Un poco más Ireland

Here are a few more pictures from Ireland. The first is the Custom's Building at night, so it is all lit up and shines over the River Liffey. The next is the inside of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The third is St. Stephen's Green, which is gorgeous - but would be a little bit nicer if the sun ever came out from behind the clouds in Ireland. And last is Trinity College, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Ireland

Waterford, Ireland

On October 1st, while in Ireland, I took a day trip down to Waterford - one of the oldest towns in Ireland. The town was largely closed up because it is a summer location, but it was nice to wander around. Reginald's Tower stands still from centuries ago of defending the Vikings that used to inhabit the city. And, Waterford is also home of Waterford Crystal.

Corrida de Toros

When I was in Madrid, about two weeks ago now, we went to see a Corrida de Toros, what we know in English as a bull fight. But, here in Spain it is not a sport to kill the bull but rather it is an art form, much like a dance between the bull fighter and the bull. Here are some pictures of the type of attire worn by the bull fighter and the ring.
I thought this was all really gross, so the pictures do not include any of the actual killing :)

Nerja

Continuing our weekend adventures this weekend - we spent two days in Nerja, one of the beautiful beaches of the Málaga province. The sea is gorgeous light blue, and the beach is nice and sandy. We also took an excursion to the Nerja caves today. The caves hold the Guiness World Record for the largest stalagmite :)

Sevilla

Yesterday - Jeff, Amanda, Brittany, and I went to Sevilla for the night. It is about a 3 hour bus ride from Granada to Sevilla. While in my last post I said that Toledo was one of my favorite places I have ever been....Sevilla is also. Here are some pictures: The Cathedral, one of the largest in Spain. Another is the sunset over the river - my host mother says this is very Andalucian looking. The next is the Plaza de España, one of the places we stumbled upon while wandering. And finally the Maria Luisa Park - so pretty and fun!

Holy, Toledo!

I went to Toledo on September 29th. The city is built on a hill, literally. But this is most definitely one of my favorite places I have ever visited! I could have spent so much time here! There are over 80 churches, the El Greco museum and Toledo is full of Cervantes quotes, the namesake of my beta fish!

Madrid

Here is the beginning of my posts from my travels. From 26 Sept - 28 Sept I was in Madrid with the group I am studying with here. Madrid was still a candidate city at that point for the 2016 Summer Olympics (losing out to Rio de Janiero later that week), so here is a picture of me with the campaign poster. We went to El Prado, one of the most famous art museums in Europe (and the world). Also, since Spain is very old, Madrid was build close to the center of the Iberian Peninsula, so all the highways start in Madrid and go out from there, pretty cool. And last is the Royal Palace, which is gorgeous but not really used today except for formal occasions!