The Last Supper

It's really starting to set in that it's our last day in Spain. I've made such good friends on this trip and it's so weird that I won't see everyone everyday. As much as I miss everyone at home, I can't help but be sad to leave. I was so blessed to get to go on this trip and I really did have the experience of a life time. Today we drove back to Madrid. I had to stop at my favorite clothing store once we got back to the city while I still had the chance. The store is called Mango....and I'd be lying if I said today wasn't the fourth time I've gone there this trip. We ended the night with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. I tried veil and it was delicious once I got over the fact that I was eating baby cow. But I mean hey, if a baby cow had to be killed.....the least I could do was make sure it didn't go wasted! I'll miss the rolling hills, 70 degree weather, and sangria the most. You've been so good to me Spain.....Until next time!

All smiles until the rattle snakes came

Today was an amazing day. We started the day driving through small villages off the rolling mountains of southern Spain. We stopped and got fresh made churros and even stopped at a farm to help plant some crops. The farm had spectacular views. It was all smiles until the rattle snakes came. They were hiding in the bushes behind us and were sure to let us know they were there. I took their warning seriously and ran for my life.

We drove to a very small and local olive oil factory. I've become quite addicted to bread and olive oil this trip so I was sure to buy a bottle of fresh and local olive oil to bring home to enjoy! (let's hope my suitcase weighs under 50 pounds). After the olive oil factory.... we broke up into small groups and local housewives from the small village picked us up and took us to their homes and cooked us dinner. Probably my favorite thing we got to do on this trip! How often does someone get to experience that??? We ate tapas, salad, soup, a roast and potatoes, homemade wine, and desert. It was delicious! People in Spain get offended if you do not finish your plate, so we had to finish an entire course before we could move to the next one. Let's just say I could barely move after that meal. We drove back to our hotel and even got to have a few hours at the beach to end the day.

Wine and Dine

All is well in Spain! Especially considering I got an email from the US Embassy today alerting us of increase security because of the increased possibility of terrorist attacks in Europe. How fantastic! All the days seem to be running together since we've been so busy but I'm not complaining. It's crazy how much we've done so far! Today was our last day in Tarifa. We started the day visiting the Herpac Tuna fishing company. Lettme just tell you I am so over seeing and smelling fish in this country. They literally chopped up a huge tuna right in front of us. Not my ideal Tuesday morning but the outfits they made us wear were humorous and my gag reflex from the fish smell is improving. They gave us wine at the end of the tour so I guess it was worth it!!

Our second field trip of the day was to a local winery called Osborne. We got to tour the facility and learn how they age their wines which is right up my alley! We ended the tour by getting to taste a few of their popular sherry wines. Although it was fun, I'm not too sure I'm a sherry wine drinker just yet. I think I'll stick to my moscato for now.

I ended the day by eating a late dinner at a restaurant our tour guide suggested called Lola's. There was a lobster tortellini special for the night so of course I had to try it! It was by far the best meal I've had on the trip so far!

HELLO AFRICA

Today we left Sevilla and started our travel to Tarifa. We stopped in Gibraltar to take a quick tour. Gibraltar is on the south coast of Spain and is owned by the UK. You can view Spain, Gibraltar, and Africa from Gibraltar's high view points which is awesome!! We traveled through Gibraltar and got to see a cave, and even stopped to visit with some monkeys!

When we arrived in Tarifa, the first thing I wanted to do was FINALLY go to the beach! Tarifa is the most southern point in Europe and the beaches are beautiful! There were so many kite surfers and the beach was almost empty! Women in Europe are not afraid to hang out at the beach topless thats for sure. Don't worry Dad, I didn't participate in that cultural experience!!

I'm definitely starting to get home sick, REALLY missing american food (especially momma gs), and really really really missing oliver! The days go by so fast and we do so much each day that it helps keep me busy and having fun so I don't think about missing home so much!

Dancing with the bulls

Who knew a cattle breeding ranch could be so fun?? We started the day at a cattle breeding ranch right outside of Sevilla. They told us how they teach their bulls to fight in famous bull fights and even let us travel through the fields where they raise over 600 bulls. They pulled us on wagons by a tractor and we were able to get incredibly close to the bulls. Kenzie narrated the whole experienced in her best Steve Irwin impersonation. We pulled over and had lunch literally INSIDE one of the fields with over 50 bulls inside...with no fence or anything separating us. At one point a herd of bulls were no more than 25 feet from us. By the end of the lunch, a few of the bulls were staring me down so I stayed close to the wagon just in case I needed a quick getaway.

Before dinner our group decided to purchase tickets to a flamenco show. Flamenco music and dance is famous in Spain, but it originated in Sevilla so of course we had to go on our last night in Sevilla! Flamenco dancing is basically just incredibly loud and fast tap dancing. Most of the dances told a story and it was so fun to watch! I practiced my flamenco dancing the whole way home. Can't wait to bring my Flamenco dancing back to America!!!! Be sure to ask and I'd be happy to show ya some moves

Southwestern Spain

A five hour nap (I'm sorry I mean bus ride) later, we are FINALLY in southwestern Spain! I can already tell this will be my favorite part of the country. We left Madrid at 8 am and took a pit stop in Cordoba for lunch. When we pulled up to Cordoba, it was POURING down rain. Still groggy from my nap, I was not too happy about walking around in the rain. Instead of letting the weather affect our time, we walked around the city square to local shops. Cordoba is known for it's leather so we were sure to check out some local leather shops on our way to find some food. We walked around the city square and even got to walk across a 2,000 year old Roman Bridge. I love walking around the cities here. Who cares if I look like a tourist everywhere with my digital camera???

We left Cordoba and headed to Sevilla where we will stay for the next two days. We got into the city and checked into our hotel kind of late so we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed back to the hotel to watch the huge soccer game that happened tonight. It was basically equivalent to the super bowl in America. It was fun to watch and cheer for the Real Madrid team. Of course I accidentally hit the remote with my elbow and made the TV turn off on the winning goal. I'm coming home with a Real Madrid tshirt and jersey so I guess you could call me a fan now!

Teleferico

Days seem to go by faster in Spain, that's for sure! Today we had a short field trip in the morning and then we had the rest of the day free to do whatever we wanted. I heard of a Spanish dish called paella and I've been dying to try it. There's a tiny restaurant that specializes in paellas behind our hotel so we decided to check it out for lunch. I picked the chicken paella and it was delicious! (once again I forgot to take a picture so I stole one from google). Its yellow rice with green beans and peppers. The rice was creamy with a yummy flavor

Last week I researched different things to do in Madrid and I found a place called Teleferico which sounded awesome! It's basically a sky bucket that goes around the city of Madrid in the air. I wrote down the address just in case we could find time to go. With the help of the hotel receptionist, we picked the best metro route to use. Unfortunately the street that Teleferico is on is cut off from the map. So once we got off the metro we were just kind of wandering around. I saw some nice looking ladies and asked them for help. I spoke in Spanish and they actually thought I was a local for .5 seconds!! They ended up being tourists too and responded with no hablo espanol. I'm pretty impressed with myself that other tourists thought I was a local. After rejoicing that we actually found someone that spoke English, they helped us find Teleferico on a map they had. It was awesome and only 5 euros to ride it!

Thanks for the memories Madrid, but I'm ready to take on Southwestern Spain tomorrow!