Pictures from Last Week

Here is a photo of me with Carmina´s friends and family at a BBQ. I look like a giant towering over all of them.

This is a photo of the aquarium in Valencia. It was a very modern city.

This is a Hoguera Infantil. They are made out of wood and paper mache and on the 24th of June wrapped in fireworks and burned before the larger Hogueras.

Here is one of the larger Hogueras. This one was pretty tall but not event the largest one! People spend all year making them and they can cost anywhere from 600 Euros to 600,000 Euros.

This is at the Mascleta. These are the Damas y Bellezas of the city in traditional Alicante dress.

The International Parade on Thursday night.

Here is the beginning of the burning of the largest Hoguera in the city!

Valencia

Science Musuem in Valencia

Last Week!

I will be putting up photos of last week: The Festival of San Joan and Valencia tomorrow. I don´t have time to wait for the photos to upload today. I am so excited this is the last week! As much as I love Spain I´m ready to be home and eat! I keep making plans of everything I want to eat. Here is just a short list: McDonalds, Taco Bell, Mexican food, Chinese food, milk, peanutbutter, spinach artichoke dip, mozzarella sticks, Subway, and iHop. It´s all going to be delicious and probably give me a large stomach ache but I will survive! I´m hoping my stomach will be able to handle processed food after all of this home cooking and what not. Love and miss you all!

Barcelona

Barcelona was beyond beautiful! I had a wonderful time and couldn´t believe I was there; it felt like I was dreaming. On the first day we took a double decker tour bus around the city which was fun (but it was a little chilly). That night was saw the fountain at Montjuic which was AWESOME! The next day we went to the labrynth and gardens which was cool. Following that we toured the amazing Sagrada Familia. It was absolutely breathtaking and they aren´t even finished. After that we went to the Catedral and the Picasso Museo. As we left the Picasso Museum a parade of over 100,000 people walked through the streets in protest against the Spanish government. It was pretty cool and they were very peaceful which I admired. It gave me the chills to be there. After that we walked around Barcelona eventually making it back to our hotel. The day after that we toured the Olympic Stadium and headed back to Alicante! I took a bunch of pictures so I hope everyone is ready!

Plaza de España-We stayed in a hotel near this plaza

The House of Gaudi

Sagrada Familia

Fountains of Montjuic

The filming of a telenovela at the gardens

Labrynth

Inside the Sagrada Familia

At the top of a tower at the Sagrada Familia

Catedral-I believe it was the first church created by Gaudi

Protestors

Christopher Columbus pointing toward the sea

The torch at the Olympic Stadium

Olympic Stadium

Barcelona

Inside the Olympic Stadium

Love and Miss You All! (Sorry all the pictures were out of order)

Nautical Activity

Yesterday our group did a water sports activity at the beach. It was a lot of fun (but very exhausting)! I did some windsurfing, stand-up paddle board, and kayaking in the sea. My legs and arms hurt pretty bad after having to balance myself and row the boat or hold up the sail but overall it was a lot of fun trying something new. I only fell once too! I did get my toe pinched by a tiny crab though (little stinker)!

I am very excited to head to Barcelona tomorrow! Dr. Moss gave us an entire list of places to see so I´m hoping we will have time. I´m going to try not to tucker myself out though because then I will not enjoy it quite as much. I will definitely take a lot of pictures and be sure to upload them when I get back on Tuesday!

I miss everyone so much and I am so excited to see you all in two weeks! I just wish the time here was flying by so fast...

Events Coming Up

It has already been two weeks I can´t believe it. Today we are doing water sports on the beach and tomorrow I am leaving for Barcelona! I´m so excited and Carmina says it is extremely beautiful and she is so happy I´m not going to miss out on seeing it! I wanna take my camara to the beach today to take picture but I´m too afraid to ruin it so sorry everyone but I will not be having water sport pictures! But I will put plenty up of Barcelona on Tuesday! I hope to hear from you all soon!

I am convinced my house mom is trying to fatten me to cook. She makes so much food and is offended or upset if I don´t eat it all. Sorry Grandma and Grandpa but I will be a little gordita when I get back. 

XOXO

Castillo de Santa Barbara & Granada

Here are some pictures from el Castillo de Santa Barbara. I took one with myself up there but it didn´t turn out...I´m a little upset, but the view was beautiful (even though it was a bit rainy).

 Oldest Catedral en Alicante. It was originally Muslim baths but was later turned into a Catholic Cathedral.

 El Castillo de Santa Barbara

 And here are some photos from Granada. I didn´t upload them all but Granada was extremely beautiful. We ate tapas at a resturaunt ouside when we arrived and then saw la Alhambra from afar. Later that night some of us saw Flamenco dancing in the caves of Granada which was really cool (Michelle Obama had watched them dance at the exact same place). The next morning we were up at 6 AM to see la Alhambra. It was absolutely beautiful. The detail is amazing. This aren´t even half of the pictures I took there. I would recommend everyone see them! These are for you Kylie Klenke :)

Me in the garden at la Alhambra

This was a sidewalk in Granada. They have beautiful sidewalks as well as beautiful buildings.

A view of La Alhambra from afar

Entrance to a home (I´m a little creepy but it was sooo pretty!)

This is a monestary in Granada

La Alhambra at night. We passed it on our way up to the caves.

Part of la Alhambra. The stones on the ground are ruins of one of the old palaces.

Sidewalk

Inside the second palace.

This is written all over the castle and it means something like "Only God is above me" in Arabic

A famous photo. The reflection is very cool!

Fountain in a patio of the palace

The cieling of a room. Even the cielings were covered with details (all done by hand)!

Part of the King´s room. He was the only one allowed in this area of the palace.

The gardens at the palace

pretty fountain

XOXO
See you all in a little more than two weeks!