Semana Santa con Samantha!

This past week was Semana Santa or Holy Week, which is the week before Easter. A lot of schools/businesses close for the whole week to celebrate the holiday. We didn't have classes on Thursday or Friday so Sam and I decided to enjoy the warm weather at a beach! We were originally thinking about heading north to San Sebastian, which is right by the France border. However, we wanted a relaxing time without plans and with sunshine, so we made our way to Alicante. According to my intercambio it's like the Florida of Spain. Many retired couples move there and it's always full of tourists.

We left early Thursday morning on the bus to Madrid, to the metro, to our bus to Alicante. That was our last long trip transferring transportation like that and I can't say I'll miss it. However, it is nice to have something as fast and as cheap as the metro.

I spent a lot of the trip there and back looking out the window at God's creation. Spain is really beautiful. Even though it is a lot smaller than the US it has probably just as many terrains. I was in Valencia, which was my 5th out of 17 regions of Spain to visit. A lot of the trip was actually flat fields with olive trees, wind mills, and grass. Then as we got closer to Alicante, it became mountainous again; rocky mountains with the occasional cactus, which definitely reminded me of Arizona.

The bus stopped half way to Alicante for us to eat our bocadillos. When I got off the bus it was pretty chilly. I was worried that Alicante wouldn't be much warmer. However, when we finally arrived, I had to take my sweater off. It was warm and sunny, just what we were hoping for. Even though Sam and I were traveling alone at this point, we weren’t anxious like we have been in the past while traveling. We had no time schedule to follow and whenever we had a question we just asked. There were even a few times we weren't sure if we had passed our bus stop or not, but when we asked again we found that it was the next stop. Phew...perfect timing! Sam knew as soon as she saw tall buildings that we were getting close to the beach. However, I don't remember the last time I've been to a popular beach so it was all totally new to me: the tourists, people speaking English everywhere, the boardwalks, the tall buildings, the sounds of the ocean, and everything was so vibrant!

When we got to the hotel I was so excited to find that it was right along the coast.
We were all ready to check in, pay, and get settled. However, there was a little problem. The first thing they asked for were our passports and neither of us had them. Up until that point we felt so prepared. After trying to get a hold of our parents for awhile through e-mail, phone, skype, facebook, and Matt (Sam's boyfriend), we got it figured out. (Even though I'm all the way across the world.. It's nice to know I can get in contact with my family pretty easily!) The rest of the weekend was worry free!



Soon after we got checked into our rooms, we made our way to the crowded streets of Alicante. It was about 8pm and everyone was out enjoying the fresh, sea air. It's normal for families and friends to meet about an hour before dinner and go out for drinks and tapas(appetizers that usually come free with drinks) so there was that crowd. There was also touristy crowd (us), and the crowd out for the processions. To celebrate Easter they have parades with elaborately decorates floats with the cross, and Mary. The people carry the floats (I'm not sure what else to call them) are all dressed uniformly in what seem like choir robes. There are also men dressed in the same robes and also wearing masks the come to a point above their heads. They are a bit scary, like the kkk masks. Yikes! Kids also participate, but they are cute and carry candy in their pockets for anyone who holds out their hand. I was kinda nervous to hold out my hand. I thought they would say, "You're too old!" But I decided to go for it and as soon as I held out my hand I got a little jolly rancher looking piece of candy! :)

The next two days were a routine of nothing! It was great. We spent time reading and listening to music while enjoying the beach. I wasn't even going to try to go without sunscreen on the Mediterranean. I made sure to apply and reapply several times. I've learned my lesson. However, I forgot the backs of my legs. DUMB! The rest of the trip I had lobster legs..but the worst part was that it hurt to walk. I tried to ignore it though because nothing was going to put a damper on my trip to the Mediterranean! The next day, my legs did not see the light of day. However, I think there were enough half naked bodies on the beach to make up for my lack of showing skin. Bleh- That's one thing about Europe that I won't miss. ha

Since we would be spending Easter Sunday traveling back to Segovia, we wanted to make sure to recognize the day and give thanks, so we decided to get up early. We walked down to the shore to watch the sunrise. It was a bit cloudy, but still beautiful. We sang worship songs, read John 19 & 20, and prayed together. It was definitely an Easter I'll never forget. However, there's nothing like being with our families. We miss them and are getting excited about coming home so soon.


I know this trip abroad has been a huge blessing! I have learned a lot about different cultures, languages, and myself. Even before I was certain about coming, I was asking God to give me a BIG reason to come or not to come, but that never happened. I had the desire in my heart and God opened the doors. I thought I would learn huge lesson from the trip, but I think I have been learning several little things that will stay with me for life. Even just depending on God before anyone else. I still have 10 days here and I am trying my best to soak it up!

I have to go.. Our (Julia) "favorite" Thursday night movie is on. See you all so soon!