¡Ole!

This past weekend we hopped on the bus and Mrs.Frizzle drove us all the way to Madrid. After a mildly carsick and uncomfortable six hour ride, we made it there. This ride was an unfavorable one, especially because of a spatially challengend Spaniard who´s head came oh so close to Izzi's shoulder as he drifted off into dreams. On Saturday, we grabbed a map and ventured out into the city. First stop: El Prado. This was a particularly enjoyable museum visit because of the Zuburan, Velazquez, and Murillo paintings inside. We have studied all three for the past month in our Spanish Art History class. 

At El Reina Sofia we were able to see the traveling exhibition of Picasso. Our favorite was the Guernica, which was much grander in person than we had imagined. Up until our limit before we had a claustorphobic panic attack due to the overwhelming amount of people in the museum (it was free that day), we explored the work of artists such as Joan Miró, Georges Braque, and Francis Bacon. 

Later that night, we caught the subway and arrived at Palacio de Deportes for the Arcade Fire concert. What a show. The entire arena was full- from the sea of people on the floor in general admission, all the way up to the seats far enough away to be considered the nosebleed section. However, the location of seats didn´t seem to phase the Spaniards. The crowd became one people that night, united as they danced, clapped, jumped, and screamed the lyrics at the top of their lungs. How they were able to sing the words in English without knowing how to speak the language in general.... we have no idea. 

We almost forgot that we were at a concert in Spain until the band spoke in English in between songs. Their failure to understand the lead singers commentary became obvious when they broke their silence in response to his one statement in Spanish.... (Please sing their response instead of reading), "ole, ole ole ole, ole ole ole ole". You get the picture. For the encore, Arcade Fire played one of our personal favorites- Wake Up. 

It was a night well spent, and one more memory to add to our list of adventures abroad. The next morning we returned to the sunshine in Sevilla, making sure to listen to The Suburbs shortly after returning home. Don´t you love the feeling of listening to an album after seeing it preformed live? Soon to come.... Thanksgiving in Belgium. But for now, that's all. Ciao!

Cat in a Bag..

We kicked off our weeklong break from school in Frankfurt, Germany. What Ryanair forgot to mention was that Frankfurt-Hahn airport is about 2 hours outside of Frankfurt proper. No wonder Ryan Air has such cheap tickets—cool. After a long unplanned delay, we had no choice but to catch the 5:30 am bus into Frankfurt after spending the night in the airport. We didn’t let this little set back bring us down for the weeklong adventure ahead of us though. After all, we are so savvy (just like Johnny Depp).

We arrived to Frankfurt at about 7am whereby we were greeted by Jacky, the beloved older brother of Izzi’s good friend, Jill. We were able to stay at his commune style living apartment in Frankfurt where we spent the first part of the day sleeping due to the lack of sleep the night before. After a few good hours of rest, we walked around the neighborhood where Jacky lives. That night Jacky made us, what he considered, an authentic German meal- mashed potatoes, cabbage, sausage with mustard and some delicious apple wine (made right there in Frankfurt).

The following day, we took the train to Stuttgart where we met our lovely friend Liz, older sister of Anna… Thank you again baby schnizz. We avoided the roads on our way back to Liz’s and took the Subway because of this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttgart_21 check it out.  

Upon arrival, we hit up the local markets and shopped ‘till we dropped. We got everything we needed for a good ‘ole American Halloween feast. In Halloween spirit, we made caramel apples, carved a pumpkin, enjoyed some tasty Stuttgart beer, and were entertained by our favorite Halloween flick- Hocus Pocus. The Sanderson sisters sure did show us a good time. 

Halloween weekend continued with a visit to Hohenzollern Castle. The castle sat atop a grand hill (which was actually a serious hike from the bottom) covered with the reds, oranges, and yellows of fall. Finally, we experienced a season we so longed for. We joined the local Germans at a home-style restaurant for a goodbye dinner with Liz.

The next morning at the train station, we met Susan. Was she a man? Hard to say, but we do know she had a cat in a bag.

The train took us to Munich. We were hungry for some schnitzel and thirsty for some beer. We met up with Chloe’s good friend Mal, and because it was a holiday, there wasn’t much to do other than go to a local beer hall. After dinner, we returned to the hostel bar. Turned out it was a hopping spot—for men that is, we were the only 4 girls in the place. It was an interesting knife…we mean night. We’re still a little tripped up by the knife threat we received during a debate over religion. Thanks, Mike Fishbone--who is pictured below. We took that as our cue to retire back to our room for the night.

The next day we took a tour of Dachau, a concentration camp located just outside Munich. There are very few words that can express the emotions we felt as we walked the grounds of this historical atrocity. Although depressing and heart wrenching, it is so essential that you see this for yourself one day. 

That night we took a beer and food tour with the company of 4 new friends—a couple of Aussies, one Brit, and the last, an American. We experienced a few of the best beer halls Munich has to offer—ending at our favorite- The Haufbrauhaus. We returned back to the hostel bar, once again. It was a night of new friends and our fill of beer for the year.

Germany was great, but we were ready to move on. Our last leg of the trip was Prague. What was supposed to be a 5-hour bus ride turned into an 8 hour one after our bus driver made friends with a parked car. After a few free hot chocolates and the viewing of a few Nancy Meyer classics, we made it to the Florenc Bus Station in Prague.

After check-in at our hostel, we decided to take a late night stroll through the city. It only took 5 minutes on the Charles Bridge to understand why Prague is the favorite European city of so many.  The towering gothic statues on either side of the bridge create a sense of engulfment as they stare you down along your walk. The bridge divides the Lesser Town from Old Town—but don’t let the names fool you. We found them both to be equally magnificent. We were completely in awe of the magically lit landscape.

Our first day in Prague began with the exploration of Prague Castle. Because the English tour was not until later in the day, we resorted to plan B—the audio phones that took us back to the 80’s. Well, only Caitlin knows what that’s really like.

 Like we read in Rick Steve’s book, the Cathedral was the only part really worth seeing. The Roman Catholic cathedral, St. Vitus, housed countless tombs of deceased Bohemian Kings and Holy Roman emperors. The audio guide was a bit overwhelming with the amount of information shared- but it was nice to see a cathedral quite different from the many we have visited with our school in Spain.

That evening, we went out for some (authentic) Czech Chinese food before catching the Prague Symphony. If you’re ever in Prague, live classical music is a must. It was a wonderful night of culture and music.

The following morning, we met in the Old Town Square just in time for a free tour in English. Our tour guide, Jeff, was straight out of Hollywood and made us miss home in California. We covered all of Prague in about two hours and learned everything there was to know about Czech History. After the tour, we spent the afternoon in the Mucha and Salvador Dalí exhibitions. For lunch, we finally gave in to the Doner Kebab stand after walking past it for the hundredth time. It was obviously worth it. That night we walked to the famous Lennon wall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennon_Wall . A pretty cool sight to see, definitely see it for yourself if traveling to Prague.

Our last meal was quite an interesting one. We dined at the local pizza joint where we became entertainment for the loud and overbearing Czech men at the table directly across from us. To answer their question honestly now- no, we did not like your band’s heavy metal music playing as we ate, and we actually quite hated it. That night we said goodbye to Prague and slept the night away one last time in the cozy Little Town hotel. 

A week off from school was just what we needed. We saw new beauty and made new friends. This has been our routine for the last few months. We miss home, but we are prepared to make the most of this next month and 11 days. There is so much left to discover, and we are excited for the unknown. See you soon.Vale. 

"I'm Sorry, Sir, I can't understand you. Do you speak English?"

After a school trip to Toledo, we set out for London. We eagerly anticipated our arrival to England because it is indeed an English speaking country. Finally. Greeted by our personal driver at the London-Stansted airport (thank you Jan and Brian) we made our way to the charming and quaint village of Dulwich—just a 10 minute train ride into the busy city. We arrived late in the night to the flat of Jan and Brian-dear friends of Papa Innis. Our next day’s schezhual (how the brit’s would say it) was filled to the brim. We woke up early for a traditional, clog-of-the-artery breakfast. Entonces, we hopped on the big red bus, you know the one.

After our “all you can see tour” of London, we headed to high tea, stopping at Harrods on the way, obviously. High tea at the Lanesborough was brilliant. It was complete with champagne, strawberries, tea, mini-sandies, quiche,scones, and delicious British pastries—you know, the typical high tea assortment.

We. Will. Rock. You. If the sweet tunes of Queen don’t get you, the hip thrusts will. Our evening in London was spent at this lovely Broadway musical based on the music of Queen. It was fantastic. Galileo Figaro and Scaramouche. You get the drift. See it for yourself.

To top off the day, we hailed a cab and went to the Crown and Greyhound Pub for a couple pints of local British Ale. Sunday morning. We grabbed some fish and chips and headed home. This was a day well spent, literally one day. Thank you Jan and Brian. This weekend will go down in history. We left our hearts in London, England, and one day we will return. Until then, let’s put another shrimp on the Barbie. 

You Married? Touch my hand, touch my hand..

Without further ado, Morocco. With bocadis in hand, we set foot for our meeting place, Torre del Oro. After joining the travel group and meeting three Greek and two German girls who quickly became our friends, we left for our bus ride that took us to the ferry. Following the seasick and claustrophobic ferry ride, we made it to Morocco. We spent the night in Tangier and shared a dinner with three nice Spaniards. Take note, we have yet to meet Spaniards as kind and welcoming as them. The following morning, we woke up bright and early and left for Casablanca. Our stop in Casablanca was short and wet--a fierce storm loomed directly over what just happened to be the second largest mosque in the world. Curious. This was no trip to Rick's, and no, we didn't meet Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman.

Next stop, Marrakech. Although we didn't find the romanticized Casablanca we had so hoped for from the movies, we did find the sparkle we had so desired during our hotel check-in in Marrakech. The stroll to our room felt a bit like we had just checked-in to the Bellagio on the Vegas strip. Not in the mood to dabble with the law, we declined Robert De Niro's offer to join him for a drink and a seat at the roulette table. (This is a joke, seeing as it is an Islamic country.) After check-in, we enjoyed our first hearty and authentic Moroccan meal, of course avoiding the foods that could have come into contact with the deadly Moroccan water. What may come as a surprise, due to the overwhelming warnings we got against the Moroccan cuisine--no we did not get sick. PTL. 

Here we have the most passionate, talkative, and fierce Moroccan tour guide around,

  Muhammad. Real original name, huh?

The next couple of days were filled with the exploration of Marrakech. We visited mosques, gardens, open markets, various stomping grounds of Moroccan kings, what have you. Our favorite place in Marrakech was the open market; we took a visit both in the day and in the evening. It was quite the culture shock, to say the least. There are not words to describe the oppression we saw in the eyes of the Moroccan women while walking in the market. As American women, bartering with the Moroccan (Islamic) men was much harder than we had anticipated. To say that they have a lack of respect for women would be understatement. Nonetheless, we left with a few good purchases. 

On our last night in Marrakech, we had the opportunity to see the unforgettable dinner show La Fantasia Chez Ali in Moroccan tents with folkloric shows from the country and a horse show. Yes. It was a true Moroccan Extravaganza. If you're looking for a good laugh, watch a part of the horse show in this video below--the video speaks for itself. 

(well, ok we there was a video malfunction, check back later)

Just a few more Spanish friends we made. 

During dinner, groups of performers came in and made us dance with them. 

Caitlin just couldn't get enough.

The end of our trip was spent briefly touring a couple more cities in Morocco. It was great, but we were ready to be home.  Although we enjoyed experiencing a culture so different from our own, it was difficult to find this trip uplifting by any means. Traveling throughout a country so invaded by darkness left us feeling heavy and fearful. Unable to truly vacate ourselves for the weekend, we felt relieved as we crossed the water in the direction of home. 

This trip challenged us beyond expectation. It led us to trust in the power of God and in the authority we have been given through Christ. 

What would the Borden's do?

This past weekend the three of us girls ventured out to Lisbon, Portugal. What a trip it was. We caught the bus at approximately 3pm on Friday, and 7 hours later, we arrived to our destination. Being the  savvy travelers we are, we had made reservations ahead of time for our hostel of choice. We hopped on the metro, address in hand. Little did we know, the Palace hostel was a rather unknown residence. After 2 hours of trekking on cobble stone streets asking literally everyone for directions, we arrived at the Palace Lisbon Hostel. We were greeted by the overly friendly German receptionist, who we thought, in the end would kill us. This place was nice, and we didn´t know why. Were we in the movie Hostel? There was no way to know. We checked into our room, and hurriedly got ready for a true Lisboetas night out. Lisbon treated us well that night, with extra large mojitos, literally thousands crowded in the streets, and some nice British men who made us feel a little more at home by speaking English.

We woke up the next morning, and to our surprise we found a naked man lying entangled in bed with our roommate, obviously another classy European.

....We knew it was going to be a good day.

 After the quickest exit from a room known to man, we decided we´d venture out to see a more "appropriate" side of Lisbon. That we did.

We literally spent a full day walking around the entire city. We strolled the streets of old Lisbon, seeing cathedrals, monuments, street performers, a local flea market (thieves market as they call it), and even a castle. Later, we were fortunate enough to experience a less touristy side of Lisbon. Not only did our new friend Diogo inform us of a local traditional music called FADO, he also directed us to where we could hear it for ourselves. We walked for miles to reach the local hot spot of FADO. Let us tell you, making it to this hole-in-the-wall-neighborhood-bar was quite possibly the highlight of our trip. It was fantastic. To say that the Portuguese people left a good impression on us would be an understatement. They welcomed us with open and loving arms and embraced us as the curious foreigners we are.

We had the perfect day touring the city, and it was now time to return to our home, Sevilla. We had booked a two way ticket (again being the savvy travelers we are) and were scheduled to leave Lisbon at 9:45. Unfortunately, due to the excitement from the day, we had overlooked a minor detail. Our departure time. Well, 9:45 became 8:45 real fast. The next thing we knew, we were stranded with empty pockets and little hope.

Luckily, the ever so nice and creepy hostel, kindly took us back for one more night. Don´t worry, no surprises this time; we changed rooms. We woke early to get to the bus station in high hopes of catching another bus home. Apparently, being the only English speakers in a bus station pays off. We stealthily worked our way onto the 9am bus back to Sevilla.

Portugal. Check.

We are young, but we are learning. We are growing older. Listening and experiencing, learning and cultivating. We are attempting to live our lives in fullness, while being loved, and loving others. This is more than just listening to Simon & Garfunkel. This is our life abroad. We hope these stories will give you a glimpse into lives we're living, and a sense of hope for your life, wherever that may be. 

Until next time,

The savvy travelers.