Momentos de España

Over Spring Break, I went as a chaperone with my mom's high school Spanish students to Spain. Perhaps because I'm fortunate enough to have been there before or perhaps because I was trying to capture "moments" for my brother who wasn't with us, I decided to focus on little snapshots this trip (both in photos and in memories) rather than an exhaustive, detailed list of everything we did. Hope you enjoy some of these moments now as well...

Miami Int'l Airport, 3.16.12: Just minutes before boarding our flight, I happily watched and cheered with other Florida State fans as the Noles won their first game of March Madness. :)

Since I can't usually sleep on planes (even overnight flights), this book was a great travel companion that made the long transatlantic flights bearable. Great story that probably deserves a blog in itself...

3.17.12, Toledo: ¡Estamos en España! After walking around the beautiful but cold cathedral, I walked outside to enjoy some sunshine and found this charming scene as well.

Snapping a pic with Sonia, Monica, & Nuria outside Toledo: The first time I met these girls was 14 years ago when Sonia was a toddler, Monica just a baby, and Nuria not even born yet. Our families have enjoyed a wonderful friendship for many years now. The last time I was in Spain, I stayed at their house.

The plaza in front of Museo de Reina Sofia: What the museum has changed its hours and is now closed on Sunday afternoons? No problem. We'll just enjoy the local entertainment and some Starbucks!

Parque del Retiro: the perfect place to spend a Sunday afternoon! I also got to meet up with my friend Katie here, who's currently living in Madrid. Good times.

Salamanca: We climbed up a tower and were able to view the cathedral (both interior and exterior) from way up high, even though we still weren't to the top. Pretty impressive.

Justo Gallego's cathedral-in-the making, Madrid: Justo is in his 80's and has an amazing story. He was a monk who got tuberculosis. After he recovered, he was so grateful that he wanted to build a cathedral. He's been working on it for 20 years, mostly using his own money or scraps for materials. Justo says it's all for "amor de Cristo" and talked to our whole group about the importance of not getting distracted but staying focused on God.

Flamenco! Words cannot capture the raw emotion of this dance that originated from the gypsies, but I think the photograph gives a good idea...

The juxtaposition of winter and spring was evident throughout our trip. Here at Valley of the Fallen, the kids had a snowball fight. The next-day in Madrid, it was in the 60's.

The Sorolla Museum and Home: These cute, school-aged children were on a field trip and so precious as they attentively toured and listened. It was a sweet reminder to me that I really do like my job back home.

Ready for an adventure: A few of the girls and I rented bikes and rode along the huge new park by the river. This was one of my favorite afternoons.

Parque del Río: the sight of our biking adventure and where I went running several mornings with some of the track students. I loved this park! From the quiet, peaceful stillness in the mornings to the bustling, social feel in the late afternoon, it is definitely one of my favorite places in Madrid.

Some of my other favorite moments can't really be captured by a photograph because they were all the many times I got to speak Spanish throughout the week. Even though I had to try not to use my Mexican slang and struggled with my use of vosotros, I LOVED speaking Spanish all week. I was really encouraged by how fluent and natural it felt, too, because losing my ability to speak Spanish is one of my fears the longer I live away from Mexico.

Well, that's all for now. Just a taste of our trip but a little insight into some of my favorite moments. ¡Hasta luego, España!