SPAIN!  A little fun from my side of the world:

So, I may have made a few mistakes in my video.  For one,  I exaggerated how many locks we have on our door (it's really 4, promise).  

I also showed my undies for all to see..luckily you weren't surprised if you have read my other post.

I love my Spanish life here.   Everyday I wake up thinking it can't get better than the one before..and then it does!! It's amazing.  I can't even explain how blessed I feel to be here!

This is where I live.  Can it get any dreamy-er? No.  I love, no LOVE, the roses.  They are the  BIGGEST roses I have EVER seen!

See what I mean?!?! Even here I find my simple joys...FLOWERS!

So, Everyone knows that bull fights are just part of the Spanish culture.  So, I went to one.  Do you want me to be honest with you? Ok, fine, I will then:  

I cried a little bit.  For like the first 15 minutes I sat speechless, wondering if I would make it through the whole thing.  Then I got a little teary eyed, and well! I just like to look "tough" so that couldn't keep going.  So, I stopped crying and got myself together, and tried to understand why the people liked this sort of tradition....I still don't know.

But, it was fun to go with my group and have the experience.  If anyone wants to come to Spain and have me give them a tour, I'd be MORE than happy...but don't count on a bull fight with me.  I don't think I'll be going to any more of those.

We were in the section called "Sol" which means sun (or sunny).  And boy, it would've been bad if that were true.  BUT! We actually had great seats (in my opinion).  We had shade, and were far enough from the bull that I couldn't smell it's sweat and blood dripping off.  Before I start going on with details, let's just say that it was close enough for me!

The Madrid, Spain Temple!  What a beautiful and comforting site!  I was so excited to go here! There aren't any gardens, but still the grounds are beautiful and calm...just like how you would imagine.  In this tree you can see the amazing (and OLD!) olive tree.  It's incredible! It symbolizes the Garden of Gethsemane; beautiful! 

My beautiful (and of course tall! I'm always paired with the tall ones) roomie, Hilary!

Cuenca! What a pretty little town! You wouldn't come here if someone didn't tell you about it!

In the royal palace gardens.

I just couldn't get enough of this!  I tried to walk fast so I could see the whole thing..too big!  So I slowed down, walked around, read a book, and enjoyed being in the middle of a beautiful place!

It was my host dad's birthday a couple days ago..doesn't that cake make you salivate? Ya me too.  Pretty sure we ate half of it..and there were only 4 of us! He's a funny guy! "He kept saying cut them a little bigger!" to his wife..and let me tell you, she is NOT stingy when it comes to food!  Too funny.  And then today, after we finished lunch (which is actually always a HUGE feast b/c it's like dinner here), our host mom asked if we wanted any dessert; when he asked if there was any cake left and she said "yes" he responded with a "fine, I'll make the sacrifice and eat it for everyone!"  He's got a good sense of humor!  I'll take him as my Spanish Dad ANY day!

My Spanish parents!
Aren't they just adorable?! 

(he's holding the card we wrote him for his birthday!)

Isn't this sweet?!!  So, as you may know (or you do now), my town is the birthplace of the author of  Don Quijote.  (If you don't know what that is, google it asap! It's a classic)  Anyways, here (and pretty much everywhere in Spain) there are drawings, sculptures, statues, etc... of Don Quijote EVERYWHERE!  Pretty sure I love it...and pretty sure this is one of my favorites.  This is just right behind where I live.

I eat like a queen!  Every day we have a HUGE lunch and then a HUGE dinner! (lunch is always the biggest meal here)
I love it, but I love more that my host mom makes everything look amazing! She is quite a chef, and makes everything look gourmet!  Seriously!

The famous dish: Paella! 

Served all over Spain; it's delicious!  Ellie, you would love it!  It's pretty much just rice, chicken, fish, and veggies...and if you get the "real" deal you get some rabbit in there.  

El Escorial
This place is very unique, built during the Spanish Civil War (pretty recent actually) by the slaves.  Another thing to google when you have the time!

Castle!

View from the castle!  Beautiful! 

Now, let me tell you something. These people may not have any peanut butter, but they sure know how to eat themselves some nutella!  Welcome to heaven if you even like this stuff!

We went and had a picnic in the park (yes, if any of you even slightly know me..it was obviously my idea).  If you don't want to be dumb like me, don't ask anyone how to say picnic in Spanish! (It's just "picnic" for those of you like me, and didn't know).  This park is in the middle of Madrid, and is HUGE!  I don't even know how big it is!  There are soccer fields, parks, paths, old buildings, parts of museums...and well I'm not even sure what else! It's always fun walking through and finding something new!  We rented boats and went paddling around the lake for a short time! What a great way to spend the afternoon!
(the pic above is the same park, just on a different day)

We end (and sometimes start..too) our days with ice cream.  Do you think this one's big enough for me?  Ya, me neither!

Buenas Noches from a little chica in Espana!