Hasta Luego Sevilla

Wowza,

The day has finally come. Our emotions are running out of control. For the last couple of weeks we have been SO excited to come home to our friends and family. However, these last couple of days have been difficult saying goodbye to friends from our school and of course to Blanca.

This semester has been a whirlwind of events and the last couple of nights with our friends we've been reminiscing on all of the good times we've had. This has been one of the greatest semesters of our lives. How could it not be? We've been traveling all over Europe, chilling with some awesome people, learning about how BIG God's world really is, and living with one of our best friends here, Blanca.

To say that God has blessed us this semester is an understatement. He's watched over everyone of our footsteps in every place that we've been and in every adventure that we seemed to find. Both of us were nervous coming to Sevilla to speak Spanish for the majority of the time, however God put those nerves away and we've been able to learn so much of this awesome language.

Saying goodbyes is always hard, but we've learned that it's not a goodbye, it's more of a see you later (hasta luego). We know that we'll keep in touch with everyone we've met this semester and that if it's God's will, we are going to see some of them again! We would love to come back to Sevilla someday in the future, however if we don't we know that Sevilla will always be in our heart.

As they say so often in Spain, hasta luego. And hasta pronto to our friends back home! Words can't describe how excited we are to see you.

Love dearly,

Kerianne and Emily

Our Second Spring Break!

Emily and I have been so blessed to be able to do some traveling while studying abroad this semester. This past week we had the chance to go to Ireland and Paris! I guess you could say we had a second spring break, because we didn't have any classes. This week is Feria in Sevilla, which is basically a big carnival and fair for a week. Women walk around in their huge, outrageous flamenco dresses or ride on horse carriages. There are a ton of tents with flamenco dancing inside them. No, we didn't bust out our dancing skills (mainly because we don't know how to dance flamenco style). 

Saturday we left for the amazing country of Ireland! People really aren't lying when they say Ireland has 47 shades of green. From the plane we could literally see every color of green. We met up with my relatives (my Grandad's brother, Sean and his wife, Olga) who we stayed with. They live in a town about a 30 minute train ride outside of Dublin called Dalkey. I was able to meet a lot of my extended family there. Everyone in Ireland is so helpful and talkative, and it's very nice that English is their first language : ) 

We took a day trip to Bray, a local town near Dalkey, and hiked a mountain. We got this amazing view:

We also went into Dublin for a day and walked around the city. We saw the "other" Trinity College. This one is just a tad bit bigger than our Trinity, haha. There is so much history and culture in Ireland. Every pub we walked by had such great Irish music playing. Ireland was such a wonderful country to visit and we had such amazing hosts that made us feel like we were just at home. 

Olga and Sean - my relatives

After our short visit in Ireland we were off to Paris! There were so many things that we knew we wanted to see, however we didn't want to pay for metra train tickets, so we sucked it up and walked all over Paris for 3 days (in the rain for two of those days!). Just some of the things we saw were the Arc de Triomph, the Opera, Palace of Luxenburg, the Panthion, the Eiffle Tower, the Louvre, Moulin Rouge and Notre Dame. We were quite tired at the end of the day from walking to see all of this! But it was still great to be able to see everything!  

Emily and part of the Louvre 

Las dos chicas aventureras :) 

People always say that Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and I think we would definitely agree! There are so many ancient beautiful buildings that everyone needs to see! Whenever we travel, Emily and I are so amazed to see the glory of God in every country He has made. 

We have less than two weeks left in Sevilla. We're going to try and soak up these last 12 days in Spain as much as possible and enjoy them to the fullest!

Just Livin

Hello all!
It's been a crazy awesome last couple of weeks! We got to experience the last days of Semana Santa in Sevilla after returning from Holland, and returned to school, dragging our feet on April 9. That Friday, we had a school field trip to the ancient ruins of Italica, very cool, but indeed ancient ruins...which seem to look like a lot like rocks after a while. :) We were still very glad for a short week of school and the opportunity to see another place in Spain. The next day, we packed our bags with three of our greatest friends, and headed off to the number one thing to see in Spain, the Alhambra in the city of Granada. This was a really fun weekend because we were with our friends and got to experience one of the greatest constructions in history. It rained both days, but with our wet, stinky shoes, we walked all over the city and got to experience some amazing views:

A viewpoint to see the Alhambra

Although we have been traveling lots, Kerianne and I wanted to catch you up on our life in Sevilla. Maybe you haven't been able to tell, but we love this city. We thank God everyday that we are here living in Sevilla with Blanca. That woman. What a lil nugget. :) We have so much fun with her, and wanted to make her something special that we knew she would enjoy. We decided to make her dinner on Tuesday evening. Not just any meal, an American meal.

Here is what the meal consisted of:

 Fried asparagus and onions, and mashed potatoes!

And, the best meatloaf of your LIFE!

This was the first time that Kerianne and I have had any of these things while in Spain, which poses as a problem if you know my slight addiction to any kind of potato. Anyhow, the whole meal was a huge success! Blanca loved it, we loved it, and even our dog Vita loved it. He whined until Blanca finally gave him a piece of her meatloaf. Not only was the meal a success, Blanca surprised us with our "American" desserts, BROWNIES! We went to bed that night stuffed, and so pleased. 

 

Life here is flying by, and we can't believe that we have less than a month left! Day to day life here is just as wonderful as all of our travels. We start another journey tomorrow that is bound to be tons of fun! Tomorrow through Tuesday, April 24 we will be in Dublin, Ireland exploring and hanging out with Kerianne's family. From there, we are flying to Paris, France! We have our maps, lists of things to do, and clothes all packed up ready for another set of travels! 

We miss you all and absolutely can NOT wait to see you! Summer is just around the corner. :) Keep us in your prayers as we will be doing a lot of traveling soon. 

Love you,

Emily and Kerianne

Visiting the Motherland

This week is Semana Santa in Sevilla so Emily and I got the whole week off of classes (1st of 2 spring breaks!). We jumped on this opportunity to travel around a bit of Europe (we're two adventurers, how could we not?!). Last Saturday Emily and I visited our motherland, Holland.

We were able to see some smaller, quaint towns in Holland and the capital, Amsterdam! On Saturday, my relatives who live in Siddeburen (northern Holland) picked Emily and I up at the airport. On our way to their house we stopped in Groningen, a cute town which was really neat to see. This is when we realized that everyone in Holland bikes. I mean everyone.

Here's just a few bikes at the bus station in Groningen.

Groningen was busy with people selling flowers, fresh bread, fish, Dutch pastries (which we really enjoyed!), etc. It was really neat to walk around and see all the excitement in that city.

On Sunday we went to church with my family. It was all in Dutch, so we didn't understand anything really, but it was still interesting to hear the language and try to sing some of the worship songs! Sunday we also walked to see where my Grandpa used to live. It was really neat learning a bit about the history of my Dad's side of the family. 

Blaauwslaan! The land in the back of the picture is where my Grandpa used to live.

Emily and I met more of my family Sunday afternoon. It was so great to be able to see and meet my family living in the Netherlands! We're quite thankful that everyone in Holland speaks a bit of English. I'm not sure what we would have done if this wasn't the case. 

Monday morning we continued our journey onto Amsterdam! Once we arrived became the real adventure. We had to find our way to my Dad's cousins house. This was pretty funny, because we really had no idea how to get there, however the two adventurers eventually found their destination, por supuesto. We headed back into Amsterdam to do some exploring of the city. Amsterdam is a really neat city. And yes, Dutch people are very very tall! It is quite easy to distinguish the Dutch from the others living there. Amsterdam has every ethnicity living there known to man! And apparently it's not necessary to know Dutch, because not everyone does!

We did lots of cool things in Amsterdam! We went to the Van Gogh museum. This was really cool! We're amazed at how many paintings he painted in such a short time. Also, we went to the Anne Frank house. This is the coolest museum/house that both of us have ever been to. If you're ever in Amsterdam, make sure you go there! We took a boat canal tour through Amsterdam, which gave us a really cool view of the city and some neat history!

One day we went to Keukonhof, which is a huge park filled with gorgeous tulips! We were there for 2 1/2 hours and didn't see everything! We were both amazed at how many different types of tulips and flowers there are. And how they were all organized and set up perfectly! 

pretty :)

We were quite happy to eat food other than tapas. Don't get us wrong, spanish food is delicious, however eating food in Holland was a nice change of pace. We definitely enjoyed some of the food that Holland is famous for which is....

Dutch pastries - yum!

Cheese please!

On our way back to Sevilla, which was quite a journey, Emily and I compiled a list of things we noticed about Holland: 

1. The people in Holland eat more bread than in Spain. For those of you who don't know how much people eat bread in Spain, it's a lot.

2. Bikes - everywhere. When you walk in the streets you have to be aware of the cars, busses, trains, bikes and people.

3. The smell of weed in Amsterdam. 

4. Everywhere there are steep and windy staircases. The kind that you can fall down easily. No, this did not happen, haha.

5. Everyone speaks a little English! :)

6. People live on house boats on canals - how sweet!

7. It's very green! We can't believe what it's like when it's warmer.

8. Flat - Holland is very flat. 

9. There are tons of sheep and cows in the countryside.

10. Holland has wild tulips growing in ditches!!!

11. All the houses in Amsterdam are either tipping to the back, front, left or right! None of the houses are straight. This is probably because Holland is slowly sinking.

12. Amsterdam is very diverse. 

We had such a great time in Amsterdam and are so thankful that we were able to travel to this awesome country! Also, it was such a blessing to be able to stay with my family in Holland. They were so hospital and helpful and I hope to see them again sometime, maybe in Chicago! It's back to the books next week!

Barcelona with the Parents

Hello one and all,

At this very moment, Kerianne and I are both working on two blog posts to try to catch you guys up on everything that is going on in our lives. We are so sorry that things have been kind of slow, but in our defense we have had a sort of crazy last couple of weeks. So where to start...

Well, when we got back from the Costa Del Sol, we had to hit the books pretty hard to catch back up with things that were happening in class. Although class isn't super straining here, it does take some time, and since we do want to learn Spanish, we have to actually work at it. This was a short week for us though, as we didn't get back from the Coast until Tuesday.

My parents returned from the Coast on Thursday to Sevilla. We spent some time just walking around and enjoying this city together. My parents got the chance to take Blanca out to eat which was such a treat for us! Although the wonderful Kevin and Brenda (parents) don't know a lick of Spanish, it was fun to watch us all interact together.

Late Friday evening, my parents and I headed off to Barcelona! My dad had bought a Rick Steves book on Spain (which are probably the best travel books EVER) and looked through it all and we were very excited to see Barcelona! Some of the greatest architects of all time are from and created buildings in Barcelona.

We got into the hostel late Friday evening so we didn't really have time to explore. Saturday morning, we got up with a plan to go get breakfast and coffee and then explore the old Gothic quarter and cathedral on foot. That plan changed fairly quickly at breakfast because we decided that if we wanted to see all of Barcelona, we should hop on the "hop on, hop off" Touristic Bus. We were able to see all of the things in Barcelona that we really wanted to see this way. Here are some pictures from day 1:

 The Christopher Columbus Monument

 1992 Olympic Stadium

 Trying to blend in and not be a tourist. :)

 Famous home by Antoni Gaudi

Although we felt like "tourist" had been stamped on our foreheads, the tourist bus gave us an awesome view of all of Barcelona, and our blond and red hair probably gave us away before the tourist bus anyways. :) One of the spots that we hopped off of the bus and looked around at was Park Guell created by Antoni Gaudi. This park was HUGE and so fun to walk around.

 An awesome view of the city and La Sagrada Familia

How cute. :)

Saturday, we decided to pick up the plans from Friday and roam around the Gothic Quarter and look at the Cathedral. We quickly noticed that the Barcelona Marathon was going on, and we decided to cheer them on for a little bit. As we roamed around the Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas, we found a handful of quaint shops and restaurants that we enjoyed looking at. There was also a parade going on with people wearing giant costumes dancing around. 

Sunday we walked up and down all of Las Ramblas which is famous for all of its shops and all of the street performers. Here are just a few examples: 

Some of the costumes were incredible!

Monday was one of my favorite days. We visited La Sagrada Familia which is a famous church designed by Antoni Gaudi. The project was so huge that it wasn't finished in his lifetime, and work continues on it today! It is said to be the most anticipated finished project in our lifetimes! Pictures normally can't do justice, and this is no exception. 

 It was huge!

 

 The only side that Gaudi completed in his lifetime. Incredible.

 Inside

We flew back to Sevilla Monday evening, and I had to say goodbye to the parents because they left early Tuesday morning. I loved being in Spain with my parents! I hope that they enjoyed learning and exploring a totally new culture as much as I have.

Ronda, Crazy but Wonderful Parents, and the Costa del Sol

Greetings -

We've had a fun filled weekend! Starting Thursday when Emily's parents came to see this awesome country, and of course, Emily. On Thursday alone, they visited the Plaza de America, Plaza de Espana, Barrio de Santa Cruz (one of the oldest neighborhoods in Sevilla), the Alcazar (the old palace where the king and queen would stay), the Cathedral, and climbed las Setas (a modern structure in the center of the city). All four of us hoped on the bus Friday morning to head to Ronda. Another field trip with our school. The drive was a site to see. Ronda is a fortress that has withstood many wars because of its location in the mountains, hence a beautiful and windy trip.

Ronda is the birth place of bullfights in Spain and we were lucky enough to see the oldest plaza de toros.

However, this was not nearly our favorite spot in Ronda. A group of us (we call ourselves the "rebel" group) decided to cross over the bridge. The two parts of Ronda are connected by a magnificent puenta (bridge). We were told not to cross the bridge so that we could experience the other side of Ronda with the group. Needless to say, none of us regret this decision.

This was our view at first, if you can believe it gets even better!

We noticed a path that lead right underneath this crazy awesome bridge, so why not go on a bit of a hike?! We took off on what started as a paved path, then gravel, then dirt, then we scaled the wall (okay, this is a bit of an exaggeration). We are still amazed at the beautiful views we saw down in the valley.

 The view from where we were hiking - the waterfall was sweet. 

 The look out view of rural Ronda
 

This was by far our favorite school field trip. Our previous trips we toured many Cathedrals, museums and the like (which are all very beautiful), but here we got to experience a bit of God's creation. We can't wait to see more of it! 

Emily and her parents!! 

The next part of our day consisted of going on a tour with the rest of our group and seeing more of the ancient city of Ronda. We returned to Sevilla that night, and although very tired Emily and her parents stuck it out and went to Carboneria - a famous flamenco bar in Sevilla.

The next part of our crazy weekend consisted of us packing up our things once again, renting a car, and trying to find the Costa del Sol which is the Southern coastline of Spain. At first you may think, "Oh, that sounds easy. Just pack up the things and drive South." But in reality, its always a little more complicated than that. My parents brought their handy dandy Garmin for this journey, but as it turns out, the directions given in other countries are more like suggestions. After we finally arrived, we soon learned that it was St. Patricks Day! The restaurant at our timeshare gave us free hats, and we ate all kinds of good things. Kerianne and I learned how to play the card game pitch, and everyone just had a really good time.

The following days were spent on the beach tanning, reading, and relaxing. We were actually so close to the Rock of Gibralter, that we could see Africa from the beach!

Seeing my (Emily) parents experience Europe for the first time, and exploring it with them has been one of the best experiences of my life. I was so thankful that I could be with them for their first time in Europe, and I think they were very thankful that they had Kerianne and I as well, especially for the language barrier. This coming weekend, my parents and I are headed to Barcelona for one more adventure.

We miss all of you and you are always in our thoughts and prayers!! Until next time...

One Ring to Rule Them All

Kerianne and I have already had the amazing experience to travel throughout parts of Spain, and in the near future, all over Europe. This past weekend, the students of the Acento de Trinity program boarded a bus, and took off for what was once, one of the most important cities in Southern Europe, Toledo. 

We took a short pit-stop to see the windmills of Don Quijote. Don Quijote is a famous fictional character who was known for his unique imagination. In the book, Don Quijote thought the windmills were giants that he tried to slay with his wooden sword on his noble stead, a donkey. 

Toledo is known for a variety of things: it was once the capital of Spain and a very important political power in Southern Europe, the cathedral, it's art history, and what all of you are actually interested in... Toledo has made almost all of the swords, guns, rings, and daggers throughout Hollywood's movies. Some of these include, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Pirates of the Caribbean, Alexander the Great, and the Samuri. 

Since Toledo is 6 hours away from Sevilla via bus, our program had reserved hotel rooms for us. I don't know about you all, but Kerianne and I absolutely love school road trips and activities! It was so much fun to hang out and get to know different people from the program a little bit better. Here, I would also like to give a huge shout-out to my sister Tayler who made it to the state championship game for basketball while I was in Toledo. I listened to it at 2:00 a.m. in my hotel room, I am so proud. :)

The hotel offered a free continental breakfast that Kerianne and I took full advantage of before we started our day. We toured the cathedral and then had free time to roam and explore the city. 

 A cool statue :)

 The Cathedral

 A monastery that we toured

 Las Puertas, be looking for our third album coming out in Ronda.

 The tower of the Cathedral

 The view of Toledo from a neighboring hillside 

Toledo was a very fun weekend trip with our classmates, exploring even more history of God's world.