A bed is a bed... but is that our shower???

Welp it was quite an adventure, my favorite part was the succession of hotels and hostels that we/I stayed in.  Here is a list of the places we stayed and an overview of the  accommodations.  

Night One: Venice

Best Western

A bit expensive for us, but so was all of Venice,

Two bedrooms 

Bathroom: Enclosed shower and tub, toilet and  bid-ay, sink filled with every toiletry imaginable and a few extra.

Breakfast... Delicious, beyond our wildest dreams.  

Night Two (and Three): Rimini

** hotel

cheap, 60 euros total.

One bedroom

Bathroom: Enclosed shower, toilet and sink.

Breakfast... Top notch, cereals, yogurt, breads, juice and coffee

Night Four: Florence

** hotel

cheap 60 euros total.

Two bedroom

Bathroom: Shower head on wall over sink, toilet and bid-ay.

Breakfast, not so wonderful...

Night Five (and Six/Seven): Rome

Hotel???

cheap 51 euros without "bathroom" 60 euros with. (we went "with")

One room containing two beds, a table, a lock box, a shower with sightly frosted doors, a sink... NO TOILET OR BID-AY. (also there was a sign on the door saying the room was worth 290 euros during high season... yeah right.)

Breakfast- 7euros per person extra... aka didn't eat there and have no idea if it was good or not

Part Two: Switzerland

Nights One-Five: L'abri

Chalet Bellevue 

45 swiss francs a night/day

Room with three other girls

Two showers and two toilets on our floor.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner... delicious/top notch.

Night Six-Seven: Geneva

City Hostel

32 swiss francs a night

Room with three other girls

two showers across the hall, in the same room with the TWO men's toilets and ONE women's toilet... what about that makes sense?

Breakfast: Not included

Part Three: Belgium

Nights One and Two:

Van Gogh Hostel, "newly renovated." (Or a better title would be, UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Room with three other girls and sink 

Bathroom, down stairs... one men's and one women's. Showers, one MILE away in reception building.

Breakfast: TERRIBLE, dry bread and nutella and stale corn flakes with sour milk. YUCK!

Sign on entryway door: "FOR YOUR SAFETY KEEP THIS DOOR CLOSED AND LOCKED AT ALL TIMES"... was it? nope.

PTL I'm back in Madrid!!!

Travel

For the past two and a half weeks I've been out of Spain.  I travelled to Italy for a week, and then to Switzerland for a week and finally to Belgium for 3 days!  It's been a whirlwind of activities and over the next few days I hope to update everyone on the main events!  

I'll start with Italy:

What an amazing adventure it was.  Two girls from my school in Madrid and I planned to go through Italy about a two months ago.  Up until the time we left, the three of us had never spent more than twenty minutes together... it was a bit disconcerting for all of us I think.  Anyway, our flight to Milan was scheduled for 6:35 am.  Public transit in Madrid doesn't open until 6:30 am, so we decided to catch the last of the metro trains the night before and hang out together at the airport. (We got there about midnight...)  I'm not really sure what we talked about or did for the next five hours, but I know that I laughed a lot and was completely exhausted by the time we boarded the plane.  

We were flying with Ryan Air, a cheap airline company that apparently didn't hire the most skilled pilots.  As some of you could guess, I feel asleep as soon as I found a seat on the plane.  (The other girls slept a small bit as well, but according to them there was pretty bad turbulence the whole flight.)  As we landed, everyone jumped, my self included.  My immediate thought was that we had crashed, done a nose dive.  These fears were immediately interrupted but a loud speaker announcement... "Bum ba da BUUUMMMM" (trumpets), "Thank you for flying Ryan Air, we've had yet another safe and on time flight." As we got off of the plane, the three of us started giggling, each recalling our initial reaction to the landing and announcement.  Thus our adventures together started.  

We didn't want to spend too much time in Milan, just enough to see "The Last Supper" and the massive cathedral.  We decided to start with the museum that contained the painting.  It didn't take long to find, and as we headed inside we were told that the museum was officially sold out... for the next week and a half.  Who would've guessed that a museum would "sell out?" We each looked at the lady and then at each other, and back again... unsure of what to do next.  Thankfully none of us were completely disappointed.  We decided to grab a bite to eat, and as an afterthought we bought canolis from a local bakery.  And off to the cathedral.  It was an ornate cathedral.  With an over abundance of towers, each of them with hundreds of statues carved out, between each were numerous designs.  Seriously the only word I can think of is ornate.  Just too much.  

It was almost 2 o'clock so we decided we should try and get a train to Venice, our second destination.  Trying to stay awake on the train proved difficult.  We had heard that there was a lot of theft that took place on trains in Italy and wanted to be careful.  Thankfully it only took two hours to get to Venice.  We got off the train around 6 o'clock.  Headed down the main street trying to decide where we should stay for the night.  We came across a Best Western right away, we looked at each other, laughed and headed inside.  The first price the receptionist gave us made us laugh, 190 euros for the three of us.  She asked what was in our price range, and we said about 30 euros a piece.  She gave us a room for 35 a peice.  (Which was an incredible price for Venice, even hostels (which can usually be found for about 20 euros a night) were about 30 euros a night.  Giving us the key to the room we bolted upstairs to our beautiful bedroom, bathroom.  

We went out for some delicious pizza that night. (Pictures to come Alibaba :D) And then after being up for well over day and a half, we slept.

Day two "Venice" and "a bed is a bed... but is that our shower?" coming soon.

France, food, friends, and fellowship

Vale, it´s been a few weeks :( so sorry... I don´t know where time goes! Anyways...

I just got back from FRANCE!!! I was there for 3 days, and was able to meet up with Ben Anderson (most of ya´ll know him one of the many psudo brothers from MN) his roommate Peter, who is from France, Benny´s girlfriend Hannah, and one other friend from Taylor.

The time was INCREDIBLE! And the food was EVEN better! But the BEST was being able to fellowship freely!

A quick overview of our time:
I got in on Wed. night (Ben Hannah and Peter´s dad met me at the airport) and we ate... delish.

Thursday morning we went into Paris. We went to this beautiful church up on a hill and saw some local artists! We also saw the Eiffel from a distance! (Breathtaking!) We left Paris early to get back to Senlis (where Peter´s family lives), because that night we would dine at the Kuehl´s friends house for dinner. (By far my favorite European meal thus far!)

It started with little finger foods, a French trail mix, some cheese, crackers, dip, sausage, crab and a few others. They handed out drinks, toasted and the meal began! After about a half hour of chatting and relaxing we were invited to the dinner table. (Usually there is a main course, cheese course and dessert. But tonight the main and cheese were combined.) Basically it looked like this we all took some potatoes, shredded carrots, meats, lettuce, and some other stuff. Then they put one of those HUGE round disks of cheese (like at Byerlys...) put it near the fire and as it melted scrapped it onto our food! Let me tell you SO good!!!!!!! YUM and then for dessert, fruit! Fresh! In all the dinner lasted from about 8:30 until Midnight!!! (now that´s a real meal!!!) Al... the whole time I was hoping that you could teleport there... you would´ve LOVED it!!!

Friday we got up and went to the local market! So fun... food and clothing and more food and more clothing... Then we went to the Senlis Notre Dame. It was BEAUTIFUL. Seriously the stained glass windows were incredible. Then we went back to Paris for the day. Went to the top of the Eiffel Tour, went to THE Norte Dame in Paris a quick shopping trip, and finally the Louvre!!!! Which was just too much.

My last day I brought the others to the airport in the morning and spent the afternoon wandering around Senlis, and helping the Keuhl´s by watching these two adorable English children whose mom was in the hospital. (we played hide and seek and watched the The Rescuers Down Under... good stuff!!!)

Now I´m back in Madrid for two days of classes and then Wednesday night I´m off to Italy! (then to L´abri/Geneva Switzerland and Brussels, Belgium.) I´ll try to update pictures on facebook and write on here some of the highlights!

Ciao

Friends

These past few weeks God has really blessed me by bringing some friends of mine over to Spain.

First were Brenda and Neil Smith!  What a great blessing it was to spend the afternoon with them, eating some delicious food near Plaza de Espana, and then walking through the many shops of Cuatro Caminos.  It was a beautiful day!  Then I got to see some other friends from home, the Beutows!  Hearing about their travels and experiences in Spain was a highlight of my week.  

I know that may sound kind of weird, but the most difficult part of being in Spain is being lonely.  Yeah I have friends here ;) but it's different, they don't know me, nor do they love as deeply as my friends and family in Minnesota.  

Yesterday I was also able to spend a few hours with my friend Ashley Beck, roommate last year as well.  What a blessing, it was incredible to hear about her semester and the strength that God has provided her.  I learned that she speaks french, I have two french professors staying in our apartment for the week, and Ash just struck up a conversation.  Twice in the conversation she brought up God and following him.  It was such an encouragement to watch her so comfortable with Jesus.

All in all I cannot deny that having these people come has fanned the flame in my heart.  Thank you God for bringing people I love to Spain to help encourage me to live for you openly.

Can You Feel the Ocean?

After 7 hours in the airport, trying to avoid having to take a taxi, nine friends and I boarded an airplane to go to Lisbon Portugal for the weekend.  

What a beautiful city, with friendly people and delicious food!  

By the time we got there, and loaded ourselves onto the bus to get to our hostel, we were starving and exhausted.  Thankfully God provided the most wonderful host that showed us all the "hot spots" of the city and pointed us in the right direction to the delicious food to be enjoyed in the beautiful sunshine!  All day Friday we walked around the city, up more stairs then on the great wall (jajaja) and then back down them, we ended at the pier.

It was peaceful at the pier, something that Madrid should never boast is to be a peaceful city, but here at the ocean, vast and deep, was rest for my soul.  It was the greatest feeling to know that as I sat there, God was there with me, literally holding me in His hands.  A short break from the reality that I'm living physically alone, away from other Christians, away from family, friends, security.  The pier was an oasis for me.

The next day we made our way through the flea market, a crazy fun experience!  And off to Sintra (a neighboring city on the side of a mountain that boasts of "lush greenery and castles to boot!" (literally written in the "Guide to Sintra" handbook we got getting of the train!)) and then down to the coast in Cascais.  Again we couldn't have asked for better weather! 

Our last day there was spent at the Castle located in Lisbon.  It too was a beautiful castle, grown over like in the scene from Ever After. And then back to the airport for the flight home.

All together it was a wonderful time away from the fast paced city that seriously never sleeps!  

Toledo... and the suburbs

Whoot whoot whoot.   Saturday I took a day trip with four other girls, Jess Julie Julie and Kate to Toledo.  It is an incredible city!  I know not everyone likes the whole history thing but I love it so for my own memory sake, I'm going to recount some of it...

Toledo used to be the capital of Spain.  It has a rich history including an intricately designed cathedral, Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada. Inside this cathedral is a museum filled with the art of El Greco.  El Greco's art didn't fit in with the other art of the day, it was more real or true to reality than other art.  Greco didn't elaborate with mythology, or diminish the flaws of those in his paintings.  Also in the cathedral was an incredible choir loft.  What a beautiful sound should be coming from there, unfortunately it was quiet and cold inside.  

I also was able to visit, just briefly, the Santa Cruz Museum.  Not the normal art museum, Santa Cruz holds artifacts, such as the organic chemistry kits of the early 1800's as well as clothing worn during that time.  Everything from fashionable fans to the evolution of compasses.  It was really neat to see so much of the day to day things had been preserved, and just how little has changed.  For instance, in one display there were two large vases as well as a salt shaker, it was a dining set, vinegar, oil, and salt for the salad.  Virtually the same as in every restaurant and home in spain!  

Also the shopping was incredible!  Spain has a system of sales where only twice a year, for a month each time, do stores put their clothing on sale.  Then two weeks of 30-50% and then the 2nd half of the month about 70% off!  It was during the 2as rebajas, as they call them that we were in Toledo!!! I didn't get anything but it sure was fun!  

Now the trip home... after taking a bus from madrid to toledo, we had to take a bus up the hill to the center of toledo.  So on the way back we assumed/I assumed since I somehow became the translator (bad idea) that all the buses go back to the bus station on their route.  This was confirmed by the bus driver, "the second stop" he told me.  Well the second stop came and went and the five of us never got off... we went across a river, saw a sign that said Madrid ---> passed numerous roundabouts, hoping that one would take us back around to where we had just come from.  Finally the bus came to its last stop in the far out suburbs of toledo and the five of us had to get off, pay again and travel the 20 minutes or so back to the "second stop."  

Well that was my day in Toledo! 

Pictures on facebook!

España

Ok, so I really like the idea of keeping essences as just that, essences.  So after a long debate with myself, I made a new thread called Viva España. I'm going to start using it to talk more about what I'm doing while here in Spain.

So to recap my first month... yes it has been a whole month!

Upon arriving, I spent a night in a hostel by myself, not too scary since i slept from 1 in the afternoon until 10 the next morning and then checked myself out of the hostel to meet my host family!

My host family is wonderful, it consists of Amalia, a gracious host, an AMAZING cook and a traditional "madrideña" having the past 4 generations grow up in Madrid. (this is apparently rare here most of the citizens of madrid moved here within the past 40 or so years. Also living with us is José, an opera singer from the Canary Islands. (He has an incredible voice)

After meeting a couple students at required gatherings, usually with tapas and café con leche*, we left for Sevilla, located in the southern region of Spain. On our way down we stopped at a Catholic Church in Cordoba, beautiful but cold. It has an amazing history, it was first created as a mosque by Abd... (can't remember his whole name) after his family, the royal family, was murdered. He travelled for 5 years across Africa and the Straight of Gibraltar... anyway very cool history.

We got to Seville and had lots of time to meet the old students and continue to get to know the newer students. Here my main group of friends all started getting to know each other. We went to a horse/bull ranch and ate a LOT of food!

(Pictures on facebook!)

After Sevilla classes started. I'm taking three and they're all good. History of Art (in English), Spanish Translation, and Spanish Conversations and Compositions (both in Spanish).

Two weeks after school began I went with about 12 other students and our activities director to the Pyrenees mountains, located on the boarder of France and Spain. They were breathtaking. The night we arrived we went to Jaca's Citadel. It was fascinating, with its drawbridge, chapel, military miniatures museum (showing the history of Spain's involvement in various wars as well as the changing battle techniques.) Then we went ice skating also a lot of fun! The next two days we spent skiing in the mountains. The first day I had altitude sickness so I stayed with the beginner group to help out. (It was the greatest day though, no wind and clear blue skies!) The second day I was able to adventure a bit more but it was windy and the fog made it so that you couldn't see the person in front of you. Still both days were phenomenal!

This past week I was hoping to go to Paris with my friends however, I wasn't able to because of a small mishap with two of my syringes. I apparently left them on the bus and because we got in so late it wasn't properly cleaned before its school route the next day. A young boy found the syringes and managed to poke himself. The parents, like any parents were scared and asked me to get blood tests done and identify the syringes etc etc. Two days ago I was told that the lab results had come back for the boy, the syringe and myself, all clear. PRAISE THE LORD!

This weekend is a chill weekend so I took a bus out to the mountains near the city of Manzanares (about a half hour bus ride) to do some exploring and climbing and have some personal time where I didn't have to worry so much about appearances but could focus on the one relationship that matters, God and me. It was a beautiful small town, peaceful and quiet, very different from Madrid which is always busy and loud. I'll put up some photos, but unfortunately my camera died about an hour into my trip. Oh and I got to see the castle in Manzanares as well. So great! A real castle, well the building was real and it was set up to imitate a real castle. I hope I can go back again to do some more hiking and get some pictures of the castle, it had some incredible tapestries and other artwork as well.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to go to Toledo for the day! (My camera battery is charging!)

So that catches us all up on my life in Spain.

God Bless!

bec

*(tapas are the traditional "appetizers" of Spain, and café con leche is 1/2 coffee and 1/2 milk. Both are delicious!)