Las montanas hermosas de Granada!

B-E-A-Utiful!

Granada (which means pomogranite in Spanish) is surrounded by mountains. Its truly incredible to see a sunset from the top of a mountain. The sunset is different everyday, but always incredibly amazing! The picutres don't do justice, but you can get an idea. Its so vibrant and incredibly massive. The orange and pink rays spread across the entire horizon, which is enourmous when you can see 180 degrees around you, and project an incredible glow upon the entire city. Its truly incredible and leaves me in awe every time. I thank the Lord for the incredible beauty that he has allowed me to see!

Last week, I climbed to the top of a smaller mountain to see the sunset for the first time since I've been here. It was probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen! I My senora said that the sunset is Granada is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. She said every U.S. president has come to Granada to see the sunset! I could see the mountainous horizon completely surrounding me. The color of the sky was purple on top, light red below that, and lower, a vibrant orange, and stayed that way for most of the sunset. It completely filled the horizon and there were huge streaks of light protruding from the setting sun up to the heavens. I could look all the way to my left and all the way to my right, and the sunlight was peeking from behind the mountains in that entire 180 degree view. It was the most vibrant, colorful, and artistic sky I have ever seen. Absolutely breathtaking! For just a few seconds, the sunlight was like a beam across the ridge of the mountains and the horizon of the mountain tops glowed. And then the sun set a little further, and the light was just a soft backdrop to mountains. Since I was above the entire city and the sun is setting so low, the sunset lasts a really long time. It lasted nearly 2 hours!

I've been hiking quite a bit this week. Whenever I get the chance, I hike up to a mountain on the outskirts of town. There is a really beautiful garden area near the Alhambra called "El Jardin Monumental de Carmen del los Martires." Its a huge area and I haven't even had time to see it all in the past 3 days I've gone there after classes. There are many palm trees and fountains throughout it and a very cool walkway down the frontside with a huge brick facade built into the mountainside with aquaducts and caves. The view is amazing from up there, and there are also many cool areas throughout the gardens that I have yet to explore.

I've met a missionary group, and I helped them at a food bank for a few days last week. They are all really cool, and I'll be going their men's Bible Study group. I have been to the Baptist church and also enjoy that. There are many other students who attend there, so its a good way to meet other people.

I'm pretty comfortable with theh language and culture now. My senora also hosts 5 native Spanish students, so its been nice to be able to talk with them and hang out. Two of them know a little English, so sometimes they will talk to me in English and I talk to them in Spanish. I am definitely much more confident speaking now, but I realize that my grammar is terrible. But "tutorias," "POE" and grammar class are helping me a lot! I've been enjoying my other classes as well (History of Art, Islamic Culture and Civilization and Culture).

The weather has been fantastic! Earlier this week it was mid 70s but the past few days its been upper 50s. Its starting to cool down. I like it, though. There is already snow on some of the mountains. Its awesome to look out from the balcony and see Granada, then the smaller mountains, and behind those-the snowy mountains of the Sierra Nevadas.

I can't believe the semester is already half over! I'm looking forward to the rest of it!

Lots has happened, but the best...Ireland!

Blarney! Yes, Blarney as in the Blarney Castle with the Blarney Stone. I kissed it, so I guess I have eloquency now. But I told that to the horse and he just laughed at me and said, "What a bunch of Baloney." I guess I didn't say it with enough eloquency for him to believe me. Or maybe I just mis-heard him and he really said, "Blarney," but I just couldn't decipher it quite right since my horse whispering skills are still under development. I may never know, but one thing I do know, is that this horse really did make that face and I really did get a picture of it.

Anyways, I'm sorry its been so long since I've updated my blog. Everything was really crazy the first two weeks with orientation and excursions and everything.

But now orientation is over and classes have begun. 2 weekends ago, we went on a trip to Madrid as a group. It was right after orientaion had finished. The trip was great. We got to see a bullfight, and a play, and the Museum of Prado.

We had a little over a week before classes started, so from Madrid, me and 5 friends flew to London. We stayed there for 3 days and saw the sights.

Then we went to Ireland. We had ended up staying in London an extra day so we only had about a day and a half in Ireland. Well, that wasn't enough for me, so I stayed for an extra week and tried to become Irish. The best I could do was a traditional Irish-style tweed cap and a new found appreciation for hot tea (with milk and sugar). So I guess I'm still far from being Irish, considering I didn't even try the supposedly delicious whiskey or beer. But I did sit in a pub with a tea and a scone (it was the daily special) and watch a rugby game on tv. Its an intense sport that's even more fierce than I though it was.

Although I didn't become Irish, I experienced many of Ireland's treasures. The beautiful scenerey and fresh, cool air were my favorite parts. Tied with those was the friendly, cool-accented people and especially the folks I talked to who taght me a little Gaelic, history, and some folktales.

I toured 3 castles. The one in Trim, which is where part of the movie Braveheart was filmed, one in Killkenny, and of course, the Blarney Castle. All were great, but Blarney was my favorite. The castle grounds ther had beautiful gardens and forrests, and the castle itself had many secret doorways and underground caves that were cool.

Overall, the weather was great during my trip. It only rained 2 times and the rest of it was cloudy with some sun and a perfectly crisp breeze and cool air.

I really enjoyed experiencing the Irish life. My time there made me realize how much there is to see in Ireland. I could easily spend months travelling around to see different areas. Its a small country, similar sized to Iowa, but the beauty is abundant and the Irish legends of luck and folklore really do exist. So does the cool accent, the rain, the countryside, the pubs, and the music.

Its all there, on the lucky little island called "Eireann" in the native tongue. It means "peace" "merciful" and "gracious," which offers a nearly perfect description of the magical land where castles steal your breath, leprechans steal your wallet, and nobody steals your beer. Cheers to Ireland!