustration of the morning by providing me with a stand that sold European coins. Since most of Europe is on the Euro now they no longer use their individual currencies of the past. Since I was little, I have been collecting foreign coins; hence, this discovery was rather exciting for me. I bought currency from Portugal (before it was on the Euro), Spain (before it was the Euro), and Yugoslavia (no longer a country).

I got back to Madrid around 4pm and went to get some amazing gelato at a place I had been to before (I know I am ridiculous: eating gelato three times in a 30 hour time span)☺. If any of you ever go to Madrid, make a stop at this place FOR SURE. I provided the street name and name of the store (they have a web site too) below.

Over all, Andorra was wonderful, despite all the chaos of getting in and out of there. I would love to go back to the Pyrenees someday to hike, much more of my interest then shopping. Driving past the Pyrenees was simply breathtaking, I could feel God’s majesty at work, it was emotionally moving and inspirational (all of you who encounter God through nature as I do will understand what I mean). It was a blessing to go to a country many do not know about or will ever see, and I am so thankful for the experience.

HIGHLIGHT OF ANDORRA: Driving past the gorgeous Pyrenees Mountains, eating gelato 3 times, and having a wonderful crepe made by a kind man.

1. Crossing the border into Andorra!


2. Glitzy Shopping strip of Andorra la Vella

3. Church in Andorra la Vella

4. River running through Andorra la Vella

5. Cheese Restaurant I saw (Literally served Cheese to you in an artistic fashion), would have gone but was too expensive

6. My Crepe!

7. River on the Road from Andorra-Lleida Spain

8. Splendor of God's Artistic hand in the Pyrenees

9. Some added fog for dramatic effect ;)

10. Main street in Lleida (on Saturday, before the flea market)

11. Booth on the main street in Lledia (on Sunday during the flea market)

12. Street for the best gelato in Madrid


13. The name of the joint

14. Exhibit A of delicious gelato-ness ;)

Ruta Castillos Medievales

Friday 5 October 2007

I left Alcalá early Friday morning on a bus with my class (Spanish Civilization and Culture) headed to our first (of three stops) on our “Route of Medieval Castles). It took about 2 hours to get to the first castle: “Castillo de Manzanares del Real”. It was fun to walk around the exterior and explore some inside. There was some fog in the distance which made for some cool pictures.

After about an hour, we got back in the bus for another 2hr ride to get to Pedraza where we got to explore the inside of a Medieval prison: La Carcel de la Villa (13th Century). We had a guided tour and saw where people were kept when they were imprisoned, often in complete darkness in a room by themselves until they died. We were also supposed to visit a castle here, but it turns out it is a “private” (whatever that means) castle that doesn’t allow for visitors, so we just drove past it instead.

Then, to the bus again for another 1-2 hour ride to get to “Castillo de Coca” (near Segovia, Spain). The town this is located in is a bit eerie, as there seemed to be almost no people in it. It felt a bit like a ghost town, but the castle was pretty interesting; the most picturesque I think. We got to climb up and down steps on the exterior and climb to the top inside.

Then, a 2-hour ride home getting us back to Alcalá around 8ish.

HIGHLIGHT OF RUTA DE CASTILLOS: Talking to my Spanish Golden Age Literature Professor (came on the trip too) about books, literary styles, and Harry Potter in Spanish.

1. Olvido (my Spanish Civilization and Culture Teacher)


Castillo de Manzanares el Real
2. Exterior Shot

3. View with fog facing away from the exterior

4. Shot through a medieval window

Pedraza
5. View of exterior of the prison

Castillo de Coca (Segovia)
6. Exterior

7. Bridge to Castle (wish it were a draw bridge ;)

8. Where we could climb in the exterior

9. View from a window inside

Seville, Spain

29 September 2007

After getting in late the night before from the ferry returning from Morocco, we slept in until about 9:30 and didn't head out to Seville until 10:30ish.

Seville was one of those cities, like Barcelona, I immediately felt welcomed by. The center of Seville is beautiful. The architecture was an attractive mix of modern with old, a Latin style with a more Arabic style. The color palate was bold mixed with softer pastel colors and adorned with decorative tiles. The city was flat with wide boulevards, welcoming plazas, relaxing parks, and interesting side streets. It was a city one could enjoy getting lost in, and I couldn't help but think how nice it would be to live close by and be able to just wander around daily or sit and people watch there.

The first thing we went to see was the Cathedral. It was a really impressive structure. The outside was decoratively carved, it had a rose window, stained glass windows, a huge organ inside, gold decor inside, and very high ceilings. The Cathedral also has Columbus' tomb inside (see below).

After a visit here, we just wandered down random side streets to get a feel for the place. We saw a plaza that had orange streets (that are inedible but are planted to create a contrast in color and to provide a lovely aroma).

We ate lunch on one of the little side street cafes and then went to wander in search of a good gelato place. It was a place called "Los Angeles" and it was very good: good portions, good taste, good price. It is all about the gelato for me in Europe :)

We drove along the water way (reminded me a pit of the walkway along the Seine in Paris) and then made a quick stop at Plaza de España. This was a really cool sight as it had sections of tile dedicated to each of the regions of Spain. The tiles were painted with a map of the region as well as a historic event that was significant to the region.

We returned back to our "home" around 6pm and then went to the beach to see the sunset. We had a drink at a Moroccan-style tea place in an area called "Petit Sherry". There also was a model of some old ship (one of Columbus' I think), so we took a pirate picture (see below). My tea was very good: Mango tea served in a decorative gold glass and accompanied by dates (had never had them before, and they are actually quite good!). Then we returned back "home" to watch about 3 episodes of "Top Chef" as our hostess had the ability to get US TV in her home and we hadn't seen any TV for a month.

HIGHLIGHT OF SEVILLE: Wandering the side streets and feeling welcomed by such a beautiful city.

1. First Views of Seville:



2. Side Street and Plaza (with the orange trees)



4. The Cathedral


5. Tomb of Columbus

6.Part of the exterior to the Cathedral

7. My flatmates and I in front of the Cathedral

8. Plaza de España




9. Sunset near Petit Sherry

10. Pirate Pic

11. My Mango tea with Dates

Tanger, Morocco

Afternoon of 28 September 2007

After Gibraltar we drove to Tarifa, Spain to catch a 3pm ferry to Tanger, Morocco. The ferry was huge and could seat about 500 people. Although, when we took it, there were barely 30 people on board. The trip out wasn't too bad, a little rocky, but it only took 45-60 minutes and we had arrived to the African continent. I was really excited to be (technically speaking) in Africa for the first time.

The funny thing about taking the ferry is that we had to get our passport stamped once in Tarifa by Spanish authorities and then again by Moroccan authorities on the ferry. When we returned we did the same ritual in reverse, with a total of 4 stamps on our passport instead of the usual two.

It was a little overwhelming getting off the ferry and stepping onto African soil (or cement rather) for the first time. It suddenly hit us that we were four girls by ourselves in an African and Arab country for the first time, we had not maps, and we had no idea where we could go. But, God works in wonderfully and mysterious ways, and we were immediately approached by a man with a tour-guide badge offering to give us a walking tour of the city for 5 euros a piece. At first I was very suspicious, seeing as we had literally just stepped off the ferry and because he was very eager and determined to give us a tour. However, in the end, we agreed having really no better option.

It turned out to be a huge blessing though, for without him we would have been lost and felt much less secure in walking around since we really had no idea where to go. He explained that since it was Ramadan we only had a few hours to see things before everything closed up. So, the first thing we did was go to a Moroccan restaurant he recommended. The decor was Arabic in style and we sat on elevated cushions with pillows. We ate off of decorative china and there were even 3 men in fezzes playing Moroccan music for us while we dined. Most of the food I couldn't eat because it had chicken in it, but I filled up on a lot of bread which was really good. You can see pictures and descriptions of our meal below.

After that he took us to an open market (helped me buy some Moroccan fruit), down charming side streets, to see a local Catholic church, to see people coming out of a mosque, showed us a 300 year old tree, and showed us the Kasbah.

He also took us to a local store to buy some souvenirs. It was clear to us, at this point, that his route was very organized and that he likely had deals with/was friends with the owners of the restaurant and the store. For 5 euros apiece, I hope he gets some commissions or something for taking us to those places. We did some haggling and bought some gifts, and the people in the store were really nice to talk to. They were determined to give us a "package deal" and "good student price", it was a very worthwhile experience. While in the store, we also heard the call to prayer over some sort of intercom system. You could hear it anywhere you were in the city.

Before heading back to the ferry, our guide helped us buy some honey cakes. He had been mentioning them a lot when we asked about what they ate there normally and what they usually ate when they broke the fast of Ramadan at night. So, I just had to try them. He got us 4 different varieties and they were SO good. Any of you who go to Morocco, you HAVE to try these things, and they are very cheap. They were so good one had to exercise self-control not to inhale them. Anyways, it was good to try something very local and authentic.

Morocco is 2 hours behind Spain because it does not change its clocks for daylights savings. So, we went to catch the 7pm ferry (9pm Spain time) since we literally just missed the 5pm one. When we got there, we discovered that since it was Ramadan all the ferries were pushed back 30 minutes, and in the end we left around 8pm (10pm Spain time). Our guide had to go home to his family, so we had to just chill and eat honey cakes for about 2 hours waiting for the ferry to depart.

While we waited God entertained us with some lighting, which really completed the experience for me. It was really fun to spend a day in Morocco, especially with our wonderful God-sent guide.

HIGHLIGHT OF MOROCCO: Experiencing Africa and an Arabic country for the first time and eating delicious HONEYCAKES!


1. Ferry from Tarifa, Spain to Tanger, Morocco

2. One of the first views I had of Africa

3. Interior of the Moroccan Restaurant

4. Me, one of my flat mates, and the lady we stayed with in the restaurant

5. View of the "old city" from the Restaurant Window

6. Our Moroccan Band :)

7. The China for our lunch

8. First Course: Chicken-Lentil Stew

9. Second Course: Fried-Crepe-Cinamonon-Sugar-Egg-Chicken Pocket (don't know the real name)

10. Third Course: Chicken Couscous

11. Wheat Loaf

12. Where the bread is cooked (saw later in the day)

13. Almond-Sugar Cookies (very good!)

14. Olives from the open market (mom and dad: you would have like this part)

15. People getting out of a service at a mosque

16. My flatmates, me, and the lady we stayed with in front of the entrance to the kashbah

17. My two flatmates, our guide, and the lady we stayed with

18.Honeycakes!!! (half eaten :)

Gibraltar, UK

Morning of 28 September 2007

We woke up early to make the drive to Gibraltar. The funny thing about Gibraltar is that it is located physically on the Iberian Peninsula (aka Spain) but it is owned by the UK. We had to drive across a check point and show our passports and then once inside the city limits all the signs were in English, restaurants had English fare on the menu and British names, and prices were in pounds. It was strange to be submerged into an English speaking culture once again.

It was raining and a little windy when we got there, so the cable car that takes you up to the top of Gibraltar Rock was closed. So, we spent about 2 hours walking around Gibraltar in the rain trying to decide if we should pay 30 Euros for a bus tour and or try to take a taxi. We decided against the bus tour, but we couldn't get a taxi anywhere although we tried to flag them down. Just as we were about to drive up ourselves (which is a tough ride and wouldn't give us an opportunity to walk around up top because there is no parking lot) we saw that the cable cars were working again!

The cable car ride up and down has an amazing view, and takes only about 10 minutes: very worth it for those of you that go there someday. Not only is the view over Gibraltar spectacular, but there are wild monkeys up top. So, Gibraltar became a little more random: English speaking providence on the coast of Spain that has monkeys. These monkeys were used to tourists though, and we were warned that they would steal things (namely food) from your bags if you weren't careful where you put your things.

We walked around up top and observed the monkeys around us. It was very overcast and it felt like you were walking in a cloud, which made for some really cool pictures (see below). Although some of the visibility of the city and the ocean were limited due to the clouds, I liked it a lot, it made the whole experience seem a little more fantastic.

At around 12:30ish we descended from our "castle on a cloud" and set off to drive to Tarifa, Spain in order to catch a ferry to Tanger, Morocco.

HIGHLIGHT OF GIBRALTAR: Cable car ride up to see monkeys and feel like I was walking on a cloud.



1.Gibraltar Rock

2. Cable car to the top

3. View of Gibraltar from above

4. Gibraltar Monkey

5. View of the top of the Rock (some sort of historic military fortress?)

6. My Flatmates and I in a cloud :)

7. Memorial Site

Cadiz, Spain

27 September 2007

Two of my flatmates and I took an evening flight from Madrid to Jerez, Spain. When we arrived we were met by a friend of my fathers and she drove us back to her home, about 30 minutes away along the coast, where we were going to stay for the weekend.

She first took us by to see the beach that is close to her home (she lives in a city near ROTA, a U.S. Naval Base), and the view was beautiful! Then, after a quick look around her home and a drink , we decided to go have a look at Cádiz, which was about 45 minutes away by car.

According to my guide book, Cádiz is "thought to be the oldest inhabited city in Europe". It is also apparently where Queen Elizabeth made the first step in the coming defeat of the King Philip II's Spanish Armada.

It was a really nice city, small but with a very well preserved historic look to it. We really just kind of wandered along the charming back streets. We saw the Cathedral there, which was next to a nice plaza (adding to its charm was a street performer playing acoustic guitar). We went along a cobble-stoned path way that led to a light house and also had some tapas before driving home.

HIGHLIGHT OF CáDIZ: wandering the historic streets of Europe's oldest city.


1. Beach near ROTA



3.Cathedral

4.Plaza near the Cathedral

5. Entrance to pathway leading to light house

6. Pathway to lighthouse

7. Charming Side Street