July 3, 2011
Today was such an amazing day!! We got to sleep in for a little while because we went to Hard Rock Cafe last night at 1:30 and didn't get back until around 3! So we slept in a little bit and then we all got up and got ready. We drove the car and parked near the Sagrada Familia. We grabbed a couple pastries as we walked towards it which were delicious! And then I got to cross la Sagrada Familia off of my Places to See Before I Die List! It was incredible! It was so much bigger than I expected it to be! The architecture was amazing and it was beautiful! We got to take an elevator to the top of one of towers and look out over Barcelona. The view was gorgeous and it was so cool to be so high up! I'm so glad that we were able to go. It was definitely worth it!
After the cathedral, we went to a park that Gaudí designed. We wandered around there for a little while. As we were leaving, a girl came up to me and asked if she could interview me for a documentary class that she's in. There were two other girls with her with huge camera equipment that filmed while she asked me questions about why I take pictures, so that was kind of interesting.
Then we went and drove past an apartment building that Gaudí designed that is wavy and looks super cool!
Then we went and found La Rambla, which is a long street filled with shops. We just wandered around there, looking around and watching all of the different street performers. We also ate dinner on this street.
Afterwards, we drove past the FC Barcelona soccer stadium! It was huuuuuge! Barcelona is the current European champion of soccer. I was here for two of the games that they played in, so that was cool!
Then we came home and packed up our stuff. I can't believe I go home tomorrow. I have been in Spain for over 9 weeks and it feels like I just got here last week! I'm excited to go home, but I think I will miss Spain! Ahhhh!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
July 3, 2011
July 3, 2011
Today was such an amazing day!! We got to sleep in for a little while because we went to Hard Rock Cafe last night at 1:30 and didn't get back until around 3! So we slept in a little bit and then we all got up and got ready. We drove the car and parked near the Sagrada Familia. We grabbed a couple pastries as we walked towards it which were delicious! And then I got to cross la Sagrada Familia off of my Places to See Before I Die List! It was incredible! It was so much bigger than I expected it to be! The architecture was amazing and it was beautiful! We got to take an elevator to the top of one of towers and look out over Barcelona. The view was gorgeous and it was so cool to be so high up! I'm so glad that we were able to go. It was definitely worth it!
After the cathedral, we went to a park that Gaudí designed. We wandered around there for a little while. As we were leaving, a girl came up to me and asked if she could interview me for a documentary class that she's in. There were two other girls with her with huge camera equipment that filmed while she asked me questions about why I take pictures, so that was kind of interesting.
Then we went and drove past an apartment building that Gaudí designed that is wavy and looks super cool!
Then we went and found La Rambla, which is a long street filled with shops. We just wandered around there, looking around and watching all of the different street performers. We also ate dinner on this street.
Afterwards, we drove past the FC Barcelona soccer stadium! It was huuuuuge! Barcelona is the current European champion of soccer. I was here for two of the games that they played in, so that was cool!
Then we came home and packed up our stuff. I can't believe I go home tomorrow. I have been in Spain for over 9 weeks and it feels like I just got here last week! I'm excited to go home, but I think I will miss Spain! Ahhhh!
Today was such an amazing day!! We got to sleep in for a little while because we went to Hard Rock Cafe last night at 1:30 and didn't get back until around 3! So we slept in a little bit and then we all got up and got ready. We drove the car and parked near the Sagrada Familia. We grabbed a couple pastries as we walked towards it which were delicious! And then I got to cross la Sagrada Familia off of my Places to See Before I Die List! It was incredible! It was so much bigger than I expected it to be! The architecture was amazing and it was beautiful! We got to take an elevator to the top of one of towers and look out over Barcelona. The view was gorgeous and it was so cool to be so high up! I'm so glad that we were able to go. It was definitely worth it!
After the cathedral, we went to a park that Gaudí designed. We wandered around there for a little while. As we were leaving, a girl came up to me and asked if she could interview me for a documentary class that she's in. There were two other girls with her with huge camera equipment that filmed while she asked me questions about why I take pictures, so that was kind of interesting.
Then we went and drove past an apartment building that Gaudí designed that is wavy and looks super cool!
Then we went and found La Rambla, which is a long street filled with shops. We just wandered around there, looking around and watching all of the different street performers. We also ate dinner on this street.
Afterwards, we drove past the FC Barcelona soccer stadium! It was huuuuuge! Barcelona is the current European champion of soccer. I was here for two of the games that they played in, so that was cool!
Then we came home and packed up our stuff. I can't believe I go home tomorrow. I have been in Spain for over 9 weeks and it feels like I just got here last week! I'm excited to go home, but I think I will miss Spain! Ahhhh!
July 2, 2011
July 2, 2011
Today was a relaxing day. We got up and headed out to Nerja. We went to a different beach to try it out. It was nice, but crowded. And it had lots of topless ladies. Jill, Spence, and I went and got pizza for lunch and it was great! Then we went to the beach we were at earlier. We played a couple games and laid out for a while.
We got home and showered and then we packed up our suitcases. Then, we went to the airport. We boarded our flight to Barcelona, where we are now! I'm looking forward to spending the day here tomorrow! It's crazy, though, because they speak Catalan here. It's a dialect if Spanish but it is super different! We will have to see how that goes! We rented a car and its some sort of European Chevy crossover and we had to fit seven of us and our suitcases in the car! It was an adventure! Now I am just sitting in the car, waiting for my dad to check us into our hotel. It's after 1 AM and I am starving! Well, good night!
Today was a relaxing day. We got up and headed out to Nerja. We went to a different beach to try it out. It was nice, but crowded. And it had lots of topless ladies. Jill, Spence, and I went and got pizza for lunch and it was great! Then we went to the beach we were at earlier. We played a couple games and laid out for a while.
We got home and showered and then we packed up our suitcases. Then, we went to the airport. We boarded our flight to Barcelona, where we are now! I'm looking forward to spending the day here tomorrow! It's crazy, though, because they speak Catalan here. It's a dialect if Spanish but it is super different! We will have to see how that goes! We rented a car and its some sort of European Chevy crossover and we had to fit seven of us and our suitcases in the car! It was an adventure! Now I am just sitting in the car, waiting for my dad to check us into our hotel. It's after 1 AM and I am starving! Well, good night!
July 1, 2011
July 1, 2011
Today was a busy day! We woke up early and set out for Tarifa, where we caught our ferry to Morocco. As we left Tarifa, they stamped my passport and then as we were about to leave the ferry in Morocco, they stamped it again. They did the same thing on the way back so I got 4 stamps in my passport today!
Anyway... I HAVE NOW BEEN TO AFRICA! I can't believe it! I always thought that when I went to Africa it would be Ghana or Egypt and that it would be a ways in the future, but I got to go today! As we were getting off the boat, a man came up to us and offered to be our tour guide for the day for 20€. Because we had no idea what we were doing, we thought it would be a good idea to have him show us around. He took us through some streets and showed us some interesting shops. The. He took us to the market. It was very interesting. I had been to a couple fresh-air markets in Spain, but these were nothing like them. It was so unsanitary and it smelled disgusting! It really did give me a sense of how people in third-world countries live. Then he took us to a rug shop where we spent quite a bit of time. My parents and Deej and Whit both bought rugs. Then our guide took us into a little souvenir shop. We spent a little time in there, but I didn't buy anything.
When we came out of the shop, we were swarmed with little street vendors. Word must have gotten out that we were in there and that we had already bought some stuff because when we came out, they pounced on us. And they wouldn't leave us alone! We would tell them no but they would just keep following us! So we just walked back to the ferry. It was only around 3 in the afternoon, but we couldn't handle it.
Whitney wasn't happy that we were leaving so early but my family didn't feel comfortable eating the food there after seeing the market and everyone was hungry. So it was probably best that we left. We got a couple snacks on the ferry to tide us over until dinner.
Once we got in the car, we started driving to Júzcar. I had heard about it so I wanted to go see it. A new Smurfs movie was just made (Los Pitufos in Spanish) and it was filmed in Júzcar so the whole town is painted blue! The only problem is that it's up in the mountains so the drive there was kinda scary. But we found it and I was so cool to see! Then we drove to Ronda where we saw the bridge and ate dinner.
Then we drove home. We played lots of fun games in the car on the way home to keep dad awake. Well good night!
PS. There were stray cats everywhere today! Jill and I counted 16!!
PPS. There were so many boys today that would try and flirt with me and Jill and it was hilarious! Most didn't know a lot of English so I got "Lady! Do you love me?" and "Hi sweetheart" and "Bella, bonjour!" It was so hard not to bust up laughing!
Today was a busy day! We woke up early and set out for Tarifa, where we caught our ferry to Morocco. As we left Tarifa, they stamped my passport and then as we were about to leave the ferry in Morocco, they stamped it again. They did the same thing on the way back so I got 4 stamps in my passport today!
Anyway... I HAVE NOW BEEN TO AFRICA! I can't believe it! I always thought that when I went to Africa it would be Ghana or Egypt and that it would be a ways in the future, but I got to go today! As we were getting off the boat, a man came up to us and offered to be our tour guide for the day for 20€. Because we had no idea what we were doing, we thought it would be a good idea to have him show us around. He took us through some streets and showed us some interesting shops. The. He took us to the market. It was very interesting. I had been to a couple fresh-air markets in Spain, but these were nothing like them. It was so unsanitary and it smelled disgusting! It really did give me a sense of how people in third-world countries live. Then he took us to a rug shop where we spent quite a bit of time. My parents and Deej and Whit both bought rugs. Then our guide took us into a little souvenir shop. We spent a little time in there, but I didn't buy anything.
When we came out of the shop, we were swarmed with little street vendors. Word must have gotten out that we were in there and that we had already bought some stuff because when we came out, they pounced on us. And they wouldn't leave us alone! We would tell them no but they would just keep following us! So we just walked back to the ferry. It was only around 3 in the afternoon, but we couldn't handle it.
Whitney wasn't happy that we were leaving so early but my family didn't feel comfortable eating the food there after seeing the market and everyone was hungry. So it was probably best that we left. We got a couple snacks on the ferry to tide us over until dinner.
Once we got in the car, we started driving to Júzcar. I had heard about it so I wanted to go see it. A new Smurfs movie was just made (Los Pitufos in Spanish) and it was filmed in Júzcar so the whole town is painted blue! The only problem is that it's up in the mountains so the drive there was kinda scary. But we found it and I was so cool to see! Then we drove to Ronda where we saw the bridge and ate dinner.
Then we drove home. We played lots of fun games in the car on the way home to keep dad awake. Well good night!
PS. There were stray cats everywhere today! Jill and I counted 16!!
PPS. There were so many boys today that would try and flirt with me and Jill and it was hilarious! Most didn't know a lot of English so I got "Lady! Do you love me?" and "Hi sweetheart" and "Bella, bonjour!" It was so hard not to bust up laughing!
June 30, 2011
June 30, 2011
Today was a really slow day. First, we stopped at a supermarket to get some snacks and food so we don't have to buy every meal. I introduced my family to some of the foods that I have been eating for two months so that was fun.
Then we planned on driving to Tarifa to buy tickets and then go to the beach. But when we were half way there we remembered that we had forgotten our passports, so we had to turn around and get our passports. Then, we drove to Tarifa to buy our tickets for Morocco tomorrow. I'm soooo excited for Morocco! We got our tickets for the ferry that leaves at 10, so it's going to be an early day tomorrow.
Because it was already so late, we decided not to go to Morocco and go to Gibraltar instead. So, technically, I was in the United Kingdom today because Gibraltar is owned by the UK. So we got there and power-walked to the cable car station because we were afraid that it was going to close. Gibraltar is a little jut of land off of Spain and it is a little town surrounded by this tall mountain that is just straight up, called the Rock of Gibraltar. So we walked for forever and finally made it to the cable car station and got a cable car up to the top. The reason we wanted to go up was because they have monkeys up there. So here I am, thinking that it's going to be like Bear Park in Montana where you have to search to find what you're looking for. But oh no! There were monkeys EVERYWHERE! We were just wandering around and taking pictures and I actually got to pet a couple! There were a couple tiny babies with there moms and the babies were so cute! They were so small and just had black hair all over! You couldn't get too close though or else the parents would start making sounds at you. Whit was sitting next to one and it started playing with her camera case. Then it tried to steal it so she grabbed it and it was like they were playing tug-o-war! Then another monkey came up behind her and pulled her hair! Then, my dad was bending down by one to have my take a picture of him with the monkey and then it jumped onto his back and started unzipping his backpack! They warned us that they were good pickpockets, but I had no idea! Ha ha then Whit and I were taking picture of a mom and dad and a little baby and Spence was walking towards us. Whit got a little too close to the baby and the parents started making noises at her and then all of the sudden, a monkey swings out of the tree, runs up, and slaps and pinches Spence's leg!! It was hilarious! Then, just as we were about to leave, Whit and I were sitting on the little wall/bench and this monkey came up behind us and it just jumped up on my shoulder! I was so surprised! Then it started going through my hair, like they do to each other, looking for bugs! Luckily, the monkey didn't find any, so he hopped off my shoulder, onto Whit's head, and then into the tree! It was soooo cool! Then we took the cable car back down and got in the car.
My dad had made reservations for a Flamenco show so we went out in search of the theater. We couldn't find it so we just ended up eating at a restaurant and then driving home!
It was such a fun day! It started off super slow but the monkeys made it all worth it!
Today was a really slow day. First, we stopped at a supermarket to get some snacks and food so we don't have to buy every meal. I introduced my family to some of the foods that I have been eating for two months so that was fun.
Then we planned on driving to Tarifa to buy tickets and then go to the beach. But when we were half way there we remembered that we had forgotten our passports, so we had to turn around and get our passports. Then, we drove to Tarifa to buy our tickets for Morocco tomorrow. I'm soooo excited for Morocco! We got our tickets for the ferry that leaves at 10, so it's going to be an early day tomorrow.
Because it was already so late, we decided not to go to Morocco and go to Gibraltar instead. So, technically, I was in the United Kingdom today because Gibraltar is owned by the UK. So we got there and power-walked to the cable car station because we were afraid that it was going to close. Gibraltar is a little jut of land off of Spain and it is a little town surrounded by this tall mountain that is just straight up, called the Rock of Gibraltar. So we walked for forever and finally made it to the cable car station and got a cable car up to the top. The reason we wanted to go up was because they have monkeys up there. So here I am, thinking that it's going to be like Bear Park in Montana where you have to search to find what you're looking for. But oh no! There were monkeys EVERYWHERE! We were just wandering around and taking pictures and I actually got to pet a couple! There were a couple tiny babies with there moms and the babies were so cute! They were so small and just had black hair all over! You couldn't get too close though or else the parents would start making sounds at you. Whit was sitting next to one and it started playing with her camera case. Then it tried to steal it so she grabbed it and it was like they were playing tug-o-war! Then another monkey came up behind her and pulled her hair! Then, my dad was bending down by one to have my take a picture of him with the monkey and then it jumped onto his back and started unzipping his backpack! They warned us that they were good pickpockets, but I had no idea! Ha ha then Whit and I were taking picture of a mom and dad and a little baby and Spence was walking towards us. Whit got a little too close to the baby and the parents started making noises at her and then all of the sudden, a monkey swings out of the tree, runs up, and slaps and pinches Spence's leg!! It was hilarious! Then, just as we were about to leave, Whit and I were sitting on the little wall/bench and this monkey came up behind us and it just jumped up on my shoulder! I was so surprised! Then it started going through my hair, like they do to each other, looking for bugs! Luckily, the monkey didn't find any, so he hopped off my shoulder, onto Whit's head, and then into the tree! It was soooo cool! Then we took the cable car back down and got in the car.
My dad had made reservations for a Flamenco show so we went out in search of the theater. We couldn't find it so we just ended up eating at a restaurant and then driving home!
It was such a fun day! It started off super slow but the monkeys made it all worth it!
June 29, 2011
June 29, 2011
Today was another great day! We woke up relatively early and headed out for Granada. We got there in the morning and we just wandered around some shops and went to the fruit market. For lunch, we went to the same kebab place that I went when I was in Granada 2 and a half weeks. It was great. We wandered around some more shops and then took a bus ride up to the Alhambra. My family toured the Alhambra and they loved it. It was fun to see it again. We used our handy Rick Steves' book to learn more about it so it was really interesting.
Afterwards, we got our car, which we had parked up by the Alhambra. We moved it down towards the center of town. Then we got out and went to dinner. I directed us to the another one of the restaurants that I ate at when I was there last. It was fabulous.
Then we hurried up to the Plaza of St. Nicholas to see the Puesta del Sol, when the sunset casts an orange glow on the Alhambra. We got lemon-mint slushies and ice cream and watched the sunset. It was cool, but not as cool as I expected it to be. It was kind of hazy. But we did get to see it all lit up at night, so that was cool.
After we got down to the car, we set out to find the missionaries' apartment. The Petersons had given my mom a package to deliver to Craig while we were in Granada. So we found the apartment and got to talk to him for a while. It was fun to see him! It kinda made it more real to me. I imagine my friends on missions, but when I actually see someone that I went to school with out in the field with his his shirt, tie, and tag on, it all becomes so much more real. Once again, I am reminded of just how grateful I am that my friends are serving missions.
I slept the whole way home because I was exhausted!! Well, ciao!
Today was another great day! We woke up relatively early and headed out for Granada. We got there in the morning and we just wandered around some shops and went to the fruit market. For lunch, we went to the same kebab place that I went when I was in Granada 2 and a half weeks. It was great. We wandered around some more shops and then took a bus ride up to the Alhambra. My family toured the Alhambra and they loved it. It was fun to see it again. We used our handy Rick Steves' book to learn more about it so it was really interesting.
Afterwards, we got our car, which we had parked up by the Alhambra. We moved it down towards the center of town. Then we got out and went to dinner. I directed us to the another one of the restaurants that I ate at when I was there last. It was fabulous.
Then we hurried up to the Plaza of St. Nicholas to see the Puesta del Sol, when the sunset casts an orange glow on the Alhambra. We got lemon-mint slushies and ice cream and watched the sunset. It was cool, but not as cool as I expected it to be. It was kind of hazy. But we did get to see it all lit up at night, so that was cool.
After we got down to the car, we set out to find the missionaries' apartment. The Petersons had given my mom a package to deliver to Craig while we were in Granada. So we found the apartment and got to talk to him for a while. It was fun to see him! It kinda made it more real to me. I imagine my friends on missions, but when I actually see someone that I went to school with out in the field with his his shirt, tie, and tag on, it all becomes so much more real. Once again, I am reminded of just how grateful I am that my friends are serving missions.
I slept the whole way home because I was exhausted!! Well, ciao!
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