Burning Things, Touring Things

My big adventure is winding down and sadly, these are the last two trips we took while here in Spain! We went to Las Fallas in Valencia, Avila, and Salamanca and made the most of our last big group trips. 

Any and all bonfires and firework shows are officially ruined for me because of Las Fallas! They make huge paper mache and styrofoam statues that are colorful and have some sort of political meaning that we could never understand. There are firecrackers everywhere. People throw them in the streets, they are set off to start the Fallas on fire, and to start the day off they have a huge firework show. I know I keep saying huge, but that is the only word I can think of to describe this holiday! The fireworks literally shake your entire body and the sound makes your eardrums want to explode. We were all so giddy because it was just SO COOL!!! At midnight, they set the big statues, or fallas, on fire and it is a huge bonfire! The ashes and embers are flying everywhere, it looked like a battle scene, and fireworks are going off the entire time. We definitely had some {hot crossed buns}.

Despues...Avila! It was one of the cities we toured with the typical tour of a few cathedrals and something new- a big wall around the city to walk! At the top of the wall we had a panoramic view of the whole city and we took lots of steps for my fitbit challenge. Then we were off to Salamanca for the night and the next day. We took our tour and visited my favorite plaza in Spain- Plaza de Salamanca. It had all these cute restaurants, stores, and families all over it playing and walking and talking. What a dream it would be to live in a Spanish city with a family! Also, Salamanca is a very famous college town because the university is there. Legend has it that if you find a frog on the front entrance of the university you will have good luck in school! Well, we found it. So A's for everyone? 

xoxo, 

Lyds 

I've Fallen Behind...

As this trip has gone on, I have realized that writing a blog post for every single thing we do has gotten a lot more difficult because we literally do so much. So, buckle down because I have a lot to share! 

It was about two weeks ago now that we had our day trip to Escorial, Valle de los Caídos, and Manzanares El Real. 

Escorial is a small town up in the mountains near Madrid and was very windy and cold. The weather is a huge factor, in my book at least, of how the trip will be enjoyed, and because of the cold and wind, our group struggled, but we still had a fantastic time being together. Escorial has a huge monastery called El Escorial, and it is still in business. We did not see any monks unfortunately... 

Next up, on the same day, was Manzanares El Real. I thought this little town was a lot of fun. We went to the Palace there, which on one side has a lake and the other side mountains. This place would be really awesome for kids, and that is probably why I liked it! There was a little museum in the beginning explaining the hows and the whys and then, you could go anywhere in the palace. There were many rooms to explore, a spiral staircase to climb, and the towers to explore. I loved just being able to walk around and play pretend with the few souls that can handle my childlike-ness. 

Also on the same day we visited Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen). Now, this place was jaw dropping and also very sad. This monument (the one with the cross in the pictures) was built after the Civil War here in Spain while Franco was in power. It is supposed to honor all those who lost their lives in the war, and true, it does, but sadly, it took more lives than honored them. Franco put the prisoners of war to work on this monument and over 40,000 people lost their lives and are buried beneath the monument. Also, in this monument is a huge basilica about the size of 3 football fields and Franco's tomb. It was definitely a sight to go see, but the sad part is, many families here in Spain have never seen it and refuse to because they have personally lost family members to the building of this monument. 

Now, because I am bunching what should be two blog posts together, I have got to tell you about a fun day in Madrid from also about two weeks ago. There is this cute park called Parque Retiro, which is like the Central Park of Madrid. If you go all the way to the middle of the park, there is a large lake with the cutest row boats for way cheap! I have gone back twice now and still loved it! We also visited the Palacio Real and took a tour of it this time. That place is as huge and intricate as the outside. One of the rooms was made completely of porcelain. The walls, the statues, the furniture- all porcelain! And highlight of Madrid day? Seeing El Rey León the musical! I have seen it before, and in English, and let me tell you- I loved it even more seeing it again and in Spanish! We also had amazing seats, right in the front and on the aisle and if you have been before, you know you want to be near the aisle for this one! 

Spain is treating me so. well. I have learned so much of the culture, the language, and many things about myself in less than 3 months. I am so insanely grateful for this experience I have been blessed with and I am also grateful for all the support I receive from back home and from all of y'all that read my posts. With the little time I have left here, I promise to do a better job keeping y'all updated! 

xoxo,

Lyds 

To The End Of The World & Back

Casually went to three countries in less than 5 days... I am living a dream life I swear! 

1. Badajoz, España
2. Lisboa, Portugal
3. San Vincente, Portugal
4. Rock of Gibraltar
5. Rhonda, España
6. Consuegra, España

^^^All the places we hit up during the free weekend. Definition of free weekend- plan a trip and go! A few people went to Paris and London and another group went to Germany and Switzerland, and my awesome group plus Brad & Debi went to Portugal, Gibraltar, and the south of Spain! 

Highlights of our trip: listening to an audio book that lasted 20 hours (our driving time was 21 hours for the whole weekend), hiking the Rock of Gibraltar and holding a monkey~ shoutout to our tour guide Carl, seeing the end of the world, or at least what was considered the end of the world during Columbus' time, seeing Morocco, THAT'S AFRICA!, walking the streets of an old fashioned San Fran AKA Lisbon, eating fantastic food in a restaurant on a cliff in Rhonda, and seeing the windmills that inspired the monsters of Don Quixote. 

Also, getting to spend time with the amazing girls I traveled with was the best. We watched a chick flick every night and bonded in our fear of Brad's driving. I cannot express how grateful I am for these girls and how much fun we had! They are all so unique and all so so funny, there was never a moment where we weren't all smiling! Well, scratch that... when you go to Gibraltar take your real passport not the copy! (love you, Mariah) 

xoxo,

Lyds 

(Badajoz)

(Cape St. Vincent)

(Lisbon, Portugal)

(Gibraltar)

(Rhonda)

(Consuegra)