Arrrrrrriba Espana!

22 June 2013

Can you imagine life without miracles? If that were so, I would not be sitting on the plane to Spain right now. Today has been a constant string of little miracles, all of them which have led to another and another and another. The first miracle was that we were able to catch a ride to London with one of the boys in our Oxford Seminar early in the morning. He took us to Brother and Sister White’s home where we dropped off our luggage. It would of been a headache to have to take all our luggage on and off of the bus and metros from Oxford to their home. We spent the morning chatting and having a good time. We were having such a good time that I did not pay attention to the time, and the fact that the kitchen clock was an hour behind did not make matters better. When we realized that it was 12:50 instead of 11:50, I was a little panicked. The bus we originally were going to take left at 12:53 from outside the West Brompton underground nearly a 30 minute metro ride from the Maida Vale stop near the White’s home. We quickly pulled together an alternate plan to take the metro to Victoria station (another 30 minute metro ride) and then catch the next and quickest bus or train that left. This option was going to be much more expensive, but we did not want to chance missing our flight to Seville. We got on at Maida Vale, rode to Paddington, and then switched lines to what we thought was the Southbound Circle Line. Well…4 stops later we realized that we were not on the Circle line and that we were going, that was the second miracle that I will expound on later.

Ana and Maria are such sweet girls, I am so glad that I got the chance to meet them today in their hometown of Sevilla, Spain.

This young boy carried my backpack all evening as we walked around Sevilla. What a tough man, because my backpack was not light!

The third miracle came when just up the stairs I spotted a security personal. Usually these guys are hard to catch when you need them, and upon inquiring he informed me that we could hop back on the metro and take one more stop where we could catch a bus to the Gatwick airport. At the next stop we got directions to the bus pick-up location but were told that they usually are full and that we probably would not get a spot. We sprinted just in time to pay for a ticket and hop on the bus (in which there were just a few spots left) literally 2 minutes before it departed. That was both the fourth and fifth miracle, that the bus was not full and that we were able to catch it in time. Back to the second miracle, if we had not hoped on the wrong line we would have gone to Victoria station and paid a much steeper price for a train ticket that may not of departed in time to get us to the airport before the gate closed. Once at the airport we swiftly moved through passport check, security, and boarding with no problems and no items lost. Throughout the process and now as I look back on it, we were really blessed. There is no way all those happenings were circumstances, someone was watching us from above.

On that note, I am so excited to go spend a week playing in Southern Spain and Portugal! The two girls I am with, Kailey and Stephanie, are absolutely incredible. I am quite lucky to be traveling with such fun friends who love to go out and do crazy things. The weather is supposed to be in the 80s, so I am a happy girl! Beach, sun, sand, and relax time only mean one thing…a really good tan!

Sevilla! Yippe!

Ryanair is my new favorite airline. If you fly anywhere within Continental Europe or the surrounding areas, fly Ryanair. The flights are cheap, yet the service is incredible. I have already flown three Ryanair flights and I haven’t had any complaints… Although beware that their carry on size restrictions are smaller than the US and you have to pay a hefty fee to check on your bags…

Kailey and I got Sevilla Spain stamps in our passports! I get so excited every time we get a new stamp…it is kind of ridiculous.

We arrived in Seville about 7:30 this evening into the airport and the second we walked off of the plane I was thanking myself for choosing such a warm place to spend a week. The heat wave we felt the moment we stepped out of the body of the plane was so intense it literally took my breath away. I forget how much I love the heat until I realize what I have been missing for the past month after month after month. After soaking in as much sun we could as we walked through the airport terminal, we quickly caught a bus to Sevilla Central Station where we were going to meet Ana for the first time. She had so graciously offered to pick us up and I was excited to see how far my two years of high school Spanish could get me in communicating with her. We were surprised when she showed up with four of her friends from the singles ward and young mens group here in Sevilla ready to take us around the town. We were in for a great time.

Kailey, myself, and Stephanie soaking in our first experience in Southern Spain. Forgive us as we had a day full of traveling and a night with not much sleep. P.S. I would recommend Southern Spain over Barcelona if you really want to experience Spanish culture.

This is the entire group of us that swept through Sevilla last evening. It was such a fun, fun night. We walked by the riverside, experienced a traditional Spanish market, and even got serenaded by a lovely Spanish band.

I met Ana through the YSA Barcelona Facebook page. She served her mission in Madrid several years ago and is now back in Seville working after studying business for several years at the University level. Her friends Maria, Hosea, and two others whose names I will reveal later (simply because I do not know how to spell them at this time), were so nice and fun to hang out with. The boys would not allow us to carry our backpacks and they insisted that they carry them around the city for us. They were so sweet to do so because our backpacks were not the lightest things ever.

Added to my bucket list tonight was, “Sleeping on a random elderly couple’s back patio in the middle of Sevilla, Spain.” Check that.

Let me tell the real story…
Tonight was one of the most fun nights I have had in a long time. The experience I am about to tell you is one I will never forget. Upon spending several hours exploring the beauties of Sevilla, Ana took us to the home of her grandmother’s dear friend. We were going to stay with Ana, but because her brother is also living with her, her grandmother thought it was inappropriate for three young girls to stay in the same house. Maria is the name of the sweet lady who was so gracious in taking us into her home. She just recently got married to a sweet man who was converted to the church this past September. They do not speak a lick on English, but for that I am grateful because I was able to practice my Spanish in a way I had never done before. For the rest of my needs, Kailey was able to translate what they said into English. They live in a traditional Spanish home, with all the decor and style you see in Spanish films. I busted up laughing when they set up a place for us to sleep on their patio outside. They must be a very well off family, because any front or backyard space is extremely valuable in an area where space is so limited.

This is the Canopy we slept under this evening…there is nothing quite like falling asleep in the warm Spanish air filled with the scent of flowers and the sound of Spanish music in the distance. This is my happily ever after. I want Zoro to come for me, no more of this Prince Charming business…

A closer view in our sleeping corridors that Maria so kindly laid out for us.

They live in one of those traditional “rectangular” looking housing complexes just as most people do in big European cities such as Barcelona or Rome. I will take a picture of one shortly so those of you who don’t know what I am talking about can understand… The decorations from their wedding reception were still up, and they let us sleep under the little white canopy they had set up. Can I just say that it was beautiful being able to sleep out in the open air where the flowers smell so good and the temperature is such that a T shirt and running shorts are all you need to stay comfortable. I slept with only a pillow on the ground, and that was honestly one of the best nights sleep I have ever had. The smell of the beautiful flowers and my body lathered with lavender and peppermint essential oil was enough to make a girl happy. I forgot to mention that when Kailey and I were in Winchester we found the cutest little health food store and we both went crazy. It is so nice to have someone to share my love of “healthy living” with. We both bought new essential oils for the rest of our time in Europe, purposely picking up lavender so that we would have something to soothe our sunburns that no doubt are coming over the next few days.

This is a traditional Bull-fighting arena. You will only see these in the more traditional Spanish cities because Bull-fighting has become extinct in many of the more westernized cities such as Barcelona. It is a very gruesome event…

The Golden Tower. Ana was telling us how this Tower used to shine like gold in the sun because of the beautiful materials it was made of. Nowadays it doesn’t shine quite like it used to, but it is still symbolic of Spanish beauty and tradition.

The most fun portion of the evening was striking conversation with these two elderly Spaniards who knew ABSOLUTELY no English. I talked with them for a long while, using the words bonita and divetida hundreds of times as I explained about where I live and go to school, my family, my interests, and my trip around Europe. It was kind of funny, I felt as if I were in Spanish class again presenting my life story at the end of the semester with all the verb conjugations and adjectives I had learned throughout the year. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I remembered and concluded that if my internship in Paris does not work out next summer, I will go somewhere Spanish speaking whether it be in Spain or Central and South America. The Spanish culture is remarkable, and I find it very interesting to immerse myself in. Although I know my Spanish is broken and closer to horrific than average, I loved every moment of the conversations I had with the Spaniards. At one point in the evening I sat down for a good 30 minutes and told the old man all about my life in Spanish and asked him questions about his. Although most of the conversation consisted of “no comprendo”, it was a blessing and humbling experience for me to have.

I hate to make my life seem like a constant string of miracles, but it really is. I have been blessed beyond measure and I am so lucky to have had the experiences I have had. Thank you Sevilla Spain. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow!

Spanish Architecture is beautiful…

This is the beautiful Spanish Band that serenaded us…I tried to get them to let me play some Taylor Swift for them, maybe next time?