A little bit of everything

Grabbing my hand, I wondered what he was doing.

"And you..." Juan Javier began as he slowly spun me around. My white dress flowed outward, billowing with air as I turned. "You are wonderful today!"

It's moments like these that make me wonder why I am ever leaving this wonderful place and these amazing people that I now call home. Juan Javier is truly the most amazing and kind principal and boss that I have ever been blessed to know, and I cannot thank God enough for him.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, two weekends ago the girlfriends and I explored Granada. Granada is a beautiful city in the Andalucia provience with landmarks of the gorgeous Alhambra palace (which was recently in the running as one of the new wonders of the world!) and free tapas (yum!). We stayed at the White Nest Hostel -- a rainbow-colored hostel with friendly staff and the most amazingly cozy-fuzzy orange blankets. Saturday during the day we tapa-hopped -- and the incredible thing about Granada is this: You buy a drink at a bar/restaurant, and then they give you FREE tapas! So basically you eat for free. I think if I lived in Granada, I would survive off of the free-tapa blessing. :)

After eating delicious chorizo (a super yummy meat), fruity sangria, and other tidbits of food and drink, we explored the "mini-Morocco" street. Granada is known for its Moroccan influence, and it definitely is evident there! I truly felt as though I was back in Morocco while in a shop -- signs were in Arabic, bright colored laterns surrounded me, and Arabic even filled my ears. Am I in Spain? How cool is this?! I love seeing the fusion of cultures like that. :)



Saturday night we met up with some of our other CIEE friends from the 2-week immersion program back in Sevilla -- Paige, Seth, and Erika. It was so fun getting to see them -- it felt a lot like a reunion! :) Because Paige lives in Granada, she helped show us where to go to enjoy the Granada nightlife. We started at a small bar/pub with yummy white wine and free sandwiches, and then moved on to the large and popular discoteca of Granda 10. And we danced and danced and danced the night away... :)








We woke up very early (considering that our bedtime was after 6am, in true Spanish form), and headed out for a quick breakfast and then to see the Alhambra. The Alhambra is GORGEOUS! Incredible architectural detailing, immense open spaces, and beautiful rose-filled gardens fill the Alhambra. I visited it when I studied abroad in Spain a few years ago, but I am so glad that I went back. It's amazing how different a place can be with the passage of time -- even though the place is the same, we have changed, and our perspective and what we appreciate and even truly what we are seeing is different. I guess it's true that our perceptions are our realities. And my perception of Granada was breath-taking. :)













My week at work was full of children, some good laughs, and of course, lots of me asking people to repeat themselves. :) As usual, Juan Javier asked me if I "met anyone" while out this weekend -- I told him yes, and then he proceeded to happily shout "Congratulations!" His strategy for the past few months has been to get me to find a Spanish novio (boyfriend) so that I will "live in Spain forever"...but I think he is realizing that his time for me finding a boyfriend is running out. He recently suggested that I buy a Spanish lottery ticket.

"You will buy the ticket, and go home to the US. But you will be in...in" he fluttered his fingers up and down like on a computer keyboard, "communication with us! And if you win, you just come back here!"

I love his logic. :)

Oh! And more good news! I know that in one of my recent posts I talked about how this week was going to be my last week of work....well, I changed that. :D I talked to Oti, and she said that I could of course come in the week after that if I would like! I wasn't planning on traveling during that week anyway, and I feel better knowing that next week will be my last week. It will still be hard to say "see you later," but at least I can better prepare myself this time! :)

This past weekend Alicia and Ashley came to La Antilla for a beach/girls' weekend. :) Bright blue skies, a light breeze, and lots of sun surrounded us -- it was a blessed weekend for sure. We also enjoyed lots of good food -- think fresh green salads with strawberries and seasoned chicken and cabra (goat cheese) -- and good drinks. :) We even went out again in Antilla to the local bar and chatted with the friendly (and yes, he's cute) bartender, Alberto. It was a good time, for sure.





Only two more weeks of work, and this coming weekend will be our last girls' weekend in Huelva (well, last girls' weekend with ALL of us). As you can imagine, I have a lot of mixed feelings, but for now I am trying to just remain in the present and enjoy each moment that is given to us. And I hope and pray that you are doing the same. :)

Keep on rockin' (air guitar or not)...



Brittany :)

Trickles

Life in Spain lately has been a combination of all things amazing sprinkled with trickles of sadness. A girls' trip to Granada this past weekend served as a wonderful get away full of tapa-eating, sangria-drinking, gab-festing, all-night-dancing, Alhambra-viewing memories. :) We returned to Huelva on Sunday after the five hour bus ride, and I stayed for a couple of nights with Ashley. Monday and Tuesday consisted of beach trips, relaxing, and shopping -- all in all, it was honestly one of the best weekends I've had in Spain -- and that's saying a lot considering all of the wonderful weekends we've been blessed with here. :)

But today at school, I came to the harsh realization that next week is my last week at work. I tremble even typing those words.

Last.

Week.

"Ohh...well maybe I can come in during June and help with some things..." I offered to Oti, hoping that I could prolonge the leaving process.
"No...I think it's ok. I don't think we have much else for you do to. I will let you know if I think of something though." She sweetly answered.
She montioned toward my pile of flashcards to laminate and posters to make "So this will be your last project."
My eyes fell to the ground as her sentence hit me. "I...I can't think about it!" I protested. "It just makes me too sad."
"But you will always be here," she explained. "With your signs and everything you've made...you will always be in the school."
And then I felt them -- the things I have been pushing back and pushing down and pushing everywhere away from me -- those feelings of sadness and reality and leaving. They started coming in tears. My red eyes and teary face looked up.
And there was sweet Oti, almost mirroring my exact look, teary eyed and sad "You can't cry, because if you cry, then I cry!" she exclaimed.
"Aww...ok, ok! Let's just take a breath."
We breathed. But my tears still wouldn't stop.
"I'm...I'm going to the bathroom...I'll be right back." I forced the words out.

And there it was. The reality of it all. The fact that I'm leaving this place I love. The closer the time comes, the harder facing this reality is. But it also fills me with hope. Coming here to Spain was totally a God-given gift -- and he truly has shown me the amazing things he can -- and he wants -- to give to us when we will simply rest in him and listen to him. So if he has blessed me this much now, I can hardly imagine what he has in store for the future. :)

I pray that you may be blessed wherever you are, with whatever you are doing. And if you feel those tears coming up for any reason, I pray that you have the strength to feel those feelings and the faith to trust in God's love for you and your future.

I love you,
Brittany :)



"For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did..." -Deuteronomy 11:7

A Certain Hope

We have to keep letting go. Even if it means letting go of something good and wonderful and amazing, there comes a time where we have to let it go. Sometimes we have to let go of something good in order to grab hold of something even better.

And letting go means growth. Life is not static, and God did not intend for it to be that way. Why do we fight change so much? Sure, there are the rare specially gifted few who embrace and love all change, but deep down, when we're really being honest with ourselves, at least to some degree and in some portion of our thoughts and hearts, change scares us. We fear the unknown. We fear the uncomfortable. We fear letting go of what we love.

I suppose that's natural - the fear and hesitation. Especially when you love something or someone or some part of your life so deeply. So how do we make sense of it all? I suppose with time, for with time comes acceptance. By learning to appreciate what we have when we have it. By living in the moment. By celebrating the past, but not holding so tightly to it that we loose touch with the present. And anticipating the future with joy, but again not anticipating it so much that we forget to enjoy the very day we are being given.

And to remember that letting go is not only unchangable, but it is necessary and good. I think of when I had to leave Spain the first time - it was difficult and painful. But I had to leave Spain to finish my education at Meredith. But finishing my education at Meredith allowed me to apply for this teaching position in Spain. If I had never let go of the thing I first loved so greatly, I would never have been able to embrace this new, incredible experience.

And I am hopeful. For me and for you. Hopeful that this is true for each of our lives. You may view me as naive and wildly optimistic, but I would much rather be both of those things than cyncial and negative. But yes, I am hopeful. Certain, even. Certain that our best days are still ahead of us. Certain that what we have seen and done and experienced have been immense blessings and glimpses of God and His love. And certain that God is having us let go of this is order to grow. Certain that something amazing, something incredible, something even better than your mind can fathom, is waiting for you to embrace in your days ahead. Certain that letting go is not a depressive act but rather it is one of freedom and hope.

As hard as leaving Spain in one short month is going to be, I am trusting that the best days are still ahead. For both you and for me. :)



"…every person… has to change like seasons; they have to or they die. The seasons remind me that I must keep changing, and I want to change because it is God's way…I want to keep my soul fertile for the changes, so things keep getting born in me, so things keep dying when it is time for things to die. I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, because a mind was made to figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently…My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God."
-Donald Miller

London - Warp Speed

Arriving at the date of May 11th, I am truly beginning to realize that these Semana Santa blogs are being drawn out into a seemingly never-ending blogging fest. I apologize for the wordiness and the belatedness of it all, but I will now (attempt) to give you a brief overview of our time in London. :)

London = Love, which I attribute largely to the fact that everyone there speaks that ever-so-beautiful-and-greatly-longed-for English that I have been missing in Espana. Weather? Cold (scarves and winter coats), partly cloudy/partly sunny...but NO RAIN! That is a miracle in and of itself considering the always-rainy reputation of the land of constant drizzle. :)

We only had 1.5 days in London, so we attempted to make the most of our short visit. Arriving in London during the afternoon (after the Chunnel), we took several subway lines to our hotel outside of the center of the city. Piece of advice: Taking large, heavy luggage on the subway is ok if you are only taking one line....but when you have to change lines, climb stairs, and rush to make the train...well...taking the "tube" is not such a good idea then. :)

Biceps burning and slightly winded, we finally made it to our hotel. We had the remainder of the afternoon to potentially do sight-seeing as well as the next day. Our hotel was a fair distance outside of the city, so even if we went into town that very day, there wouldn't be much time left for actual sight-seeing. So we made a choice: we decided to stop and rest. That may sound ridiculous to do since we were in a beautiful foreign city, but sometimes rest is necessary. We cuddled in the hotel beds and rented an American movie to watch on the TV in English (you can imagine my excitement)! This was honestly one of the highlights of our Semana Santa for me -- a relaxing night cuddled with my mom in which no translating was necessary for my viewing pleasure. It was perfect. :)

The next day, we woke up early and headed into the city. Taking a classic double-decker tour bus, we rode past the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, The London Eye, The London Tower, The London Bridge, and many other famous landmarks. London was beautiful from what we saw of it - it felt a little smaller than Rome and Paris, but that was kind of relief after being in such large cities. Here are a couple of London highlights from our day out...

-Seeing AND hearing Big Ben gong at 2pm. :)
-Taking the classic tourist pictures in a real London phonebooth!
-Exploring outside of Buckingham Palace and watching the two guards (sadly there was no changing of the guards on the day we visited).
-Posing like the statues outside of Buckingham Palace.
-Seeing the Tower of London and picturing the life of drama and wealth of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. :)
-Taking a river cruise and seeing the London Bridge!




















Post sight-seeing, we headed to our second London hotel which was located close to our airport (the "London" airport was actually about 45 minutes outside of the center of London). Exhausted but immensely thankful for all we had seen and done, and for being able to share all of it together, we ate dinner, collapsed into our beds, and then prepared to fly back to Spain early the next morning. :) Although our time in London may seem anti-climatic, don't give up on the Semana Santa blogs yet, my faithful reader! I think that sometimes the non-dramatic, non-climatic things are necessary, even welcomed, in life. Sometimes it's nice for things to just go smoothly and easily and peacefully. Sure, struggles build character and provide stories for humor, but sometimes ease is what we need. And I'm incredibly thankful that our time in London was just that - easy and relaxing. :) So don't quit on the Semana Santa blogs yet -- we're almost done! Our time in Antilla was wonderful...so be on the look out for that blog soon. ;)

Your wholly thankful and partly exhausted traveler,
Brittany :)

Suspicious cups and a little bit of champagne

Waking up early, we were sad to leave Paris but excited about traveling to London and about how we were getting there -- the chunnel! The chunnel is a train that travels from Paris to London (and visa versa), crossing the English channel -- so therefore you actually travel underwater for about 20 minutes! One of Mom's coworkers suggested taking the chunnel, and we figured the chunnel in and of itself would be a fun experience.

Security for this means of transportation was, for some reason, far stricter than in the airport.
"So how long will you be in London?" asked the customs official.
"For only two days."
"Ohh..and then where are you going?"
"Well, then we're going to Spain."
"Spain? Why are you going to Spain? You're from the United States."
"Well, I actually live there," I explained with a smile.
"Really? Can I see your residency card?"
"Ahh...sure." This was actually one of the few times I've been asked to show my Spanish ID.

But the security got even better. My sweet, sweet Mama is somehow targeted during all secuirty measures. Something about her friendly smile and southern drawl just makes her seem like a sucipicious target. So after making it past the first strignet woman, we moved on to put our suitcases through the x-ray scanner and walk through the metal detectors. I walked through easily, and Mom caustiously followed behind. Watching the French inspectors, I saw them point to Mom's suitcase as it was coming out of the scanner.
"Please open this" they commanded.
I wonder what it is this time. I thought.
"Have you purchased any alcohol or tobacco while here in France?" he questioned.
"No, no." Mom defended.
"And are you carrying more than 10,000 Euros on you in cash?" His accent was extremely thick.
"What?" she asked.
"No," I answered for her. "He asked if you have 10,000 Euros in cash on you."
"GUUUHHHH!!!" she gasped. "Nooo, noo!"
"I wish we had that much money!" I tried to joke. I always try to joke with people in awkward situations like this, but it seems like the joking has about a 50/50 success rate with making the secuirty person either laugh or just ignore me.
He ignored.
Rummuging through Mom's suitcase, he found the cups. Cups? You might be wondereing. Yes, cups. So my dear, sweet, thoughtful Mama wanted to bring a present for EACH CHILD at my school (there are approximately 90 children at my school in Antilla). So Mom very thoughtfully purchased 90 NC State University plastic cups and brought them here to Spain with her. Now, 90 plastic cups is a lot. And I guess that many plastic cups stacked all together may look sucipious to a security official.
Pointing to the cups, "What are these?!" he demanded.
I couldn't help but laugh. Here is my super sweet Mom being interrogated about the gifts she brought for children.
"Ohh..they're presents for children at a school."
He searched more.
Finding a second large stack of cups..."And these?"
"For the children."
I just kept laughing. "For the children....it's all for the children, dear secuirty officer...I promise."
"There are a lot of children at her school!" Mom explained.

"Ok..." he comprimised. My guess is that maybe he thought the cups were something she purchased in Paris and was hoping to sell in London? Or maybe the cups looked like a weapon all stacked together like that? I'm not really sure, but regardless, it was an amusing situation. :) But we, and the cups, made it through security and onto the chunnel. :)





The chunnel was a nice change of pace for travel - it was so comforting to not have to worry about losing our luggage (we put it on the train) or remember to put all of our 3 ounces or less bottles of liquids in a ziplock bag, etc. etc. :) Mom booked our chunnel trip, and she upgraded us to two personal seats with food and drinks! I was so thankful!





Passing the countryside of green and gray skys, we enjoyed the view and chatted. Breakfast was good -- I remember an amazing yogurt that tasted like vanilla frosting and some delicious orange juice. Our car was quiet and not completely full which made for a relaxing and enjoyable ride.

The service was incredible - the people were constantly asking us if we could use anything. Nearing the last 45 minutes of our trip (the trip is about 2 hours and 30 minutes total), the woman asked if she could get us anything.
"Coffee, tea, wine, champagne..."
"Oh! Champagne!" I exclaimed. I love champagne! It just feels so glamorous, and I love the fizz. :)
"But maybe it's too early for champagne?" I questioned.
"It's almost noon!" the woman encouraged.
"Ok...two glasses of champagne to celebrate leaving Paris and going to London!"

Enjoying our glasses of champagne, we took a few fun pictures and prepared to be in an....drumroll please.....ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I was a little excited. :D







So arriving in London, we grabbed our bags from the train and made our way to the first metro....which started off as an easy task with elevators...but then progressed into a more and more challenging one once we changed lines....

Bonjour!

Paris is different from any place I have traveled to before. The other day, Kiran and I were discussing Paris and the entire atmosphere of the city -- everything just seems more sophisticated and elegant there. Whether it be the architecture or the clothing or the even the dogs (right, Kiran?), everything about Paris shouts of couture and fashion. White and gray colored buildings line the narrow, busy roads. On the corners of these buildings are ever-so-slight-eye-catching details of gold statues and curving sculptures atop what seem like thousands of uncountable windows.

As expected, everything in Paris was in French. This proved to be a slight challenge for me and Mom since our French knowledge combined sums to the grand total of "Bonjour," "Merci" (or as Mama so sweetly puts it, "Mercy"), and the newly acquired phrase of "Parlez-vous anglais?" (Translation: Do you speak English?) Oh, and we learned the French word for exit too (sortie) after being lost in an incredibly confusing and large subway -- we just wanted to get out, and we tried to follow the crowd, but the crowd was transferring to different lines...not leaving. Finally a kind person who spoke English stopped and helped us. :)



Our Parisian vacation included three full days in Paris which allowed us to take things a little more slowly as well as see many of the much-anticipated sights. Weather on the first day in Paris was quite chilly but with a beautiful blue sky. This day we took a bus tour around the city to see everything and kind of get our bearings for where things are and what we really want to spend time seeing.




The Pullman Hotel in Paris was where we stayed - and God truly blessed us with an incredible place! Our room was on the 16th floor which gave a breath-taking view of the city. Paris is gorgeous during the day - bustling and booming - but I think I like the view even more at night. It's like a starry night sky brought down to earth -- twinkles and shimmers glittering as far as you can see.




And not only was our view amazing, but we literally slept in THE MOST comfortable beds. Think lush down comforters, fluffy white pillows, a mattress that is not too hard or too soft...it is all just right. It's like wrapping yourself in one big marshmallow sleeping heaven. Mom and I were slightly tempted to spend an entire day in the beds because they were just that comfortable. But we were in Paris, so despite the unbelievable beds, we forced ourselves out into the cold to do some exploring. :)

Day two of our trip had weather that was....well, not the best. Cold and rainy. And I (yet again) forgot my umbrella at home in Antilla (you would think I would have learned by now!?). Thankfully my jacket had a hood and Mom had a rainjacket with a hood. During the day, Mom mentioned that her upper back felt wet -- later we found out that her rain coat had been leaking all day which explained why her back was wet! The cold and rain was do-able, but it did get to be a bit much when we hopped on our half open/half closed-in bus tour and the only remaining seats were upstairs on the "open" part of the bus. So there we were, sitting on the open level of the bus, rain pouring down, hoods up, Mom's coat leaking, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. We knew we were making good memories, and what really mattered was the fact that we were together. :)



On that cold and rainy day, we saw more of Paris (think: Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Seine River), and we spent a little extra time at the Louvre Museum and the park located outside of the Louvre (Jardin des Tuileries). Both were elaborately large and grand sights to see. Later that day, we had lunch and did a little Paris shopping (you have to go shopping in Paris!). Mom treated herself to a cool silver necklace and she graciously bought me a brightly-colored purse!





Our third and final day in Paris was probably the best one. We had booked a tour for us in which we would have (another) bus tour of Paris (we hoped to learn some more new things on this one!), a trip to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, and a Seine River cruise. The Eiffel Tower and the river cruise were two things we were looking extremely forward to, and booking those things through a tour group was an excellent choice. We were able to bypass huge lines which not only saved time but also a lot of stress. Our tours didn't begin until about 3 in the afternoon, so we slept in a little (in the amazing heavenly hotel beds) before heading into the city. We ate our traditional cinnamon pastries and coffee with cream, and then took the newly mastered subway in. Once in the city, we walked along a popular street filled with those kind-of-tacky but kind-of-irresistible souvenir shops that you find in every country -- so of couse we stopped in. :) A Parisian hat for me, a bright and beautiful scarf for Mom, and some souvenirs for home were all purchased.

After shopping, we headed to the restaurant Angelina's. Our concierge at our hotel had recommended this place to us "You must go there. They have the best hot chocolate!" We figured we could get the hot chocolate and some lunch before beginning our many tours for the afternoon. Angelina's is beautiful - again, it is totally Parisian and absurdly fancy and posh. Mom and I enjoyed good conversation in huge comfy chairs as we munched on club sandwiches, french fries (I was excited to eat French fries in France -- even though I know they probably aren't from there, Mama!), and then the much-anticiapted hot chocolate. Having a deep love for hot chocolate, I was excited for this experience. And oh my goodness. My American friends here in Spain pick of me (in good fun, mind you) for making noises when I eat certain foods. I tend to let out an "oooh" or an "mmm" or an "OOhh..my goodness! MMM...that's good!" What can I say? I love food, and I'm an expressive individual. So if I think something tastes good, you're gonna know it. And let me tell you, my dear reader....was I making noises with this hot chocolate! It was incredible! Literally -- it tasted like someone took one of my Mama's delicious three-layer chocolate cakes with chocolate frosting -- melted it down, heated it up, poured it into a delightful little mug, and said "Bon appetit!" It was just that good. :)




Finishing up at Angelina's, we headed over to meet our bus tour. First we did the bus tour -- it was comfortable, dry, warm, and informative! Following the bus tour, we headed for the Eiffel Tower. This was probably me and Mom's favorite part of Paris -- again, it kind of left me with the same feeling that the Colosseum did -- amazement, awe, and gratitude. Am I really here? Is this really my life? I kept asking myself.

We hopped on the elevator up to the second floor (which is really much higher than a normal second floor in a building), and took in the enermoity of Paris. It is just such a huge city! You look down and see buildings and buildings and buildings, and then you look up and see specks of blue sky, white clouds, and this immense iron giant beside you. Incredible.





After being floored by the Eiffel Tower, we headed for our Seine River cruise. The cruise was a nice way to see Paris from a different perspective. As with the bus tour, the cruise was warm (we sat in the glass-closed in part of the boat) and informative. :)

The next morning we woke up early for our trip to London. But this time we weren't going by plane, but instead in the much-anticipated chunnel! :)

TOMA! We're in ROMA!

"Oooohh...I'm sorry. Your bags are overweight," the RyanAir attendant explained with a turned up lip that closely resembled a snarl as though she had just seen the most replusive sight of her entire life. "And it's going to cost 20 Euros per kilogram that your bags are overweight." Replusive look again. "Sorry."

So we knew that RyanAir had stringent baggage restrictions, but Mom and I had NO idea that they would charge 20 Euros PER kilogram that your bags are overweight (this fact is not clearly expressed on their web-site travel information). And since Mom and I were traveling for more than just one little night, we ended up paying a ridlicious amount of money to get our bags to Rome. The whole weighing the bags, figuring out what we were going to do, having the bags re-weighed, paying for the bags, going through security (where, of course, Mom was frisked again and attempted to explain that her pedometer was a simple health tool, not some sort of explosive device), and then finding our gate ending up taking well over an hour. Thank goodness we had left ourselves plenty of time in the airport. :)

Our flight group was quite the interesting mix too -- our travel partners mostly consisted of a large, boisterous group of (you guessed it) American college students who seemed like they could have been easily cast in MTV's Jersey Shore or VH1's Daisy of Love/Rock of Love. And we waited outside of the gate. And waited. And then we made it through the gate. And then waited on a bus to take us to our plane. And waited. And waited. And then we made it to the airplane. And we waited to get on the plane. And then we made it on the airplane. And then we waited. And well, our flight took off about an hour later than expected. The good news: we did safely arrive in Rome that night, Mom and I were together, a super cute guy with the most amazing smile did sit in front of me on our flight, and all our bags made it too. :)



After settling into our hotel, we crashed and prepared for a full day of sightseeing the next morning. Day one we rode the subway into the center to visit the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, and explore around the city. Seeing the Colosseum for the first time was truly one of the most incredible things I think a person can experience -- climbing the steps up from the subway, you suddenly cast your eyes forward onto this indescribily enermous and anciently beautiful structure. And it's right there! Right before your very own eyes! This thing that you hear about your whole life and that you see in books and on postcards and in pictures -- you are actually there! It was an immense and incredible feeling of gratitude and awe. :)



Mom and I did not go inside the Colosseum -- I'm sad to say that all of the traveling (and the sick children at my school) resulted in me having an incredibly nasty cold/flu during our travels. Day one in Rome is when the flu really began to hit, and we ended up visiting an Italian pharmacy to buy some medicine (which was successfully accomplished via English/Spanish/charades communitation). Being sick on vacation was no fun at all, but I was just SO thankful to have my sweet Mom there to help take care of me! :) She was such a sweet blessing!





After seeing the Colosseum, we wandered through the streets of Rome, admiring the half-standing, half-tumbling ruins, the green and white washed statues, and the cobblestone streets bursting with motorcycles, taxis, and people. We ate an amazing authentic Italian lunch -- pizza with warm tomato sauce, basil, cheese, and onion, and the most mouth-watering delicious toasted garlic bread in the entire world ever. The sun was shining - it was one of those gorgeous days where you just want to be outside. Blue sky, warm sun with some breeze -- our gratitude for warm weather was great then, but it increased even more the further north we traveled into Europe. :)

Strolling through some twisty, narrow side-streets, we finally made it to the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was beautiful, but it was a bit overwhelming with the number of people that were there. The guidebook I read before our travels warned that Rome is an extremely hectic and loud city, and our travels certainly confirmed that statement. At this point, my body was about to quit for the day, so we turned in to the hotel for the night.



Day two we planned to visit the Vatacian, but the flu had other plans for us and kept us resting in the hotel for the day. But, on a humorous and ironic note, we did visit the largest mall in Europe that day instead! This mall - Euroma - is located right behind the hotel we were staying in, and Mom and I wandered out for some lunch. We window-shopped at some of the stores, and later we found out that Euroma is Europe's largest mall! So we may not have seen the Vatacian, but we did visit Europe's largest mall. ;)



Day three I was beginning to feel better thanks to all of the prayers, medicine, and lots of rest, and we packed our bags and hopped on another plane to start our adventure in the beautiful city of love...Paris! :)