Paris

Well, i went to paris this past weekend. I have to say it is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. Its in a very close competition with barcelona and malaga. I have yet to see rome (1.5 weeks) but i believe asof now it was my favorite. I flew to zurich switzerland first for a layover and that was quite extraordinary in itself because i flew over the swiss alps. It was simply breath taking. I regret not taking many pictures from up there because i thought i would on the way back, but the weather wasnt as nice on the way back. But i got to fly right over them. I never thought i would see a mountain range that could rival the rockies, but the swiss alps are more majestic and grand in scale. It was a privelage. I got to paris in the evening around 630 and had to ride a bus for an hour into the main city to opera square. As soon as i got off the bus, paris began to amaze me with its architecture and liveliness everywhere possible.
I hung out around that part of town for a little bit and ate mcdonalds because i heard food is extremely expensive and i was and am on a very right budget. So i ate and walked to try and find my hostel. It was an amazing walk as i seen so many things. And about an hour later, i found it. It was a nice hostel especially for being my first one and i luckily ended up being alone in my 2 bed bedroom. I was kindly greeted by 2 friends i knew from the ISA program and hung out downstairs most of the night. We planned to do some things the next day and made a pact not to be back until midnight after sightseeing.
I woke up in the morning and was ready for a day full of adventure in paris, especially sine it was pretty much my only one because my flight left @ 7am sunday morning. We started at a soveneir market close to our hostel that was right by the sacre cour cethedral. I bought some souveneirs for a few family members i have and some for myself and a few for another person that may ot even want them, but i was and have been thinking od her alot lately. Anyhow, after that, we caught the metro train from gare du nord to close to the catacombs in southern old paris. It was supposed to be our beginning point. I right away got to start using the french i knew and was asking for directions and talking to locals, in french! I was excited to put my kowledge of a basic lamguage of something other than spanish in action. Im very proud to say i was able to practice french in paris. But ya, we found the catacombs but we would have been waiting in line for hours so we decided to skip it and see the more important parts, given the time we had. So we went and ate at a kind of nice restaurant and planned the rest of the day. We then made made it to the notre dame cathedral, where the movie hunchback took place. It was soooooo beautiful outside and equally inside. I got to light a candle inside and make a wish, like when i was an ultar boy as a kid. It is surely one of the grandest cathedrals in the world for catholics. I bought a rosary and did a tour inside and we proceeded to our next destination. The river that runs through paris is beautiful and all the bridges. On our way walking to the louvre museum,where the mona lisa is, we saw the royal palace of france. It was my 2nd royal palace after seeing the spanish one in madrid. They are simply marvelous structures and pictures dont do them justice. You have to be there to feel them. So we wqlked alongside the river, seeing paris, and made it to the luvre museum. That place was huge. The architecture here in europe is just amazing. I love the old style and you can just see the history and culture in all of them. Another thing i love is the saints and angels and figures looking down upon you from all these buildings. Its intricate and it makes me feel like the angels are constantly watching me here in europe, they are everywhere! I didnt go to see the mona lisa because there was only 20 min before it closed soi waited for my friends and we went on afyer that. Our next destination was la defance. It was basically downtown paris, the new part, with massive skyscrapers everywhere and a crazy square building that i really wanted to see called le grand arc. I couldnt even get a whole picture of it, it was so big but i got what i could. So then we went from there to the eiffel tower. That was simply amazing. Words or pictures cant begin to describe it. It also started sparkling randomly when we got there, it was breathtaking. We didnt go up because i had to catch a boat ride down the river and see paris from a boat and the line was huge. But its something you have to do in life to really appreciate. Movies dont do it justice. So i took this amazing boat ride down the river and saw most of paris at night. It was cool. I remember being onit alone wishing someone would be there with me, and thought about it more thani should have, but none the less relished the moment and appreciated the life god had granted me with up to that point. But its paris! City of love! Haha, o well. Ill be back, i can assure you that. So our last destination was le arc du triumph, an amazing and beautiful arc which many paris streets run off. We ate on the street that is close to it and known as one of the oldest and most expensive but nicest streets in all of europe. I had some pasta and a glass of french wine. It was great. So we went and seen the arc du triumph for awhile and caut the metro back to the hostel and that was pretty much my trip. By the time we had gotten back to the hostel it was 1 and i had to leave to the airport at 5. So i slept what i could and got up and went to the airport, flew back to zurick and back here to my home away from home, malaga españa. And thats that! Hope you have enjoyed this post as much as i enjoyed experiencing it and writing about it! Until next time, which will be cordoba next week sometime,see ya later!

La vida buena...

I went to granada this past weekend. It was one of the coolest things i have ever done or seen. All of the coolest things ever for me have happened in the last month and a half. I am such a blessed person to be doing everything im doing and seeing eveything im seeing. I got to see 3 spanish catholic kings and queen isabella, whom sent christopher columbus to discover america in their tombs and an awesome royal catholic church. The feelings that take over me when im in some places like this are unexplainable and incredible. I feel like i have a personal history with this country and i feel like its intertwined with who i am as a person. Afterall, i am part spanish and all roman catholic. The other kings were king phillip the handsome and his wife as well as king ferdinand. Granada was am awesome city, i really loved it there. We were also surprised with a flamenco show in some caves. Best performance and experience yet. Words cant explain how these experiences make me feel considering i have been on a mission to know and live my cultures and heritage.I also visited the alhumbra, a moorish castle and fort in granada that was taken over by the spanish catholic kings during the reconquista. What amazed me was how there was a building in the middle of all it that totally looked like it had no business there. Come to find out, it didnt. I asked my isa advisor and he said that king carlos V had it built in the middle of all the moorish forts and palaces as a display of spains power at the time. It turned out to be the palace of king carlos V. So awesome. Im also italian and ill be going there for 5 days in beginning december, so ill get the other half there. This past week has been quite chaoticwith midterms and all. We have a midterm test and 5 page essay in all classes and im in 5 classes so thats 5 exams and 20 pages of essays, but i have 4 exams down, one more to go next week and 2 more essays. It is admittedly a little difficult given my surroundings and my urges to want to just go out and see everything and experience everything i can here. But i think i have found a good balance between my academic and social/adventurous life here. This weekend, on friday, im going to paris. Ill be alone and might meet up with some other people from the program there. Im going to go see the notre dame cathedral, eiffel tower, louvre museum and the catacombs. It will give me a good opportunity to put my french to the test and learn some more. I often get sidetracked with the "alone" part of my travels because its been a long time since ive felt alone, and i sometimes wish i had someone to be here with me experiencing all these things, but i cant think about that. I have to block it out because i am laying afoundation for my unborn children and the youngsters in my family to see all things are possible. I believe that is my purpose in life, is opening minds and brains from their restrictive thinking and show them, not tell them, that there is a world out here outside of durango or wherever they live. But anyhow, im going to end this post for now and will let you know how paris goes after i get back sometime. Take care all

More crazy experiences...

Well last time i wrote on this was after i had just gotten back from barcelona. Well, a few firsts and interesting things have happened since. I went to a futbol game here, my 2nd one in 2 weeks, to watch malaga cf play espanyol. It was an awesome game. I was at the very top on the very last row, but the seat was still good i thought. Malaga wound up winning 2 to 1 and it turned out to be quite the experience.
Second, i wound up going to morocco this past weekend. Was quite the adventure surely trying to get there. I went with two girls from my ISA program (debatable if thats a good idea or not in a 3rd world muslim country). I was culturally shocked for sure for the first time in my life there, like seriously. I was sooooo overwhelmed by how different it was. I had so much anxiety, probably more than necessary but was on edge most of the time and felt powerless and lost at times. We did see some cool things though. We stayed at a french motel in the medina in old city fes, morocco. It was after a crazy trip to get there which included a cancelled ferry in tarifa, a prompt cab ride back to algeciras, continuous waiting for atleast 3 to 4 hours for the ferry to leave, another 2 to get there, a train we didnt catch on time in tangier and had to take a half hr taxi ride to bus station in tanier, a crazy and suspenseful 2 hr wait from 1 am til 3 am in the bus station in tangier and a 5 hour bus ride to fes in a very uncomfortable small bus in a monsoon.
The trip was an adventure from the first minute to the last. I am stll unsure of what to think of the experience other than there is surely a reason i must have went. The things i seen, smelled, heard, experienced n lived through were unlike anything i ever thought i would ever. The hotel was very nice and some of the sight seeing was cool, but i was just overwhelmed from the get because i am actually pretty pampered now that i went through that. It was a little too much at times and the old me would have definitely freaked out and never left the hotel and went back to spain early, but i sucked it up, experienced it, felt my patience grow exponentially and my vision is certainly better as far as my worldview. I will no longer be doing much complaining.
Aside from that, i have a very busy next month straight which includes five midterm tests and or papers, signing up for next semester at flc, traveling to granada spain, paris france, cordoba spain, rome italy and finally sevilla spain. I have never been busier in my life or seen so many different things and places in such a short time. The growing i am doing intrapersonally is astounding. I feel myself growing better and stronger as a person spiritually, mentally, physically, psychologically and academically.
Well, this has been quite the post so i will end it for now and give it another week or two (after midterms) before i post a new one. Pics are hard to post buti must have a thousand on facebook so add me as a friend if we arent already and you can see them or if you are my friend, comment or like them but be sure and check them out! Have a good one and wish me luck on midterms and my travels. Much love followers... If any haha