From This Valley.

Hello All!

Oh I have so much to share with you.  This past weekend, we all visited two different cities: Cordoba and Granada.

We left early Friday morning and went to Cordoba for the day.  It was so gorgeous.  We saw the cathedral there that used to be part of a mosque.  It was absolutely stunning.  I will show you pictures.  I think that the tour guide said there are close to 900 columns within this cathedral.  So, check it out.

It was so crazy to see how in one room there is such a heavy influence of Islam and in another room, you will see the Catholic belief bleeding in every nook and cranny.  The architecture was so stunning.  I loved visiting the cathedral-mosque.

We also walked around the town a little bit which was amazing because it is such a beautiful city.  Because there is a lot of Moorish influence there, it reflects in the styles of streets and the architecture of the town.  Check it out.

Cordoba.

The famous Calle de las Flores.

After the tour of Cordoba, we drove about 2 hours or so to the absolutely stunning city of Granada.  I have loved visiting and exploring other cities, but if I can be so bold.  I think Granada might be my favorite city we have gone to so far.  We arrived that night and in the sprinkling night, we walked up and down streets on hills to see the night skyline and to see a flamenco show in a cave.  It was awesome.

Here are some pictures from that night.

Flamenco in a cave.

The Alhambra at night.

Ah, it was so great.  That night some of the girls and I had a great time watching movies and having girl talk.  I have really missed the dorm life and since we all live in different homes, we aren't able to just hang out at a house and chill.  So, it was a wonderful weekend of "dorm life" in Spain.  It was awesome.

Saturday, we had a tour of the Alhambra.  If you don't know what the Alhambra is, stop reading this and Google it.  Yes.  That's what I said.

It is so stunning.  It is the most visited place in all of Spain.  They have over 8,000 visitors a day and you have to sign up for a time slot so they can make sure everyone can see the whole palace.  It was where Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand had 6 months of honeymoon.  That is how I will have my honeymoon.  6 months and in a palace.

No pressure future husband.

Here are some pictures.

Flowers were everywhere!

I loved these gardens.

These Arabic inscriptions are everywhere in the Alhambra.

View from the Alhambra.

I wish I could just post more, but this is already long enough.  Plus, pictures just won't do it justice but at least you have a taste of what it was like.

Saturday night a bunch of us girls went a bought snacks and drinks to have a full on girls night.  We got our pjs on and picked out a chick flick.  It was awesome.  Just what I think we all needed.  I love my friends here.  I have been so blessed to have strong Christian women to share this experience with.

Sunday we toured Granada and it is just so beautiful.  We went to see the cathedral where King Ferdinand, Queen Isabel, and their daughter (another queen), son-in-law (another king), and their nephew who died at the age of three.  (I don't remember the daughter and son-in-law's names.  Sorry.)

Cathedral.

Just hanging with some kings and queens.

Some of the ISA staff.

Daniel.  The BEST tour guide ever.

Friends!

Granada and Cordoba were so great to see and explore.  I am so thankful that we are able to go to these different cities and try different things.


I am so glad that I studied abroad.  I know that I get homesick, but I can honestly tell you that there is no doubt in my mind that I am supposed to be here in Spain.  I love it.

Thanks for reading.  Hope your day is amazing.

Sincerely,
Ang

In the Quiet, In the Crowd.

Hello Dear Friends and Family,

I have been here in Sevilla for 6 days and I feel as if I have been here forever.  There is so much that I can tell you, but I will spare you (and your time) and just get straight to the point.

I am loving my host family.  I may not be able to communicate with them a lot, but I do try really hard and just laugh because I talk like a child.  They laugh too, so at least I know they have a sense of humor.

This past weekend my friends from the ISA/Veritas program and I walked all around the city on Saturday.  We walked around 9-10 miles exploring Sevilla.  We went to one of my favorite places in the city (so far); Plaza de Espana.  Oh my word, this place is absolutely gorgeous.  I took a ton of pictures for you all to see.  There is a mini river thing that goes all around the front where people are able to take canoe rides.  So, sorry for the amount of pictures of this place.  By the way, the blue tiles that cover this place are called "azulejos".  :)

So, that's that.  Now onto something different.

Some of you may know that I live pretty far from the school, but luckily the walk is absolutely gorgeous so it makes the walk enjoyable.  I live in a neighborhood called Triana and to get to the center of town where my school is, I have to pass over a bridge that goes over the Guadalquivir River.  The bridge is called the Triana Bridge and it has quite the story.

If you walk onto the bridge, you will see many locks (that I will show you in a minute) that are locked onto the bridge.  The story behind them goes like this.  A couple, who is in love with one another, will purchase a lock and write their names/initials on it.  They will then lock the lock onto the bridge and then throw the key into the river.  It is a symbol of their never-ending love because it cannot be broken or unlocked.  So, here are some pictures of the bridge and the locks.  Just to let you know, I found a lock with my name, it isn't mine.   Just throwing that out there.

Isn't that such a nice walk to school?  I think so.  :)

On Sunday we all went to the last bull fight of the season, and it was so interesting!  It has so much history and culture behind it.  I enjoyed it even though it is animal cruelty.  I was just so fascinated by everything; the crowd, the matadors, and the rules of it all.  People would yell ole and suddenly get completely silent.  At any rate, here are some photos for ya.

Although the stories are nice, there is a reason why I am in Spain and that is to go to school.  We started on Monday and I thought I would show you some pictures of the school and what not.

 Not super fancy, but hey.  There ya go.

So that's all that I have been up to.  I have been exploring the city and getting to know my surroundings.  It is such a beautiful place with amazing people in it.  It is so relaxing and great.  I have been making some friends who are really fun to explore with.  That is always a plus.  :) 

Now I shall leave you with a couple things:

1) Here are a couple of photos that I really like from this past week that I want to share just because I can.

2) I want to encourage everyone to listen to the new Mumford and Sons album "Babel" because it is awesome.

3) I encourage you to walk around where you are with a new perspective.  Whether you are in Oklahoma, Texas, or Alaska, try to be observant of things that you may take advantage of because you are so used to it.  The Lord made a beautiful world and when we get so comfortable with a place because of getting busy or because of the length of time we have lived there, we tend to ignore the small little details the Lord placed in our hometowns.  Find the beauty in the quiet and in the crowd.  Just try it.  I dare you.

Love and miss you all!

Love,

Ang