Mas de España!

Miles walked: 7
Hours on a bus: 12
Beaches visited: 2

Hola mis amigos buenos! How are things on the other side of the world? :)
Sorry it’s been awhile! This weekend has been a lot of fun, but very busy! As you just read, since Friday we’ve probably walked about 7 miles, rode on a series of buses for doce horas, and visited two fantastic beaches. Let me just say the miles and the uncomfortable bus seats were worth it. :)

Friday we went to Italica, an ancient Roman city about 20 minutes outside of Seville. There we saw an old Roman theatre used for gladiator fights. We also saw other ruins of the ancient city, as well as beautiful scenery! It was super hot and we were all out late before, so there was some crankiness, but for the most part we enjoyed ourselves. :) After a short siesta we went downtown to see the shops, the people, and the ice cream. We were exhausted though, and called it a night by about 10. My bed seems to be very comfortable these days, most likely because when I finally fall into it I’m absolutely exhausted.

Saturday morning we met the bus at 8:45 to go to Huelva and Matalascañas. In Huelva we saw the monastery where Christopher Columbus lived and practiced, where we were guided by a lady’s voice on an MP3 player—sort of a “tour at your own pace.” After the monastery we went to a museum that told us the story of Christopher Columbus and his journey to America. They are so proud of his “grand discovery!” It’s interesting to see history from a different perspective. Every country portrays history a bit differently to show off their heritage and culture. We then got to tour the three ships that Chris sailed to from Spain! Not the exact ships, claro, but exact replicas. I couldn’t believe how tiny they were! For a journey by sea for 69 days, there was not much space to move around. Again, look for the pictures when I can finally upload them. :) After the museum and boat tours we went to the beach! My favorite part of this beach is the big random rock close to the public area. It seems to be the remains of a fortress that was once there. The brave boys like to climb to the top and dive into the water. Unfortunately I can’t tell you that I did it. :)

Sunday we decided to wake up at 7:00 to catch a bus to another beach, Tarifa. This beach was absolutely gorgeous! The sand was white, the water was a clear greenish blue, and the waves were fun to play in. The best part though, was our view across the ocean. As I stood with my feet planted in the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea, I looked across and saw the tip of northern Africa. Unreal.

The four hour bus ride (that was supposed to be two) back from Tarifa left me a bit restless! The company was good however, so we had a fun time. :) I really enjoy the people I’m here with. It’s cool, because although I’ll probably never see many of them again, there’s a special bond created when you share “once in a lifetime” experiences like these!

In a nutshell, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past couple of days. I’ll spare you of all the little details like getting lost, taking unnecessary taxi rides, meeting weird people on the beach, and taking showers in the dark. Trust me, I could talk for hours about what’s going on here. :) In the next couple of days we’re planning to go shopping to find all the sales (July 1-end of August there are state mandated sales EVERYWHERE), cool off at a water park, watch a bull fight, and take midterms! (Notice how the midterms are the last thing on my mind :)) We are also planning a trip to Portugal for our last weekend here.

I hope you guys are well! Thanks so much for reading and checking up on me! It’s fun to post things on here for you to read. :) Thanks also for the cards, messages, facebook postings, and e-mails. I’m lucky to have you. :)

Un saludo!