Megan..."La de la Terraza"!

You may have noticed I'm not blogging as much anymore. I'm happy to say it's due to the wonderful weather we've been having in Segovia. (Except for today-ha) I don't remember the last time I had to wear my winter coat! I have been walking around during the siestas and visiting new places. It's been great!
This past Tuesday, I had a few presentations to work on so I didn't have time to go outside. However, I decided to eat my merienda (snack) on our balcony. I grabbed a kiwi, which makes me think of summer, shut the sliding door and sat down on the balcony to enjoy the sunshine. When I finished and decided to get back to work, I tried to open the sliding door, but it wouldn't budge. I was LOCKED OUT!
At first, all I could do was laugh at my predicament. I was stuck on a small apartment sized balcony with nothing but a kiwi and spoon. I thought, what in the world will Julia think!? haha
I decided to use my time to exercise, count red cars, count bald headed people, and sing songs! (There were actually quite a few bald people within 5 min., 42) However, after awhile I began to worry. It was about 6pm and Julia wouldn't get home till around 7:30. Then I remembered it was Tuesday and she always goes out with her friends till around 9:30. That’s when I really started to freak out. It was getting cold as the sun set and I thought I might just be stuck forever. I was not only stuck, but also missing my intercambio with a few people. I told them just a few min. before I got stuck on the balcony that I would be meeting them at 7. However, that wasn't going to happen and I had no way of letting them know. I thought a few times about calling down to the people on the street, but I knew they couldn't do anything. Even if they did get up to Julia's apartment the front door was locked so they wouldn't be able to help. Like my nephew later suggested, I thought about climbing down. However, I was on the 3rd story, which really means 4th in Spain. (The first floor is 0) I was officially trapped. I felt like I was in an "I love Lucy" episode. Except my mom said it would be "I Love Megan"... Oh my!
I spent the rest of the time hoping and praying that Julia would for some reason still come home at 7:30. As the time was approaching for her to come home I kept a look out for her, but I never saw her. I started knocking on the door just in case she was home. (I couldn't see because of the curtain on the other side) But nobody came to my rescue. I decided to sing again and as soon as I did, the curtains started moving! It was Julia to the rescue!! She gave me the funniest look I've ever seen. Oh man it still makes me laugh. ha She motioned for me to come in, but obviously, I couldn't. She let me in and then I told her the whole thing. She said, "Como habla la gente". (she thought people were just talking really loudly, but really it was me singing on her balcony!! ha) I think at first she was trying not to laugh, but I was laughing when I told her. After she asked if I was okay, she started cracking up. She had to leave to meet her friends, but that wasn't the last I heard from her. After she got back from the bar, she called me in to eat dinner. She has a new name for me though, Megan.."la de la terraza". (The girl from the balcony) hah She told me that she told all her friends. hah Of course she did! She said they felt sorry for me, but I'm sure they were cracking up. haha I would be!
The next day at school, one of my professors asked me why I didn't show up to my intercambio. I guess Jesus (One of the guys I meet with for the intercambio) called my professor to ask if she knew where I was. So I proceeded to tell the story to her. Most of the professors were in the office so pretty soon almost everyone knew. hah My Grammar prof. pulled out some jokes today, but I think that's the last I'll hear of it…at least, for a little while. However, I'm pretty sure Julia will never forget...la de la terraza! :)

A PLETHORA OF PiCTURES

I figured out how to post a link to my photos! If you want to see our spring break photos scroll down and there should be a link on the right hand side of my blog. (look for the picture of the cross!) Well...I guess you have to have a snapfish account to see them. What a shame! However, it's free! (this is no plug)

Bob's Your Uncle!

LONDON!!
Okay, I'm finally getting to this blog. Hmm..where to begin!? Our flight was delayed a bit to London so I was worried that it wouldn't even happen. I was going to be really sad to miss out on seeing London and Jenna. However, an hour later we were on our way!
We flew over the English Channel. It was such a clear day we could see boats doting the shore. When we landed in Gatwick we took a train to Victory Station, which according to my mom, has a lot of history.
Mom took charge on this trip with the transportation and housing arrangements. We weren't sure exactly how to get to our hotel, but it was no problem… we simply asked! (I was loving ENGLISH!) An older lady on the bus said to my mom, "Oh don't worry dear, it's just one stop after mine." Most the people we came across in London we're very helpful.
Our hotel was my favorite I've stayed in so far in Europe. It was old and Victorian looking. Our room was very flowery. It definitely reminded me of an old tea room. (I wouldn't want to live there. However, it was a fun atmosphere for our stay. We had two french doors from floor to ceiling that opened up to our balcony. From our balcony we could look out and see Hyde Park, which is bigger than Central Park in NYC. It was a beautiful view and we had three sunny days in London to enjoy it.
After we got our internet working, we got a hold of Jenna and she came over right away. (Earlier that day, she went to see if we had checked in yet, but I told her the wrong hotel. I felt awful, but she found us in the end!) Jenna and I explored the streets of London, including the famous Oxford street with all the shops. Then we took the tube (Yes, I did get to hear "mind the gap" with the great British accent!) to get some food and see her flat. We decided to stop in a pub near her flat. We ordered, but the lady at the counter could barely understand us. We weren't sure if she was speaking English herself, but we got it figured out. There were a few men on the other side of the pub speaking in a thick Scottish accent. It was fun to listen to them. When we finished, we went to Jenna's flat and I met her flat mates. They seemed pretty nice, but I guess I walked in on WWIII, so as soon as Jenna packed her bags we left for my side of town.
When we got back mom was a little worried about us being alone in London, so we didn't even have to ask before she said, "Jenna's staying!" Jenna was out stowaway so the next day we smuggled her some breakfast and were out the door. We got on a double decker tour bus to view the city. We saw Big Ben, the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, the Thames River, the Crown Jewels, the London Bridge (which isn't falling down), and much more. Jenna and I sat on the top even though it was a chilly day. After all, it's not every day you get to ride a double decker bus!
That night, we ate at our hotel. Our Waitress, Jessica, was so nice and very talkative. She asked where we were from and told us to pack her in our suitcases. She said she'd love to go to America some day. We asked her where and she named as many states as she could think of, except IN. Then she asked where we were from and when we told her she said, "Yeah, there too!" hah She was fun.
After dinner, we played rummy (Which was only Jenna's second hand and she won!) and said bye to Jenna. The next morning mom and I took a walk in Hyde Park where the squirrels and pigeons will attack if you're not careful. It was a beautiful sunny day! People we're using the park for all sorts of things: Painting, walking dogs, running, biking, soccer practice, tours, or just a morning walk. I couldn't believe how big the park was. It even has monuments from the kings and queens of Great Britain. If I were to live in a big city I would have to have a place like Hyde Park to get away. (It kinda reminded me of 101 Dalmatians when the owners of the dogs met in the park. I always thought that was so unrealistic, but after seeing Hyde Park with all the people walking dogs, I believe it! haha)
I would love to go back to London some day and stay longer. It was a great trip and well worth the hassle. I know this trip meant a lot to my mom especially with grandpa's history working as a chef in WWII in London. (I understand he made a mean fish and chips! ) And it was always grandma's dream to come. I know mom had them in mind the whole time! We ended the trip with a cup of tea and many great memories:) -I also picked up a few slang words from my London stay…
Brilliant = cool
Cheers= Hello, Good-bye, (anything else you can think of..)
Bob's your uncle=So there ya have it, there ya go!
Chips= French Fries
Loo = bathroom

Mom Meets Madre!

On Tuesday March 2nd, mom and I made our way on the train back to the Italy airport. Then by plane to Madrid, the metro to my bus station, and from the bus to Segovia! It was helpful that I've had to do that many times before. The bus ride to Segovia was dark so mom didn't get to see the pretty mountains. I led my mom up the hills to Julia's piso. It felt like the first day all over again, because I was pulling mom's big rolly suit case and I thought we'd never be there.

When we made it to her house, Julia's was very excited to see us! She was so welcoming and already had dinner cooking. My mom talked and I translated the whole night. It was a bit tiring, but it was fun to have both of them there. I learned a lot about Julia too, because mom asked a lot of questions from the beginning! We ate food that's very typical in Segovia. Like Sopa Castellana, tortilla de patatas, pan, y natilla. Basically soup with soggy bread and meat, eggs with potatoes and onions, bread, and pudding. Most of it is pretty good, but it's all very bad for you.

The next day, Julia left the house and we set up a surprise for her. Mom brought: 2 place mats, 2 napkin holders, 2 hand towels, a candle, Indianapolis magnet, a recipe book for tapas, and dough to make sugar cookies! We set that all up while she was gone, wrote a thank you note in her tapas book, and made the cookies. We struggled with the cookies because she has a convention oven and we weren't at first sure how to do it. Then we had to make sure to convert the degrees to Celsius and change the amount of time they were in the oven. So I ran to computer from the kitchen reading about temperatures, times, and convention ovens-the whole time worrying that she would walk in. haha Basically it was a lot more complicated than a little break and bake package of cookies should ever be. But it turned out great and she was very surprised!!

That day we walked to the aqueducts, the cathedral (but I made my mom promise we wouldn't go it), and to the castle. We went inside the castle, read about each room, and climbed the tower! There are 152 winding steps up to the tower. It's a bit of a climb, but we made it. Afterwards, mom kept calling herself Barbara Juan Bravo. (There's a statue in Segovia of a hero, Juan Bravo) It was great to show her where I've been staying and to see her excitement.

That night, we took Julia out to the restaurant of her choice. We got ready and set out on the town. I hadn't been out with Julia since the first week I got here. It was fun! We got to the restaurant, El Duque Maestro Asador and tried to decide what to do. She kept asking me do you want to have tapas down here or go up to the restaurant. I said up and then she would ask if I was sure, and I told her whatever she wanted to do was fine. However, it took us awhile to figure it out. Mom wasn't sure I understood right, but I'm pretty sure I was. It was a really nice restaurant and since it was Wednesday, we were the only ones for awhile. We all got different types of fish and it was fun to try each others. Mom also got langostinos, which looks like crawfish. She had no idea what they were and she wasn't going to eat them, but Julia insisted. She even went so far as to cut them up for my mom! Haha it was funny! At the end Julia told my mom she would have to come back to Segovia and my mom said, " if you cut up my langostinos again, I will." hah They were funny together.

That night it was already time to pack up again! While mom and I packed, Julia made us sandwiches for our travels. It was so nice of her to open her house up. It is definitely not their custom to invite people over, so it was extra nice of Julia. I'm so glad my mom got to see and experience where I have been staying!

My favorite part of Segovia: having my mom there!

Bongiorno!

Hello all! I apologize for taking forever to write. I have been procrastinating because I know this blog is bound to be a long one. I just got back from a wonderful spring break with my mom, my real mom that is!! It might be hard to break this down, so bear with me por favor.

AIRPORTS:
Madrid-Barajas
Rome-Fiumicino
Madrid-Barajas
London-Gatwick
Madrid-Barajas

TRANSPORTATION:
Madrid-taxis,metro,buses
Rome-buses,trains
London-buses,the tube,trains

FOOD: It was good!hah

FIRST PART OF SPRING BREAK:
On Friday February 26th, Sam and I went to the Madrid airport to pick up our moms. They were a bit delayed so we waited for what seemed a life time. However, it was only about an hour. (Nothing compared to 2 months) We were worried they didn't know where to go after getting their luggage, so we wanted to run through the doors to find them ourselves, but we weren't brave enough. When they finally came through the doors we were SUPER excited! We ran through the crowd to greet them with big hugs. (My mom wanted me to give her the traditional dos besos too!ha)I knew everyone was watching, but I didn't care...my mom was finally here!! It was such a blessing that she got to come! Not soon after, reality set in. We were still in an airport and had the whole adventure still ahead. We ate lunch and said good-bye to Sam and her mom for awhile, we would soon be meeting them in Rome...So we thought.

Our first flight of many, was soon cancelled. I was so frustrated and worried. I worked so diligently to get all of the details worked out, but I soon realized I was not really in control of them. We found out, at least at the Madrid airport, they don't do as good a job as keeping you informed. It was a bit frustrating. After waiting in several long lines, the airline gave us a hotel for the night. We took a taxi to the hotel, which was a new experience in itself for me. When didn't expect the hotel to be very nice, but it was! We walked in to a huge lobby with beautiful decorations. It felt like we were already in Rome because it was decorated with roman statues and paintings! We were given free dinner and breakfast. After all that, I feel like it couldn't have worked out better. God was definitely taking care of us. We were well rested and ready for travel! According to Sam and her mom, our hostel was awful so we changed our arrangements right away.

When we got to Italy, we had to take a train to Rome. We got there in the evening and there were a lot of people at the station. (There were a lot of people everywhere) We were pretty nervous because we didn't have any place to stay for the night so we just started wandering Rome! Picture to women with a big rolly suit case and backpacks looking lost in a big city. (Not a good idea) But again, God was taking care of us! We decided to find the first nice looking hotel and walk in. When we did the concierge was very helpful. The rest of our stay he helped us book tours and find places to eat. He said his English wasn't very good, but it sounded great to me! (Especially after hearing Spanish for 2 months!) I was surprised to find at least one person in almost every store we went to could speak some English.


Since we lost a whole day in Italy, we were trying to make up for the time so we decided to do and hop on hop off bus tour. We got to ride a double decker for the first time and see a lot of ancient Rome. Our first stop was to the Coliseum and the forums. I can't believe I've actually been there now! We went inside and looked around for a long time. Every time there was a sign my mom stopped to read it, so I learned a lot more than I would have by myself. I learned that the Roman's attacked Jerusalem in 70 a.d. and the loot they got from the temple funded the Coliseum. Also, a lot of the material they used to build the Coliseum is from the temple of Jerusalem! That was so interesting to me, but at the same time it just made the Coliseum seem that much worse. I’ve heard a lot about the mob who enjoyed the entertainment at the Coliseum, but I’m sure there were a lot of people who stayed as far away from the Coliseum as they could. We also saw the ruins of the forums, where Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Brutus once visited.

In Rome we also saw Vatican City, the Fountain of Love, the Pantheon, the Fountain of Trevi, the Spanish Steps, the Catacombs, the first church that Constantine dedicated to all the persecuted Christians, the holy steps, and tons of tourists!! I learned a lot about history and it was really great to actually see all of these things that I've only read about. It would take forever to write about all of them, but I'd be happy to tell you more, just ask!

My favorite part of Rome: The Coliseum, the Catacombs, the gelado, and picturing how it was back when the apostle Paul walked there!