March Adventures in a Nutshell

Sarah, where have you been!?

Sorry I have not been able to post in a while, but I hope this post can sum up what I have been up to! This month, I have had so many fun adventures with some very special people – I feel so blessed for all these memories I have made and all the things I have experienced traveling! As I begin my last month in Toledo, I am trying to soak in as much as I can and trying to spend lots of time with the people I have met here. Toledo holds a special place in my heart, and as much as I am excited to go back home and see family and friends, I am not quite ready to leave here quite yet.

Here is summary of my adventures in March:  

School group trip to Ruta Del Quijote (Friday, March 11^th):

We traveled by bus to small towns not too far from Toledo that are significant in the making of this famous novel, Don Quijote. I haven’t read the book before, but by going on this trip I learned a lot about the story! Some of the highlights include the windmills and the really old castle we went inside of.

Mom is in Spain! Our trip to Seville! (March 12^th – 14^th):

Mom arrived in Madrid on Friday, and then I met her in the train station in Madrid on Saturday! From there, we hopped on a train to Seville. Seville is gorgeous, and I have decided that it is my favorite city in Spain I have visited (besides Toledo, of course, but Toledo doesn’t really count because it is more like my home). In Seville, some of the highlights were: staying in an old, but nice hotel with the view of the Cathedral from our window, the really nice and sunny weather, going out to eat, shopping, gelato, and visiting the Cathedral, the Alcazar, and Plaza de España.

View of the Cathedral from our window:

The Alcazar – an old royal palace with really cool architecture, and lots of rooms and gardens.

The Cathedral – the 3^rd largest Christian church in the world and has the tomb of Christopher Columbus!

Plaza de España:

Mom and I had a great time in Seville!

Mom and Zach in Toledo! (March 15^th – 17^th):

After our Seville trip, Mom came back with me to Toledo and spent the week exploring where I have been living the past few months! Zach arrived in Madrid Tuesday night, so he spent Wednesday and Thursday in Toledo too! On Tuesday, Mom and I went to the outdoor market near my house and we saw some sights, including the big Greco painting in the church of Santo Tomé, Monastery de San Juan de los Reyes, and the Synagogue before I went to go pickup Zach in the airport in Madrid Tuesday night!

Monastery de San Juan de los Reyes: 

Synagogue: 

On Wednesday, Zach and Mom came to see my school and eat lunch there in between my classes. Wednesday night, we all went to my house to have dinner all together with my host family – it was so much fun! My host family cooked typical food from Toledo for dinner: deer, quail, Spanish tortilla, ham, and lots more! They loved the gifts my mom brought for them, and after dinner we played Uno. It was a really fun night, and so cool that they were all able to communicate despite the language barrier (although I had to do some translating here and there). Thursday, their last day in Toledo, we did the city walk around Toledo and went to a nice dinner that night. It was so cool having Mom and Zach here in Toledo for a few days – I am glad they got to experience a taste of the place I love so much!

Paris and Italy with Zach! (March 18^th – 26^th):

First stop, Paris. What a beautiful city, we had so much fun here! The only downfall was not knowing French and having to ask people to speak English. The apartment we stayed in for four nights was really close to the Eiffel Tower, so every night we would visit the Eiffel Tower and eat our food from the supermarket in front of it! While in France, we also ate lots of chocolate croissants and Nutella crepes – yum! It was a little chilly during our three full-days in Paris, but not bad at all!

The beautiful Eiffel Tower at night:

We saw so many things while in Paris, and by the end of each day we were so tired from walking so much! I love the streets of Paris and the sights we saw were also very cool, I think we saw all the must see and more! More importantly, we had a lot of fun exploring a new city in Europe together and figuring out all the obstacles and challenges that come along with traveling.

The day we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower:

Zach snapping a cool shot of the Eiffel Tower:

 Arc de Triumph at the end of the famous shopping street, Champs de Elysees:

Notre Dame, the cathedral:

 The Louvre:

View of the Eiffel Tower from the ferris wheel we rode:

  

Sacré – Coeur, a basilica that overlooks the city:

Luxembourg Gardens:

Second stop, Italy, specifically, the town of Praiano on the Amalfi Coast!

We flew into Naples, Italy from Paris on Tuesday. The flight was the easy part, getting to Praiano was much harder – we had to take a bus, an hour long metro ride, another hour bus ride, and then a taxi because we ended up getting off at the wrong stop. It was such a struggle, but visiting this place was so worth it! The sights were amazing, and we loved the chance to just take in the sea and relax in the town of Praiano and the place we stayed was great – it overlooked the water and the staff was so kind.

View from our window: 

On one of our full days in Italy, we decided to take the bus to Amalfi and we got to walk the streets of Amalfi, see the inside of the really old and beautiful Cathedral, and also took a boat ride on the sea to another town called Positano! The Amalfi Coast of Italy is full of character and charm, and I would definitely come back again!

The Cathedral in Amalfi:

Other pics of the beautiful views of the coast: 

Zach taking more pictures :) :

We are so lucky to have had the chance to travel in Europe for a full week together :)

The end of vacation/Semana Santa: 

Easter Sunday I went to Mass with my host family, and it was a really nice day outside, so we went for a long walk by the river.

The Monday after Easter, everyone here still had the day off of work and school, so I missed my one class I have on Mondays to go skiing with my host family in the snowy mountains – weird to think you can do that in Spain right!? It was a great time and I didn’t fall once (we only went on the easy hills, but still)! I am looking forward to spending more time with my host family this month!

Me and Carmen (Carmen in all pink of course!):