Spain!

    I haven’t written in two weeks for several reasons.  First, I have been in Europe and with the jet lag, high school Spanish use, museum tours and seriously physical treks I was tired!  Second, it seems coming up with what to write about every week sometimes gets hard and I got writer’s block.
    The trip with mom, Julie and Jessica was an amazing whirlwind.  The food along the Mediterranean as you can imagine, is mostly fish and seafood.  Luckily for me, I love nearly everything from the water.  I won the nightly dinner choice award almost every night.  I was also the most food adventurous so I tried all the local specialties.  The Gazpacho was like a tomato soup with veggies and seafood in it.  It wasn’t like any type of Gazpacho I have had before but it was ok.  The sardines were salty and I have to say I am not a fan.
    We did a bit of shopping, particularly in the markets.  The leather goods were really beautiful, and the jewelry was one of a kind. In one booth, a man even made his own metal designs that go on the leather bracelets. It was very exciting to watch the magic happen!
    I dragged everyone to the Picasso museum.  Both Julie and Mom don’t really like his work, but I do.  They both did say though that they gained a greater appreciation of him from all the quotes on the walls explaining his perception and vision of the world.  I took a sneaky photo in the museum for my childhood friend and artist, Madi Mercer. I knew she would appreciate him the way I do.
    We hiked to the top of the ruins of a fortress in Malaga.  It was quite a haul.  I am lucky my stride is so long as I made it up faster than everyone else.  At the very top of the fortress, the view was absolutely extraordinary. On one side you have cityscapes and picturesque mountains, and on the other, a great view of the ocean and the port. We were so high that we could look down on the fog rolling in from the ocean. It was so beautiful, words cannot began to describe it.
    Jessica and I hit the beach for a few hours one day. The sand was so burning hot it could give hot asphalt in Texas a run for it's money. Despite the temperature outside, the water was way chillier than what was expected!  I did find a cupful of great rocks to bring home.  I collect rocks and have boxes and boxes full of them at home. On the way back to the train, Jess and I were asked by some British boys,"Why have you got a cup of rocks there?" And our response being that we were unique individuals and we like to collect things. HAHA Aren't we the smoothest?
    We had dinner looking right over the water one night.  It was a great evening, I ate octopus!  Ok, I have had it before but it was fun to watch Jess bit into it before she guessed what it was.
    I am home now for a week. Then I am off to Portland for the Region 6 youth camp at Devonwood.  I am really excited to camp with Genay. We have so much to talk about and catch up on.  I will tell y’all when I get back because I have to tell my BFF first!   I will be sure to take lots of photos and post them on my FB.
    In closing, good luck Lendon and everyone at the Youth Festival in New York.  Sorry I couldn’t be there.  Have fun!