Last weekend adventures

Both nights in Paris the Eiffel Tower would light up like the above. It was seriously breathtaking and when we were running to it from a distance I felt like a bug attracted to the light (hahaha) Then, the picture below was taken at the Thanksgiving party I went to. Stephanie and I were the only ones there that did not know French...everyone else is studying in France but from other countries...nonetheless it was one of the best nights of this semester...as a close friend once said "...make my world a bigger place"...meeting those people that night, spending more time with Stephanie, and hanging out with Alex and her brother has inspired so many of my future goals...
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A BRIEF SUMMARY
When I walked into my bedroom Sunday morning, I trucking away with POCITO sleep! That is right; around 15 hours of sleep in 3 days! Seriously, Stephanie and I calculated this out…(I was so wiped out this morning that I didn’t hear my alarm clock go off later that morning…crawled into bed at 6:45 am)…

Wednesday night, Stephanie and I hopped a bus to Madrid. (We hardily slept because we were so hyped up with excitement) Six hours later we arrived in Madrid and we waited…and we waited…and waited some more…5 hours until our departure…

I felt like I was living in Seattle, Washington because it rained the entire time we were there! But, rain didn’t stop us from having a good time. I drank way too many cups of coffee and strait espresso, ate too many bars of chocolate, and for some odd reason ate like 6 oranges (still not sure why)…anyways

Thursday night we celebrated Thanksgiving with a bunch of Alex’s (Stephanie’s best friend from college) friends. But before hand, Stephanie and I made a few stops. First we visited the Basilica de Sacre Coeur. The Basilica was incredible: it rested like a fortress on top of a hill- gardens, benches, and stairways totally embellished its beauty-and ‘the icing on the cake’ was the classic carrousel at the bottom of the hill! The, inside of the Basilica was immaculate. I am sure that my jaw was dropped the entire tour. The murals were amazing and way more preserved—compared to the other cathedrals I have seen. Unfortunately, there was a “no picture taking” rule enforced…so the best way to get an idea of what it looks like is by googling it…
Afterwards, Stephanie and I booked it to the Moulin Rouge-we only had enough time to take a picture from the outside. But the walk there was wonderful. Imagine narrow cobble stone streets with cozy cafes, restaurants with outside seating (even in the rain people sat outside underneath canopies), and tons of people speaking in that beautiful French language…that walk was like a movie…an poet stopped us in the street and read us a poem (and then tried getting money from us)…we walked past the studio of an artist (and watched him paint)…so many details…

Once we met up with Alex it was time to celebrate Thanksgiving. After a couple hours of getting lost (meeting up with Alex’s brother, trying to find a supermarket, and then finding the party) we gorged ourselves with a traditional thanksgiving dinner. By 3:30 am we finally called it a night.

Friday we tried to cram everything else in! We toured the Museo de Orsay (primarily art work of the impressionist artists) and The Louvre (that place was overwhelming- next time I go I want to be way more prepared)…walked all over the city and all along the river…saw tons of monuments like the Republica de Francia and the Obelisque (some Egyptian monument that looked like the Washington memorial)…walked past the Notre Dome and the area were all the French politicians work…the night ended well- dinning at an Italian restaurant and walking to the Eiffel Tower! Once again, morning came quickly too soon. Stephanie and I almost missed our bus back to the airport! Over all, the trip to Paris was amazing! Two days was definitely not enough time to take it all in. But I look forward to going back, some day

The 14 hours in Madrid was a little rough. Stephanie and I were incredibly exhausted and it was still raining. I couldn’t store my backpack at the bus station so I had to carry that thing everywhere! Thankfully, the metros in Madrid were easier to understand (reduced the stress).
We spent quite a while at the Prado Museum which was wonderful. I absolutely loved the Prado Museum- way more than the Louvre (I had more background knowledge about the Spanish artists and paintings)! We also walked around the Puerta de Sol; which is the main shopping and nightlife area of Madrid….since it was still raining Stephanie and I definitely took advantage of the American chains like McDonalds and Starbucks in Madrid…and then at midnight we left Madrid and headed back to Sevilla.
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Sunday I took full advantage of the Sabbath: studied for a quiz, visited with my senora and roommate, edited photos, and walked around the city. The best part of my day was my quiet time. I sat beside the river and listened to a Rob Bell sermon. Bell continued his series entitled “Jesus wants to save Christians” and today’s theme (corresponding to the Parable of the Good Samaritan) was ‘who is your neighbor’ and hatred…always so much to think about and reflect on…

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! There are only 2 ½ weeks left of the semester! I can’t believe it…Emily and Munson, I can’t wait to begin our Christmas break adventures!!! And until next time and always, sending lots of love and prayers.
God bless you guys,

MaLeah