Welcome to March! Honestly, where is time going? I was thinking about it the other day, we’re already half way through the program! Ah! I should be so much better at Spanish at this point. Or have done more things or something. That’s okay, I’ve had my fair share of adventures so far and it’s only going to get better! Today, not two hours ago, Meli and I booked the final pieces for ITALY!!!! Finally. Took us long enough. But still--ten days, five cities, three eurail passes—vale la pena. Not to mention Myles and I have started talking about what we’ll be doing in May and June. At this point it’s looking like a nice five country sweep with our ginomous backpacks, leaving me in Brussels with a week to myself. Northern Europe, watch out! It’s on. But that’s planning for another day; right now I have other things to think of.

Sitting here on a fabulous Saturday night after a day of a photoshoot and getting ready to go out tonight, things are looking more up than they have been for the past few days. It’s been a planning session for the next year with finding jobs and internships, planning trips, and figuring out where I’ll live. Everything is falling into line way better than I could ever have planned, all God, there’s no way I could take credit for all of this.

This past weekend our ILACA school group went to Madrid for five days, visiting Toledo and Segovia along the way. Where to even begin. The first day we were there they hit us with one of the best art museums in the city, La Reina Sofia, and I got to see Guernica by Picasso(!!!!!!). The thing is massive, taking up an entire room with its 25 foot length. In person, the painting is incredible and it's jaw dropping to be able to see Picasso’s own paint strokes and the details that you can’t see over internet pictures. The next day was spent at El Prado, the second best museum in Europe and got to see many of the paintings we’ve studied in classes.

But enough about museums, the city itself was huge and full of fun things to explore and see. One of the most surprising things to happen occurred at the end of a walking tour one day while we sat at a fountain in the middle of the Plaza Del Sol. While we were deciding where to go next my friend and I started to hear shouts and noise coming from the other side of the plaza, looking up to see what looked like a parade coming our way. Thinking we could wait to see it pass then go, we stuck around only to find that it was a loud, angry demonstration that stopped and trapped us between themselves and the fountain. It was hard to tell what their cause was and it was only once we hopped through the fountain area a little illegally to get out of the throng that we figured out what the demonstration was about. A few weeks ago a kid of about fourteen and a group of friends raped, tortured, and killed another girl of fourteen. Without a juvenile court system, the boy was set out on the streets again free of penalty because he is a minor under the Spanish legal system. But it wasn’t just the girl’s death the people were protesting; they were pushing the legalization of the death penalty for minors. Killing kids! Sometimes it’s depressing just how messed up this world is, on both sides of the equation in this instance.

Along with the theme of depressing things was the fact that we visited Franco’s memorial and tomb. If killing over 50,000 people weren’t enough, the man built himself a monument to glorify his cause and dictatorship after the Spanish Civil War of the 30s. The huge, rock cross and arches at right is a picture of the memorial itself. Considering there are so many people alive today that still remember the terror and hardships of his reign, very few Spaniards were at the site so it was mostly just us tourists there learning and looking out at the beautiful vista of Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Silent).

On a happier note, good things did happen this past weekend as well. Ruth, Jamie and I went out to some sushi one night at a chic place that conveyer belted the food throughout the restaurant. Goodness it was delicious. Paired with the scoop of Ben and Jerry’s we got afterward it was the best dinner I’ve had so far in Spain and was totally worth traipsing across the city for. I also managed to find my knight in shining armor! It was slightly a pity he was a little empty headed and hollow hearted. Okay fine, so it was just the shining armor I found, no knight sadly enough. But I don’t blame the guy, if I lived in the castle he was in and had to walk up to the battlements every day I would make myself disappear too. Talk about leg work out of my life going up the 183 steps (I counted). Ick. In the same day Ruth and I managed to buy some pocket knives (ironic because we’re probably the least threatening people in the group), have a bomb picnic overlooking a river, and find our way onto Don Quixote’s trail randomly. Toledo definitely was “un lugar de aventurera” (a place of adventure) as the sign said.

Ten points to whoever can tell me what castle Bunny is in front of! Hint: I can guarantee you’ve seen it in cartoon form.
Another ten points to the person who can give me a better name for the poor little guy.

Ruth: Tully and Pip need to have some more adventures, when shall we hike?
Lisa: roomies again!!!!
Ben: how’d the photoshoot go?
Mom: you are a goddess for giving me chocolate :]
Kate: I can talk to you whenever now! yay! and I like that it literally is whenever, as I am now talking to you with your beautiful bed head :]