The ecstasy of salvation, extreme happiness, joy and felicity, to be full of bliss- this is bienaventuranza.
~ bienaventuranza ~
Our next stop was Cinque Terre, which was by far our favorite place of the whole trip. Cinque Terre is on the mid to northwestern coast of Italy and is a group of five small towns each spread roughly about 3km apart. We stayed in a small beach town outside of the “Five Lands” called Levanto and we loved it! It was very clean and not as touristy. Our hike started there at 8:30 a.m. and we ended in the last town called Riommagiore around 6 p.m. Because of the floods in late October we had to take a train between two of the five towns, which we didn’t hate. You would think walking as much as we do in Spain that we would be more in shape, but those trails told us otherwise. The day was beautiful and we absolutely loved every minute of it! We ended the long day with some wine and watched the sunset :)
We travelled around Italy for a week and saw some pretty incredible sites. First stop was Pisa where we went couch surfing. Couch surfing is like a Facebook for travelers…sort of. You make a profile on couchsurfing.org where you meet other people from all over the world through this website ask them if you can sleep on their couch as you are traveling through. Sounds pretty sketch, but it is actually a great way to get to know all different types of people AND the added bonus is that you don’t have to pay for a place to stay. The guy we stayed with barely spoke any English, but he was so nice and we found common ground with our love for Mumford and Sons. He and his roommate showed us around Pisa; It was a cute little hippie town with a good bit of tourists due to the leaning tower. Of course we had to take several of the “typical” leaning tower of Pisa pictures. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun with that one. (As you can tell)
We feel so loved having some of our best friends come visit us! This is in Madrid at Palacio Real. It was beautiful. Can’t wait to update yall more when they all head home:(
The 3 of us are heading to Italy for the week! We plan on seeing Pisa for a day, hiking Cinque Terre and camping for 2 days, then off to Florence and Rome. The day we return back into Spain, 3 of our friends from home will be here- Paige, Caroline and Jessica! We are so excited to see them and take them around Madrid, Cordoba and Seville. So, we wont be blogging for a while, but know that we are livin it up! :)
Love,
Allie and Mary Duncan
We had a visitor! Our friend and sorority sister Lee Anne came to visit us in Spain for two days! We took her out for tapas and all around Cordoba to the main sights and to meet our friends. She was able to come to school with me on Monday also and the kids LOVED her! (seriously, they thought she was famous and all wanted her autograph… hilarious) We had such a great time and wish she could have stayed longer. Love you Lee Anne!!
Allie and Mary Duncan
My Family in Spain!
A week ago my ENTIRE family was able to come a visit me here in Spain! My Mom and youngest brother Scott were in Paris the week prior where Mary Duncan, Alex and I got to see them the weekend that we visited there.
Mom and Scott arrived in Cordoba Thursday night and the roomies and I cooked them a home cooked meal. Friday we woke up early to meet Fernando and head to my little school in Puente Genil. We ate breakfast at my favorite cafe by the river where they tried the famous tostada (toasted fresh bread with olive oil, tomato sauce, and cured iberian ham) This was the first of many breakfast tostadas… they loved it! Oh how I will miss the jamon (ham) when I come back to the states. After breakfast we walked to school where they met all of the teachers and went into each class, 4 years old to 6th grade, and got a tour of my little school. The kids were beyond excited to meet them and practiced their basic English asking them several questions like “What’s your favorite color? Favorite food, Favorite sport? etc…” Scott and I played at recess with everyone where Scott showed off his basketball skills and dunked for everyone. After that, he was the coolest (tallest) kid they had every seen. After recess, Mom and Scott were able to watch me teach the first grade class where each kid drew a picture of the three of us for Mom to take home. Overall, the day was definitely a success and I was so happy that some of my family got to experience a day in my shoes teaching precious little spanish children and now I know they understand my love for it.
Brittney and her hubby Bo arrived that Friday evening where we all went out for a nice dinner along the river and took it easy for the night.
The rest of the Barlow crew (Dad and Matt) came in on Saturday afternoon. We all went for a beer and snails before the big bull fight. Tents are up all over Cordoba during April and May where it is really popular to mingle with friends on an afternoon, eat snails and drink wine. Everyone was up for trying the snails and for the most part enjoyed it. Brit opted out of the bull fight after hearing how grotesque and bloody they are and went shopping with Audrey and Mary Duncan. The bull fight was quite the experience for all of us- we had no idea what to expect! The first bull was killed- we are all in shock and Alex is crying… after the 6th bull is killed- Bo and the boys are cheering on the matador. We decided that the atmosphere was somewhat like a baseball game, but the sport itself doesn’t compare to anything American. I think everyone was really glad we went, although I think one bull fight is enough for me. We all went out for tapas after and everyone could not get enough of the spanish style eating and food. It was so fun!
Sunday we visited the Mezquita and since it was Palm Sunday, we watched the first procession of Semana Santa (Holy Week) take place. Through out the rest of the week we were able to experience a daily procession in each town, which was really neat to see the differences in tradition. Each day of Semana Santa there are parade walks where locals wear something quite similar to the KluKluxKlan attire and carry candles in silence. There is a different float that is carried each day, representing a different story in the bible and bands march and sing with the floats. It’s unlike anything you have experienced and I’m so glad the family was here to experience something so traditional and really live the Spanish culture for a week.
We spent next 2 days in Seville, 2 days in Marbella, and the last 2 days in Madrid. Seville was a fun place to show them since we lived there for a month before moving to Cordoba. I was able to take them around to all the tourist spots, cathedrals, palaces, parks, my favorite restaurants, and even a Flamenco show! It rained both days we were there, but that didn’t stop us. We had a great time!
In Marbella we stayed in the most amazing villa palace! Michelle Obama and several other famous people have stayed here, so you can imagine, I felt like a pretty big deal :) Marbella is a huge tourism spot for Europeans and is absolutely beautiful with the mountains along the ocean. We walked around the city center and over to the marina and beach which was lined with shops and restaurants. It was here that we ate one of the best meals of my life! (I’m sure everyone else would agree with this statement also.) Although it wasn’t as warm as we had hoped, it was the perfect mid-week vacation stop to relax and enjoy the beauty around us and each others company.
We were off to our final destination on thursday- Madrid! Madrid is full of museums and history and restaurants and millions of things to do. We were able to visit all the main sights: the Prado museum, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, The Royal Palace, cathedrals and beautiful buildings and parks all over. We stayed at another beautiful hotel in the heart of the city and crammed in all we could in the short amount of time there. I was able to take them to one of my favorite restaurants and we just had the best time. It was an early flight home Saturday morning and the end to an amazing week.
I am so blessed and happy that my whole family was able to visit me and experience my life here in Spain. We had a great time traveling together and nothing will beat the laughter that Brit brought us as she tried to speak “Spanglish” to everyone we met. I love my family more than anything :)
Allie
What Sabrina thinks happened in the Holocaust…
Allie and I were rushing to the car this morning for school because we had to pack our bags for a night in Puente Genil for Renee’s birthday. Allie had baked a cake the night before to celebrate which she brought to school today. After being in the car for about 30 minutes Fernando asks, ”Is today a special holiday in America?”
Allie: “No?? I don’t think so.”
Me (interrupting Allie): “Yeah! It’s Holocaust Day.”
Fernando: “Que es eso?” (What is that)
Sabrina: “Ehhhh olocosto…you know es cuando los Nazis mataron las judias…” (It’s when the Nazis killed the green beans)
Fernando: “No entiendo.” (I don’t understand)
Sabrina: “Ehhhh es cuando las judias fueron matados por los Nazis.” (It’s when the green beans were killed by the Nazis) Note: Neither me nor Allie are catching this mistake and chiming in saying things like, yeah, you know…the holocaust…??
Fernando: “……Los judios? Ahhhh!! Los Judios! Celebran esto??” (You mean Jews? Ahhh! The Jews! You celebrate that??)
Me: “No no no….es un dia de la memoria” (It’s a day of memory)
Fernando: “Oh hehehehe, pero porque teneis dulces” (with his chuckle that I need to record and put on here or on youtube)
Allie and Me: “Ohhhhhhhhhh it’s Renee’s birthday!”
None of us caught the difference and it made a hilarious start to our rainy morning. Not to say anything with the Holocaust is funny, but this miscommunication error was.
Love,
Allie and Mary Duncan
Happy Easter everyone!
Mary Duncan arrived home this past Friday and was surprised at the airport by her sisters and mom and new baby niece Collins!!! She was beyond excited since this is the first time she has met her. So precious!!
My family left yesterday back to America. We had an incredible week and it was so fun being able to show them my life here in Spain. I will post some stories and pictures this week.
Have such a blessed Easter!!
Allie and Mary Duncan
