vamos a la playa

On one of our many hikes, over-looking the whole city of Granada

In las cuevas de Nerja (Caves of Nerja)

Our delicious lunch- paella

The Mediterranean Sea

Out one night with our friend Cecilia

Self picz at the movies!!

This week has been loads of fun! we can't believe how fast this trip has flown by. we only have one week left! We did lots of fun things this week and we have learned a lot in our classes! margi is learning about subjunctive and hanna is learning about perterito indefinido y perfecto. we are able to practice often in our house and with our program directors. as well as with each other!
to start the week, Monday afternoon, we had our usual tarde libre in which we napped and shopped! Tuesday after class we went to Granada's Parque de las Ciencias, the biggest since museum in all of Spain. it was awesome seeing the exhibits and seeing how similar it was to Houston's science museum! we had an absolute blast being little kids again!! Some of the exhibits we saw included: The human body, animal/taxidermy, butterfly pavilion and the physics hall. We also saw a show in the planetarium about bacteria (which was a tad lame) and we were able to go up this tall tower which looked over the whole city! it was awesome overall and we loved it! on Wednesday, after class and our siesta, we played soccer or fútbol for another intercambio activity. it was so so hot but surprisingly we had a blast playing and goofing around! On Thursday, right after class we all went on a hike and picnic past the alhambra to a site that overlooked the entire city of Granada as well as the majestic Sierra mountains. it was certainly hot but when we were able to see everything in the city that we had been learning about and living in, it was definitely rewarding. On Friday, we had another tarde libre or free afternoon in which we decided to nap and relax, do a little shopping and then we went to see Cars 2 with some of our friends. We loved it and were actually able to understand most of it! it was definitely an experience.
today, we went to Nerja, an incredibly beautiful beach on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, for our last excursion. After visiting the famous Nerja caves, we made our way to the beach for a long day of sun filled fun! One of the best parts was the drive to Nerja itself. We left Granada at 9:15 and drove for about two hours. After an hour or so, the bus turned and we had the most incredible view of the entire coast. We went in and out of tunnels that went through mountains and each time, we had a new view of the coast that lay before us. We made it to the beach and our whole group set up camp. We jumped into the freezing, crystal blue water before laying out. From the beach, we could see the Sierra Nevada mountains, which was also really cool. Can't really see that in too many other places: a beach at the bottom of a mountain! We had lunch near the beach and had the best paella of the entire trip. It was delicious!! The only down side to the beach was that Europeans have a very different view on the bathing suit. But aside from that, we had an incredible day at the beach and neither of us got sunburned!! We can't believe we only have less than a week left, but we hope to make the most out our last few days and we will never forget all that we have done. See you all soon!!
Hasta luego!

hacer un senderismo

PHEW! What a weekend!! On Saturday morning, we made our usual brisk walk to the bus and traveled from about an hour and a half to the Alpujarras mountains in order to hike and relax for our second to last excursion. We got off the bus and were greeted by some cool air, which was such a refreshing change from the heat in Granada. After taking our over-night luggage to the hotel lobby, we left the hotel and began to make our way through the mountain! We didn't really know what to expect but from both of our hiking experiences, we assumed it would be fun and rocky and lots of uphill travel. Well, it seemed that our adventure would be a tad different. We began and were immediately attacked by crazy intense brush, with thorny branches and tall grass, along our path. It was a trek getting through there unscathed, but we reached an area with less intense foot brush and we were much happier. We reached a vista at the top of the mountain and looked out at all the beautiful sights. We were even able to see the Mediterranean Sea from there! We left the peak and traveled down, through seven different pueblos on the other side of the mountain. We learned a lot about the construction of the homes, the geography of the area and their ability to manage water in the mountains from the melting snow at the top. It was really interesting and the pueblos were so cute! The best part about the hiking adventure was seeing all the plants. Our favorites were the cherry and berry trees!! We tried different kinds of figs and berries, and the cherries were unbelievable! After making it all the way through seven pueblos, the bus picked us up and we traveled a few minutes back to our hotel. (The road was horribly windy, which was quite unpleasant!) We all jumped in the freezing pool at the hotel and then laid out on the warm ground. After the pool, we took long, hot showers (which have been sparse at our house). Rosanna and Brain (two of our three directors) treated us to dinner and then a few of us walked to town to have some warm decaf coffee in the cold mountain evening! We went to sleep and slept great! We woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel. We had two options for activities in the morning: hang out at the hotel, or go for a short hike. We decided to man up and go on the second hike despite our aching bodies. It was definitely shorter than the previous day, and we were rewarded by being able to visit this awesome, FREEZING, little river. We put our feet into the 30 degree water and it felt so great! We walked back to the hotel and left for Granada. We have arrived home safely and are about to eat dinner. We can't wait to sleep tonight and we look forward to more adventures this week! We have classes as usual and we are going to the Parque de las Ciencias (Science Park), playing soccer with the intercambios, and then we are going for a picnic in the forest by the Alhambra. This weekend we go on our last excursion to Nerja, or the BEACH!! We can't wait.

We reached the top!!

Chilly river!!

Wild cherries are the best!!!

Adios for now!

Pasalo bien!

The Cathedral in Granada (Photo credit: Brian)

Last dinner with the some of the two week kiddies!

Some of our good friends! We love yall!

Plaza Isabel de la Catolica with our friends

BYE SARAH!!! We'll miss you lots!

At El Parque de Frederico Garcia Lorca

What a guay (cool) week it has been!  After returning from our excursion to Ronda we enjoyed a much need sleepy Sunday!  We slept late and then we went to the "modern" Arab Baths (equivalent to a Muslim style spa).  There, we got to enjoy a short back massage and relax in different temperature pools.  They also had delicious tea there for us to enjoy which made it seem so cultural and exciting! 



Monday started another week of school, but also another free afternoon to shop at the local stores and explore the city!  We have been marking challenges off on our Reto List (remember the huge scavenger hunt we have to do?) which always leads us to the most cultural destinations that allow us to learn more about the culture and history of Granada and as well as the cities we visit! 


On Tuesday we went to class in the morning and then, as a group, went to the grand Cathedral of Granada, which was absolutely breathtaking!  Although we both agreed it was as big and as ornate as the others we have seen, it was still amazing!  Our group leaders told us about the different artistic styles and history behind the construction of the huge chapel and cathedral.  The king and queen of Spain (Isabel the Catholic and Ferdinand) ordered it to be built so they could be buried there, so we got to see their tombs which was a little creepy but very cool!


Wednesday we went to the University of Granada's swimming pool for our intercambio with Spaniards to try and escape the heat of the day!  We had a great time and enjoyed delicious frozen orange juice with our friends.  Then on Thursday we went on a walk through a "barrio" of Granada to hear a few legends that are well known among the people of Granada, which was a fun experience! 


This was the last week for many of our friends here in Granada, so we went out for a special dinner on their last night on the top of a restaurant that overlooked the city.  We chose a great night because it is a full moon here and we were able to watch it rise over the mountains as we reminisced on memories of the trip!  Today we saw them off as they headed to Madrid to leave!  We will definitely miss them a lot!


Tomorrow we are off on another adventure to the Alpujarras, a mountain range about an hour and a half away from Granada.  We will be hiking a LOT and visiting old pueblas, but don't worry we will post again Sunday when we get back so y'all can see how cool it was!

Our host mom just made our favorite meal so we must go enjoy it now!

Hasta luego!

lo siento

sorry about the grammatical errors in the last post. we are a tad tired and didn't reread......
Hasta luego!

long time, no talk

Margi outside of the Arabic Baths

Overlooking the incredible view from a house in Ronda

CHURROS&CHOCOLATE during a night out!!!!! So delicious!

In the Albaicin with a view of the Alhambra at night

This week was our first week of classes. We have class from four hours everyday. In those four hours, we learn grammar as well as culture. So far, we have learned a lot of reall interesting things about spanish culture and our spanish has greatly improved!! We did a bit of shopping this week after classes, and we met some Spanish teenagers during "Intercambios," which is an exchange event that LPI conducts. We are going to the pool with them next week too! We went to the famous Alhambra also. It was absolutely stunning and the summer palace and the gardens surrounding it were among our favorite parts. Hanna's camera ran out of battery half way through, which was a little upsetting but it was an incredible experience and we can't wait to go back another day!
Today, we went to Ronda, a small city about 2 and a half hours away. We took a very long walking tour around the city and saw old Arabic Baths, ancient bridges and incredible old houses. We took a lot of pictures and the bus ride home was filled with laughter as we played 20-Questions with our directors and each other. We can't wait for what the rest of this trip will bring and it is crazy to think that one week has gone by so quickly and we only have a few left!! Enjoy some of our new picture!

venga vamos! muy guay!

We have been in Granada for a few days now, after our long bus ride from Toledo, the last time we blogged. When we arrived in Granada, our host family picked us up and we took a taxi to our house. We have one mother, or senora (pardon the American keyboard), and a 28 year old sister. There is also another older sister, who has two small kids. They are so cute! They come to eat lunch with us everyday! After our first real home-cooked meal in Spain, which was chicken soup, a vegetable medley stew type thing, bread and salchichas (hotdogs), we played spanish cards and tried to stay cool. It is extremely hot here and it's hard to be comfortable outside during the middle of the day, which is why we love to take siestas, or naps!!! We went on a walk with another family and some of our friebnds after that and then we came home and ate dinner with our family, and went to sleep early after an exhausting day.
We woke up early the next day and went to the CLM, which is the Centro de Leguas Modernas, where our classes are, in order to take the Placement Exam. It was a tad difficult, and inluded grammar, written and oral sections. After our test, we went to the LPI office to check out all the computers and to sit in the cool air conditioning. (We don't have any at our house, which is typical in most Spanish homes). We came home and ate lunch after our meeting at the CLM, and ate delcious lentil soup and the typical spanish omlette, or tortilla de patatas. Our entire group went on a long walking tour of the city and saw many beautiful sights. We finished our tour near El Albaicin, an old neighborhood, and saw a Flamenco dance performance!! It was one of the coolest things we've done so far. We both loved it and it was an especially nice cool break from the heat due to its cavernous atmosphere. We walked around and explored that night after the performance and we met up with our friends who are on the LPI Program Summer 1 from Sevilla. They were visiting Granada and it was really really nice to see them!!
The next morning, we woke up and boarded a bus all together to go to Sevilla! After three hours, we arrived in Sevilla and went straight to visit Los Reales Alcazares, which is this huge palace fortress with a garden. We had lunch outside Los Reales Alcazares and had our first tapas! After, we went to the Cathedral, which is the third largest cathedral in the world! It was absolutely stunning and it is also where Christopher Columbus' remains are buried. We were going to be able to climb all the way up La Giralda, which is the bell tower of the Cathedral, and the highest point in the entire city, but the entrance was closed when we got there! We left the Cathedral and went to our hotel. After hanging for a bit, we decided to go on the walking tour of the rest of Sevilla with our group. We walked down the beautiful river and saw many bridges, famous statues and fountains. One of the best things we did was go to the Plaza de Espana. It is this huge building with stunning architechture. Each province in Spain has a special area about the city and our "tarea," or homework, was to find Granada's. We were the first to find it and we took tons of pictures all around it. After, we got a delicious and well-deserved meal after an incredibly long day of walking. Our feet had blisters!!
After a great night sleep in our air-conditioned hotel, we left Sevilla and went to Cordoba. With a beautiful bridge inviting us into the city, we ventured across the river and into the small town. The main attraction of Cordoba is the Mosque, however it is now a Cathedral. We learned a lot about the history of the city and the Mosque and how incredibly lucky we are to be standing in a place that could've been destroyed during the Spanish Inquisition. The Muslim Mosque was saved because just  to the Inquisition, it had been converted into a Cathedral (a large Cathedral was built right in the middle of it). The stunning arches and unique history made it an incredible place to finish out our excursion this weekend.
We just ate dinner with our Senora, Conchi, back in Granada and now we are taking it easy and heading to bed soon, to rest up for our first day of classes tomorrow! We are excited but also a little nervous! We also have a free afternoon, or tarde libre, so hopefully we'll be able to get a little shopping done!
One other thing we should tell you is that we have been assigned a great challenge. It is called El Gran Reto, or The Great Challenge. It is this activity sheet, similar to a scavenger hunt, that each LPI group has the oppotunity to complete. We break into teams and attempt to complete each task. It gives us the chance to explore and broaden our horizons in each city we visit as well as in Granada. Some tasks are visiting landmarks, doing certain things and eating new foods, such as tapas, paella and ice cream from famous places! It's been really fun trying to do all the activities and it gives us a chance to be more than just tourists in a foreign place! We can't wait to share our progress with you!

Hasta luego!

 Here we are with our friends in front of the beautiful Toledo view and a lovely tree that blocked the whole city!

 A street in Granada on our first outing!

 Us with our director, Brian, standing in front of the gorgeous doors of Los Reales Alcazares.

 Taking a break from walking all day in the scorching heat!

 An example of an alter at the cathedral in Sevilla.

 We found Granada!!! (our tarea) with our friend Sarah.

 Here we are at the mosque in Cordoba standing in front of the infinite arches.

On the 2,000 year old Roman bridge with our friend Caroline!

Los dos días en Toledo fueron estupendos!  Decidimos escribir el blog en español y ingles porque necesitamos practicar lo más posible.  El primer día en Toledo fuimos a la plaza en el centro de la ciudad para cenar.  Fuimos con muchas personas del grupo y cenamos comida deliciosa.  Cada noche tenemos mucho sueño entonces es muy fácil acostarnos.  El segunda día todo el grupo visitó muchos lugares historiales e importantes.  Primer visitó una iglesia se llama San Juan de Los Reyes.  Era fantástico.  Fue construido por los musulmanas porque eran los mejores carpinteros del día.  El techo fue muy bonito y el guía nos mostró detallas de los columnas del edificio. Nos encanta la iglesia y aprendimos mucho sobre los reyes.  Toledo (la ciudad) es conocido como "la ciudad de tres culturas". Hace muchos años los reyes de Toledo tenían libertad de religión.  Por eso los musulmanas, los cristianos y los judíos viven en paz.  Después de la iglesia visitamos una sinagoga se llama Sinagoga Santa María.  La sinagoga tiene arcos de zapato de caballo porque los musulmanas la construyeron.  La sinagoga tiene un nombre cristiano porque fue conquistado por los cristianos muchos años más tarde.  Próximo, visitamos la obra maestra del Greco, El Entierro del Señor de Orgaz.  Nuestro guía nos dijo la historia de la pintura y fue increíble.  Próximo vimos la catedral enorme y finalmente visitamos la más antigua mezquita en todo de España.  Nuestro día fue increíble y muy interesante.  Ahora estamos en el autobús a Granada.  En dos horas vamos a conocer nuestra familia nueva.  Estamos muy emocionadas y un poco nerviosas.  Adiós!

The two days in Toledo were amazing! We decided to write the blog in spanish and english because we need to practice as much as possible.  The first day in Toledo we went to the central plaza to eat dinner.  We went with many people from the group and ate delicious food!  Each night we are very sleepy so it is easy to fall asleep.  The next day the whole group visited many historical and important places.  First we visited a church names San Juan de Los Reyes.  It was fantastic.  It was built by the Muslims because they were the best carpinters of the time period.  The ceiling was beautiful and our guide showed us all the details of the intricate columns.  We loved the church and learned a lot about the kings.  Toledo (the city) is known as "the city of three cultures."  Many years ago the rulers of Toledo believed in religious freedom.  Because of this, the Muslims, Chirstians and Jews lived in peace. After the church we visited a synogogue named Sinagoga Santa Maria.  The synogogue has horseshoe arches because the muslims also built it.  It has a christian name because it was conquered by the christians many years later.  Next we visited the masterpiece of Greco, The Burrial of the Lord of Orgaz.  Our guide told us the story of the painting and it was incredible.  Next we visited the enormous cathedral and finally the oldest mosque in all of Spain.  Now we are on the bus to Granada.  In two hours we are going to meet our new family.  We are very excited and a little nervous.  Adios!

off to Toledo and some pictures!

We found a Haribo gummy bear store in Madrid!

Our first store in Spain!!

The beautiful Palacio Real

Margi and Cecilia at the bottom of the stairs of El Prado

At the Botanical Gardens near El Prado

Our sneaky picture of the yellow room in the Palacio Real, absolutely stunning

These are just a few pictures. It takes a while to upload them, so we'll only do a few when we have good wifi.
We left Madrid this morning after a delicious breakfast and lots of coffee. We rode a bus to El Escorial, another palace/monastery. It was beautiful and there were so many courtyards and beautiful tiles on the walls. And HUGE tombs of all the past kings. We learned alot about the history of each royal family in Spain and how each family has impacted the cities we will visit. We ate lunch at a little place outside El Escorial and took lots of pictures! (Which will be uploaded soon!) We left El Escorial and had an hour and fifteen minute bus ride to Toledo. We arrived at our new hotel and had our second orientation meeting. We discussed our academics in Granada and talked about what our plan was for the next couple days. We left the meeting and drove into town on a bus and walked around. We ate with some of our friends and then we walked to see some of the shops but they were all closed! We took taxis back to the hotel which was a fun experience!! Tomorrow we are taking a walking tour of Toledo and then we have a free afternoon and evening after another orientation meeting! Toledo is super cute and the streets are so windy and fun! Definitely would've gotten lost if we weren't all together. They said it was built like that in case of invasion a long time ago. The history of all these places is so interesting and we love learning about it all!

Our First Royal Adventure!

Hello all!

Our first day in Spain has been both amazing and exhausting.  We are still jetlagged, but its getting much better after our well deserved night of rest!  To start the day off we had a fabulous breakfast at the hotel with delicious/ unique choices like salads, funky breads, pasteries and much more!!  We walked around the corner from our hotel to the Reina Sofia (queen of Madrid) Contemporary Art Mueseum.  We saw paintings by Dali, Picasso and other surrealist artists!  We even saw Guernica,  it was HUGE and amazing!  Our tour guide spoke ONLY spanish, which was interesting, but we surprisingly knew/ understood a lot! We couldn't take any pictures in the museums, but we snuck a few.  Next, we went to the Royal Palace, which was outstanding!! Every room had walls covered in silk and intricate designs, but the internet is being annoying so we can't upload any pictures at this moment.  After we toured the palace we took a long walk through Madrid and saw famous plazas throughout the city.  We ended up walking for a total of 8 hours, so now our feet hurt quite a bit!  Our first day in Spain has been great and we can't wait to tell y'all more about what we have done, but right now we are off to eat dinner with our new friends and hit the hay!

Spain, we have arrived!!

greetings!
after a gruelingly long travel experience, we are finally in Madrid! We flew to Newark and then had a two hour delay. we met a few girls and this one boy who was going on a backpacking trip! We finally got on the flight nearly three hours later and we set off for our overseas adventure! We watched movies and attempted to fall asleep, but failed miserably. We arrived in Madrid seven hours later and met our group and directors. After arriving at the hotel, we got our room assignments and then we went to explore! There is such beautiful architechture and we went to a Botanical Garden! Took lots of fun pictures and explored around the El Prado museum. We plan on going there tonight, when its free, before our panoramic bus tour and orientation meeting. We can't wait to see what all is planned! We'll blog again soon!!

And the adventure begins...

On June 25, 2011 we are leaving for our big adventure to Spain.  After a long flight we will land in Madrid and explore the city with our group.  We depart after a few days and travel to Granada where we will meet our new family.  We will be taking classes and trips to different cities in the southern part of Spain including Sevilla, Toledo, Nerja, the Alpujares Mountains and much more!  We can't wait to learn and explore this new place and culture and we look forward to sharing it with you!  We will update as often as possible, so check back on the progress of our grand adventure!

Hasta luego,

Hanna and Margi!