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...