Saturday, February 25, 2012

Reporting from Cardiff, Wales

Hello! I'm writing from Cardiff, Wales! I spent the day yesterday with my grandad and his wife Eunice, who were celebrating twenty-five years of marriage! Today I am at my aunt Nicola and Uncle Craig's home (also in Cardiff). The flight here was only a few hours and suddenly I am reunited with my brother James and my Mom. I was shocked to hear Jimmy's voice has gotten deeper now that he's thirteen and he is only a few inches shorter than me now! It is so nice to relax after mid-terms stress by walking along the misty beach and exploring a medieval castle. When I return to Madrid I can show you all some of the photos I have taken on my journeying about Wales. I still have one last midterm on Wednesday, so in all honesty I am not completely free from studying. Can't wait to be back in Madrid! ~Jenny

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Lisbon, Portugal

Hello again!
         This weekend I went on a school trip to Lisbon, Portugal. I am so glad I went on the trip because I don't think I would have gone on my own. Lisbon was so different than I ever anticipated it being. Initially, I thought that it would be very similar to Spain, but upon arrival I realized how wrong I had been. The languages, customs, and traditions are totally unique.
      While in Portugal, we visited: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Palácio Nacional da Pena; and the surrounding town Sintra, Cabo de Roca (the Western-most point of continental Europe), and el Museo Gulbenkian. 
My favorite place to visit was the museum, because the collection included many impressionist painters (including Monet), exotic ceramics from China, and Baroque period furniture. 
      I was sad to leave Portugal because although it was quite cold, the sun was always shining on us. Portugal is definitely a destination I would recommend and a place I hope to revisit shortly! 


The view out my hotel window

Raspberry and Chocolate ice cream!! 

The Castle


My favorite, very simple but elegant



Happy Valentines everyone! (p.s. hope for a safe flight for my brother James and my mom to the U.K. today!) 

Thursday, February 2, 2012

February, Where Did You Come From?

Buenas tardes!
         How is it already February? I am normally so aware of the passage of time, but this semester is
flying by! I can only imagine how quickly this month will go by, however it is a leap year. I feel as though I just returned from Sevilla, and next weekend I will be in Lisbon, Portugal! My classes are challenging but I am learning so much. I feel positive about my New Years Resolutions as I have just booked a flight to Frankfurt, Germany with my two good friends (Ms. Erika Pradillo and Ms. Sierra Meszaros). Some other exciting news, is that my Mom is coming to Europe! Her and my little brother Jimmy will be visiting my Granddad in Cardiff, Wales and I am desperately searching for flights from Madrid to see them. I think I'm going to get whiplash from all the sight-seeing I've been doing.
       In other news, I have just figured out one of the fundamentals of public transit: taking the bus! All this time I have been racing out of the house and walking to school, when low and behold, there is a bus that runs adjacent to my street and the route stops just outside Tienda Verde (a local sandwich shop) about 5 minutes from SUMC! I am a little embarrassed at how long it took me to figure this out, but I am just grateful for the extra time I now have to sleep in.
           It has been hard to stay focused in my classes, when all I want to do is day dream about all the places I could go. I have kept myself grounded by sticking to my hobbies and school work. I have finished another book, (I'm trying to read a book a week, because I am truly an unfortunately slow reader) "Will Grayson/Will Grayson" by John Green & David Levithan and give it five stars. John Green is turning into one of my favorite authors. My next reading excursion is "The Portable James Joyce", because ever since my English 102 class read Joyce's short story "Eveline", I have been captivated by his unique writing.
Hasta luego my devoted readers!
Jenny