Saturday, January 15, 2011

Segovia and something a little different.

Today was my first day trip to Segovia.  Segovia is about an hour away on a bus from Madrid - I have no idea what direction it is.  Sorry for my lack of geography.  Anyways Segovia is a lot smaller than Madrid, however, it still has a lot of history in it.  I really don't want to go into too many details of the trip, because to be honest I don't remember everything.  One of the most important things in Segovia is the Roman Aqueduct.  This aqueduct transported water from the mountains to the city just with gravity.  I just find water to be so amazing :)



These are two pictures of the Aqueduct.

The next thing we saw in Segovia was the Cathedral and was it ever beautiful :)
That little person is me if front of the Cathedral.

The last major thing on our tour was the Castle.  I don't have many good pictures of the castle.  Please check my Facebook for more pictures.  The view in Segovia was beautiful!! I could have just stayed there all day sitting in the sun reading a book.  

Well today instead of going in great detail of my day's adventures I thought I would express more of my feelings of studying abroad and the experience so far.  Just a warning to all this will be a little personal and I hope all who read this will appreciate my honesty.  I have truly enjoyed very moment of the past week - it seems like way more than a week to me.  I have been so busy I haven't really had that much time to reflect on how I am feeling about the experience.  One of the main things I have realized is I need change.  Yes, I never thought I would say this, but I think I thrive on changes and new experiences.  As much as it would have been easier to stay at home and not get out of my comfort zone and study abroad I know this was the right choice after only a week here.  Tonight Gloria invited family over tonight - there was a total of nine of us.  And they all were speaking Spanish.  I had a nice time, but since I have only gotten about 5-6 hours of sleep the last couple of nights and have long busy days I was not in the mood to listen carefully and try to understand what everyone was saying.  However, Spanish families - at least this one - eats soooo much food.  I thought we Americans ate a lot on holidays, well not compared to what I ate tonight.  I can't even remember what I all ate but it was all delicious.  Having a bigger family dinner tonight made me miss home more.  However, the only times I have really missed home is when I am super tired and all I want to do is sleep - so only when I got here and now other wise I have been good :) 
I was talking with some of my friends today about living in Europe and they all told me they could never do it - they love America too much.  However, me on the other hand I think I would love Europe - well what I have seen so far.  Don't get me wrong, I love home, but something about Europe.  I love the idea that most people walk everyone.  I love the idea of public transportation.  I love the sound of different languages - even when I get frustrated when I don't understand.  I love being in new situations, even though I am a planer and I am scared most of the time.  Something about this short time (one week) has given me a new sense of confidence.  I know I have said this numerous times, but I will never be able to say it enough - how much I appreciated my mom and dad for letting me have this opportunity.  Also I want to thank all of you who believe in  me and have prayed for me over the past week - I hope you can see God working through me.

Tomorrow I will be traveling to Toledo, Spain for another day trip :)  Sometime in the up coming week I want to take the time to explain a couple differences about Spain and back home - but not tonight.  Paz y amor.  God Bless. GO PACK GO!!!  

4 comments:

  1. Segovia is to the Northwest and Toledo is to the South FYI

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  2. Thanks for blogging. :) I like this one a lot. It can be hard to share your feelings like that .. but I'm glad you did! It will only help you grow on your journey. Praying for you. Love and miss you!

    P.S. I'll be watching the Packers tonight ... but GO BEARS! ;) hehe.

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  3. I agree with Kelsey, this is your best blog todate. If we wanted a travel book, we'd buy one. We all want to hear about you because we love you. I used to think that when you met people of different color you had the unique ability to not see their color. I was wrong. When you see people of different color or background you see a rainbow! Sounds like you are also hearing the rainbow too! You are an inspiration to all of us. No hiding your light under a bucket. I am sooooooo proud of you. I am the luckiest mom on earth.

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  4. Segovias Castle (El Alcazar) is perhaps the 2nd most important attraction Segovia has! There are a couple of photos here, http://www.uniquespain.com/segovia-castle.html, showing different angles of the castle.

    I must admit its been a loonnnggg time since I read such an honest appraisal of living abroad. No arrogance, no political correctness just a simple explanation of "yes, its all nice but I love where I'm from". I don't think anyone can argue with that!

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