Wednesday, January 25, 2012

My day in Sevilla

Sevilla is one of the cities I'm considering living in, so after spending 5 days in Malaga (the other city I'm considering), it was only fair to give Sevilla some love as well. It's an amazing city that doesn't feel too big and doesn't feel too small and has TONS of history.

I started my day out by walking around the Cathedral (said to the burial site of Christopher Columbus), which is the third largest church in the world.



Next I made my down to the Parque de Maria Luisa. It was beautiful and full of walkers and joggers and horse drawn carriages.




After the park I found myself in the Plaza de España. 







And then after all that walking it was time for lunch! I'm obviously a fan of any place that encourages having a glass of wine with lunch :)

i'm not really sure what type of  seafood was in this... but it was delicious

And then I finished out the day strolling around. 




I apologize for the quality of the last two, I took them on my iPhone. 

There you have it, Sevilla in a few pictures. Should it be my home? Remember, Malaga is on the coast ;)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The best friends that anyone could have...

So many of you have told me how great my pictures are, but sadly, I can't take all the credit. Yes, I am becoming quite the photographer (haha), but these pictures wouldn't have been possible with out these lovely ladies...

New Years Eve 2010

That's right. Before I left they gave me an incredible camera as a going away gift. It was the most thoughtful gift, and I still can't believe they got it for me.

One of the hardest things about being away is how much I miss my friends back home. I see groups of girls out for lunch or shopping, and it always makes me think of the fun times we've had.

family photo in Tahoe

Twilight

Memorial Day Weekend 2011

wine tasting before Mal's wedding, summer 2010

2nd annual Bucker Christmas Party

I also miss my Colorado girls every day. I hate being so far away, but love every second I get to see you all.

my graduation weekend in Fort Collins

trip to Chicago to visit Jessie, March 2011

dinner before I left for Spain with my CO girls

Katie's wedding in Denver, October 2011


GO RAMS!

senior class pub crawl

It's simple, really. I have the best friends a girl could ask for. Miss you all!!!

ps- I apologize for the poor quality of a lot of these photos. They obviously weren't taken with my new camera :)

Monday, January 23, 2012

Gibraltar

The best part about not having a plan while traveling is that the possibilities are endless. I was in Granada last week with the group of girls I met with in Madrid and they decided they wanted to go to Morocco so I tagged along with them down south. We had decided to go Gibraltar for the afternoon, and it was such an amazing place! I'll admit right now that while I've heard of Gibraltar and the Rock of Gibraltar, I actually knew nothing about it.

the Rock of Gibraltar
I'm fairly certain that almost everyone knows more about history than me, but for those of you who don't, here's a quick rundown of Gibraltar's history:

It is a British territory on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. The Moors had control of Gibraltar for seven centuries, then it was recaptured during the Spanish Reconquista, and in 1501 it was officially under the Spanish rule. Then in 1704 it was captured by an Anglo-Dutch force and in 1713 it became Britain's territory. The Spanish tried to get it back, but failed. To this day it's still a disputed area between Spain and Britain. 

taken from the Rock looking towards Spain
We took a guided tour, which is the only was to it. We got to see caves and tunnels that were used by President Eisenhower as headquarters during the Allied invasion of French North Africa, a cave full of stalactites and stalagmites that was once an emergency hospital and is now a concert hall, and we got to see and hold the infamous apes of Gibraltar (stories say that the monkeys made to Gibraltar from Africa through an underground passage that runs over 15 miles long under the Strait of Gibraltar).




It was such a strange experience being in Spain in the morning and walking 5 minutes into a British territory. Everyone spoke English, they used British pounds, and we ate a delicious dinner of fish and chips. All in all, I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to visit Gibraltar, it was a beautiful and interesting place!







Besos a mis amigos!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Lately

I've been in Spain for about a week and a half at this point and it still hasn't sunk in that this will be my home for the next 6-12 months. Today was a big day though, I now have a Spanish phone number. I don't have any friends to talk to yet, but that's beside the point. I needed a phone number to apply for jobs and call about apartments and etc. I've gotten pretty spoiled with my fancy iPhone in the past few months, but for only 19 euro I got this little gem!


I cheated and set the language to English, but I did set it on military time so I can get used to it. My favorite part: this phone has a built-in flashlight! It's genius.

Other than that, my days have been spent strolling the streets in search of delicious goodies, fantastically cheap wine (it really is cheaper than water here), and trying to make friends. I've also been applying to a few jobs. Next Friday, the 27th, I'm signed up to do a volunteer program called Pueblo Ingles. For one week I'll be living in La Alberca, which is in the Province of Salamaca in western Spain. They provide accommodations and food, and I just talk in English all day long. I'm really excited for it, I'll get to see another part of the country, get experience teaching English, and hopefully make some connections.

I'm in Malaga right now, which is where I'm hoping I can find work. The weather is amazing and the people are really nice here.






Besos!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Granada...

A few days ago I was in Granada. Everyone I've talked to and everything I've read has said that Granada is ah-maz-ing and that I'd love it... well....

I didn't LOVE it. But I'll go back and give it another chance. The weather was terrible when I was there, cold and rainy, and my rain boots didn't make the cut when I was packing so my poor little Steve Maddens are very water-logged right now. For those of you that don't know, I really really REALLY dislike rain. I can handle snow, but rain and I do not mix. Granada is a really amazing city though, it's full of so much history and tons of tapas bars where you get a free tapa (small plate of delicious treats) with a bebida (drink). I think that tapas are quite possibly the best invention ever and America should adopt them. And it's not like at Mexican restaurants where you get chips and salsa, you get actual dishes here... that are incredibly delicious. And a few count as your meal, and with 3 drinks only costs 6 euro (about $7).


We also went to a Flamenco show, which originated in Andalusia (the southern region of Spain), as a song and dance of the local Romani people (Gypsies). The show we saw included a guitar player, a singer, and a dancer. Even though I didn't understand a single word they sang, I really enjoyed it. 

The big thing to see in Granada is the Alhambra, which is an old palace/fortress originally built by the Moors. It's massive and can take up to 6 hours to tour it all. Unfortunately it was raining the day we went so we only stayed an hour, and I'm pretty sure I almost lost a toe or two to frostbite. It was very interesting though, and I definitely want to go back in the warmer months so I can spend the allotted 5-6 hours touring the grounds and get my 15 euro worth...
I apologize for the terrible picture... it was terrible weather. This place is much prettier, I promise

Here are a few more photos of Granada. More to come... in warmer months :)

view from the Alhambra 


Buenas noches a mis amigos!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Me siento amigos

I know, I know. I've been a terrible blogger. It's been almost a week since I got to Spain and I haven't had a lot of access to wifi so that's what caused the lack of posts. And a lack of time. I'll make sure this one is very informative to tide everyone over :)

I spent one more day in Madrid last week and went to the Museo del Prado.... there were lots and lots of paintings and sculptures. There were a lot of pieces by El Greco and Goya, and what I thought was most interesting is that a lot of the painters got there start by working as painters for the royal court.

el Parque del Buen Retiro

Puerta de Alcalá

After Madrid, we took a train to Cordoba (I'm still with the group of girls I met up with in Madrid, thank goodness). Within 5 minutes I knew that I liked Cordoba. It's a smaller city south of Madrid with lots of historical significance. At one point in time it was an Islamic capital, which influenced it's beautiful architecture. The first place we visited was the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristiano, which is a medieval fortress where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella lived and used as the headquarters for the Spanish Inquisition in 1482. It was incredible and there were so many beautiful gardens, I loved it!



Christopher Columbus conversing with the King and Queen about his voyage to discover America 


view of Cordoba from the castle 

the dungeons  
the entrance to the castle/fortress
We also went to the Mezquita, which started out as a Pagan temple, then a Visigothic Christian Church, then a mosque, and finally when the Spanish reconquered the city, it became a Roman Catholic Church. It was also an incredibly beautiful place to see.

outer walls 

inside the cathedral 

And FINALLY... here are some more shots of Cordoba. I loved it.





Besos!!!