Out and about in the city!!

I decided to put up some pictures of Madrid to show everyone what it looks like!! There are random tourist spots everywhere, and it is not very common to drive. Everyone is out walking on the streets, and it is SOOO much fun to sit down and people watch! When I mention that I am going out to the city, this is what I am doing!!

Kate and I outside the Royal Palace! She is adorable and is from Canada.
It was so bright outside we could barely see but we wanted a picture with the guards so bad! We finaly got one!!!

This is Sabine and I outside a cathedral. She is from Germany and was my first friend here!! She lives down the street from me and is a nanny as well!

This is beautiful Retiro Park!! It reminds me a lot of Liberty Park in Salt Lake City. It is huge!!

I took a picture of him when he was not looking because I thought it was funny that he was matching his Vespa!!

These are the girls I spend all of my free time with!! I would die without them!

There are random cows decorated on every corner of the streets. It is so weird... but this one was on Valentines Day so I of course had to take a picture with it!

This is Jo!! She is so much fun to be around and I love her accent! She is from England. After the girls and I got to know eachother better, they said to me, "Girl! You have the thickest American accent EVER!" Yeah right!! They are the ones with the accents! haha

This is underground at the Metro Station. They have flatscreens in the middle of the two tracks to watch the news while waiting for the metro to come. I thought it was funny the first time I saw it.

The ceiling was SUPER low right here!! hahaha I barely fit because I am so tall!

Outside an old train station that they have now turned into a place for turtles. It was really interesting!

The typical street signs in the city!

Does it look like I am pusing it haha?

One Sunday after church!

Outside the Royal Palace!! It was HUGE!

I could not believe this lady was so short!!!!! Her feet are on the same level as my knees! She was out selling fruit and had an extra hat, so I asked if I could take a picture haha!

This is by far the best mullet on a woman I have seen yet!! The best part..... the reason I noticed her is because she was singing, "In the middle of the niiiight..." hahaha I was dying laughing!!

The worlds fattest Spider Man!!! They dress up and pose for money! They are so cool!!

This is another person out trying to get money! The city is so much fun!! We have a blast everytime we go do something!! I absolutely LOOOVE living here!!

Sledding in Spain!

Milagros and I decided that one day leaving early from school wouldn't be bad for the kids! After I was done with my Spanish class, I hurried home and the car had already been packed! The children were in their matching outfits, and our picnic was ready to go!! It was a beautiful day, and we were headed to the mountains to see the snow! I thought we were just going to go on a warm day to have a picnic and let the kids run around... oh no! Going to see the snow in the Elwell family is a HUGE deal!! Everyone must have protective eye wear, very sturdy shoes, water proof clothes, and sun screen... we were going sledding! I was lucky enough to get to wear my host Mom's jacket because she decided she wanted the full suit. Dang it!! We rode the ski lift up to the top, took some pictures, and then went back down. The kids thought this was the GREATEST thing in the world. Something that seems so normal to me, made their entire day! There are a lot of little things at home that I now realize how much I take for granted!

Gotta have protective goggles... glasses were acceptable for me though! I Had no idea my hair was sticking straight up though!! woops!

I felt at home playin in the snow!! They go twice a year... can't wait to go again soon!!

SEGOVIA!

One weekend my host family went to their cabin, and I chose to stay at home. Sabine and I traveled to the city of Segovia!! It was supposed to be horrible weather that day. When we found out, we were super bummed because none of our pictures would turn out!! The fog was soo thick in Las Matas, which is common here in Spain, that we couldn't see 15 feet in front of us!! We decided to go anyway, hoping for the best!! If you can tell from the pictures... my prayers were answered and even though it was cold, we had blue skies!

This is an old Gothic Cathedral right by the main square. It was MASSIVE!! This is the prettiest cathedral I have ever seen. The ceilings inside were so tall!!! I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was! There were stained-glass windows everywhere so it looked beautiful inside with all of the colors.

This was the only place inside the Cathedral that we were allowed to take pictures! The details were incredible!

This is the famous Roman Aqueduct. It was used until the late 19th century as a way to recieve fresh water. It flowed along the top and was filtered along the way. I can't even imagine how they built it, it was huge!

Sabine and I

Behind me gives you an idea of what a cute little town Segovia is with its cobble stone streets!

This is the statue outside the castle!! I was STOKED to be able to see the tip of it when we were taking this picture!! I have always wanted to go to a castle!

Sabine and I outside Alcazar!! One of Spain's many midevil castles!!!

Of course I had to do a jumping picture!! I was so excited!!

This is a dungeon where they used to keep prisoners! No thanks!

I definitely want to go back before I leave this Summer!! I loved it!!