So, Maybe I'd Make a Good Tour Guide...

 On Friday morning, we met for breakfast and got tortilla de patatas at a nearby cafeteria. We got a pass for 10 euros for 7 monuments in Toledo, including a mosque, a synagogue, and a monastery. We went to the mosque first, called La Mezquita de Cristo de La Luz. It was so neat! The original mosque with the addition of the church was obvious because of the Arabic influence and the display of Jesus on the cross. 

 I've never thought I am too good at history. But, living in Toledo, I've been able to understand the history of this ancient city. So, as I showed my mom around, I was a tour guide for a day, telling the history behind the architecture, statues, and buildings. It was kinda fun. 

 My mama is amazing! She brought me some pumpkin spice granola bars!! It's what I've been missing from my life this fall!!

 After a quick tour of the Fundacion, meeting my roommates, and eating lunch, my mom went to a wine tasting, at which I nibbled on some cheese. It was also a tiny museum, so we learned a little bit about Manchego cheese! 

 This is the wine she tasted. The label is pretty! 

 A pretty coffee she got later at a place called Santo Café!

 For the rest of the day, we walked around and looked around in some stores before getting dinner. 

 I was super excited because I found an adapter where I can charge my phone AND use my earphones at the same time. Amazing, right? Now, I don't have to bother my roommates with the French music I listen to before I go to sleep while charging my phone!

 We got some delicious baked codfish for dinner and called it a day!

 It was super fun showing my mom the little and big things I love about this city. 

 Kthnxbai! 

Estoy en Madrid con mi mama

 I spent the day in Madrid with my mom last week! Yes, you read that right, my mom came to Spain! I woke up at three in the morning, took a bus at four, took the metro to the airport, and waited for her to arrive. It was crazy at first because her flight was delayed by five hours and then we couldn't find each other. But, after we found a cute coffee shop, it was good! 

 We also found this cute place that had some good lemonade, sangria, coffee, pastries, and a cool patio outside. 

 She only brought a backpack to hold everything she needs for nine days, so it was huge and heavy. We took turns wearing it and called it the "baby". 

 This is one of the universities in Madrid, University Carlos III de Madrid. 

 I love the fall colors coming through! I don't see as much in Toledo.

 After walking around a bit, we went to the Reina Sofia Museum, a museum of 20th century art from Spain. We saw a lot of art by Picasso and Juan Miro. It was cool, but my favorite is still the Prado Museum. 

 After that, we got tapas at a nearby restaurant that had tapas from the Basque country, an area of Spain in the northeast. Mama was amazed because, well... tapas are awesome! The food we ate and is not pictured was goat cheese with tomato on top of bread. It was delicious!

 We were really tired from walking around, so we started in the direction to the bus station to go to Toledo. 

 Her hostel is pretty awesome! It's not amazing, but it's as cool as a hostel can get! There is a terrace with an awesome view of Toledo and a shared kitchen! 

 After a long day in Madrid with my mom, we both decided to get ready for bed and sleep! I'm so glad my mama is here with me. It's such a blessing. 

 Kthnxbai!

El Arte en Salamanca

 I went to Salamanca, Spain this weekend with my friends and directors from the foundation. To sum up my favorite parts of this trip, I would say that I loved seeing the beautiful art that has been made around Salamanca, some made 300 years and some made just 3 years ago or 3 days ago.

 The morning of our full day in Salamanca, we went on a tour of Salamanca with an energetic tour guide. We explored the University of Salamanca, which was founded in 1134. It was so cool to see the classrooms and the architecture of the buildings!

 Next, we went to the Cathedral of Salamanca, both the new and old parts. Wow. That's all I have to say. Just... wow. So beautiful. My favorite parts were a painting of Jesus on the cross with skulls on the hill and the organs. The painting of Jesus reminded me of Golgotha, both the hill and the song. The organs were just so huge and beautifully decorated.

 Ooh, and we crashed a wedding! Just kidding, but there was a wedding happening in the old cathedral, so we had to sneak past quietly. 

 After the tour and lunch at our fancy, four-star hotel, we had free time for the rest of the day. My sweet friends and I had a photoshoot by the bridge over the Tormes River. Then, we just walked around the city without a purpose! I found a jewelry store and there was a guy sitting at a desk in the front making jewelry with glass and fire! I'm sure there's a better way to describe that, but that's all I got. I thought we'd go check it out, so I told my friends what I saw. We went in and looked around. This guy's jewelry is so beautiful and intricate! We talked with him a little bit and found out his name is Carlos. He was really funny and nice. My friend, Maggie, and I bought some earrings that were really pretty.

 Later, we got tapas at a restaurant called Bambu, and the food was amazing! 

 The next day, we walked to a nearby neighborhood called El Barrio del Oeste that had art on the walls of so many buildings. Some of them were random and some of them were related to the stores and business. It was so cool! These pictures were only the ones that I took before my phone died. There are many more! 

 Then, we got lunch at a restaurant that has unique types of tortilla de patatas, and got on the bus to go back to Toledo! 

 Now, after I have had a full day of classes, I'm glad to be back to writing essays and going to class. Just kidding, I'd rather be in Salamanca, walking without a purpose. It was such a great weekend. It is good, though, to be back in a routine here at the foundation again. 

 Oh, and I've officially been here for at least a month! I came to Toledo on September 6th! That's crazy! So much has happened in the last month, and I cannot wait for more adventures with my sweet friends. God is so good! He amazes me every day. 

 ~Kthnxbai!