tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24809356224890796202024-03-20T21:53:09.427-05:00Liza's European Adventures!Updates from Liza's life in Madrid!Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-82767472635698722772009-05-12T08:12:00.003-05:002009-05-12T08:29:56.968-05:00Tomorrow.This time tomorrow, I will be about a third of the way through my plane ride back to the US! I always knew this day would come, and yet it still seems so surreal. Maybe it will finally hit me tomorrow when I'm in the airport for the last time, or when I land in Chicago...I'm not sure.<br /><br />Today I woke up (early, my roommate left to hang out with her parents and Paloma was up early yelling at somebody on the phone), ate breakfast, and ventured out to Sol for the last time. I still hadn't seen the Royal Palace, and I figured today was as good a day as ever to see it. While it wasn't as impressive as Versailles, it was still beautiful. Unfortunately they really crack down on picture taking, so I don't have any pictures to show you all. I spent the afternoon walking the streets of Sol, enjoying my last time in the middle of the city for a long time. <br /><br />I was walking to school on Sunday to study for my final on Monday, and was so completely content with my life. I was so thankful for the last four months and still so excited about what lies ahead of me. A lot of my friends have a huge mix of emotions right now: some are doing whatever they can to try to stay longer, but most I feel are ready to come home. Some aren't even leaving tomorrow: I know of 2 groups of people who are traveling until the end of May or early June. And it's also hard because some of my friends that I made here don't go to SLU. My friend Andy who I ate lunch with almost every day of the semester goes to Catholic University in DC...I don't know when I'll be able to see him again.<br /><br />But the bottom line for me is this: I've seen what I wanted to see (with very few exceptions...but that leaves me with a reason to return in the future), I've done what I wanted to do, and I know that I've learned what I needed to learn....which is why I am so content to leave Madrid. God brought me here for a reason, but it's time for me to close this chapter of my life and let Him start writing a new one.<br /><br />But please keep me in your prayers...especially when it comes to traveling! I will leave Madrid at 11:55am (5:55am eastern time, 4:55 central) and arrive in Chicago at 2:15pm. From there, I've booked a flight from Chicago to Columbus that leaves at 3:25pm and arrives at 5:30. I realize that this puts me in a slight time crunch...but there are also 5 more flights that leave after mine that fly from Chicago to Columbus. BUTTTTT I am praying (and hoping that you will too!) :) that there are NO complications or delays, that lines are short, and I can quickly move throughout the Chicago O'Hare airport and make it to my flight on time.<br /><br />OK! This will be my last update from Madrid! I'll post one more after I get over my jetlag and get back to the states...<br /><br />tomorrow <3Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-24495718696774591872009-05-06T13:08:00.002-05:002009-05-06T14:18:50.752-05:007 days?One week?<br /><br />It's so weird to me...I've lived in Madrid for almost 4 months, 16.5 weeks, 1 semester. It's so weird that it's all coming to an end. I've thought about May 13th for so long, and now it is only a week away!<br /><br />I had lunch today with one of my good friends Gina, who is a grad student here at SLU Madrid and works in the campus ministry department. While most of the people I've traveled with and hung out with here are from SLU's Missouri campus, I have made a few wonderful friends that I will dearly miss when I leave for home (Gina being one of them). Anyways, it got me thinking about what I am excited to do when I go home, so I decided to make an official "Top 7 things Liza will miss about Madrid" and a "Top 7 things Liza is looking forward to doing when she goes home" in honor of the 7 days I have left here in Spain.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">So...the top 7 things Liza will miss about Madrid</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. Being able to use the metro every day and utilizing public transportation</span><br />I can get anywhere in the city, and really anywhere in the greater Madrid area because of public transportation here, without asking anyone for a ride of having to inconvenience any of my friends. It's kind of liberating, having freedom to go wherever you want for only 30 euro a month. That is way cheaper than what I pay for gas every month at home.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Hearing, Thinking in, and Speaking Spanish every day</span><br />One of my life goals is to someday be completely fluent in another language. Living here has definitely improved my Spanish skills, but I definitely wouldn't consider myself fluent-- I understand a lot, but not everything all the time. I'm still trying to figure out how to remedy this when I go home, as none of my close friends or family really speak Spanish either.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. The fact that I feel like I'm on vacation while I actually go to school</span><br />Being abroad gives you this weird sense of, well, being on vacation while still going to class. And I don't think I ever really got over it...academics were never quite the top priority for me while in Spain (don't worry, mom...my grades are still OK!) :) Not having class on Fridays didn't help this situation. But honestly, when you are so close to so much of the world, you have to take advantage of it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Hanging out with the Young Life staff in Madrid<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>It has been so much fun to hang out with Jim and Barbara since I arrived here in January. They so graciously opened their home to me and going to Thursday night Bible study with other YL leaders was so fun. Plus, it was interesting for me to see what Young Life looks like on an international scale. It's definitely different from the states. Having Jim and Barbara here has allowed me to stay connected with a ministry and savior that I love.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Paloma's cooking<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>OK, so this might seem kind of strange, but it is SO true. I seriously never went out to dinner EVER in Madrid because I always wanted to eat what she cooked. There was only one thing that she made this semester that I didn't like and didn't eat...and if you know me you know that's definitely saying something. I'm trying to get her to teach me how to cook her paella, spaghetti, and croquetas, my 3 favorite recipes. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>2. Paloma, my host mom<br /></span>I was so lucky to get placed with such a great host mom. She did my laundry, cooked my meals, and basically accomodated me in any way that I asked her. I have no complaints about living with Paloma and really, really hope I can see her again after I leave.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />1. Easy and cheap traveling</span><br />Traveling is SO easy here...I can get a round trip ticket to almost any major city in Europe easily for 30 euro. When was the last time you heard of a $40 round trip ticket to anywhere in the United States? There are thousands of hostels all over Europe that are comfortable to stay in and cost anywhere between 11-25 euro a night. I've never stayed in hotel in the states for that cheap, ever. Why doesn't America have airlines like EasyJet and RyanAir?<br /><br />And all good things must come to an end. But, with every ending comes a new beginnig, and I am looking forward to beginnig my summer back in my beloved home state of Ohio...so...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Top 7 things Liza is looking forward to doing when she goes home<br /><br />7. Novelties of American restaurants...aka seperate checks and free refills<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>Again, this might sound kind of ridiculous, but it is so true. You would not believe how annoying it is to walk into a restaurant, order your food, get the check, and then have to figured out who ordered which drink and how much it cost and how much the tax per person AND THEN realize that everyone only has a 50 euro bill and nobody can make change. So frustrating.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6. Having my own room.</span><br />This really doesn't have anything to do with my roommate, but more of not having almost any time to myself. Ever. I've loved living with Paloma and appreciate everything she's done for me, but I share a very small room with someone in a very small apartment. It will be nice to have my own room and have more access to time by myself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5. Being able to use all of my electronics with out a converter</span><br />Currently, I can only charge one thing at a time because I only have one converter to use. This isn't so much a problem now, but when I was traveling and had to charge my iPod and my camera and use my computer to finish up some last minute things...you get the drift. Plus my converter is really heavy and clunky and weighs a lot, and is really annoying to take wherever I go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Not having to pay for any kind of phone call to talk or text my friends</span><br />Skype has been awesome to be able to video chat with my family and friends, and granted it costs something like 2 cents a minute, but it is still money. Plus I miss getting random text messages from my friends about funny things that have happened to them, and having a phone that is easy to text on. I will happily and dutifully return to my Verizon Wireless contract when I return.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Having at most a 1-hour time difference between myself and the people I love the most</span><br />This has perhaps been the hardest part about living in Spain, especially during my first few weeks here. By the time my friends get out of class or family gets home from work or school, it is close to midnight or later here. It is difficult to have a meaningful conversation when you are practically falling asleep while talking to them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Hanging out with my friends again, in Ohio and back at SLU</span><br />You have NO idea how excited I am to go back to SLU in the fall...especially because I get to start my year off with Welcome Week in Oriflamme and then immediately move into recruitment with my sorority! So much is waiting for me back in St. Louis, and I cannot cannot CANNOT wait to go back. Plus, a lot of my good friends are going to be home in Dayton this summer, which will give us ample time to hang out and get caught up on the last year of our lives. I am ecstatic about the next 4 months of my life...I can barely stand it :)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Seeing my mom (and whoever else may accompany her...hint hint) at the airport in one week</span><br />Everytime I think about this, I inevitably start to cry, so I will just say this...it's been four months since I've seen my Mom and hugged her, which is the longest I've gone without seeing her my entire life. And now I only have one more week to wait until I can hold her in my arms again.<br /><br />So there you have it...the thoughts and feelings as I enter my final week here in Europe. As of right now, I've finished one final and have a speech to critique tomorrow, a history final on Friday, and then my last Spanish final on Monday. Tuesday will be used to pack everything up, and then Wednesday I start the long journey back to the USA. <br /><br />If you haven't figured it out...I can't wait to see you all again :)<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-75673128989160209612009-05-04T11:12:00.006-05:002009-05-04T12:00:36.625-05:00Single digits, baby!Oh man!<br /><br />9 days? Is it really true? How can I only have 9 days left in a city that I've lived in for nearly 4 months? It is so strange for me to think about all that I've done and seen since I arrived on January 11th. And as sad as I will be to leave this beautiful city, I am SO SO SO excited to see my family and friends back in the states...I'll write more about my feelings of leaving as I get closer to May 13th.<br /><br />As promised, here are my pictures from Portugal and my dance recital, PLUS an added bonus: Granada! I spent a day down in Southern Spain (really only 12 hours) with my friend Lauren who is studying abroad there now.<br /><br />This is one of the main streets in Lisbon. Note that all of the streets are like this one: they are paved with coble stones and have mostly pedestrian traffic on them.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R5j7kIXm2RfPlMxUU58j1D-PrITFXeOHw4uW1vtyXu8r6YvgfdFzhcNquAFaABrpVrOzmAojjqlNTwwsuzxUAsA71TsWAK6TEAsPK51WVugAlb4V-7lu3ZcaOjbUiYd6082htIjPIPI/s1600-h/100_1801.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7R5j7kIXm2RfPlMxUU58j1D-PrITFXeOHw4uW1vtyXu8r6YvgfdFzhcNquAFaABrpVrOzmAojjqlNTwwsuzxUAsA71TsWAK6TEAsPK51WVugAlb4V-7lu3ZcaOjbUiYd6082htIjPIPI/s320/100_1801.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332009649604738034" border="0" /></a>On our second day in Lisbon, we decided to tour St. John's castle. While there we encountered a peacock. I was a little terrified but managed to get a few pictures before he went away.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFIGmrRiJLX_x38FRX3OisUHIg5po37dFYb3wsgfnNIC0I5E02U3YQpRXgk8holnSjmVazpbu8nLJyUovqlaN44wcVz7Gb0awfc_DkKpnjdWOlb-l_xxJo-09pztv_mfQxgEsy4CBnbs/s1600-h/100_1797.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhFIGmrRiJLX_x38FRX3OisUHIg5po37dFYb3wsgfnNIC0I5E02U3YQpRXgk8holnSjmVazpbu8nLJyUovqlaN44wcVz7Gb0awfc_DkKpnjdWOlb-l_xxJo-09pztv_mfQxgEsy4CBnbs/s320/100_1797.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332009643986274338" border="0" /></a>The city of Lisbon!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP1aBfrUxPQ0R5Bery5YyjYD2VgPKv0J9og_LwFt3xwG1wkT-jgSvNwhv6DiWeuVXn7FSqbeVMMIDzIj8tldWPd8sDVODlrStEg2XQeVNtwn_7DiraW9z_tOFcuzuSbqlhGkjJmEzUUo/s1600-h/100_1781.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilP1aBfrUxPQ0R5Bery5YyjYD2VgPKv0J9og_LwFt3xwG1wkT-jgSvNwhv6DiWeuVXn7FSqbeVMMIDzIj8tldWPd8sDVODlrStEg2XQeVNtwn_7DiraW9z_tOFcuzuSbqlhGkjJmEzUUo/s320/100_1781.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332009641851506082" border="0" /></a>These were all the girls that were on my trip...Me, Mary, Laura, Lisa, and Ally.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbyueg7GtwArlGOmflryeX2JCieGygafIDyujviHfLqAuidHZV4JXj-PYYQLTGPoUxg9P3VKE456TYJZgWyM_4SonIi8O7fblQTmjfZzrEYdOX_jbc8L6aPEZhW3BfrpG-M08RJVHdPE/s1600-h/100_1763.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbyueg7GtwArlGOmflryeX2JCieGygafIDyujviHfLqAuidHZV4JXj-PYYQLTGPoUxg9P3VKE456TYJZgWyM_4SonIi8O7fblQTmjfZzrEYdOX_jbc8L6aPEZhW3BfrpG-M08RJVHdPE/s320/100_1763.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332009630037947010" border="0" /></a>The beach that we layed on for several hours on Friday. It was beautiful.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbzbpWQ52j41GSk8NX5rC5q_SJeTYhC4r5fDhWDd_4VhFxVbkRgyIo8ukMyY_O1S0-8SomQZNa0YpiYrrnAoYue5a3Llxsk2A-BRgLjOW4mdEuUcwo2kK2YiKql3ihcKCvknXcbhFFqA/s1600-h/100_1759.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDbzbpWQ52j41GSk8NX5rC5q_SJeTYhC4r5fDhWDd_4VhFxVbkRgyIo8ukMyY_O1S0-8SomQZNa0YpiYrrnAoYue5a3Llxsk2A-BRgLjOW4mdEuUcwo2kK2YiKql3ihcKCvknXcbhFFqA/s320/100_1759.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332009625462708690" border="0" /></a>So like I said, I came back from Lisbon and had a CRAZY week at school, with a million tests, papers, and projects due. In the middle of my crazy week I had my dance recital from my Latin Rythms and Dance class...here are a few pictures that I took before we performed. You can see our BEAUTIFUL (note sarcasm...) costumes here.<br /><br />These were the "chicas solas" in the cha cha...meaning they didnt have partners.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyA8j0PJzX_4TK7M9iYoPX5KW9FhUCJ8c0ZXfCzHXIwaQ-AILHBGzYS6lre-bUsz7utMTAE96VFFEAydi6t5zTsKuBH7zFwp4DTQNrRcc7WMuyGR_WexWrAuY9ga_qUvXlmZJ_aSlQpE/s1600-h/100_1804.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyA8j0PJzX_4TK7M9iYoPX5KW9FhUCJ8c0ZXfCzHXIwaQ-AILHBGzYS6lre-bUsz7utMTAE96VFFEAydi6t5zTsKuBH7zFwp4DTQNrRcc7WMuyGR_WexWrAuY9ga_qUvXlmZJ_aSlQpE/s320/100_1804.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332008179638866706" border="0" /></a>My group, chicas con parejas! We closed the section of the Cha-cha by dancing with our male partners. From L to R, Monica, Ali, Amanda, me, Theresa, Maria.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5NG7QQhIXRX8OYzRx7MDNhv4sUD80TpAcGPxmh4DOzGFZG7zMUkOQEy8TNwHOe-KIm3OCqQoxWOGhzDYy0peUwFT-yXJOWW_jSnTAQaf0-bE4rVwGkfup26hKZ9Nif5bqrZUbhZIKFk/s1600-h/100_1807.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5NG7QQhIXRX8OYzRx7MDNhv4sUD80TpAcGPxmh4DOzGFZG7zMUkOQEy8TNwHOe-KIm3OCqQoxWOGhzDYy0peUwFT-yXJOWW_jSnTAQaf0-bE4rVwGkfup26hKZ9Nif5bqrZUbhZIKFk/s320/100_1807.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332008180350325346" border="0" /></a><br />After last week was over, I knew I wanted to get down to Granada to visit and see Southern Spain. My friend Lauren was studying there this semester and my friend and co-leader Allison studied there last semester. To be honest...I feel like I need a re-do trip to Granada. I arrived at 12:30pm and we made our way up to the Alhambra, only to find out that they were sold out of tickets for the day. So we sat down and had lunch, then walked around the town (Granada has a lot of Moroccan flair) and then found a bar to watch the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona game (Barcelona danced circles around Real, it was SO frustrating. ugh. The final score was like 6-2 Barca). Then we went and got dinner, found a cafe and sat there for awhile, ad then we took a taxi back to the bus station so I could get back to Madrid. I jsut felt like the city was so small, and I didn't really experience the true feeling of Granada. So it's on my list of places to go next time I come back to Europe :)<br /><br />Anyways I did take a few pictures while I was there.<br /><br />While we couldn't get into the Alhambra, we did walk around the grounds for awhile, and they were really pretty.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfDU3ktRl2stpoOVEqU3gsBRaLOUeMYY0dKfQr-xFwR-bkpsTUHD74f5-cndAFBOy6HFPN1xClHqnJvoCfgWqDx80shPZHKEjisKo2-4nFS7GvbbIuZD4_3NcGDSXrveg-5J4k8e1m1o/s1600-h/100_1820.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfDU3ktRl2stpoOVEqU3gsBRaLOUeMYY0dKfQr-xFwR-bkpsTUHD74f5-cndAFBOy6HFPN1xClHqnJvoCfgWqDx80shPZHKEjisKo2-4nFS7GvbbIuZD4_3NcGDSXrveg-5J4k8e1m1o/s320/100_1820.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332008170114898066" border="0" /></a>The city of Granada.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oPWclz4fDfb_LKWTgwl9JmexDs7b2D7Km116d__lo793h_NK6A5QqUfllBw0qDyKhq43IXZ6iNYUl2QtlS8TVteyt8NyaiHpxcRsDSpXfO1lVoqGi-GhKP45obatURx-s2p9ZBAAluQ/s1600-h/100_1822.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oPWclz4fDfb_LKWTgwl9JmexDs7b2D7Km116d__lo793h_NK6A5QqUfllBw0qDyKhq43IXZ6iNYUl2QtlS8TVteyt8NyaiHpxcRsDSpXfO1lVoqGi-GhKP45obatURx-s2p9ZBAAluQ/s320/100_1822.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332008165516733058" border="0" /></a>The view of the Alhambra from the bottom of the mountain.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0PK-pnGcep_3p4xNSqI_djPppsk4T_Mnfc8hX-3cNIu2vYzF2f1-UN-XE8j7jkHXUap96uq-lcnudfQBVn807q3D0w8FCUtytH5AnluKuVAsMHD0xiPAIjOWM8MwD8VLk5yKV3LsSjs/s1600-h/100_1830.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0PK-pnGcep_3p4xNSqI_djPppsk4T_Mnfc8hX-3cNIu2vYzF2f1-UN-XE8j7jkHXUap96uq-lcnudfQBVn807q3D0w8FCUtytH5AnluKuVAsMHD0xiPAIjOWM8MwD8VLk5yKV3LsSjs/s320/100_1830.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332008164564035106" border="0" /></a><br />So yes...I have 9 days left, 4 finals to take, 2 suitcases to pack, and one very long flight back to the US until May 13th. My travels are officially over, and I need to use these last few days in Spain to concentrate on school (ugh) and enjoy the gift that I've been given this semester.<br /><br />See you all in 9 days!Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-70667633502924120292009-05-01T07:08:00.003-05:002009-05-01T07:26:59.831-05:00The beginning of the end.Wow! A lot has happened since the last time I updated this...almost 2 weeks ago?! My life has been filled with trips, projects, test, and dance recitals! Continue reading for more...<br /><br />So last weekend (April 24th-26th) I took a trip to Lisbon, Portugal. Honestly, I wasn't that excited to go. The night before I left I was COMPLETELY exhausted, from school that week and all the traveling I had done already that month! But my friend wanted to go there for his birthday, and there was a group of 9 of us going, and I ended up really really enjoying it.<br /><br />We flew in on Friday morning (my flight left Madrid at 7am) which meant that I spent the night at the airport with my friend Ally. Once our whole group was finally together, we were all exhausted too...none of us had gotten more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep. We decided that we were going to spend the whole day Friday at the beach, which is exactly what we did! It was so beautiful. We went to this small town called Casi Casi (pronouced "cash-cash") and laid in the sun all day. My arms and legs got pretty sun burn and I have some interesting tan lines where you can see exactly where I stopped putting sun screen on! After we were done at the beach, we walked around the town and headed back to our hostel. We made dinner and went to bed- we were exhausted.<br /><br />Saturday we woke up and toured a castle in Lisbon which I thought was really neat (but I'm not sure what everyone else thought!) :) We ate lunch, walked around some more, and headed down to the city square. April 25th happened to be some kind of independence day in Lisbon, so we saw a lot of parades and bands and booths up that were selling random things. My friends Laura and Lisa (yes, that means that there was a Laura, Lisa, and Liza on a trip to Lisbon...try saying that 5 times fast) found a jewelry store and made some bracelets and necklaces together. We went back to our hostel afterwards, made dinner again and hung out for the rest of the night. We met some fun people at our hostel and hit it off really well.<br /><br />The next morning I had to get up and take a bus back to Madrid, which left at 10am, but I almost didn't get home- I bought my ticket for the wrong day! Thankfully the lady who was working at the desk just changed the date on my ticket so I didn't have to make any major travel changes. The funniest part of the whole situation was the fact that we had to use Google translator to talk- she didn't speak any English and I didn't speak any Portugese! It was crazy. But I made it back to Madrid Sunday night, unpacked, and went to bed.<br /><br />This past week was crazy crazy for me...I had a poster project due Monday for my oceanography class, a quiz on Tuesday for Spanish, a dance recital on Wednesday for dance class and two birthday parties to attend on Thursday night! It was quite a week and I am quite tired, except next week is not going to be any easier-- we have finals. So be thinking good thoughts for me!! :) I will post pictures from Lisbon and my dance recital later, I haven't uploaded them off of my camera yet. In the mean time, I will try to study and enjoy my final 12 days here in Madrid.<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-74111852975961217142009-04-25T13:25:00.002-05:002009-04-25T13:26:58.414-05:00I´m in Lisbon!I´m in Lisbon!<br />And it´s great!<br />I´ll update some more when I get back in Madrid :)<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-13715385530370217432009-04-20T12:05:00.007-05:002009-04-20T12:47:10.386-05:00I'm a little behind...Hello friends. I am back again in Madrid from my weekend in Southeastern Spain, a fun few days with half of my introduction to oceanography class. However, this post will not be dedicated to the details of that trip, but of pictures from my trip two weekends ago to Rome. Like I said...I'm a little behind :) And as always, the pictures are in reverse order as how I actually toured Rome on my trip.<br /><br />This picture is from the inside of St. Peter's Bascilica...I took the picture because those letters are actually 6 feet tall when you are standing next to them. But they are normally so far away from everyone that they seem a lot smaller.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdacGPy1BLBw1emD7SqvPOZuBEP79NP-7nEl37rgYmTc34xo111R9VbEzbYQ_SblDDn843NC_RlwNb8e24lEhygYwDU8E0_zwutOWS31ndOMit3BLTYEnQ3AtpYA2hy2rJgJdVUXAa7o/s1600-h/100_1750.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtdacGPy1BLBw1emD7SqvPOZuBEP79NP-7nEl37rgYmTc34xo111R9VbEzbYQ_SblDDn843NC_RlwNb8e24lEhygYwDU8E0_zwutOWS31ndOMit3BLTYEnQ3AtpYA2hy2rJgJdVUXAa7o/s320/100_1750.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326827834497966546" border="0" /></a><br />I don't know what this is called, but it is very famous. And its in St. Peters.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_zzDzzubMgpt8E1Qpnp-GtBi_sBFjErTen6v2Tnnh-EUnxZKb6iADDSLZlGuA3HsDWW8jdf8swvQ8aPXM1hgayjDFFP2x_q4ABz3glD8tRgxgpxAvJGD6cl_WZSh09Wpy3o10pE9RsQ/s1600-h/100_1748.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_zzDzzubMgpt8E1Qpnp-GtBi_sBFjErTen6v2Tnnh-EUnxZKb6iADDSLZlGuA3HsDWW8jdf8swvQ8aPXM1hgayjDFFP2x_q4ABz3glD8tRgxgpxAvJGD6cl_WZSh09Wpy3o10pE9RsQ/s320/100_1748.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326827832806920978" border="0" /></a><br />La Pietra...meaning pity. It's encased behind a huge case of bullet proof glass because someone tried to cut off Jesus' foot and Mary's nose.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLB_nghe1PK9IlMtjTNxdeGFwLTiTEX5vQsFTeAACDx1ewFEauEpgJgT34hDvb1pa1IOtaHds_F25BdFGqCl8rUCoQIgAh4USSAyhXPAfvxAL4jWT8Z4Ls73PV5zI8-P5HYhu4ZErzy68/s1600-h/100_1742.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLB_nghe1PK9IlMtjTNxdeGFwLTiTEX5vQsFTeAACDx1ewFEauEpgJgT34hDvb1pa1IOtaHds_F25BdFGqCl8rUCoQIgAh4USSAyhXPAfvxAL4jWT8Z4Ls73PV5zI8-P5HYhu4ZErzy68/s320/100_1742.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326827824739676050" border="0" /></a><br />Swiss guards! These men are part of the official army of the Vatican City. These uniforms are their formal wear.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouwgHepWK_NO_sSKc1ZhjTPaxZIjCVcQOuc5Ms36Q_c9fGIH1jpgatZDpf2JU0_ZRMLU5Y-0uyMHdCPku2MmNHM1XhJygVD8NetIs5_3AfytIwMazkF7XXMZ2cM0k1HIxz5GQikwIi8E/s1600-h/100_1737.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouwgHepWK_NO_sSKc1ZhjTPaxZIjCVcQOuc5Ms36Q_c9fGIH1jpgatZDpf2JU0_ZRMLU5Y-0uyMHdCPku2MmNHM1XhJygVD8NetIs5_3AfytIwMazkF7XXMZ2cM0k1HIxz5GQikwIi8E/s320/100_1737.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326826873928829762" border="0" /></a><br />THE POPE! This was after mass when he said "Happy Easter and peace be with you" in about 20 different languages.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIs9TbNKvQ2UIuCAWnlpyf7r8pXvP3j6r5TxUj5WLuKPft6DenmOLspk9xSMEwL1N_vWifAW5cI8UPUdEMW0uZvtma43O45zCpR8AQAxFd2TEdZE2lYIiJSpiReX31piBSjAWMCE5xZk/s1600-h/100_1735.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIs9TbNKvQ2UIuCAWnlpyf7r8pXvP3j6r5TxUj5WLuKPft6DenmOLspk9xSMEwL1N_vWifAW5cI8UPUdEMW0uZvtma43O45zCpR8AQAxFd2TEdZE2lYIiJSpiReX31piBSjAWMCE5xZk/s320/100_1735.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326826868840965234" border="0" /></a><br />This I thought was really funny. Because there were so many people at mass, preists who were distributing communion were followed around with these big yellow and white umbrellas so everyone could see them. They stationed themselves and then it was kind of a free-for-all to try to get to one.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS8yBEq9ouYGvPTX3uX3CgvroS4nDVPTvteeeexiSCkf5HeVALLPVvVQXh-NX9v6IumUhmVhXjT8-ogj1B0YE21Ay0ayQ0pwcAwp3yzHDUOvK9ZbamGjWipkgJyuATbqKChbURncFY-g/s1600-h/100_1732.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidS8yBEq9ouYGvPTX3uX3CgvroS4nDVPTvteeeexiSCkf5HeVALLPVvVQXh-NX9v6IumUhmVhXjT8-ogj1B0YE21Ay0ayQ0pwcAwp3yzHDUOvK9ZbamGjWipkgJyuATbqKChbURncFY-g/s320/100_1732.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326826867478116018" border="0" /></a><br />At the beginning of mass, the Pope going to sit down at his chair.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINHRftbC3e3LlpwgMoqcBvnONdaQruqh9q93aU0hICK5QusfG6Lb-9yHStFt4LcgKDTdTq2r3vpWthP5mNhyakdc2ohy0UII6kbChUgk2YlbsgguPKVb5tqALkwa_jkwXbmbHclvG80E/s1600-h/100_1731.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINHRftbC3e3LlpwgMoqcBvnONdaQruqh9q93aU0hICK5QusfG6Lb-9yHStFt4LcgKDTdTq2r3vpWthP5mNhyakdc2ohy0UII6kbChUgk2YlbsgguPKVb5tqALkwa_jkwXbmbHclvG80E/s320/100_1731.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326826865675711730" border="0" /></a><br />Walking up the steps before mass began.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqYbnMW3RRKjr7yW257FVF5cFMJRFJNFf4hONpRx7JbxiO1Vgwy7S-F_F3EBcqaa8mzUS5gvsg8YTbPScWmH1sPzu1ew7_hAabmV7AtpgG47U8-KvpBOtSGpSQrl7WgbuAp6PnXlhQ7U/s1600-h/100_1729.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyqYbnMW3RRKjr7yW257FVF5cFMJRFJNFf4hONpRx7JbxiO1Vgwy7S-F_F3EBcqaa8mzUS5gvsg8YTbPScWmH1sPzu1ew7_hAabmV7AtpgG47U8-KvpBOtSGpSQrl7WgbuAp6PnXlhQ7U/s320/100_1729.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326826861450757778" border="0" /></a><br />We found a ferrari in Rome. We had to take a picture.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxblsOOl5XEuEc8WNS_Pe-AmavWaIZ_6GmnAibSrk7T34TLymHuqQryVKwgJNgmhUuaha6jHpsBvNqlb-PzGCeA3u8KXJwhTRKW2icKt8zQYQ0kjIdMKy_VotVVYc8NiexWy-nXaPdZ3s/s1600-h/100_1716.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxblsOOl5XEuEc8WNS_Pe-AmavWaIZ_6GmnAibSrk7T34TLymHuqQryVKwgJNgmhUuaha6jHpsBvNqlb-PzGCeA3u8KXJwhTRKW2icKt8zQYQ0kjIdMKy_VotVVYc8NiexWy-nXaPdZ3s/s320/100_1716.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326825910594483138" border="0" /></a><br />The Pantheon<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhw__ePVSOVFUlWHu5X0l1cZK48D_ojsmWsQFM6z2GLu6DtjrBcA6KjSPrXb8-d6r9l-VMG5GPBuPaxIfpsQ3cK1upotKctRBcWWMyNE7kKO0RQCZm61tiMMt4PH4YXuI_vZ9Mxl2vrlY/s1600-h/100_1715.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhw__ePVSOVFUlWHu5X0l1cZK48D_ojsmWsQFM6z2GLu6DtjrBcA6KjSPrXb8-d6r9l-VMG5GPBuPaxIfpsQ3cK1upotKctRBcWWMyNE7kKO0RQCZm61tiMMt4PH4YXuI_vZ9Mxl2vrlY/s320/100_1715.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326825906128909298" border="0" /></a><br />Note that this is an actual hole in the ceiling...not a circular window.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszkcLFosslm4pHuA448aaVp1CQhHZqNyE75AWmAWXjhpdIKmYUw1NPXfJGPITg6UkYG2HNa02S7e8qFyW0Jdyet6oBq7RJVFYftzbvrxYjc6kbSwaZlPYkEiNCx97W_3rXWG-w20URx4/s1600-h/100_1710.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjszkcLFosslm4pHuA448aaVp1CQhHZqNyE75AWmAWXjhpdIKmYUw1NPXfJGPITg6UkYG2HNa02S7e8qFyW0Jdyet6oBq7RJVFYftzbvrxYjc6kbSwaZlPYkEiNCx97W_3rXWG-w20URx4/s320/100_1710.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326825901842979618" border="0" /></a><br />Roman ruins.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfAWd18aGcj6kvBrxopcNdQHD1wuhflwSRevJCB0FwuX2-YkhYGdhTUu5T53pJuoztZcAInZL4347C2FUe-jrp4Fjx1E6-bYuj-TVKKginM9zTDxirt5DsOKTog9lf5Q4AL2zrNZjhE4/s1600-h/100_1705.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnfAWd18aGcj6kvBrxopcNdQHD1wuhflwSRevJCB0FwuX2-YkhYGdhTUu5T53pJuoztZcAInZL4347C2FUe-jrp4Fjx1E6-bYuj-TVKKginM9zTDxirt5DsOKTog9lf5Q4AL2zrNZjhE4/s320/100_1705.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326825904543466226" border="0" /></a><br />This is one of my 3 highly illegal pictures of the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel. It is also my favorite part, with Adam almost (but not quite) touching God.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnO03Hcc2k_svi_UHu_yaH476tAKNikDj7c2L_OdMeWFbtf10fXAOyTHBojRY7qUo7wPEljgQiz1WR_nB-ue9BzQ4IRbZcFxdbLhyoGYE-9ZUg-xNOlDdeFrllkIUbKhfcMGyZyY9xHo/s1600-h/100_1701.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnO03Hcc2k_svi_UHu_yaH476tAKNikDj7c2L_OdMeWFbtf10fXAOyTHBojRY7qUo7wPEljgQiz1WR_nB-ue9BzQ4IRbZcFxdbLhyoGYE-9ZUg-xNOlDdeFrllkIUbKhfcMGyZyY9xHo/s320/100_1701.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326825895016988178" border="0" /></a><br />Entrance to the Vatican Museum...note the HUGE wall behind it. The Vatican city is the smallest country in the world (it has its own currency and its own military) but uses these walls as a primary defense mechanism.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3VCCjzz7vMYkYmNRzWgDoWl1SgQU12CNMeVeCdqIzsE7x9s0HHaYLu8tQP4TQLAZ7q_ZxTmNd2x7bfQ4SGrzPqYLSy7pXQs5zsyyDhXPm3g9yOMKgINMmN3fCGrZcIvjsEay5rPBBvI/s1600-h/100_1688.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3VCCjzz7vMYkYmNRzWgDoWl1SgQU12CNMeVeCdqIzsE7x9s0HHaYLu8tQP4TQLAZ7q_ZxTmNd2x7bfQ4SGrzPqYLSy7pXQs5zsyyDhXPm3g9yOMKgINMmN3fCGrZcIvjsEay5rPBBvI/s320/100_1688.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326824541861952018" border="0" /></a><br />Trevi Fountain! Very pretty.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJX9tS82x19V2VCkt4Z70hzXu11bWdsBWzXe2TS_1Ao8Z3QLs-3SQ7OjVYohTcRyBp-lnwHiLOUvsvaRZh8otSw8G8yLzqzd167OYuHUNiftVPM6ASLZMOZIfT-gFsqslCLRgbnpaCgE/s1600-h/100_1685.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJX9tS82x19V2VCkt4Z70hzXu11bWdsBWzXe2TS_1Ao8Z3QLs-3SQ7OjVYohTcRyBp-lnwHiLOUvsvaRZh8otSw8G8yLzqzd167OYuHUNiftVPM6ASLZMOZIfT-gFsqslCLRgbnpaCgE/s320/100_1685.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326824535011791250" border="0" /></a><br />Spanish steps, named so because of their proximity to the Spanish embassy, although they were originally financed by the French.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHgkq8VS4ATgFbeFwLb6FAUEb3wT2uaXY613kIk_hdow45HJfGPX5PrfStrQTp33nkt1H8tMQ4TJgzFxYya6bR2E9Pazn-G0aslFiIObQn7UvqvFXbO2glC7QsQfV8DeNHUemjLy4tbE/s1600-h/100_1679.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHgkq8VS4ATgFbeFwLb6FAUEb3wT2uaXY613kIk_hdow45HJfGPX5PrfStrQTp33nkt1H8tMQ4TJgzFxYya6bR2E9Pazn-G0aslFiIObQn7UvqvFXbO2glC7QsQfV8DeNHUemjLy4tbE/s320/100_1679.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326824531863623026" border="0" /></a><br />Documented: I ate gellato in Italy. and it was good.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47ch8tSAyDMYJ3NvXK8YkoMjELku6I-ZE8gh5gOdNWjsOdaMGljpu9pUuYsIDSbApELJUplkqDNzQrtSCcOvrm3G8jAKtniRZDfbSELAzQosljhyphenhyphenRJZHABYFM1eT3QEAPHtJCRHbV3jk/s1600-h/100_1678.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47ch8tSAyDMYJ3NvXK8YkoMjELku6I-ZE8gh5gOdNWjsOdaMGljpu9pUuYsIDSbApELJUplkqDNzQrtSCcOvrm3G8jAKtniRZDfbSELAzQosljhyphenhyphenRJZHABYFM1eT3QEAPHtJCRHbV3jk/s320/100_1678.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326824521863269122" border="0" /></a><br />Me, in St. Peter's Square. The Bascilica is directly behind me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBCxTHMHRbiLTQGMGx9EmrgewDoMy80nyLqfJi-FUbiVb8NRu5heKPXJoMCF9O0dhy4wXaLXCXDM4Tvo4HOnn9U5hY7_FcajLexDg7IBQ9g8QqNwZHImkwahmVFyZYYBv7Ju8Fb2EMD0/s1600-h/100_1677.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBCxTHMHRbiLTQGMGx9EmrgewDoMy80nyLqfJi-FUbiVb8NRu5heKPXJoMCF9O0dhy4wXaLXCXDM4Tvo4HOnn9U5hY7_FcajLexDg7IBQ9g8QqNwZHImkwahmVFyZYYBv7Ju8Fb2EMD0/s320/100_1677.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326824518858798898" border="0" /></a><br />More of St. Peter's<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpZQ_RNbRMEktjqul6nt55wyqLDgX6OFFxk8UyIJRzkbV9rZfWVbtar14LW5jTZpOK7vn4153Dx9nOUCmYhDI_2dBpJ7KxCvk9PrCgJnZTtvJ3Q1yR5wgpApW8CCD5M7W3Ig6QCyUJc4/s1600-h/100_1673.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHpZQ_RNbRMEktjqul6nt55wyqLDgX6OFFxk8UyIJRzkbV9rZfWVbtar14LW5jTZpOK7vn4153Dx9nOUCmYhDI_2dBpJ7KxCvk9PrCgJnZTtvJ3Q1yR5wgpApW8CCD5M7W3Ig6QCyUJc4/s320/100_1673.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326823011147186098" border="0" /></a>Beginning pictures of the Colosseum! This is inside, and the stage has been reconstructed to show what it would have originally looked like back in the day. Fun fact: they covered the stage with sand so everyone in the audience could see the drops of blood spilled as whoever was fighting died. The Latin word for sand is "arena" (ah-ray-na) which is the reason that they call places like this arenas! (ah-ree-nahs).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TidcEajS3-L0tuOEUUGhtjKSZz532pG44ewbT0HwGGcltisQ_gyPBgog21V7wEux-3SLsCCUevI8Rz4k3qI2SpAkaAKtFdTx0pbxUgrhxfiXP5uOelM0pJ9R13q6uU0j4ddClA118Cc/s1600-h/100_1665.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TidcEajS3-L0tuOEUUGhtjKSZz532pG44ewbT0HwGGcltisQ_gyPBgog21V7wEux-3SLsCCUevI8Rz4k3qI2SpAkaAKtFdTx0pbxUgrhxfiXP5uOelM0pJ9R13q6uU0j4ddClA118Cc/s320/100_1665.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326823007819988178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCRcO6w2Vz_lsl6Z0H3drveAUPgUzElIDoYNlHawx4TqFdJQ1FT4xc9Fn-ihRX2BtEBpvJu2qkZu01bscAexFcXwkavdOm-k5P-oVGwrjvzIGxVHBDfkCoFbcwIBkM_iEgQskLYltmyw/s1600-h/100_1661.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggCRcO6w2Vz_lsl6Z0H3drveAUPgUzElIDoYNlHawx4TqFdJQ1FT4xc9Fn-ihRX2BtEBpvJu2qkZu01bscAexFcXwkavdOm-k5P-oVGwrjvzIGxVHBDfkCoFbcwIBkM_iEgQskLYltmyw/s320/100_1661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326823004629019746" border="0" /></a><br />Typical Roman uniforms for fighting.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpYjtr2d53Ls8KHb3NnTps3PTJEr4XM2y7ijM3KekyYginVlL9bau_q7OiGZXc_9ytnZVM-6wRTOPy0TyjRXW8wSZOZJLXPao3FFVyn7LfXp2Ksn5IXlzy-VN9EAkj1fPlMH6eO96fos/s1600-h/100_1656.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpYjtr2d53Ls8KHb3NnTps3PTJEr4XM2y7ijM3KekyYginVlL9bau_q7OiGZXc_9ytnZVM-6wRTOPy0TyjRXW8wSZOZJLXPao3FFVyn7LfXp2Ksn5IXlzy-VN9EAkj1fPlMH6eO96fos/s320/100_1656.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326822999978416578" border="0" /></a><br />Outside of the Coloseeum! This is what you first see as you get off the metro.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DaEXROWTQiDEImmLKjQcUQnriI1pPUUyUwYHZTqDHvzC88kvesGYDoqNJargALACsbhXsVnhkqGMH6TbdBTwdDCO4HAN4zFqqWcSVnRI3OFTD8Lff_sQJvihvOmevgIQ5vcnGWfu_DY/s1600-h/100_1650.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1DaEXROWTQiDEImmLKjQcUQnriI1pPUUyUwYHZTqDHvzC88kvesGYDoqNJargALACsbhXsVnhkqGMH6TbdBTwdDCO4HAN4zFqqWcSVnRI3OFTD8Lff_sQJvihvOmevgIQ5vcnGWfu_DY/s320/100_1650.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326822996544550226" border="0" /></a><br />So that (along with my previous post) summarizes my trip to Rome! I'll try to post in the next couple of days about my trip to Alicante, Murica, and Valencia (although I kept forgetting to bring my camera with me everywhere, so I sadly have no pictures to share). I am heading off to Lisbon on Friday for my last trip somewhere for the semester! Time just keeps flying by!<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-55787578750040965112009-04-15T13:43:00.002-05:002009-04-15T14:42:21.601-05:00...Matthew 28:20Ciao ciao, friends! This is my new favorite way to greet people since I've returned from Rome. I left for Italy on Thursday morning and returned veryyyyyyy early Monday morning. In many, many, MANY ways Rome is an experience I will never forget. Warning: this post will get lengthy (but it's a great story- I promise!) :)<br /><br />So, I need to start with some background on how I decided to go to Rome in the first place. When I was accepted to the Madrid campus back in September, I knew that Rome would definitely be a city I would want to visit. And, because I knew I was coming during the Spring semester, I wanted to try as hard as I could to go over my Easter break, so I could spend the holiest weekend of the year in a city that embraces my faith in God. I found out that my friend Andy wanted to go to Rome, and our mutual friend Michelle was going with her family. We all booked flights for the same weekend and had kind of (but not really) decided that we would hang out together and Michelle's family would show us around (she has family that lives in Italy). Andy and I knew we couldn't stay with the family, so we made plans to book our own hostel seperately.<br /><br />Andy gave me the names of a few places that were close to the Vatican and gave me a form to fill out and fax in. He faxed his in over Spring break (back in March) and told me to gt mine in quickly because space was filling up. By the time I got back from traveling and faxed my reservation form, I received an email saying that there were no more rooms available for that weekend. I then had to quickly find other alternatives for housing, since I had already booked my flight. I chose a hostel that had rooms available all four nights that I needed them.<br /><br />Time passed and Easter break was soon approaching. Andy changed his flight so that he could be in Rome for all of Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I still had plans to travel with Michelle's family. However, this proved a slight problem as to how Andy and I were going to meet up once we both were in Rome. He gave me the number of his friend that was studying there for the semester and told me to call him once my flight arrived, because they had lunch plans. His cell phone doesn't work outside of Spain.<br /><br />Easter break finally arrives. On Wednesday night (the 8th) I was a complete nervous wreck: so many things might work but they might not. I could get ahold of Andy once I get to Italy, but he could have left Beatrice by the time I call. I could hang out with Michelle and her family, but they might be alone. I could be stranded in a country where I don't speak the language by myself but I'm not sure. All of these questions plus more swirled around in my head as I tried to go to sleep on Wednesday night. I finally fell asleep at around 2am, but was woken up when my roommate came in from a night out with her friends. Normally I'm able to ignore this and turn over and go back to bed, but she had partied a little too hard and, according to her boyfriend, was possibly showing signs of alcohol poisoning. So I woke up, made sure she was settled, let Greg out of our apartment, and tried to go back to sleep. By this time it was about 5am, and I had to get up at 6:30. I woke up again later, grabbed a banana for breakfast and headed to the airport.<br /><br />I had another decision to make once I got to the airport: two of my friends and sorority sisters from school had spent the past week in Barcelona and were flying into Madrid that day at around 8am. If their flight was ontime, I could meet them and then go and check in for my flight which left at 10:10. RyanAir lines are horrendously long, and I knew that I would be cutting it close but I REALLY wanted to see Megan and Lauren. So I waited for them, and we did go and hang out while I waited to check in. And there of course was a ridiculously long line to check in. I eventually got my boarding pass, quickly said good bye to Megan and Lauren, ran through the airport, ran through security and made it to my gate. My flight was delayed awhile because so many people faced the same problem as me.<br /><br />I finally arrived in Rome, and Michelle and her family decide to take a taxi from the Ciampino airport to wherever they were staying. I have directions to my hostel that was sent with my reservation, and the first thing I need to do is take a bus to Termini, the point where the two metro lines meet in Rome. While I'm waiting for my bus to come, I try calling Andy's friend Beatrice: she doesn't answer. My heart sinks. The message said my phone was unable to make the call, and I have no idea what I'm going to do. I have no way of getting in contact with Andy unless he decides to visit an internet cafe somewhere close to him.<br /><br />My bus finally shows up, and by this time it is about 1pm. I am running on very little sleep and have had only a banana to eat since 6:30 that morning. All of this added together on top of the fact that I can't get ahold of Andy led to a complete breakdown on the bus to Termini. It was so frustrating, because everyone was staring at me but there was no way I could communicate with anyone- I don't speak Italian! Anyways, I finally reach the Termini station about 45 minutes later. Once I get there, I need to take the B metro line 8 stops, and then get on a second train for 7 stops. I follow these instructions (thankfully with no complications) and get to the town that my hostel's in. I then have to take a bus 5 stops and walk 1 block to my hostel.<br /><br />I get to the bus station and it is literally 4pm- it had taken me 3 hours to get there from the airport. I ask my bus driver if this is the right bus, he says yes and I get on. I am so exhausted by this point I don't really know what to do, and start fervrently praying for God to give me some kind of sign that I made the right choice to be here. I see two people on the bus who I think are Americans, and we eventually start talking. As I'm looking at them, they are wearing black dress pants, a white dress shirt, a tie, and a name tag- and my first thought is "oh my gosh, these guys are Mormon missionaries." Turns out my instincts were correct...and I wasn't exactly thrilled about being there with them. For the next 20 minutes we talked (one of them was from Cincinatti and knows a lot of my friends from SLU) and I was avoiding the question "what are you doing here" at all possible costs. Well, as hard as I tried, they still managed to ask me if I knew the Gospel. When I said yes, they then followed that with a 10 minute speech about the book of Mormon. I tried to stay nuetral (don't worry, I wasn't converted) :) They also happened to be getting off at my same stop, so they helped me find my hostel, which I was very grateful for. I considered it a half sign from God that I was where I was suppossed to be :)<br /><br />I check into my hostel, and start talking with my roommate Kristin who is really sweet and very, very nice. We are both completely famished by now (its closer to 5pm, I hadn't eaten since 6:30) and we go to this little pizza place by our hostel. Kristin is leaving to go see the Spanish steps and Trevi Fountain, but I decide to stay back and try to rest. I get back to my room, but can't fall asleep. After about an hour, I decide to try to use that bathroom and see if that will help.<br /><br />I get to the bathroom and start vomitting profusely. The pizza I ate gave me (at least for Thursday) severe food poisoning. I crawl back up to my bed and manage to finally fall asleep for a few hours. When I wake up, I call Michelle and tell her the situation and find out that she has plans to meet up with her cousins tomorrow and try to take a bus tour of Rome. They also had tickets for the Vatican on Saturday, but she wasn't sure what time they were going to get started. I asked her to call me when they were about an hour and a half away from going anywhere because that's how long it took me to get into the city from my hostel.<br /><br />I woke up the next morning (feeling much better) and didn't really connect with Michelle, so I decided to go to the Coloseeum, thinking that every major tour bus has to go there. Once I arrive, I call Michelle and she tells me that they toured the Coloseeum last night. Frustrated, I decided to stay there and see it, with a tour because I wasn't sure if i would be able to come back. After the tour I headed up to the Vatican to try to buy tickets for Saturday with Michelle's family. It turns out that you cannot buy advance tickets, the tickets you buy must be used that same day. So I was stuck: should I stay and tour the Vatican now, or try to come back and get in on Saturday (note: the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter is the Vatican's busiest day of the year. Michelle's family had tickets for 2pm, meaning I would probably have to get there around noon to ensure that I would make it in ontime). I decided to wait and see it tomorrow: I thought that if I did the Vatican on Friday I wouldn't have much to look forward to on Saturday.<br /><br />Utterlly frustrated with my current life situation, I left the Vatican museum to get something to eat. There was a stand selling pizza and various drink right outside, so I bought some lunch and sat down. I didn't know what to do: I was alone in a city where I didn't speak the language and had no idea what I should do travel wise. Finally, I prayed "Lord, I'll go where you want me to go- just show me where you want me to be!" Not 10 minutes later I look up and see two of my very good friends from SLU, Mike and Josh, standing in front of me! I find out that they are planning on going to St. Peter's Bascilica next and I go with them. But the best part of finding them was what Mike said to me on the way over to St. Peter's: "We had been staring at you for like 10 minutes wondering if you were going to notice us."<br /><br />It was the first of many, many times that weekend where God showed me that he was totally in control. Throughout the next two days, we hung out together and saw everything that Rome had to offer. One of Mike's friends Amelia was studying at the Loyola Chicago Rome center for the semester, so we got a personalized tour about this history of everything we saw. It was incredible.<br /><br />Saturday we had the chance to go back to the Rome center and visit with the Priest who had picked up Mike and Josh from the airport. He was also able to get me tickets to Easter mass on Sunday! All of us (me, Josh, Mike, Amelia, and Fr. Al) ended up going out to dinner on Saturday night. Once we arrived at the restaurant, Fr Al said "order whatever you want: you are in Rome and I need to make sure that you have at least one decent meal before you leave!" Mind you, we ordered two bottles of wine, two appitizers, and all 5 of us got a huge entreé. It was such a generous and thoughtful act of Fr. Al, and once again showed me how God can use a seemingly dismal situation and turn it into something beautiful.<br /><br />Sunday was Easter, and one of the coolest experiences of my life. Being able to celebrate Easter mass in Rome with the Pope is an experience I will never forget. For the rest of my life I'll be able to say that when I was 20 years old I celebrated Easter with the Pope. It was so incredible to see how many people where there and to hear and celebrate a mass together. After the mass, the Pope does somethign (although I forget what it's called) but he basically says "Happy Easter and peace be with you" in about 20 different languages. It was so cool...when he spoke in German, all the Germans cheered, when he spoke in Chinese, all the Chinese cheered, and when he spoke in English, everyone who spoke English cheered. It was an amazing experience.<br /><br />We left mass, grabbed some lunch, and the boys headed out to the airport. My flight didn't leave until the next day, so I went back to my hostel, changed, checked out, and then headed to the airport to spend the night there. I hung out for awhile, read some books, and played Sudoku. I woke up around 4:30 to check in again for my flight that left at 6:30, eventually came back to Madrid and promptly fell asleep as soon as I got back.<br /><br />So, that was my trip to Rome. Crazy, exciting, eventful, and faith-affirming, in more ways than one. It's funny, because I spent the first 24 hours of my time in Rome figuring out how I could leave sooner than Monday morning and the last few figuring out if there was any way I could stay longer! It's so funny how God works. I'll forever remember this weekend as one where God stood by me the entire step of the way, even when I wasn't sure of it.<br /><br />Finally, some of you might be wondering what the Bible verser refers to in the title of this post. It is one of my absolute favorites, that I memorized early in my Christian walk...<br /><br />"...for I am with you always, to the very end of the age."<br /><br />Kind of the theme of my life last weekend :) Don't worry, I'll be sure to post pictures soon (and I promise the captions won't be as detailed as this post was) :)<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-78661345841788950702009-04-08T15:02:00.005-05:002009-04-08T15:27:25.988-05:008 miles of gardens, 6 hours, 5 people, 1 palace...Versailles.For our second day in Paris, we took a day trip to Versailles Palace...and I now have a new definition to the term "over done." I'm sure you'll agree with me when you see the pictures.<br /><br />And like my last post, these are technically in reverse order. So after our day trip to Versailles, we went to see the Moulin Rouge stage. The place was cool, but the part of town that its in is very sketchy. We didn't stay very long here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5LaBSscxT9m9eYwBR5xYAFXoNfYWeOZkPwKTCWlF7yS02R7E7zlGe_ejVRLrUweIyWqFQt73A0i8C3stR5vaOsVbn8mff_4LjH0VAOVBxV5fTyvsbvxq8c1stf1gRFRkycoLP1CP-5w/s1600-h/100_1648.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5LaBSscxT9m9eYwBR5xYAFXoNfYWeOZkPwKTCWlF7yS02R7E7zlGe_ejVRLrUweIyWqFQt73A0i8C3stR5vaOsVbn8mff_4LjH0VAOVBxV5fTyvsbvxq8c1stf1gRFRkycoLP1CP-5w/s320/100_1648.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322416388746021586" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The girls that went! Erin (Alex's friend from Rome), me, and Alex in front of the thousands of fountains at Versailles.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWc6AfBe_zYkvqfewUpokG-C5fc7hAn1f7QyX3FZYSo2Ar63vm8bvc1zYfYtmhFUZXEy4JTManzvM5pzgIZ1hYF_4TnJrMtdyXB8pMdr22q5A6z6m6WXUSxeGAT3wtflZin2Hf1MNhiA/s1600-h/100_1642.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWc6AfBe_zYkvqfewUpokG-C5fc7hAn1f7QyX3FZYSo2Ar63vm8bvc1zYfYtmhFUZXEy4JTManzvM5pzgIZ1hYF_4TnJrMtdyXB8pMdr22q5A6z6m6WXUSxeGAT3wtflZin2Hf1MNhiA/s320/100_1642.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322416390096066162" border="0" /></a><br />There was a big pool-river thing running through the middle of the gardens that you could rent row boats and such, and some ducks and swans were swimming around there. This swan was kind enough to pose for me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRj6SWCHrs5OcHVpjcjX4cVQ85rhtEUukz0_MqEQ_54tILN2uwQLnExZi2geniexfwibVT6qgV29EksWNH_mYJZWZlGJnRrIshqbHgoZSfN7JR4L5dGtTyGti7xvKSQKR0GfJtg-HkvQ/s1600-h/100_1635.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRj6SWCHrs5OcHVpjcjX4cVQ85rhtEUukz0_MqEQ_54tILN2uwQLnExZi2geniexfwibVT6qgV29EksWNH_mYJZWZlGJnRrIshqbHgoZSfN7JR4L5dGtTyGti7xvKSQKR0GfJtg-HkvQ/s320/100_1635.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322416382100775378" border="0" /></a><br />I randomly took this to try to get a picture of the river, and the kid posing just happened to be a bonus.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhz6Lq1LcjQagvjFpfJuvxz2ruEYmBVO82RTOoQw4k2gtWahhbbeyA0PV9jLTBvLsdmi7BXBTnwYX43_dI47ATeZfM13jVn4ptYFhRnIxEl1nfdmHnmUSEz9-1SlOgRfxOJA94LdLD6e0/s1600-h/100_1634.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhz6Lq1LcjQagvjFpfJuvxz2ruEYmBVO82RTOoQw4k2gtWahhbbeyA0PV9jLTBvLsdmi7BXBTnwYX43_dI47ATeZfM13jVn4ptYFhRnIxEl1nfdmHnmUSEz9-1SlOgRfxOJA94LdLD6e0/s320/100_1634.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322416381268806114" border="0" /></a><br />Me, at another spot on the gardens.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSyjUGiseIRFv6SR_34RqyxcgB7xFna8-XCwACbNFwyIa67wiHL71U1FII19bw_aW6lwKv3vdLy9-a4FipnZVK773ti5E5EwK1VcP8pPgSyHTkeHsLGPNMZyts_ZaOuBahpTMJMmj-2M/s1600-h/100_1631.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCSyjUGiseIRFv6SR_34RqyxcgB7xFna8-XCwACbNFwyIa67wiHL71U1FII19bw_aW6lwKv3vdLy9-a4FipnZVK773ti5E5EwK1VcP8pPgSyHTkeHsLGPNMZyts_ZaOuBahpTMJMmj-2M/s320/100_1631.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322415103278747570" border="0" /></a><br />A view from the Palace looking out towards the Gardens...like I said, this place was huge.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoKG-O6cBS9aIsymEZdy2Vy4zP8wCZHr8C44M9K8XFsbfOAfJOIF10C_OT5PtA8CWwND9kAdKR5qcQ8fu5Q7CWJFnGqFxFvTUvQ-K3tmnorkiktFxACtav2XCVi5Lx1-Rk3Sigiv5YqU/s1600-h/100_1610.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEoKG-O6cBS9aIsymEZdy2Vy4zP8wCZHr8C44M9K8XFsbfOAfJOIF10C_OT5PtA8CWwND9kAdKR5qcQ8fu5Q7CWJFnGqFxFvTUvQ-K3tmnorkiktFxACtav2XCVi5Lx1-Rk3Sigiv5YqU/s320/100_1610.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322415095428810258" border="0" /></a><br />The hall of mirrors! I can only imagined what this cost to build back in the day...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3KNbYUwuptdp9QmhSNP5LnVyw95H4uZYbJOIvw8dtgoK_FhiD6bDfdWiJkdfAGWzn24oGvrPHwyZ2wANyDRBtDYAZ2tZxO4ZYK-ZY4hDrTw1UJS0kBoo1kyo3Gomx-6omJFbFPjV_R4/s1600-h/100_1603.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3KNbYUwuptdp9QmhSNP5LnVyw95H4uZYbJOIvw8dtgoK_FhiD6bDfdWiJkdfAGWzn24oGvrPHwyZ2wANyDRBtDYAZ2tZxO4ZYK-ZY4hDrTw1UJS0kBoo1kyo3Gomx-6omJFbFPjV_R4/s320/100_1603.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322415092236085778" border="0" /></a><br />This is the chapel that Louis XVI used in Versailles. Apparently, Louis would pray to God and everyone else would just watch the King praying to God...kind of a weird form of idol worship.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOLKtqgp_hzWol-3gx4XjG2AD0MRep6flM3ByR2U5A8bvaK5Zx44CXgFlLAGZaA5RDM-8aeTTcpE8ojiMYE5L1gyNBhocKw-t6bTbsPiWiQSzzX6G2rjWRimLmp-6yirSHwoBVn1SHbI/s1600-h/100_1596.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOLKtqgp_hzWol-3gx4XjG2AD0MRep6flM3ByR2U5A8bvaK5Zx44CXgFlLAGZaA5RDM-8aeTTcpE8ojiMYE5L1gyNBhocKw-t6bTbsPiWiQSzzX6G2rjWRimLmp-6yirSHwoBVn1SHbI/s320/100_1596.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322415086791675858" border="0" /></a><br />The gates to get into the Palace...mind you, it is all gold.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWYlqrIfVKXAXOjmBEaN-1pY8IrZbbG6kJ-qK2d64RUnKx8Xxw117nwOVNEDxSwv_80eIm4iQ-qjpMVsXVqpKQAq4kD7Buq_NFT4uGgWbxtSYEjyt7JHOf4QFpx81WWTwB8dFz9DHnDM/s1600-h/100_1595.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWYlqrIfVKXAXOjmBEaN-1pY8IrZbbG6kJ-qK2d64RUnKx8Xxw117nwOVNEDxSwv_80eIm4iQ-qjpMVsXVqpKQAq4kD7Buq_NFT4uGgWbxtSYEjyt7JHOf4QFpx81WWTwB8dFz9DHnDM/s320/100_1595.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322415078169895618" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So yes! That pretty much sums up my weekend in Paris...a success on all accounts. And this weekend should be just as exciting- I'm heading to Rome! I will try to update you throughout the weekend, I'm pretty sure my hostel has internet capabilites. Keep checking for updates! :)<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-28266997348863533652009-04-08T14:28:00.006-05:002009-04-08T15:00:18.330-05:00Paris in Pictures!OK! Here are picture from my first 24 hours spent in France...note that they are backwards (meaning that the first pictures here are actually what we saw last during the day) but you can still enjoy them :)<br /><br />So here is the Eiffel Tower at night...we waited to go back to our hotel so we could se the light show that happens every hour, but it basically just ended up looking like this for about 10 minutes. Kind of a let down.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrx-KR2eh3ZjVQ-D1v3gpzex9h1wkVk_IKoSaNg3ZjHioznBvybcPZH_-VGNWDJirKPLu1jUFaWCP5_MCbCHltHfxcMd66XNwZHs24CvZWWXc6_G_o_-r19fEn1HbLIQK38ooj0md3t8/s1600-h/100_1593.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrx-KR2eh3ZjVQ-D1v3gpzex9h1wkVk_IKoSaNg3ZjHioznBvybcPZH_-VGNWDJirKPLu1jUFaWCP5_MCbCHltHfxcMd66XNwZHs24CvZWWXc6_G_o_-r19fEn1HbLIQK38ooj0md3t8/s320/100_1593.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322410205346268242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The entrance to the Louve! It's pretty cool...you walk into a glass elevator and then go down into the museum.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KjjjiaxGwIMCiyPoU8iME0giTTmNw4TDnajNPhxyucoFYnhxhXE0ao1RHBj3zObgADitKqXiVj084yispmPVKgPOadohAs6WguJecENHm926Tw3GVMyTx0qPSjfGawQAiojl3KzNgMY/s1600-h/100_1585.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2KjjjiaxGwIMCiyPoU8iME0giTTmNw4TDnajNPhxyucoFYnhxhXE0ao1RHBj3zObgADitKqXiVj084yispmPVKgPOadohAs6WguJecENHm926Tw3GVMyTx0qPSjfGawQAiojl3KzNgMY/s320/100_1585.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322410200466016098" border="0" /></a><br />Here she is...the infamous Mona Lisa. Like everyone says, she is pretty small and always has a crowd of people around her. She is also protected by a huge case of bullet proof glass.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ObdxZsHj2pb9m93ufcz4eckL8Y5rhyphenhyphenNsQHklJW6h5HgemUSwfMB-EKaWSg5oPH7yQN8noAHmRSSbtfZvRt7A-Ee4sgg0H3UgQQlJqMlxRLUxzJbe_2p-o79KQs8pknj5j43EnCodnkA/s1600-h/100_1584.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ObdxZsHj2pb9m93ufcz4eckL8Y5rhyphenhyphenNsQHklJW6h5HgemUSwfMB-EKaWSg5oPH7yQN8noAHmRSSbtfZvRt7A-Ee4sgg0H3UgQQlJqMlxRLUxzJbe_2p-o79KQs8pknj5j43EnCodnkA/s320/100_1584.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322410194826044978" border="0" /></a><br />This is the 2nd of 3 really famous works of art at the Louve...Athena.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jkDhQOZH3jKMXWfloysuPHXsa0YM4IjfhU5X-WB1lHfH9CEzuLal2vqPchBUGjNEdtYQGevJTJ8nn_uc4nTU2EN5NboYrqELP3Kw3UHNohIgJqhPNuzeeso7jMT17-Px4HmazZZaon4/s1600-h/100_1579.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jkDhQOZH3jKMXWfloysuPHXsa0YM4IjfhU5X-WB1lHfH9CEzuLal2vqPchBUGjNEdtYQGevJTJ8nn_uc4nTU2EN5NboYrqELP3Kw3UHNohIgJqhPNuzeeso7jMT17-Px4HmazZZaon4/s320/100_1579.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322409374263843106" border="0" /></a><br />And here is the 3rd: Winged Victory (of something...I can't remember).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74DKoWjCIdbZJMkQn19CA8abXdJ9Ldn69laXC9xAeWUntEsKfqvIt5sP7geTSCjvMQ_xtQv6kFG-pXi2oc9M0iceaRir_EPFmdBGpZK0CxD7Hygsyi3a99saF46mQN6WuK9u1x-e3zs4/s1600-h/100_1578.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74DKoWjCIdbZJMkQn19CA8abXdJ9Ldn69laXC9xAeWUntEsKfqvIt5sP7geTSCjvMQ_xtQv6kFG-pXi2oc9M0iceaRir_EPFmdBGpZK0CxD7Hygsyi3a99saF46mQN6WuK9u1x-e3zs4/s320/100_1578.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322409370074862338" border="0" /></a><br />Before we went to the Louve, we visited Notre Dame. The outside of the Cathedral is famous for 2 things: flying buttresses, which give the entire building support (you can't quite see them in this picture) and gargoyles.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZyWBOuOM1X-B8s1ez2vKcAsht4bZUhdSmxThmRd5E09SKMiQ5RWKMYOJQoy4CwLxg6Qom_ohdXRG5vyuimCS8H8tyHcOmU7w8O_5JgnKA1QkYdLxYnpQbcAPriD4WKgTsBAMtAF-PYc/s1600-h/100_1573.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZyWBOuOM1X-B8s1ez2vKcAsht4bZUhdSmxThmRd5E09SKMiQ5RWKMYOJQoy4CwLxg6Qom_ohdXRG5vyuimCS8H8tyHcOmU7w8O_5JgnKA1QkYdLxYnpQbcAPriD4WKgTsBAMtAF-PYc/s320/100_1573.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322409371945715490" border="0" /></a><br />Circle stained glass windows in Notre Dame.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3T4IcnQjwOWE_j8cCsb8yqJXwrCmuSYLCt7T9OdpZyfJv3umckKBTweKyNJKpHrh8jRmN0VECrXsYpksZS3pNpRDE2Y0i29tK0FtRFiQ6zavQlY4QxSXG8y7sofsGSePFJQ6O5iHePCg/s1600-h/100_1564.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3T4IcnQjwOWE_j8cCsb8yqJXwrCmuSYLCt7T9OdpZyfJv3umckKBTweKyNJKpHrh8jRmN0VECrXsYpksZS3pNpRDE2Y0i29tK0FtRFiQ6zavQlY4QxSXG8y7sofsGSePFJQ6O5iHePCg/s320/100_1564.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322409364653008082" border="0" /></a><br />Entrance to ND. There was a service going on while we were there, being that it was a Friday during Lent.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij12b8-XMQ2GFv5kQaOuy7C0Ns-URWVsFF2e_cJZimYlosOxvUsTYUfNxSVI8MDj2GRvMRkDLw6F8P5O56HRYTZR1pxRSwAlhKrquWXUhWVHP5MBuFPxbxPogloL08OJrTvSXhU92F2tM/s1600-h/100_1563.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij12b8-XMQ2GFv5kQaOuy7C0Ns-URWVsFF2e_cJZimYlosOxvUsTYUfNxSVI8MDj2GRvMRkDLw6F8P5O56HRYTZR1pxRSwAlhKrquWXUhWVHP5MBuFPxbxPogloL08OJrTvSXhU92F2tM/s320/100_1563.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322409355731976754" border="0" /></a><br />Me, outside the cathedral :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqn9GIJp-dyA23TTPmr3wBcg7uaGCFo-bQSN_TEQ8PnylNT3uLtV8nvnctICf0K7Vng5AJiGNeiYS53bHwzzyLUDVmlO37kEnmq0G0VVIc5709V9miNg78eQr4QBt17LIYeipt0axIkLo/s1600-h/100_1559.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqn9GIJp-dyA23TTPmr3wBcg7uaGCFo-bQSN_TEQ8PnylNT3uLtV8nvnctICf0K7Vng5AJiGNeiYS53bHwzzyLUDVmlO37kEnmq0G0VVIc5709V9miNg78eQr4QBt17LIYeipt0axIkLo/s320/100_1559.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322407917641073986" border="0" /></a><br />Luxembourg gardens! We actually took a nap here on Friday afternoon :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yj-n1A7O-kGgopVPXHTU2-AxAKfWJJPA__Ne5BXyuaZ5TV2TzfjFVunGA81kdhJC6ApQToQxO2G3sKGj5wq8xzCE0_taQpTBEaqihaziWDJtFQYaLiH9Ecvx6V5pnTpJNISt-yHcFzg/s1600-h/100_1553.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yj-n1A7O-kGgopVPXHTU2-AxAKfWJJPA__Ne5BXyuaZ5TV2TzfjFVunGA81kdhJC6ApQToQxO2G3sKGj5wq8xzCE0_taQpTBEaqihaziWDJtFQYaLiH9Ecvx6V5pnTpJNISt-yHcFzg/s320/100_1553.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322407913244056354" border="0" /></a><br />The middle of the Champs-Elysses, looking back at the Arc du Triumph in the background.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7E6GLBACDbi9pYxvjJhQFYqTH2bPxk-qH8uQfoFCcjGGFmlwnhSHef-AcXgQ35ugzaVYgE1BsagMG-OFq8LumH02ebrw2-K67HJtGkitR4bmBLFuc-Px0JXzLYrsjdzAyx1uy-894ck/s1600-h/100_1548.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7E6GLBACDbi9pYxvjJhQFYqTH2bPxk-qH8uQfoFCcjGGFmlwnhSHef-AcXgQ35ugzaVYgE1BsagMG-OFq8LumH02ebrw2-K67HJtGkitR4bmBLFuc-Px0JXzLYrsjdzAyx1uy-894ck/s320/100_1548.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322407909143261250" border="0" /></a><br />Official proof that I was on the Champs-Elysees<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4UaLOBuOOQv6e7Y7_3-mTNhFU35CkjG6Dyt2aEXcU58OSBn7XIImEL0dnSt6wpyVP4Wnjg2rVcTPTlMoLEnW6recU9ZljaIHovw-akydO9d_QxHWJ_SQY1faixKYFndQ-7WC72FfOIA/s1600-h/100_1547.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4UaLOBuOOQv6e7Y7_3-mTNhFU35CkjG6Dyt2aEXcU58OSBn7XIImEL0dnSt6wpyVP4Wnjg2rVcTPTlMoLEnW6recU9ZljaIHovw-akydO9d_QxHWJ_SQY1faixKYFndQ-7WC72FfOIA/s320/100_1547.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322407905280244802" border="0" /></a><br />Me, with the Arc. Napolean built this to honor himself. Good job, Napolean.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWn1BVuQqdjEwgbBftizruu8jMXd0-xTFcUe0aYGZUYNIY5f2TA1KD_VrYUBEEOVBhoy4DtdKqWZu210FEUcmH1aP2ioY7ksosD3GMoBL1o5cilIs7Ejq40-YVmMuxrH4ntIrcWjXPcI/s1600-h/100_1545.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihWn1BVuQqdjEwgbBftizruu8jMXd0-xTFcUe0aYGZUYNIY5f2TA1KD_VrYUBEEOVBhoy4DtdKqWZu210FEUcmH1aP2ioY7ksosD3GMoBL1o5cilIs7Ejq40-YVmMuxrH4ntIrcWjXPcI/s320/100_1545.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322407905750196658" border="0" /></a><br />My friend Alex and I in front of the Tower!!! Alex is also one of my roommates for next year.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TQl5Z-geIsg2Ha596g1Fm2Vwl2RMWVaBQaksrPoesxtfsRPYYMwGtegvFVKp-WSBAnqzqqFrLi8f_0gIzM-Mk6D9sjjFeWXSxkjEsXYZp6CsDqlED4qBzsZZD3RlPW07OgWf4Hul874/s1600-h/100_1542.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TQl5Z-geIsg2Ha596g1Fm2Vwl2RMWVaBQaksrPoesxtfsRPYYMwGtegvFVKp-WSBAnqzqqFrLi8f_0gIzM-Mk6D9sjjFeWXSxkjEsXYZp6CsDqlED4qBzsZZD3RlPW07OgWf4Hul874/s320/100_1542.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322406254006696354" border="0" /></a><br />New favorite picture. EVER.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXm4XvtvSA_HFUT2JcXqzqfURRYgerPA837xw2OkLa4mEVJxjzDey-WfN6G_VMGvXsPyCfSxZ9JtkomWjsvzUSFRwi3hvB_sNZnlzVwUTCf6pPzD3VJ6wyfOwQr1NHiZ3yOVu-SwSg1E/s1600-h/100_1540.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXm4XvtvSA_HFUT2JcXqzqfURRYgerPA837xw2OkLa4mEVJxjzDey-WfN6G_VMGvXsPyCfSxZ9JtkomWjsvzUSFRwi3hvB_sNZnlzVwUTCf6pPzD3VJ6wyfOwQr1NHiZ3yOVu-SwSg1E/s320/100_1540.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322406253975964530" border="0" /></a><br />The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortuately, it was really cloudy that morning so you couldn't see a whole lot. You can barely see the Arc du Triumph in the background.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvdiMAjXTW1rSt5mc2EuLSvL-KBdry7m1xaqlocaoOj2AuJwzmmr9uIq7DhZfBYgwSq2MFKucOG4918Y6oYgdsVkN3rtRqCN4nR0bld6YzydtI1QLVHET8qzlPJnMsnd60VvFRd-2NMg/s1600-h/100_1528.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvdiMAjXTW1rSt5mc2EuLSvL-KBdry7m1xaqlocaoOj2AuJwzmmr9uIq7DhZfBYgwSq2MFKucOG4918Y6oYgdsVkN3rtRqCN4nR0bld6YzydtI1QLVHET8qzlPJnMsnd60VvFRd-2NMg/s320/100_1528.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322406244981147234" border="0" /></a><br />More views from the tower.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUErw21mW41rJ4WpGNbo0ZWljQTMSBUYwz48OVT6UG0e1v7QJ7B4PgFmIeeEYg1ZHkTUO__I1T5JHzlD9GijB4eWf-d47P2EeIotbYlEB3yj1JWI4VdM8u6aUJ5foFDzf_oJmRmR5VEps/s1600-h/100_1526.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUErw21mW41rJ4WpGNbo0ZWljQTMSBUYwz48OVT6UG0e1v7QJ7B4PgFmIeeEYg1ZHkTUO__I1T5JHzlD9GijB4eWf-d47P2EeIotbYlEB3yj1JWI4VdM8u6aUJ5foFDzf_oJmRmR5VEps/s320/100_1526.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322406240458725234" border="0" /></a><br />The first sighting of the Eiffel Tower as we were walking to it that morning! An exciting moment!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-POPyvQlT_bwbidwMYPvDryYILJ12D6-gqhGR1vD-rT7uUgSKKW_R8psCQtJzTt8aJUFQLJL7YBgtnodxMMGokZq4EN941oK9Va4SmSFYoIbynBAN-K_BazOgJH-VHGT34aFrswqusg/s1600-h/100_1518.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-POPyvQlT_bwbidwMYPvDryYILJ12D6-gqhGR1vD-rT7uUgSKKW_R8psCQtJzTt8aJUFQLJL7YBgtnodxMMGokZq4EN941oK9Va4SmSFYoIbynBAN-K_BazOgJH-VHGT34aFrswqusg/s320/100_1518.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322406229883943186" border="0" /></a><br />...and those are just the pictures I have from the city! More to come from Versailles! :)Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-72139063981495336542009-04-06T16:44:00.003-05:002009-04-06T17:23:22.125-05:00Par-ee Holds the Key to My Heart!...(points to whoever can tell me what song that is from!) :)This weekend was absolutely FABULOUS! I had a wonderful time in Paris, seeing things I've only seen and read about (until about 2 days ago) in books and movies. Now I can say I've been there. So exciting!<br /><br />I left for Paris on Thursday morning, first flying to Rome to meet my friends there and then all of us would fly to Paris from Rome. It was a little weird, I was sitting in this tiny, tiny airport in Rome, entertaining myself by listening to radio podcasts (shout out to the Lunch Break with Bess and Marc- I LOVE your show!) :) and watching episodes of Jon and Kate plus 8 on my iPod. I arrived in Rome at about 12:30, and my friends came around 5pm, so it was kind of a long afternoon. I was traveling with my friend Alex Tucci, and then 3 of her friends from Rome where she is studying abroad this semester. We flew to Paris, took a bus into the city (because Paris Beauvais airport is about 40 miles outside of the city) and then got on the metro to our hotel. We decided what our plans were going to be for the next day, and quickly fell asleep. We were all very tired.<br /><br />Friday we spent the entire day in the city, literally. We left our hotel at 8am and didn't get back until close to midnight! We started our day at the Eiffel Tower, hoping to beat the lines later in the day. We arrived close to 9am, only to figure out that it doesn't open until 9:30, so we sent the boys to buy us crepes that we had seen at a crepe stand on the way there. We eventually got up into the Tower, and enjoyed some awesome views from the top. Unfortunately it was really cloudy that morning, so it wasn't the best possible view, but it was still cool. (FYI- I'll put my pictures up in a seperate post. It makes my life a squosh bit easier).<br /><br />We left the Tower, and found a nice place across the bridge to get better pictures of the infamous Parisian landmark (also where the new background picture came from!) After that, we walked to the Arc du Triumph and stopped along the way to eat lunch. We followed the Arc with a stroll down the Champs Elysse, and then eventually made our way to the Luxembourg Gardens. My favorite part about these gardens was the fact that they built chairs specifically made for napping- as in they had a slight recline. So we all took a quick nap in the gardens, and then continued to walk around the city. Eventually we got to Notre Dame and the Lourve, both of which were very impressive. We ate our dinner, saw the light show on the Effiel Tower and then made our way back to the hotel at around midnight. It was a long, but absolutely wonderful, day.<br /><br />Saturday was spent at Versailles, all day. We toured the Palace and the Gardens, both of which give a whole new meaning to the definition of "over-done." I now know why the French government was in serious economic debt at the time of the French Revolution. It was gorgeous, but way over the top. The gardens encompass 8 miles of land around the Palace. It's crazy. So we spent all day there, walking through everything and seeing everything. We made it back to our hotel around 7ish and eventually went out to visit the Moulin Rouge stage. Afterwards, we came home and packed and got ready for an early morning- we had to catch the first metro line at 5:30am to catch a bus to get to the airport by 7:30. I spent the day at the Paris Beauvais airport (which might be the most poorly engineered airport I have ever been in my entire life) and then finally got back to Madrid that afternoon.<br /><br />I was planning on posting pictures along with this, but I am tired, and I have to get up early tomorrow for class, so you all will have to wait :) And they are REALLY GREAT, so you all will defintely want to come back!<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-79348609638673102682009-03-31T17:20:00.004-05:002009-03-31T17:43:17.032-05:00Sevilla pictures and life goals to be accomplished in the near futureSo, after almost a 2 week delay, here are the long awaited (and I'm sure much anticipated) :) pictures from my trip to Sevilla 2 weekends ago...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HlJMrx-JUk0lTuZhXUJs3N6tNSvCfqjgsTUHRvmtY2UsBnHTM4vusHQpKsciV-6jm4T1RAMvtxhGvWPA5Ib6V5z2iPxVsGX72kusZ66qPfp4BpQPond41_rS77sz1LsF-JMN55tIx5c/s1600-h/100_1512.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1HlJMrx-JUk0lTuZhXUJs3N6tNSvCfqjgsTUHRvmtY2UsBnHTM4vusHQpKsciV-6jm4T1RAMvtxhGvWPA5Ib6V5z2iPxVsGX72kusZ66qPfp4BpQPond41_rS77sz1LsF-JMN55tIx5c/s320/100_1512.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319483631959150002" border="0" /></a>So these pictures are in reverse order of how we saw everything...ie the bull ring was the last we did before we left for the bus station. But this is a picture of the chapel in the bull ring we toured. All matadors are required to pray before they begin their fight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44b79g8KgAUVR6Lo6P9TKMYtdjJgh87Yi55Qtc5EIBAWDrvcGd9R7_WNZ-6Zc-F8GSzteyaaVXcHitr9r_GipEPPRp_lelpUm1GCoxqTaoTOGZFoB65b-Sq86cXFW0P1ukM2WPbu_Wpg/s1600-h/100_1510.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44b79g8KgAUVR6Lo6P9TKMYtdjJgh87Yi55Qtc5EIBAWDrvcGd9R7_WNZ-6Zc-F8GSzteyaaVXcHitr9r_GipEPPRp_lelpUm1GCoxqTaoTOGZFoB65b-Sq86cXFW0P1ukM2WPbu_Wpg/s320/100_1510.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319483622547356210" border="0" /></a>Me, in front of the ring. It was quite large.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7IOsagB_AOYhPjWZqqGgFFcglihE8TaRdbhIbvBrUX-H9SIxkFh7oT87jUFd0nO1mZFQNdTISLg1f0sN-orkFnogNvBc4q1BeB2Wz12CRyG0tmGwYo1DuKNNLbMeILCbHJxuwjgACfU/s1600-h/100_1508.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7IOsagB_AOYhPjWZqqGgFFcglihE8TaRdbhIbvBrUX-H9SIxkFh7oT87jUFd0nO1mZFQNdTISLg1f0sN-orkFnogNvBc4q1BeB2Wz12CRyG0tmGwYo1DuKNNLbMeILCbHJxuwjgACfU/s320/100_1508.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319483616942584018" border="0" /></a>This is where Spanish royalty sit when they come to Sevilla and watch a bull fight.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2GA3RMFla5___W5bXcQmlfz8WO9ae9pItnWg6KZ7nQ3q_NC2FruifjQx8iG9s54eHKBJ8SCu9qTHDjnqli4Mfl8ma0MCorXVH0gIl3WjJXTLZzVj-SmqA8MQoBFSoLTCTLv849H-DtI/s1600-h/100_1491.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2GA3RMFla5___W5bXcQmlfz8WO9ae9pItnWg6KZ7nQ3q_NC2FruifjQx8iG9s54eHKBJ8SCu9qTHDjnqli4Mfl8ma0MCorXVH0gIl3WjJXTLZzVj-SmqA8MQoBFSoLTCTLv849H-DtI/s320/100_1491.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319483615052633794" border="0" /></a>We also toured the Cathedral in Sevilla. This picture didn't turn out very well, but this tomb supposedly holds the remains of Christopher Columbus.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3SvIdgceFe2aOS397TxC1tImragxjkHNmVJoZWzSO-wKZ5uPz9LSBoq74kw6OmKT5OyeEtpzo_xPjF-Wxc0_gT6A2DhVbSlL3dWuip8i9mVNCH3GdnlZfsR2zGzH0wh-3zX6tIM1FTk/s1600-h/100_1486.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3SvIdgceFe2aOS397TxC1tImragxjkHNmVJoZWzSO-wKZ5uPz9LSBoq74kw6OmKT5OyeEtpzo_xPjF-Wxc0_gT6A2DhVbSlL3dWuip8i9mVNCH3GdnlZfsR2zGzH0wh-3zX6tIM1FTk/s320/100_1486.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319482383123363234" border="0" /></a>Outside of the Cathedral in Sevilla.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZm5h9_EQEWiI_eVxUB4BxCCKL4lN-5qyyPtURVSVlEnwWkWPszjk9cnIBubOR80NxSek_W1Zb8wHBqWojlw5ANj_mXRex0mmFkuK6oU7iaMSarZBq1vNTmDZb_u0tRgi86MLlEjCYt0/s1600-h/100_1477.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZm5h9_EQEWiI_eVxUB4BxCCKL4lN-5qyyPtURVSVlEnwWkWPszjk9cnIBubOR80NxSek_W1Zb8wHBqWojlw5ANj_mXRex0mmFkuK6oU7iaMSarZBq1vNTmDZb_u0tRgi86MLlEjCYt0/s320/100_1477.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319482376415656850" border="0" /></a>Just a typical park in Sevilla.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYJvKnwuZXeFQDHD5w-5t2iEPVEp7ftacN9lIzI1KS0qYlzkySqhi1Cn6bX9rbJZQAWmcTCfsSG96dtLqAQsuweKkoN4CiS-z7iKNdtoJCG69D5C8h3GkHQMTzYinoxTD0EMRl8Yh9o0/s1600-h/100_1466.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYJvKnwuZXeFQDHD5w-5t2iEPVEp7ftacN9lIzI1KS0qYlzkySqhi1Cn6bX9rbJZQAWmcTCfsSG96dtLqAQsuweKkoN4CiS-z7iKNdtoJCG69D5C8h3GkHQMTzYinoxTD0EMRl8Yh9o0/s320/100_1466.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319482373536280354" border="0" /></a>This is called the Torre de Oro, or Tower of Gold. I have no idea what it is or why it's important to Sevilla because we didn't get to tour it...we ran out of time.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaSOlOMXpPsHCYxRasOflpbWpBlbxdrq5IcR01VDyTnkgKO0KPN-J8bomHD1GX6FKnvDrFdvGIRp3Lo3PTkXCrKccFCO9c1pi1OdsYWpd2fGGTx6nh_HAd3q2liR6dSmntbbv9XIquVw/s1600-h/100_1449.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsaSOlOMXpPsHCYxRasOflpbWpBlbxdrq5IcR01VDyTnkgKO0KPN-J8bomHD1GX6FKnvDrFdvGIRp3Lo3PTkXCrKccFCO9c1pi1OdsYWpd2fGGTx6nh_HAd3q2liR6dSmntbbv9XIquVw/s320/100_1449.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319482366837323234" border="0" /></a>These lilacs grow EVERYWHERE in Sevilla. They are pretty and make the town smell beautiful!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCCwKWVLCzP1zspBnA6S9wfjhrNIfFvd5cVoH3OfwB77iSdjotAgFylZ0rYlAD0V5SUXmd9OsOM0LJatHv9KtxhWkaBmT43YcjzkAlYtfrV74AmaaYr3ndxv-eglNfNgvW3q9hIMw854/s1600-h/100_1443.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCCwKWVLCzP1zspBnA6S9wfjhrNIfFvd5cVoH3OfwB77iSdjotAgFylZ0rYlAD0V5SUXmd9OsOM0LJatHv9KtxhWkaBmT43YcjzkAlYtfrV74AmaaYr3ndxv-eglNfNgvW3q9hIMw854/s320/100_1443.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319482364771037538" border="0" /></a>Typical street in Southern Spain...palm trees, lots of vegetation, beautiful.<br /><br />So that was Sevilla in a nutshell, a beautiful place to visit for a weekend. As I mentioned in my last post, I stayed in Madrid this past weekend, and for this upcoming weekend I will be traveling to...drum roll please...PARIS! I am beyonnnddddd excited for this...my life goal of taking my picture in front of the Eiffel Tower will soon be complete! And I am even more excited because I am going with one of my friends who is studying abroad in Rome right now. I am so excited to see her! So I will think of you all this weekend, while I sit on the Champs-Elyssé, eating a crossaint, soaking up the (hopefully) warm sun... :)<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-382465216129432112009-03-26T17:54:00.003-05:002009-03-26T18:15:27.367-05:00My apologies!First off, my sincere apologies (mostly to my mom) and to everyone else who reads this regularly. For whatever reason, I kept forgetting to update my blog this week. I would always remember just as I settled into bed, ready to fall asleep. But, just so you all aren't worried, I am alive and well and I guess I've just been enjoying the week :)<br /><br />Last Thursday was a holiday in Madrid, their equivalent of Father's day. I didn't have school and used the day to rest and sleep in! Some friends and I had plans to go to Sevilla on Friday and Saturday, so I also went and bought tickets with them. We hung out for a little while and then I went back to my apartment and got ready for the weekend.<br /><br />We left for Sevilla on Friday morning, taking a bus from Madrid that left at 8am. We arrived around 2pm, got to our hostel and walked around the city for the rest of the evening. Sevilla is a beautiful city, very much like Southern states in the US. As weird as it sounds, Sevilla also smells really good...the city is known for its oranges and lilacs, so everything has this citris-y lilac-y sent to it. Its awesome. We came back to our hostel, got a quick nap, and left for a couple of bars that night. We had fun hanging out together.<br /><br />Saturday we checked out of our hostel (which was by FAR the best hostel I've stayed at since I've been in Europe...it had free internet, free towels, access to a kitchen AND each room had their own private bathroom! I thought I was in paradise) and set out to see all of the tourist-y things in Sevilla. We wanted to go to this convent where suppossedly you walk up to the door, knock on it, and nuns come and give you pastries. Well, it took us about an hour to even find this convent, and the weather in Southern Spain is HOT. It's gorgeous, but hot. We were all a little cranky when we got there. However, when we arrived, we discovered that they only sell marmalade and honey and none of us wanted marmalade or honey- what were we going to do with it? So we awkwardly left and continued down to the main part of the city.<br /><br />We toured the Cathedral in Sevilla, which was beautiful as always. We also went to a bull ring and got a tour inside. I have some really neat pictures of it, but they haven't been uploaded to my computer yet so I will have to post them later. After dinner, we got our bags from our hostel and took the bus back to the bus station. We took a night bus back to Madrid so we had the hole day Sunday to recover, which was nice. Lately all of my travels have come in either really late on Sunday nights or really early on Monday mornings. It just makes it tricky to get back into the swing of school.<br /><br />This week has been busy for me, but not overwhelming- just enough to keep me on my toes every day. I had a midterm in my oceanography class on Wednesday, which I think went really well. I just got back tonight from a Madrid Young Life bible study...ironically enough, my former area director in St. Louis knows the area director in Madrid, so we exchanged emails and I've hung out with them a couple times since I 've been here. It's been really neat to see how YL works on an international level.<br /><br />I think that brings you all up to speed-- I am staying in Madrid this weekend, which I am SO excited about :) One of my friends who is studying abroad in France this semester is in Madrid for the weekend, and she wants to see everything so I will probably accompany her around town, and most likely to the Prado (ahem Dad) since I still haven't been there yet.<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-10837806197053637282009-03-19T05:57:00.007-05:002009-03-19T06:20:59.251-05:00I can't not post these pictures.OK, So somewhere in the last two posts I mentioned that I went to Madame Toussand's Wax Museum while I was in London with my friend Sylvia. Here are all the pictures we took while we were there...as you can see, we had a good time :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5a935V2N_pco2FW3bZSiTY9VgSxch2cxCsj1wk-F93WlrzKS0kXKqD0QCGwvNV3ABvP9bfgjPFc_a6QTcvU1mPc38DWFwF6Hxc4XUnljhWxd67oPzj5P8OU8wCBeeBwVW_-95OYGb4xo/s1600-h/troy+bolton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5a935V2N_pco2FW3bZSiTY9VgSxch2cxCsj1wk-F93WlrzKS0kXKqD0QCGwvNV3ABvP9bfgjPFc_a6QTcvU1mPc38DWFwF6Hxc4XUnljhWxd67oPzj5P8OU8wCBeeBwVW_-95OYGb4xo/s320/troy+bolton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314854899723621746" border="0" /></a>So these aren't exactly in correct order, but I would like to dedicate this first picture to Carrie Jussely. You would have loved it...they had a whole section dedicated ONLY to HSM3.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUA2GmwLTvGFTktDL5RQ2d62CUPB9Xu8NIV6jplO1axnDjDs2_ByJ9hyphenhyphenEOPmTysju-8FMr1SLUcfN1qPhAk26iaZ-X-3xiU9EjBpgU7V8L2ZnwfD0X_OVCvo1-v7U1fxiEhFZUfpwJR4I/s1600-h/will+smith.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUA2GmwLTvGFTktDL5RQ2d62CUPB9Xu8NIV6jplO1axnDjDs2_ByJ9hyphenhyphenEOPmTysju-8FMr1SLUcfN1qPhAk26iaZ-X-3xiU9EjBpgU7V8L2ZnwfD0X_OVCvo1-v7U1fxiEhFZUfpwJR4I/s320/will+smith.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314854899887083058" border="0" /></a>Such a typical Will Smith pose.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNhW1OtvhEnaRp_vnWbX_opMOVMCLrHu_Ny3afdlI7KcOfLRZx09oTVs4f-t6mnahegRw6IH5J1GzoC8MzJvc2lGrR-nZMXtdim5FM7CsZH8c9O0yDSp2yZMEsUXV2Kzfl8Ehzh-1Q_I/s1600-h/tom+cruise.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNhW1OtvhEnaRp_vnWbX_opMOVMCLrHu_Ny3afdlI7KcOfLRZx09oTVs4f-t6mnahegRw6IH5J1GzoC8MzJvc2lGrR-nZMXtdim5FM7CsZH8c9O0yDSp2yZMEsUXV2Kzfl8Ehzh-1Q_I/s320/tom+cruise.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314854898203710562" border="0" /></a>Me and Tom...not quite sure what to think about him.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gjDdi46vrxXEYS4x_aQvDuNImuwY2VgpiBn5VCdkEKJ-VAj-JkjJGlRD-r1u7dRN4RwGeq3_W5a-a4onvvwRhcQp6MNUdTlEh7QEuccoUCivgGSrAmKal7JftbGec5ZmTEJvWX3qSUU/s1600-h/steven+spieldberg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7gjDdi46vrxXEYS4x_aQvDuNImuwY2VgpiBn5VCdkEKJ-VAj-JkjJGlRD-r1u7dRN4RwGeq3_W5a-a4onvvwRhcQp6MNUdTlEh7QEuccoUCivgGSrAmKal7JftbGec5ZmTEJvWX3qSUU/s320/steven+spieldberg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314854652422995346" border="0" /></a>This really looks like I'm sitting in front of Steven Spieldberg, accompanied by a dinosaur hand from his movie Jurassic Park.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NhabPppT3IEmcp3Lyz5esbV-TmyMqPUJDFewpx3vv0F29e04BkpP_G2Z_3JwCrdIQ_pj_DaEeqzWWb2WPq9KSzyjlJsg-KQa0zArj_1aOS4kb4ErLeiJyoYfL88f-50K8i_mhvXC2Wo/s1600-h/robin+williams.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NhabPppT3IEmcp3Lyz5esbV-TmyMqPUJDFewpx3vv0F29e04BkpP_G2Z_3JwCrdIQ_pj_DaEeqzWWb2WPq9KSzyjlJsg-KQa0zArj_1aOS4kb4ErLeiJyoYfL88f-50K8i_mhvXC2Wo/s320/robin+williams.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314854647125922146" border="0" /></a>When I was taking this picture, I literally thought that Robin Williams would move in about 2 seconds, he looked that real. It was almost a little creepy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YzBlKknfpkFPtXg4SR5OmmYJcfH6WCAV5FEp4njzn78BW-_7VfQge1yWRTxCDT1OOh4IOSu8UKx_2ZJJTP3oS0vucTtxtNxAEgHdto7qNpoFpmzim4IXquo1__y66-YGYy30YOXqCns/s1600-h/orlando.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YzBlKknfpkFPtXg4SR5OmmYJcfH6WCAV5FEp4njzn78BW-_7VfQge1yWRTxCDT1OOh4IOSu8UKx_2ZJJTP3oS0vucTtxtNxAEgHdto7qNpoFpmzim4IXquo1__y66-YGYy30YOXqCns/s320/orlando.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314854648205867602" border="0" /></a>Not paying attention to me...jerkface. Thanks, Orlando.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOwB-M-3SVKrbMLsXhKnETl2OykTpRTcx42HsLI7dgpltgUgq0BzluCAeOJvBiw0eLDvaoRPZE2YulrQ0gkO3LK2tSK0GL7yFQhJAkfrgDGniXKJJVwwDSWWBFjfcDMEWO76jkaEeGmw/s1600-h/nicole+kidman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOwB-M-3SVKrbMLsXhKnETl2OykTpRTcx42HsLI7dgpltgUgq0BzluCAeOJvBiw0eLDvaoRPZE2YulrQ0gkO3LK2tSK0GL7yFQhJAkfrgDGniXKJJVwwDSWWBFjfcDMEWO76jkaEeGmw/s320/nicole+kidman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314854648663693586" border="0" /></a>My new BFF, Nicole Kidman.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIljDo9E_BqqIsVN05y5c5_8k0Ox6Th7gQq5bNWSE8Xvmw5ZtqBaUmcH775adrp9SJ3Bv7Z-ohSDH7eR_P9Zn14dffR7eOYMewe-0B8UnF-gLeFU0u6tc7R6uGQpEGVoE4TH3iFkCi1XI/s1600-h/mel+gibson_moran+freeman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIljDo9E_BqqIsVN05y5c5_8k0Ox6Th7gQq5bNWSE8Xvmw5ZtqBaUmcH775adrp9SJ3Bv7Z-ohSDH7eR_P9Zn14dffR7eOYMewe-0B8UnF-gLeFU0u6tc7R6uGQpEGVoE4TH3iFkCi1XI/s320/mel+gibson_moran+freeman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314854636889995730" border="0" /></a>Surrounded by so much talent, what do I do?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsl_CdjypE0nqV17qOYGBLD-z1QYFzF8W9Nd14N0pZL06NbJ6SdatXZijNYXLLJMAs-bOisnMEmDk9X62g5kxR5PyO8qZ40nKu6YaNZosxHEOsvpo4nslyd502-f3kP52gB_e0PQySA0o/s1600-h/me+princess+di.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsl_CdjypE0nqV17qOYGBLD-z1QYFzF8W9Nd14N0pZL06NbJ6SdatXZijNYXLLJMAs-bOisnMEmDk9X62g5kxR5PyO8qZ40nKu6YaNZosxHEOsvpo4nslyd502-f3kP52gB_e0PQySA0o/s320/me+princess+di.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314853971708662290" border="0" /></a>Me and the Princess. So beautiful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6csWDk_4CDWmWw8FITZPURwFPD5XzsfNrhR_E0f2-SQFsIBwTlPHVgZ6-bCIgJ0hqvvXc2rrIv8TcIgHwR_FDzmBtF-aywiDopihIMAWfjdEDsHQNRgK5mL7edJE1iW-YIslqSrj2HiA/s1600-h/me+marolyn+monroe.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6csWDk_4CDWmWw8FITZPURwFPD5XzsfNrhR_E0f2-SQFsIBwTlPHVgZ6-bCIgJ0hqvvXc2rrIv8TcIgHwR_FDzmBtF-aywiDopihIMAWfjdEDsHQNRgK5mL7edJE1iW-YIslqSrj2HiA/s320/me+marolyn+monroe.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314853963199145522" border="0" /></a>Classy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjDnF7DutWx_6klt7FmQRFggByCIXE_SHzu8LqkEq1KtHIe92WxvLFHNoiqvXLvQSnK7IDgL_npLzfQiqUJ_Q46emgr8J5XKpluPdJsKFqJN0xvBn0QovZrwzuiWOJjjp7CSur9hKYW0/s1600-h/me+elvis.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjDnF7DutWx_6klt7FmQRFggByCIXE_SHzu8LqkEq1KtHIe92WxvLFHNoiqvXLvQSnK7IDgL_npLzfQiqUJ_Q46emgr8J5XKpluPdJsKFqJN0xvBn0QovZrwzuiWOJjjp7CSur9hKYW0/s320/me+elvis.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314853958339729106" border="0" /></a>Posing with the King.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaf5WPpoDdVTIfmUyee4NYJcXUle4rwPWr5jGa3d1g57taXFNbvuiH7Xp0sLk4k0Sou1y7l0WUzh6WVcr6z-sifgJucNzBRErR4HsOkE-32Nomn6kHqamvXCbYGsIstTdG_YbYvm3jtM/s1600-h/liza+obama.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaf5WPpoDdVTIfmUyee4NYJcXUle4rwPWr5jGa3d1g57taXFNbvuiH7Xp0sLk4k0Sou1y7l0WUzh6WVcr6z-sifgJucNzBRErR4HsOkE-32Nomn6kHqamvXCbYGsIstTdG_YbYvm3jtM/s320/liza+obama.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314853957656373810" border="0" /></a>My hanging out with the new Commander in Chief. No big deal.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Qhx5174nmH0zpmdPhmGXVWUu5a__d5bNqLtmoqj66MnTr2HtIDBvkp8Asc45wxn5s0s1ZVURj0iCowKVJQvkpEBEfqwajWgzJ4vTBcEcqfPJJuEoAg7XA6h5dIywH0JgutPGGAba-Wk/s1600-h/liza+and+liza.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Qhx5174nmH0zpmdPhmGXVWUu5a__d5bNqLtmoqj66MnTr2HtIDBvkp8Asc45wxn5s0s1ZVURj0iCowKVJQvkpEBEfqwajWgzJ4vTBcEcqfPJJuEoAg7XA6h5dIywH0JgutPGGAba-Wk/s320/liza+and+liza.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314853949844088706" border="0" /></a>It's Liza and Liza! Woo-hoo!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfyJ0oaCTsalOjZoHcM3pmsEHG7es40SckoVYu5WEfEbYOdUgA3OlR3c5-6lVj7HuyosjLZN-GhNjQLN7HKg7yj8OTLjMCYiwUkB09OWZEFiayLJUdI5rK3wmgEv7orMUorZwRR-wIlc/s1600-h/leonardo+dicapprio.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfyJ0oaCTsalOjZoHcM3pmsEHG7es40SckoVYu5WEfEbYOdUgA3OlR3c5-6lVj7HuyosjLZN-GhNjQLN7HKg7yj8OTLjMCYiwUkB09OWZEFiayLJUdI5rK3wmgEv7orMUorZwRR-wIlc/s320/leonardo+dicapprio.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852654685998082" border="0" /></a>Me and Leo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3qqGQNzMShTYBF6VQBDAa8gm95VskC6QMHHN7xzjSY3ZxJlED41Xj2_KkLlDyFlpmKgUuUtYNvtq15pjmsNoMt1O3xxKuUx_P4lXNsPxK3uCnp3XAZU0Y9f10NS2v3Txim7n4ntDn6s/s1600-h/justin+timberlake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3qqGQNzMShTYBF6VQBDAa8gm95VskC6QMHHN7xzjSY3ZxJlED41Xj2_KkLlDyFlpmKgUuUtYNvtq15pjmsNoMt1O3xxKuUx_P4lXNsPxK3uCnp3XAZU0Y9f10NS2v3Txim7n4ntDn6s/s320/justin+timberlake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852655662601458" border="0" /></a>I don't think Justin Timberlake thinks I'm that funny.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_U_5q6vXdRA1RzsSOxeyhLRiJMzOR4CwbYx5QVPfxaCtCHcUUrKZlivxWk-JFAsJ_30B5RctXCExWztGDhwoo5A35i0ZCVjSI3QFJ4KnUR22sbLcsthpF5TbVItHq5-UUbLS9kNxBlpA/s1600-h/julia+roberts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_U_5q6vXdRA1RzsSOxeyhLRiJMzOR4CwbYx5QVPfxaCtCHcUUrKZlivxWk-JFAsJ_30B5RctXCExWztGDhwoo5A35i0ZCVjSI3QFJ4KnUR22sbLcsthpF5TbVItHq5-UUbLS9kNxBlpA/s320/julia+roberts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852647344164338" border="0" /></a>Pretty women!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodx_KeASrYKMuaz1rrFB7hU762rd4nCYX2gSDg5IAikOU7XCeJY4B_NDMK4Yl8Rq_U0UzNTKQnMYPYwVBJ8PuW3jKguUIy5AY6-3jKJ_pvOD88cUyM21E-vKZRD5WroRaCQqo95VV6mE/s1600-h/johnny+depp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodx_KeASrYKMuaz1rrFB7hU762rd4nCYX2gSDg5IAikOU7XCeJY4B_NDMK4Yl8Rq_U0UzNTKQnMYPYwVBJ8PuW3jKguUIy5AY6-3jKJ_pvOD88cUyM21E-vKZRD5WroRaCQqo95VV6mE/s320/johnny+depp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852647820475250" border="0" /></a>My friend Sylvia and I posing with Johnny Depp...if only he was real.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOSf2yW0qLRk8PlIHIamRggEUiuvn40fu6qUN63PYYvoURobVmKzfmzIKAFH47XqBTKzZV-z2YQ9ikuxltxYTBnooOwvMTG_HFJ1yoSvqjYgtPEVQTEH7Dmr-Gb_JCCD-O7xPpnpBZnY/s1600-h/john+travolta.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOSf2yW0qLRk8PlIHIamRggEUiuvn40fu6qUN63PYYvoURobVmKzfmzIKAFH47XqBTKzZV-z2YQ9ikuxltxYTBnooOwvMTG_HFJ1yoSvqjYgtPEVQTEH7Dmr-Gb_JCCD-O7xPpnpBZnY/s320/john+travolta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852642910545170" border="0" /></a>Love him.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHejhyGEsv4xk77-HpYkjo6lOoM3IaJxrz-we9M7gFiUoAJV194ZYEVPK6jKttyueIGbni96KxyogdTRpB8CxxfR02p37QBljfKp8lgW-cQ-MxBehkH0Dm5nNGwLhCT4FyHoWf-AVQQU/s1600-h/george+clooney.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWHejhyGEsv4xk77-HpYkjo6lOoM3IaJxrz-we9M7gFiUoAJV194ZYEVPK6jKttyueIGbni96KxyogdTRpB8CxxfR02p37QBljfKp8lgW-cQ-MxBehkH0Dm5nNGwLhCT4FyHoWf-AVQQU/s320/george+clooney.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852055453460482" border="0" /></a>Clearly, George Clooney does not understand what I'm trying to tell him.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUBMicfYPucfcxap-vQ0Jj4zYXybJPa7EqYzR5duu0XMFsH4dPJFLreMTRPRqrmz8hAOo8yj0tp2OkvQP2uBv4bMEgLM8Vf3nTV9OB3I0aBh1Z-YaR945IuhugTnTyBfooE_H4FocZ10/s1600-h/daniel+radcliffe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUBMicfYPucfcxap-vQ0Jj4zYXybJPa7EqYzR5duu0XMFsH4dPJFLreMTRPRqrmz8hAOo8yj0tp2OkvQP2uBv4bMEgLM8Vf3nTV9OB3I0aBh1Z-YaR945IuhugTnTyBfooE_H4FocZ10/s320/daniel+radcliffe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852053288472786" border="0" /></a>'Arry Potter!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOYgXYg5KETnb7SdgjyyaJd4y9pfUKv3df5PlEUAopFUc6ByG7yoiTaCfe6H4VHzUogWmqEeU0tgJSQEXdLy8F0WGYNHkjQbYS68EkB_eORzPw4RsU5RTWlfIauqQqWvqIy5QvE-bV48/s1600-h/dame+judy+dench.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOYgXYg5KETnb7SdgjyyaJd4y9pfUKv3df5PlEUAopFUc6ByG7yoiTaCfe6H4VHzUogWmqEeU0tgJSQEXdLy8F0WGYNHkjQbYS68EkB_eORzPw4RsU5RTWlfIauqQqWvqIy5QvE-bV48/s320/dame+judy+dench.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852053426761474" border="0" /></a>Dame Judy Dench!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP4HGPAYvgvSXS6xZ8FjnIekflUQmPsBv9gHSL-T2DSYCBuKdw_VGImhi36Nybf1DxzCg6eZ2NUc7ZxhVwCpsE1A8cCcNsnQRdN67W_gQXqa_fjLPXfTWIMXY_YsdYrleyilq0eZF5No/s1600-h/brangelina.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP4HGPAYvgvSXS6xZ8FjnIekflUQmPsBv9gHSL-T2DSYCBuKdw_VGImhi36Nybf1DxzCg6eZ2NUc7ZxhVwCpsE1A8cCcNsnQRdN67W_gQXqa_fjLPXfTWIMXY_YsdYrleyilq0eZF5No/s320/brangelina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852050897442114" border="0" /></a>Me and Brangelina. All in a day's work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5PkfxTN_4iBe5bFtqZzCil4IryZPoU3ysALCPyUw9BSL85D94yV-NR4W1Cpt2k4QRysxXfaB1avSO68O-bA2M6pJBVIlQY_wkDwvlGLp9406avjT6x6KhhLbRIFAIEuDPF-oNKPXFE8/s1600-h/becks+and+posh.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO5PkfxTN_4iBe5bFtqZzCil4IryZPoU3ysALCPyUw9BSL85D94yV-NR4W1Cpt2k4QRysxXfaB1avSO68O-bA2M6pJBVIlQY_wkDwvlGLp9406avjT6x6KhhLbRIFAIEuDPF-oNKPXFE8/s320/becks+and+posh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314852045486506146" border="0" /></a>Posh and Becks, London's favorite couple.Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-84884500797324975792009-03-17T16:10:00.005-05:002009-03-17T16:41:31.600-05:00Spring Break '09: A week in pictures...continuedI'm back! Here are the remainder of the pictures from my time in London during my Spring break :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGUzUyyunyugrhD79m-lqzQRCvZhgnBr0cqNGxAH40-9F8_T6ZWjyMffijAEAXEfJjQHXzsO8cgIL9i7W6iB752aa0EUBo4xikwBTJU5BSQfjbzQIgeFPHjAh_hVodvjRqB4ok2NJe8E/s1600-h/100_1362.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGUzUyyunyugrhD79m-lqzQRCvZhgnBr0cqNGxAH40-9F8_T6ZWjyMffijAEAXEfJjQHXzsO8cgIL9i7W6iB752aa0EUBo4xikwBTJU5BSQfjbzQIgeFPHjAh_hVodvjRqB4ok2NJe8E/s320/100_1362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314269133555747218" border="0" /></a>My view from the London Eye!!!! Like I said, this is a MUST SEE for anyone visiting London. You see a totally different side of the city. It is so beautiful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWw4AgcsTiryXZiSw9yzpuMQ4xQyDvOH2q4euTMuBn9qTuSyT1XaI2Lxx8xy_EsNrgfOvf_xFsjC77jGyYN8oXcDAXiDrFOuWvMPpEk6L0Ika0QCM4_Sk_iT2UnH5zzthntDCXhdjWaNE/s1600-h/100_1377.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWw4AgcsTiryXZiSw9yzpuMQ4xQyDvOH2q4euTMuBn9qTuSyT1XaI2Lxx8xy_EsNrgfOvf_xFsjC77jGyYN8oXcDAXiDrFOuWvMPpEk6L0Ika0QCM4_Sk_iT2UnH5zzthntDCXhdjWaNE/s320/100_1377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314269136352058978" border="0" /></a>The infamous Eye! A huge farris wheel that takes about 3o minutes to ride. So, so fun :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJPA3PIN2A_KQrzSzuMRBgsAjJ8pzKqJj9BL7l1FbcZF0MRIjEzfz27y-Ful8qyuvq7mOD8q4rstpKGRzeZsIT9hQaI6XJYqrhBzFY98Y5eKv5m1E3qFSOvJKb1kkb7oJtTIXOcpqtb4/s1600-h/100_1409.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJPA3PIN2A_KQrzSzuMRBgsAjJ8pzKqJj9BL7l1FbcZF0MRIjEzfz27y-Ful8qyuvq7mOD8q4rstpKGRzeZsIT9hQaI6XJYqrhBzFY98Y5eKv5m1E3qFSOvJKb1kkb7oJtTIXOcpqtb4/s320/100_1409.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314269140294702082" border="0" /></a>Another tourist attraction that is necessary in a trip to London, especially for Harry Potter fans. Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3edd0hrQGW2LT9MF1ba3jdCO8rYIh9mv_Tnf8Iry0nfmta7aDBv7nV_hnE5EL8eA37KVZD1kn0knho8q60Fz1M09ODpg6DklXxUJkMFRl5lNiIn8fXgsbHq8uXbh7L4DVTZgbL_G9i2o/s1600-h/100_1414.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3edd0hrQGW2LT9MF1ba3jdCO8rYIh9mv_Tnf8Iry0nfmta7aDBv7nV_hnE5EL8eA37KVZD1kn0knho8q60Fz1M09ODpg6DklXxUJkMFRl5lNiIn8fXgsbHq8uXbh7L4DVTZgbL_G9i2o/s320/100_1414.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314269146878391906" border="0" /></a>As I said in my last post, those of you who have known me for more than a few years know that I visited London 6 years ago with People to People. Some of you may not know that I was thoroughly disappointed when I couldn't ride on a double decker bus, and I was determined to fix that when I visited this time. So, here is a what riding on the top deck of a double decker bus looks like. Life goal accomplished :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46eqaRKgG3ctViwpe5Zf9W7ohyQsGhRo5LAjhSpst5APVulDzhWFQ87pDJ7iHkQXBE_JdJ9ENDEGbQrS8OGHcF3z0dg-OHT3NUIZCqPKKQ-z5R7F9xTl7L2sMLvHe_CCFu5xz03NEl-4/s1600-h/100_1429.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46eqaRKgG3ctViwpe5Zf9W7ohyQsGhRo5LAjhSpst5APVulDzhWFQ87pDJ7iHkQXBE_JdJ9ENDEGbQrS8OGHcF3z0dg-OHT3NUIZCqPKKQ-z5R7F9xTl7L2sMLvHe_CCFu5xz03NEl-4/s320/100_1429.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314269152840748306" border="0" /></a>Sunday brought us to St. Paul's Cathedral. Because it was Sunday, tours weren't available because services were going on, but it was a beautiful day to walk around.<br /><br />Right across from St. Paul's is the Millennium Bridge which is right next to the Globe. We didn't tour it, but I still got my picture. This isn't the original theater that Shakespeare used back in the 17th century...that burned down. But this is an exact replica.<br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yqE4xvOG-tn93AkbgMYDFgizXFqMGGhCghnPXw70Pi9I665CEoCV4DiGO6Cr_rAg6H6T7484lhs1YSEOYWZzdUJDp6h9Qwbd7cs4hhFgF6ZDVKdCicKyOQB8EQb_lAnYURefYNvyDoY/s1600-h/100_1432.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7yqE4xvOG-tn93AkbgMYDFgizXFqMGGhCghnPXw70Pi9I665CEoCV4DiGO6Cr_rAg6H6T7484lhs1YSEOYWZzdUJDp6h9Qwbd7cs4hhFgF6ZDVKdCicKyOQB8EQb_lAnYURefYNvyDoY/s320/100_1432.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314272101499859490" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPHiAvfEVBcoPSVBivCNrz8tP-CXEzy_D5ZbxgiHtWOT4Pe0L7OpO9s4-OYrfjNMU6CW1zU4FP83Iy-utNw6KqFEVnr3P3jgtZMPFBu7rn-zj9A2LwjR2b1pOJTgVfwo8Ggkyv8RoxUQ/s1600-h/100_1430.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPHiAvfEVBcoPSVBivCNrz8tP-CXEzy_D5ZbxgiHtWOT4Pe0L7OpO9s4-OYrfjNMU6CW1zU4FP83Iy-utNw6KqFEVnr3P3jgtZMPFBu7rn-zj9A2LwjR2b1pOJTgVfwo8Ggkyv8RoxUQ/s320/100_1430.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314272089538589474" border="0" /></a>Me on the Millenium Bridge, you can barely see the tower bridge in the background.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKcUVdcd1iZvSjPTeyxrILeHwsD3ZS_Kl2zj8xPV1mkhb3J2AvBMbD1rnemeFMpO7m4IxVwK0ga3VHKUcr1cmPMIQqzHm-xYjidjGo41Xm3FZO4f7tEZTFNp9W-W3478mI46Wy6C5yG0/s1600-h/100_1437.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKcUVdcd1iZvSjPTeyxrILeHwsD3ZS_Kl2zj8xPV1mkhb3J2AvBMbD1rnemeFMpO7m4IxVwK0ga3VHKUcr1cmPMIQqzHm-xYjidjGo41Xm3FZO4f7tEZTFNp9W-W3478mI46Wy6C5yG0/s320/100_1437.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314272110922783410" border="0" /></a>The exact opposite picture from the one above: standing on the tower bridge looking towards the Millenium bridge! You can also see the actual Tower of London on the right hand side of the picture.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwAg5lvboUfd4M3h_UQC0xVhUg-444bWHq6xNTqreE04DMFCNvfTw8QKQnf6M7JRbfdhVELpB_2Qglju_o_3KADP8TpIBIfz93ScX54bblg2W54hnSvgdQwsovB1UFPrjxwUTAdKQHqM/s1600-h/100_1440.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwAg5lvboUfd4M3h_UQC0xVhUg-444bWHq6xNTqreE04DMFCNvfTw8QKQnf6M7JRbfdhVELpB_2Qglju_o_3KADP8TpIBIfz93ScX54bblg2W54hnSvgdQwsovB1UFPrjxwUTAdKQHqM/s320/100_1440.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314272112628271442" border="0" /></a>Me with the towers :)<br /><br /><br />So all in all, it was a very successful Spring Break. I was exhausted when I finally returned to Madrid but I'm feeling a lot better now. This weekend I'll be heading down to the South of Spain in Granada and Sevilla for a nice relaxing weekend with friends, and then the following weekend will be my last weekend in Madrid until at least May! I'm VERY excited about my travel plans for the rest of my time here...I'll be sure to keep you all updated :)<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-56785502112800769242009-03-16T15:02:00.006-05:002009-03-16T16:31:06.256-05:00Finally...home? Spring Break '09: A week in picturesAlright, everyone...as promised, pictures from my 10-day stint around Athens, Prague, and London.<br /><br />We started off our week by flying into Athens on Friday afternoon, eating lunch, and settling into our hostel. Saturday we woke up eaarrlyyyy (like 5am) to catch a ferry to Mykonos, one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaZcnWZqXkSQuHDufdHlUDYyBYnBWUaSMvzkLGf8LJN3XfHoDojwaT1ESx8K25oXV0d7pUASsFng6RXMdzZ0ZEydVa8cPXpgKHgLIWuiJd5UpFg1xCBYgFmnHz-Ch-obfDpOF2IMF8eA/s1600-h/100_1155.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaZcnWZqXkSQuHDufdHlUDYyBYnBWUaSMvzkLGf8LJN3XfHoDojwaT1ESx8K25oXV0d7pUASsFng6RXMdzZ0ZEydVa8cPXpgKHgLIWuiJd5UpFg1xCBYgFmnHz-Ch-obfDpOF2IMF8eA/s320/100_1155.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313881646441545266" border="0" /></a>This is what all of the streets and buildings looked like...stone roads and white buildings with blue shutters and roofs. Straight out of a movie.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTJUNp4uGy0lKrEOopQocH8js710j2cO-r_PtHHs2vu5OpDESZuHU-dsSCiR888AUJqaBOXygKtv29AeCpy-bt1jIL39nqZIteIbwWNnH4j3883GSh_MWDq9RrJRnPXN_EZPj_cCpIZw/s1600-h/100_1191.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTJUNp4uGy0lKrEOopQocH8js710j2cO-r_PtHHs2vu5OpDESZuHU-dsSCiR888AUJqaBOXygKtv29AeCpy-bt1jIL39nqZIteIbwWNnH4j3883GSh_MWDq9RrJRnPXN_EZPj_cCpIZw/s320/100_1191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313881655778805250" border="0" /></a>I included this picture because you can kind of see the town from this point. The whole thing is built on a mountain, making it even more gorgeous in person. This picture includes my friends Heather (right) and Emily (left) as they gaze at the pelican that happened to cross our path :)<br /><br />So we left Mykonos on Sunday, and Monday morning woke up and did everything that makes Athens Athens. Our first stop was to the Acropolis, which included visiting the Parthenon and numerous temples in the surrounding area.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqhL5x6E_bzoTYTcbhshLmjd_DcCkKkgqxiqoArd5p4els7xT46ZeIz82EuCRkqy7P_fqQw8STkb1iRfNdQAByhtbFPZSg3QhvIkZujSgYJBBiY9JXpivK6qLJM0NNLvCYL4HUfdexaY/s1600-h/100_1212.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqhL5x6E_bzoTYTcbhshLmjd_DcCkKkgqxiqoArd5p4els7xT46ZeIz82EuCRkqy7P_fqQw8STkb1iRfNdQAByhtbFPZSg3QhvIkZujSgYJBBiY9JXpivK6qLJM0NNLvCYL4HUfdexaY/s320/100_1212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313881664825776466" border="0" /></a>This was the theater that Greeks used to start oral tradition...think...all of those stories and myths that everyone knows about today STARTED here. It gives me chills to think how old this thing is.<br /><br />By FAR one of the highlights of my Spring break was visiting the Parthenon. Walking around the area and being able to see the entire city from its location was a breath taking experience.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWv5vqDfZ46cUT1WhMs7s8WcGJsXXRd5fYjYtmk0naI6p9ynAqt64GMbqPtsf9WtfPzZLX4vuX7fKq4vA_GU49vD_I1itrqs8XXxQ2n0A2s1EMCJ10i3PHU62iKN_hBSmmjcf90zI9mw/s1600-h/100_1221.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWv5vqDfZ46cUT1WhMs7s8WcGJsXXRd5fYjYtmk0naI6p9ynAqt64GMbqPtsf9WtfPzZLX4vuX7fKq4vA_GU49vD_I1itrqs8XXxQ2n0A2s1EMCJ10i3PHU62iKN_hBSmmjcf90zI9mw/s320/100_1221.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313881667753267826" border="0" /></a>It looks a little strange with all of the scaffolding up, but it was still beautiful. And old.<br /><br />The Parthenon was built in tribute to the Greek Gods, and was made to overlook the entire city, and the builders successfully completed their task! Standing next to the Parthenon and looking down into the city gave me this view:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLsFqEFJvcIQhEGuxAUKi_jRdyQ4Tpk1gYDIFKqT8KDHXGk9hru72eFLGa3ZIm_sHxpoTvrMZb9ANzrVJLQ5WJ7ASdAADFTx_IO7JvRldk6JddJ9DZ_R4qZxh3VXDPBktApzyTp2OuVMY/s1600-h/100_1233.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLsFqEFJvcIQhEGuxAUKi_jRdyQ4Tpk1gYDIFKqT8KDHXGk9hru72eFLGa3ZIm_sHxpoTvrMZb9ANzrVJLQ5WJ7ASdAADFTx_IO7JvRldk6JddJ9DZ_R4qZxh3VXDPBktApzyTp2OuVMY/s320/100_1233.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313881677929507682" border="0" /></a>The patch of light green grass to the right is what holds the remainders of Zeus' Temple. To its left is the first modern Olympic Stadium used in 1896. You can sort of see the top portion of the bleachers through the dark green trees.<br /><br />All in all, Athens was a very successful destination! But there was one thing each of us had to do before we left...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7wo5l8cu6UMzALWq39_C2C7uNTGqGm2uxNY8Y6XK5xG86C0gZyo6lob0sYfR8Jih1qUCkaPNzqlA75IcPDzduPi7So2-BRmY9tRrJiNA9Dl38nZqITX18Mhs6dx6ueMBvG85DLehxkM/s1600-h/100_1179.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7wo5l8cu6UMzALWq39_C2C7uNTGqGm2uxNY8Y6XK5xG86C0gZyo6lob0sYfR8Jih1qUCkaPNzqlA75IcPDzduPi7So2-BRmY9tRrJiNA9Dl38nZqITX18Mhs6dx6ueMBvG85DLehxkM/s320/100_1179.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313884776202602978" border="0" /></a>Eat a traditional Greek salad! In Greece, their salads don't really include lettuce, but rather all of the vegetables normally used in a salad, put in a bowl, covered in olive oil, and then loaded with feta cheese. And might I add: this was the BEST feta cheese I have EVER HAD in my life. In the words of my friend Sylvia, "heaven will have feta cheese."<br /><br />We left Athens on Tuesday night and slept in the London Luton airport until our flight for Prague left on Wednesday morning. Like I said in my last post, Prague is a beautiful city and has a lot of "old world charm." Being surrounded by such beautiful and old buildings made me appreciate the architecture of the city.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4y2LxcWgGNKIZRqKwaUrD-KIp64sDaQoWAU1b3aEAboqijdr6lw1EKcTJZ-E17goIVQukeSKWF0Xo0W5Wp9XC5SDMPFuk_bOYcgvhMc4d1P8B969m4Q0U-dX5EX3AC9fj5c-MrlILtqQ/s1600-h/100_1280.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4y2LxcWgGNKIZRqKwaUrD-KIp64sDaQoWAU1b3aEAboqijdr6lw1EKcTJZ-E17goIVQukeSKWF0Xo0W5Wp9XC5SDMPFuk_bOYcgvhMc4d1P8B969m4Q0U-dX5EX3AC9fj5c-MrlILtqQ/s320/100_1280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313894694044217826" border="0" /></a>This is the main street in the city. You can tell that it definitely looks different from almost any downtown city in the states.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7mWhGwuTXmSGQwqf69dV-jKz1qIW-h-TZeWUpcDQPlPvZU_JAhmtTEyVAT-XVu49IYG6WwDkUp75DbnJbD8zFDL5IeKJQTYxGIl9c78hvuY7feviCXY-BW72TKGhSo4TBE1GN6xD_jo/s1600-h/100_1287.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7mWhGwuTXmSGQwqf69dV-jKz1qIW-h-TZeWUpcDQPlPvZU_JAhmtTEyVAT-XVu49IYG6WwDkUp75DbnJbD8zFDL5IeKJQTYxGIl9c78hvuY7feviCXY-BW72TKGhSo4TBE1GN6xD_jo/s320/100_1287.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313894701663302562" border="0" /></a>One of the thousands of side streets in Prague. This gives you a better view of what the buildings look like.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBIEfxtkNdWsT66PMc0d9v9AKyUm78ilnIArpngvawwG_n5RNkuPlRbAP0pmmv0bTG9WB0sVTGK1gXxrktlR81RQD3q94-YGKLcfGEV2fij78T4zmgI4F39Is70a3Aw1Pp7ks8QqMGn4/s1600-h/100_1298.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidBIEfxtkNdWsT66PMc0d9v9AKyUm78ilnIArpngvawwG_n5RNkuPlRbAP0pmmv0bTG9WB0sVTGK1gXxrktlR81RQD3q94-YGKLcfGEV2fij78T4zmgI4F39Is70a3Aw1Pp7ks8QqMGn4/s320/100_1298.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313894711315559650" border="0" /></a>A plaza in the center of Prague. Beautiful buildings with a beautiful sunset to match :)<br /><br />Thursday we spent the day touring the castle of Prague, home to the President of the country and saw various artifacts about the history of the Czech Republic. We spent a lot of time walking, so by the time we got back to our hostel, we were pretty beat. We went to bed early so we could get up in time for our flight to London on Friday.<br /><br />Like I said in my last post, London is one of my favorite cities in the world. Those of you who have known me for more than a couple of years know that I travled to England, Ireland, and Wales six years ago with People to People. While I had already seen most of what London had to offer then, I now feel like I really know the ins and outs of the city and what makes it "tick."<br /><br />We got to our hostel around 3pm, and I have to say it was a little overwhelming. I stayed in a 15 person room, while my other friends were in a 24 person room! There were constanly people everywhere and my room was never quiet. It was the first time I really felt like I was in a true hostel. After we got settled, we left for what I called the "London at warp speed" tour, seeing Big Ben, Parliament buildings, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye all in the course of about 2 hours! While it may sound like a lot, all of those things are located relatively close together, within 2 underground stops of each other. But the best part was being able to see everything at night: the city looks so different then when compared to the day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovKVMP6QsOfqZX7H8t15RZ9fb8CdXdsUTEvZA_Yq1yQ6vVluymbIjwwCRRffcuJP5yNp2jl5qlPxJZ7w4gAbncEsZ2xUwyfYu6ANCDGFHFf-nOAcPCPjCi9ycYJNdFXn9fl6UHIFNAdc/s1600-h/100_1331.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjovKVMP6QsOfqZX7H8t15RZ9fb8CdXdsUTEvZA_Yq1yQ6vVluymbIjwwCRRffcuJP5yNp2jl5qlPxJZ7w4gAbncEsZ2xUwyfYu6ANCDGFHFf-nOAcPCPjCi9ycYJNdFXn9fl6UHIFNAdc/s320/100_1331.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313898963813228386" border="0" /></a>Buckingham Palace! Say hi to Queenie- she's home! The British flag is flying atop her house.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVvQks7356xREEf9d0Hd2I1H07WGsEFPuDGdhvdLLM4UIJMOxMFtt2KIzFCHqCfw4_BNSgV158ZPHCdYKC7TacXKSsN1MXVgGRK-V6-DS-FbGhM2Cdsayvn5RNB4xdfjWzdcNSm_0IcA/s1600-h/100_1339.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVvQks7356xREEf9d0Hd2I1H07WGsEFPuDGdhvdLLM4UIJMOxMFtt2KIzFCHqCfw4_BNSgV158ZPHCdYKC7TacXKSsN1MXVgGRK-V6-DS-FbGhM2Cdsayvn5RNB4xdfjWzdcNSm_0IcA/s320/100_1339.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313898976025609506" border="0" /></a>We went from the Queen's house to the Prime Minister's home, 10 Downing Street.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2CUUknVd9Cxk5xv_c9wWQm9RnnTKEJ-6cYfH6wb1-FINNMOKC9X6BXSGeM124FjEguMPA9VP09aAnePb_PnjU4TkIzR7L4PRxooaIybN0DtADiCVP7eswm_SMIJA0WqQEzIhKQgicx8/s1600-h/100_1341.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2CUUknVd9Cxk5xv_c9wWQm9RnnTKEJ-6cYfH6wb1-FINNMOKC9X6BXSGeM124FjEguMPA9VP09aAnePb_PnjU4TkIzR7L4PRxooaIybN0DtADiCVP7eswm_SMIJA0WqQEzIhKQgicx8/s320/100_1341.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313898986372853234" border="0" /></a>Being tourists, we couldn't not take a picture of a red telephone booth. Its almost impossible not to.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdp7HGnO2pF6OpgTq4vlGo8k9PfjJCukyBM8U0MkprGKb4a2zFSsfu9AchKLzXYRy6HOJkR_wBueq12n7lycQwyf4vk-xbVspPlFdWy0ePIfkyzui3lI_deg5BwRUbEhEpy3xOwMjhl0/s1600-h/100_1345.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdp7HGnO2pF6OpgTq4vlGo8k9PfjJCukyBM8U0MkprGKb4a2zFSsfu9AchKLzXYRy6HOJkR_wBueq12n7lycQwyf4vk-xbVspPlFdWy0ePIfkyzui3lI_deg5BwRUbEhEpy3xOwMjhl0/s320/100_1345.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313898987432570770" border="0" /></a>I have a picture that is identical to this one from six years ago...same corner, with the same landmarks in the background.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0F7jI-KeK2WxgCQySJw9-KWWUc2LONMUxf9G5-xZWAfqd7TH3utTOjww6FAmJyTgvqCSsaw2bFfapUyAD9GXsMQR1h3pz1I8DF-YZn02DSoS4WlsaOro2TLY4KfpO9N8wyj8QBLGRZg/s1600-h/100_1348.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0F7jI-KeK2WxgCQySJw9-KWWUc2LONMUxf9G5-xZWAfqd7TH3utTOjww6FAmJyTgvqCSsaw2bFfapUyAD9GXsMQR1h3pz1I8DF-YZn02DSoS4WlsaOro2TLY4KfpO9N8wyj8QBLGRZg/s320/100_1348.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313899001949171650" border="0" /></a>Westminster Abbey. If you can't tell by the photo, this place is huge.<br /><br />Our night concluded with a trip on the London Eye, at night, a MUST SEE for everyone going to London! Unfortunately I cannot put anymore pictures on this post, so I will finish updating everyone about my trip to London tomorrow...stay tuned for cool shots of the city by night, a trip to a wax museum, and an escapade around platform 9 3/4! It only gets better from here! :)<br /><img src="file:///Users/lizaambrose/Documents/Study%20Abroad/Abroad%20Pictures/Athens/100_1157.JPG" alt="" /><img src="file:///Users/lizaambrose/Documents/Study%20Abroad/Abroad%20Pictures/Athens/100_1157.JPG" alt="" />Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-19473615237346804132009-03-15T12:51:00.002-05:002009-03-15T12:55:09.795-05:00Cheers!Hey friends! For the last two days I've been enjoying the sights and sounds of one of my favorite cities in the entire world...London! I don't have much time to update now (because the hostel I'm staying at only gives me 15 minutes for 50 pence, ugh) but it has been AWESOME to come back to a city that I love! On Saturday we went to Madame Toussant's wax museum and took a lot of funny pictures...I will be sure to post them. :)<br /><br />Tonight we leave for our last time at the London Gatwick airport, and I will arrive in Madrid tomorrow morning at about 11am. I am VERY MUCH looking forward to being back in a familiar city (and not spending so much money!) I will give everyone a full run down of my past week when I get home- I have a lot to talk about!<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-81708884981972695182009-03-11T18:37:00.003-05:002009-03-11T18:48:08.579-05:00Praha!I made it to Prague! We got in this morning around noon, and by the time we got to our hostel and settled it was around 2pm. The 7 of us met up with another group from SLU Madrid that is staying at our same hostel and we all headed out to lunch.<br /><br />We quickly discovered that we were about to make bank anywhere we went to buy anything...the Czech Republic's currency are called "crowns" (not spelled like that but it sounds just the same) and 20 crowns equal about 1 American dollar. When we went to lunch, I got 2 drinks and a full meal for about $5, which is crazy cheap and NEVER would have happened in Greece or Spain! So we lucked out on this one :) Afterwards, we walked around the city of Prague. It is a beautiful, beautiful city. Prague was one of the few European cities that wasn't completely obliterated by WWII and its aftermath, so all of the old architecture is still in place. Supposedly it was Hitler's favorite city so he never bombed it. But seriously, the architecture here is SO COOL. I know I keep saying that about everything I say, but its true :) It has a lot of old world charm- all of the streets are still paved by cobblestone and there are hardly any street lights or cross walks. I wish I could put up pictures and show you all! It is honestly so gorgeous.<br /><br />Tonight we are all pretty wiped, and we're heading out tomorrow to see the Castle in Prague and part of the old Jewish corridor that still exists here (that's for you, Mags) :) We leave Friday for London (again, but this time to actually stay for more than 10 hours) and then I fly home to Madrid on Monday. I can't believe I've already been on break for a week! Time has gone so quickly...I've traveled to 4 different cities in the course of 6 days, none of which are located near each other....only in Europe :)<br /><br />I also neglected to mention yesterday that it was my sister's 24th birthday, and that deserves a special shout out. Happy birthday my love! Maggie was also so lucky as to recieve the only international phone call I've made on my cell phone since I've been here...lucky, lucky girl :)<br /><br />all my love--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-79848081360726560292009-03-10T18:43:00.004-05:002009-03-10T18:48:19.848-05:00Quick updateHey friends! I'm sitting in the London Luton airport right now, getting ready to (try to) sleep before my flight to Prague tomorrow. This has to be quick, because I just looked up at my internet clock thing and realized that I only have 4 minutes and 30 seconds left before I have to pay again for my time :)<br /><br />Athens was AWESOME. Yesterday we went down to the Acropolis and saw everything that makes Athens famous- the Parthenon, Athena's Temple, the Ampitheater, etc. It was so incredible to be around things that have been around longer than almost anything in the world. Today we went to see Zeus' Temple and the 2004 Olympic stadium. It's a shame I can't show you all pictures, because both were really cool as well. I'll post some once I get back to my computer in Madrid.<br /><br />Like I said, I leave for Prague tomorrow and then for London (again) on Friday. I'm super excited to go back to London, and I'm looking forward to seeing some of my friends from school in Madrid in Prague! I don't know about the internet situation at my next two hostels, but if I can update you all I will! OK my time is up but I will talk to you all later!<br /><br />all my love=--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-82808883198032266862009-03-08T18:37:00.002-05:002009-03-08T18:52:01.094-05:00How Lucky You Are!Hello from ATHENS!! It just so happens that my hostel here in Greece has free internet with free computer usage, so I can update you a little bit over my adventures from the past few days! :)<br /><br />I left Madrid Thursday night and we arrived in the London Gatwick airport around 11ish. Since our flight to Athens did not leave until 6:30 the next morning, we spent the night in the airport. Sleeping on the ground is never easy for me, and this was no exception. But, my senora had given me Spain's version of Tylenol PM, so I got about 2-3 hours worth of sleep. Not great, but I at least was able to function until we got to our hostel the next day.<br /><br />We arrived in Athens and quickly discovered that getting around would be a bit more difficult than we imagined...in Spain we all had a basic understanding of the native language, but being here has given everyone a whole new meaning to the phrase "it's all Greek to me!"...literally. Thankfully people at the airport were able to help us get directions to our hostel, and we all promptly proceeded to crash and nap for about 3 hours after arriving. After we woke up, we left to go get lunch/dinner (which ended up being a trip to the grocery store and the 7 of us splitting a loaf of break and sandwich meat, meaning we only had to pay about 3 euro.) :) We came back and hung out in the bar downstairs for awhile and then went to bed. We had to wake up at 5am the next morning to catch a ferry to Mykonos.<br /><br />So, we woke up the next morning, walked to the metro stop and bought tickets for our ferry. I LOVED the ferry ride, mostly because I love being on big boats and it was about 5 hours long. :) When we finally got to the island, we were greeted by Maria, who owned the hostel we were staying at, Villa Viscilis. She might be one of the most adorable women I have ever met. Seriously. She gave us anything we wanted, and told us all the best restaurants to eat at and places to take pictures. She even offered to hire us if we wanted to come back for the summer and give us free rooming, food, and "a very nice Greek boy!" :)<br /><br />Mykonos was beautiful...absolutely gorgeous. For those of you who have seen the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Mykonos looks just like the island where they filmed in Greece. Adorable white houses with blue roofs and windows everywhere. I took a bunch of pictures, but can't upload them onto this computer now so I'll put them up once I get back to Madrid. We hung out around the island yesterday, ate dinner, and just relaxed. It was so nice. I would love to return there some day.<br /><br />We left Mykonos this morning, and got back to Athens at around 9:30 tonight and have just been hanging out in the bar downstairs again. Tomorrow we will be seeing all of the things that make Athens famous: the Parthenon, Acropolis, Olympic Stadium, etc. I am super excited and will be sure to take a lot of pictures for you all to see :)<br /><br />love to all--Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-91546076912366774542009-03-05T06:56:00.002-06:002009-03-05T07:01:05.846-06:00"OPA!"This will be my last post for awhile...I'm off for Spring Break! I'll be traveling to Athens, Prague, and London. I am SUPER SUPER excited for Athens, and from what I hear Prague is really neat too. I went to London six years ago with People to People, but I'm really excited to go back. I really enjoyed it when I went and I know I'll love it again. Plus, it will be nice to be in a country where my native language is spoken fluently and by the majority of the people there :)<br /><br />This Sunday (the 8th) also officially marks the half way point of my time here in Madrid...I've been here for 8 weeks, and I have 8 more weeks to go. Man, how time flies :)<br /><br />I'll update you all when I get back! Have a wonderful week until then!Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-52559506984919183752009-03-02T15:15:00.007-06:002009-03-04T04:10:33.089-06:00Out of AfricaI went to Africa this weekend. It is so weird for me to hear myself say that...just non-nonchalantly, no big deal, very casual manner. Its times like these that I realize what amazing opportunities I'm having living here in Spain for the semester.<br /><br />SO Morocco. Africa, in one word is, well....different. Going to Morocco was probably the biggest culture shock I've experienced to date. Everything about it is so different from anything I've ever seen, both in the US and Europe. A little white Christian girl is definitely out numbered in a male-dominated Islamic nation. That being said, I am so glad I went. Even though I was in Africa for less than 48 hours, I feel like I learned so much in such a short period of time.<br /><br />Thursday night my friends and I took a night bus from Madrid to Malaga, a city in Southern Spain. We met at the bus station and took a 7-hour bus down there, and I have never prayed for my life more than during that 7-hour time span. Seriously, I thought our driver was going to drive us off the road. He drove probably close to 80 mph on winding roads that were on the edge of a mountain. Thankfully we all arrived in one peace. We slept a little bit at the bus station, and then moved to a cafe across the street for breakfast. We spent the rest of the day seeing the city (we weren't leaving for the ferry for Morocco until 3:30). Malaga has a beautiful beach and we had fun seeing different parts of the city.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_WcwMRQsJkACxtAT4F-GY_CTbrXfbz0il730xAdYM9XELphkvQcrEa6C0hRZXvf9bFnslmbaL3CX6clXSOeaHITVj2WVb6gwU3XrnQTPJK8H1HMqZ2d9V9PlV3NS-tyJqNeXtAkSve8/s1600-h/100_1069.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_WcwMRQsJkACxtAT4F-GY_CTbrXfbz0il730xAdYM9XELphkvQcrEa6C0hRZXvf9bFnslmbaL3CX6clXSOeaHITVj2WVb6gwU3XrnQTPJK8H1HMqZ2d9V9PlV3NS-tyJqNeXtAkSve8/s320/100_1069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308705088172681474" border="0" /></a>This is me in front of the beach, with some of my friends walking towards the water.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyw6u9RnqG19Qi-8-x-kVUoqeJ_UEYZePoYcsdoTw0mEKn4Mr8Hn5_OOoRbFJT2flu6AOp1A3NGnl812hafQYjImzry7-AAhz3kOOAAK5bhfGjGp9JS1T98y0YhGk_xkg9Xz_dWU7jBQ/s1600-h/100_1072.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyw6u9RnqG19Qi-8-x-kVUoqeJ_UEYZePoYcsdoTw0mEKn4Mr8Hn5_OOoRbFJT2flu6AOp1A3NGnl812hafQYjImzry7-AAhz3kOOAAK5bhfGjGp9JS1T98y0YhGk_xkg9Xz_dWU7jBQ/s320/100_1072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308705116768919682" border="0" /></a>The beach also had this really cool sign that said the name of the city, Malaga. We played here for several minutes.<br /><br />After we ate lunch, we walked around this park that is in the middle of the city for awhile and then made our way over to the Cathedral to get on the bus to Morocco! Our guide's name was Vito, and he works for Study-Travel Spain, the group that sponsored this trip. He was really funny :) He was also the one who was responsible for us getting across the boarder to and from Spain, as he took our passports to get stamped each time. We had to learn to trust him very quickly.<br /><br />We boarded the bus in Malaga and then had a 2 hour ride to get to the ferry, where we would take an hour ferry ride to what is technically Spain in Africa. On the way, we saw the Straight of Gibralter and took some pictures in front of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mBE0oGJOPefN_F0-lq08BiHo9nzvPkkaOGzgebWpxU8IaAVDGxxn-K0f8paPkVqPJUrHmHs1NOcADN8OgHwoW7lt29etHHhrpa0ZFdsU-L-vnVaqRNDpe2WDxIFmmHBEJOhHW5z5AaA/s1600-h/100_1084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mBE0oGJOPefN_F0-lq08BiHo9nzvPkkaOGzgebWpxU8IaAVDGxxn-K0f8paPkVqPJUrHmHs1NOcADN8OgHwoW7lt29etHHhrpa0ZFdsU-L-vnVaqRNDpe2WDxIFmmHBEJOhHW5z5AaA/s320/100_1084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308707244419845794" border="0" /></a>The rock! The actual Straight of Gibralter.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfphMEwYW_9abfyH3UvS-hCEs-FR_wA1ZTMNzTJdTOJvBptjYnb-cX6Ybeg3hyQ3aERav1A91PX76xN2IxBIjL2rbh_wBb9DBWlgvb4efIRD6pS-l5Vz22qNEhNukVsCOmddUTeNETxo/s1600-h/100_1085.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfphMEwYW_9abfyH3UvS-hCEs-FR_wA1ZTMNzTJdTOJvBptjYnb-cX6Ybeg3hyQ3aERav1A91PX76xN2IxBIjL2rbh_wBb9DBWlgvb4efIRD6pS-l5Vz22qNEhNukVsCOmddUTeNETxo/s320/100_1085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308707254201268658" border="0" /></a>My friends Maria, Emily and I with Gibralter in the background.<br /><br />After we got off the ferry, we had about another hour wait to get through customs and such. It was kind of a weird experience, because you end up in this "no-man" zone that neither Spain nor Morocco owns, and there are all these people just randomly milling around, but we couldn't take any pictures or else we would be arrested. After Vito came back with our passports, a Moroccan police officer came onto our bus to check that everything was stamped. Again, kind of a weird, intimidating, oh-my-god-we-are-definitely-not-in-Europe-or-America-anymore experience. We then finally got to our hotel, ate dinner, and gratefully went to bed.<br /><br />The next morning we ate breakfast and left for our first city to tour (sadly enough I forget the name. I wrote it down somewhere, I'll try to find it later). It was here that I experienced the biggest culture shock of my entire weekend. It's even hard to explain. Being around such extreme poverty in some cases next to extreme wealth is a very strange sight. Plus, everything is sold in open-air markets. You have vegetables and spices right next to dead chickens for sale. Very weird. So while you're trying to see and take everything in, you still have to be careful and on high alert of where all your belongings are at all times. The entire weekend we had 5 men walking around with our group: Vito, our weekend coordinator; Abdel, the guy who runs Study-Travel Spain; Abdul, our tour guide of the city; and 2 under cover Moroccan policemen who made sure that our group stayed together. It was intense. We ate lunch at a typical Moroccan restaurant and then got on the bus to to to Tangier. Tangier is a bigger, more tourist-y city and I felt a little less culture-shocked when I arrived there. It was also on our way to Tangier where I rode a camel! (note: The change in the above picture is at the request of my mother. I though you'd appreciate that, mom) :) Abdul then took us to see the point where the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea meet.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Q1nK-Z27OZAOlhrOOVls6Su1wJl5xy0AAnIjb9Vrx0IXt7s4gh0lJ_XL1CbhPkBloRkQb7s3MqiKo929TRblw10EQ-f13tkajkWQzBuHvw2aUViJdIc4u4ss-LUv5bNnzKOchy100GQ/s1600-h/100_1124.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Q1nK-Z27OZAOlhrOOVls6Su1wJl5xy0AAnIjb9Vrx0IXt7s4gh0lJ_XL1CbhPkBloRkQb7s3MqiKo929TRblw10EQ-f13tkajkWQzBuHvw2aUViJdIc4u4ss-LUv5bNnzKOchy100GQ/s320/100_1124.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309270234328763330" border="0" /></a>Beautiful, yes? I think so :)<br /><br />We then got on our bus again and headed back to the hotel, ate dinner and went to bed. I was pretty wiped from our entire day.<br /><br />Sunday took us to the city of ChefChauen, located literally in the middle of the mountains. We had another tour guide and other Moroccan police men following us around again. This city was beautiful, too. Every house was "chalk-washed" in this blue chalk-paint that made the city gorgeous. Unfortunately our tour guide spoke really softly so I don't remember a whole lot of what he said. But here are pictures to show<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSPXwqWryoqtMmySSC1zbuAiT7O2UJOuJauVwU_Y07pZG6Oc8LYGpV5hqnm0MVxyobSURKD3qQu9kSjHeQmxN1AmCweybsPy0KAT55R2ig4yp2uKM4Vwzn5BilqXdD-pixWelvot0srE/s1600-h/100_1134.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSPXwqWryoqtMmySSC1zbuAiT7O2UJOuJauVwU_Y07pZG6Oc8LYGpV5hqnm0MVxyobSURKD3qQu9kSjHeQmxN1AmCweybsPy0KAT55R2ig4yp2uKM4Vwzn5BilqXdD-pixWelvot0srE/s320/100_1134.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309271717490585026" border="0" /></a>The city of Chef-Chauen! You can see the blue chalk-wash through the trees.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf84xwSEZyfbj_TM2VqnJKQDzLD5EL2kMXR_5ZnJMyRygFT8ram1jinT6jfuo2fbJMZhKUepwvEHe6R_-A44bL6fFLFVDjvUr1vvxX5t6MWEmMFv-2gIupJyEeUQVhmjgJCVwVoPPt-nE/s1600-h/100_1141.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf84xwSEZyfbj_TM2VqnJKQDzLD5EL2kMXR_5ZnJMyRygFT8ram1jinT6jfuo2fbJMZhKUepwvEHe6R_-A44bL6fFLFVDjvUr1vvxX5t6MWEmMFv-2gIupJyEeUQVhmjgJCVwVoPPt-nE/s320/100_1141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309271723177982914" border="0" /></a>This picture is just for fun, Coca-Cola written in Arabic :)<br /><br />After Chef-Chauen, we boarded our bus and headed back to the ferry. After we got back into Spain, we headed to the bus station and started the long 7-hour ride back to Madrid (although we had a much smoother trip this time around, thankfully). I didn't get back to my señora's house until 7am! All in all, it was a great trip, but I'm definitely glad to be "home" :)Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-45793221963740399322009-02-25T15:31:00.002-06:002009-02-25T15:35:58.668-06:00Taking the plungeAlright, folks! This is it! This weekend will be my first weekend since arriving that I will travel internationally...to MOROCCO of all places! Tomorrow night I'll take a night bus down to Malaga with some friends, and then our tour group will pick us up there and take us via ferry to Morocco. I'm pretty excited. My friend/co-leader Allison went to there with this same tour group when she studied in Granada last semester, so I have faith that my experience will be just as wonderful :) I will be sure to update everyone when I get back. In the mean time, enjoy your weekend...I will be in Africa! :)Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-40734061294277148002009-02-21T05:27:00.005-06:002009-02-21T07:14:00.701-06:00Whew.Hey friends. I should start by apologizing for my lack of updates over the past week- between midterms and my brother and dad visiting, I haven't had much time to write. Tomorrow will be the first time in almost 3 weeks where I won't have to use an alarm clock to wake up! :) And seeing as that I still haven't posted pictures from my retreat last weekend, get ready for a long update ;)<br /><br />Like I said on Monday, the retreat last weekend was in possibly one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my entire life (although I have a feeling I will be repeating that phrase a lot this semester). Loyola is situated right in the middle of the Pyrenees Mountains. Seeing that I've lived in the middle of a city for 5 (now 6) weeks, the change of scenery was welcomed and very much needed. It's very easy to forget the beauty and gifts of natural surroundings when alarm sounds are common and public transportation is the norm. Anyways, here are a few pictures of the mountains. None of the pictures really expressed (I feel) Loyola really was, but these come close.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vRGvK4UDXUoIn1YPicXU29-E9mum25AaMm9o3cVNVMDB30QghbVj9U1FcpwQAc_hRr1RgukuzXlWWFzcfv66r7xC0pH_qbTrxTzNJ-nsXlibCknluh3Ibj5PyFsAGkNoAs62Mb2ISH4/s1600-h/100_0989.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vRGvK4UDXUoIn1YPicXU29-E9mum25AaMm9o3cVNVMDB30QghbVj9U1FcpwQAc_hRr1RgukuzXlWWFzcfv66r7xC0pH_qbTrxTzNJ-nsXlibCknluh3Ibj5PyFsAGkNoAs62Mb2ISH4/s320/100_0989.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305214512604051106" border="0" /></a>These are the Pyrenees Mountains! So beautiful!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWWbP_RLJ-4oYEdhrFfknAcUgsM7u4g6Ge249gGS085Tp4Vf2fjvlKixYps5KHTXcuiZX6438AzHFkqjkZmMDi_0kSBfMAMZQR5-4zUCdVyyY9A69r-vXD0afuy98tgoNTeCndL9IGrU/s1600-h/100_1013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUWWbP_RLJ-4oYEdhrFfknAcUgsM7u4g6Ge249gGS085Tp4Vf2fjvlKixYps5KHTXcuiZX6438AzHFkqjkZmMDi_0kSBfMAMZQR5-4zUCdVyyY9A69r-vXD0afuy98tgoNTeCndL9IGrU/s320/100_1013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305214514224450690" border="0" /></a>The view looking out from the Loyola Basilica onto the rest of the property.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOZHIYQPN5M3PdBJRfN43n5Cnw93xdf6RC8pFmnJx-X_FdK8CMpuEifFgkkI-9YgLGbMJHVCSrWEA8JT2KA-suGE8yzIF8eLuf15Vh0r6FzxzDxRenuIwjxBSvtjtM7tq99R-7Ge73bE/s1600-h/100_1031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOZHIYQPN5M3PdBJRfN43n5Cnw93xdf6RC8pFmnJx-X_FdK8CMpuEifFgkkI-9YgLGbMJHVCSrWEA8JT2KA-suGE8yzIF8eLuf15Vh0r6FzxzDxRenuIwjxBSvtjtM7tq99R-7Ge73bE/s320/100_1031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305214526010274898" border="0" /></a>The opposite view from the picture above. Looking back at the Basilica, coming from the town we had toured.<br /><br />The entire weekend was so relaxing and peaceful, and I was not particularly happy when I boarded the bus to go back to Madrid.<br /><br />However, once back in the city, I was greeted by my dad and brother who were here for the entire week! Although they arrived, a little...umm..."unceremoniously" to my apartment on the first night (see previous post), things soon settled down and I spent a lot of time with them over the week. It was a little crazy also being my midterms week to try to balance time with them and time to study, but we managed to make everything work.<br /><br />On Monday, I had class and they went to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) and the National Cathedral, which they both seemed to really enjoy. I met up with them when I was done with class, and we ate dinner and then I headed back to my apartment to study. On Tuesday, Greg came to classes with me and my Dad toured the Prado (apparently he got a personalized, 3ish hour tour just by himself. If you ask him about it, I'm sure he'd love to tell you everything) :) Tuesdays are busy days for me every week, having class from 9:30-6 and then my ESL class from 7-8:30. So by the time I was done with my day, I was wiped out. I took the metro back to the hotel and then my Dad walked me home. I had a really big midterm the next day, and just needed to study. Wednesday included another day of classes for me (along with my Oceanography midterm, unfortunately) and a day trip to Toledo for Greg and my Dad. My dad really enjoyed getting to know more about the artist El Greco, and I think Greg was impressed by the sword production there :) On Wednesday night they also met my host mom, Paloma. With my dad being a doctor and Paloma a nurse, they had a lot to talk about! And I also discovered that a lot of medical words are cognates in Spanish and English. The four of us hung out for awhile and then they eventually left.<br /><br />Thursday night brought us to our Flamenco night. It unfortunately began with a slight glitch, as somewhere along the line our reservations had been made for Wednesday night as oppossed to Thursday. Fortunately, we were still able to be seated and enjoyed an <span style="font-style: italic;">amazing</span> show. Seriously. The place that we went to is suppossedly the best Flameco bar in Spain and hosts the best dancers, meaning that it is bascially the best Flamenco in the world. Don't worry, I've included pictures.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHE6cOULAI3VkLvAeCHRKsebmOg2UxNIkR-XQ8qQCujYQaeJ6Jt8FoHX0bfu1rgJphaDLygSMCMIY_7FiRdkfrB-_Ls5WzKm1USg6RB-58pO5xvJ9TOrY6Fif6xC-mCaeYg7YJyn_VScE/s1600-h/100_1038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHE6cOULAI3VkLvAeCHRKsebmOg2UxNIkR-XQ8qQCujYQaeJ6Jt8FoHX0bfu1rgJphaDLygSMCMIY_7FiRdkfrB-_Ls5WzKm1USg6RB-58pO5xvJ9TOrY6Fif6xC-mCaeYg7YJyn_VScE/s320/100_1038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305224441175833938" border="0" /></a>Basically, there were 3 parts to the show. These 3 girls would come out and dance together, then a woman by herself, and then a man by himself. Inbetween the acts, the guitar players in the background would play or one of the singers on the side would sing. This was the first act. The three girls came out in these beautiful red dresses with intense red shoes, and flamenco-ed for us all.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrGoUu9ThUeq5TCA20mInqDP9fAj1tlY6yY104MjtQ5MXVQmiMEIy4Y_fQc4Z5VvAJ-QsGjQQgWnVgulVYY1aBKEjpZoI6d_-mEX7UFSJww2v3gANT-_SMPHLWARCu13FbPmKcC9TZIg/s1600-h/100_1042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicrGoUu9ThUeq5TCA20mInqDP9fAj1tlY6yY104MjtQ5MXVQmiMEIy4Y_fQc4Z5VvAJ-QsGjQQgWnVgulVYY1aBKEjpZoI6d_-mEX7UFSJww2v3gANT-_SMPHLWARCu13FbPmKcC9TZIg/s320/100_1042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305224451652627714" border="0" /></a>This was the woman who came out after the 3 girls finished. Although this was actually her final performance, I took the picture because I liked the dress :) Flamenco dancers have to order special dresses along with special shoes to perform.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUY0TFkmBBOi9nF7Ol8fgRzb64bnhLjCzgeAioDPCkLd-st0QSl6dsRDMnnSv2d5Yjs6G_MSosB2W9MQz639tNkkBO8O4MUXgggJMFWFKrZl70_Z-7poBQlEhMY85iqPWPO74JsQhP0nk/s1600-h/100_1045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUY0TFkmBBOi9nF7Ol8fgRzb64bnhLjCzgeAioDPCkLd-st0QSl6dsRDMnnSv2d5Yjs6G_MSosB2W9MQz639tNkkBO8O4MUXgggJMFWFKrZl70_Z-7poBQlEhMY85iqPWPO74JsQhP0nk/s320/100_1045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305224454462265330" border="0" /></a>After the woman danced alone, the man on the right came and danced by himself. This picture is of the final act, when all three girls plus the woman plus the man came and danced. It was quite an amazing thing to watch. After the night was over, we took a taxi home and headed to bed to be ready for the next day.<br /><br />Friday we spent all day together. We started our day by going to the museum Reína Sofía. I had really wanted to see the painting "Guernica" by Picasso bascially since I knew I was studying abroad in Spain. So I met them at the hotel at around 10, we had breakfast and set off to the museum. The first floor we went to had a lot of modern art, and I mean REALLY modern art. One of the first things they had on display was a 9-minute video of watching ice melt. Seriously. I could have done the same thing and made it worth about as much as it cost to make, but apparently this movie was a "priceless work of art." Go figure. Anyways, after we finished with modern art, we moved down to the second floor to see Guernica. The Sofía really does a good job of showing how Picasso led up to the painting of Guernica with different sketches and smaller paintings. The actualy painting is very impressive, and had there been benches to sit, I would have sat there all day. I stood there for about 20 minutes and then decided to move on, as the crowd was growing and we had spent about 2 hours in the museum already. After leaving, we tried to take a few pictures in front of the Sofía but it didn't quite work out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSkEKKifeubbc0gQupyi8XiUZzTwrMqReKyoHPLMS6FaTE2fznZi2Qemj3uYKzotWN37Zz7OcCkUhBrYc5WvYXaQXe16yywJl0FndzH9XfqJ6JCjUs_PSKQJPllYbTU4aOmp55O0nhjI/s1600-h/100_1048.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDSkEKKifeubbc0gQupyi8XiUZzTwrMqReKyoHPLMS6FaTE2fznZi2Qemj3uYKzotWN37Zz7OcCkUhBrYc5WvYXaQXe16yywJl0FndzH9XfqJ6JCjUs_PSKQJPllYbTU4aOmp55O0nhjI/s320/100_1048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305224455155438098" border="0" /></a>Still a cute picture, just no sight of the Sofía. So my dad fixed the problem by taking a picture of just my brother and I in front of it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfQsmCLMWtp-BLmn9glNmN3_pytrI1jE-dddt45gOpVbUzxo5CTK2T_nVPttxVRin0WRHzGNm3zsCPkrWUCDPVX4glNVAgSTNL72D0xla0lrKZXUP8h_RxRXeHvnj1rll9pZbla8Sfhk/s1600-h/100_1049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfQsmCLMWtp-BLmn9glNmN3_pytrI1jE-dddt45gOpVbUzxo5CTK2T_nVPttxVRin0WRHzGNm3zsCPkrWUCDPVX4glNVAgSTNL72D0xla0lrKZXUP8h_RxRXeHvnj1rll9pZbla8Sfhk/s320/100_1049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305224458210505202" border="0" /></a>You can tell that its the Sofía in the background because of the glass elevators.<br /><br />We left the Sofía and headed back to Sol, the center of the city. We had a nice lunch, and then worked our way to the Chocolerteria. It was excellent, as always :) After chocolate, Greg wanted to look around a little more for a music store in Sol. We found a couple, but he didn't buy anything. I saw one of my favorite stores (thanks in part to the suggestion by Allison) Natura, and I bought some shoes. We left Sol and headed back to the hotel to relax for awhile. We ended our night at a bar next door for dinner, with several rounds of Gin (the card game), as is traditional for any Ambrose vacay :)<br /><br />This morning I got up and ate breakfast with them at the hotel and saw them off to the airport. According to the Delta website, the took off ontime and are currently somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Everything seems to be going to plan :)<br /><br />OK, I think that's enough for one day, haha. I should have more time to update this week with only 1 major midterm and a normal schedule. :) Love to all!Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-83735975372720944532009-02-16T16:55:00.002-06:002009-02-16T17:14:08.558-06:00I can't think of a good title for this postHello friends! So, in the past 4 days I have traveled up to the basque country of Spain and welcomed my brother and dad to my new home! It's been quite an exciting weekend.<br /><br />The Loyola Retreat was amazing...so, so great. I realized that I've been in the city of Madrid for the past 5 weeks and have seen very little of nature (minus the 3 days I was in Mallorca). It was so wonderful to be dropped off in the middle of the Pyrenees Mountains and not have a computer or cell phone with me. I have trouble finding words to describe the beauty of the basque country...I will post pictures as soon as I upload them on my computer. My words won't be able to do it justice. Think "Sound of Music" mountain ranges with Ritz Carlton living conditions...yeah. Awesome. I met a lot of new people and got to really know the campus ministry and student life staff here at SLU Madrid- they are hysterical people! I don't think I have laughed so hard since I've been here as I did during the weekend.<br /><br />We got home a little later than expected on Sunday night, and the plan was for me to call my dad and brother at their hotel once I got in and we would somehow connect afterwards. I get back to SLU at around 10:30, and my phone rings. My roommate Dominique tells me that my dad and brother are at my apartment right then and Paloma (my host mom) was freaking out! It was a little chaotic- I told them to go back to their hotel and I would meet them there. After getting slightly turned around at my Metro stop, I finally managed to arrive at their hotel, we called my mom in Philidelphia and then they walked me home. I got up this morning to go to classes and then hung out with them again afterwards. According to my brother, they went to the Royal Palace and the National Cathedral today, and were very impressed. They even managed to figure out the metro system by themselves! :) Tonight, we went to El Corte Ingles to buy me a backpack for Spring Break and a Spanish-English dictionary. Then we walked back to my apartment and I showed them where I live (Paloma wasn't here so they still haven't met her). We found a place to eat and then I finally came home at about 9 and I've been working on school stuff ever since...its my midterms week, so I'm a little stressed. ugh. But tomorrow Greg is coming to my classes with me, and I think my dad will tour some more art museums. Wednesday they are going to Toledo, and we don't have plans for Thursday or Friday! But it seems like everyone is having a good time and we all are excited for the week ahead!<br /><br />With that being said, I need to get to bed soon...tomorrow is Tuesday, meaning I have class from 9:30-6 plus my ESL class from 7-8:30. AND like I said its midterms week. Yuck.<br /><br />goodnight :)Liza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2480935622489079620.post-62159721741948201582009-02-12T14:31:00.002-06:002009-02-12T14:42:54.971-06:00The things we do for cheap travel.Today I booked all of my tickets for Spring break!! I'm going with a group of about 6 or 7 (honestly I forget and lost count) and going to London, Prague, and Athens. Now, a normal person would read that and probably think, "oh, OK, so they'll fly from Madrid to London, then to Prague, then to Athens, and then back to Madrid."<br /><br />Well, my friend, you underestimate the power of one way tickets with easyjet.com<br /><br />This is what my Spring break schedule looks like:<br />Thursday, March 5th: Madrid to London<br />Friday, March 6th: London to Athens<br />Tuesday, March 10th: Athens to London<br />Wednesday, March 11th: London to Prague<br />Friday, March 13th: Prague to London<br />Tuesday, March 17th: London to Madrid<br /><br />So we have 3 days scheduled to tour London at the end of break, but total I think we'll be spending about 5 days there with all of our transfers from one city to another. And the best part of all of this: in total, all of those trips cost under $300 USD. Word, easyjet.<br /><br />Tomorrow I leave for the Basque country of Spain for a retreat with school. I'm looking forward to seeing a different part of Spain and also to see my dad and brother once I get back to Madrid! YAY!!!!!! :DLiza Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06524649669760306954noreply@blogger.com1