Taize, France

I am here at Taize but do not have much time. After 28 hours of trains I missed the bus yesterday to Taize and had to spend the night in Macon which turned out great as I splurged for a hot shower in a hotel room. Eating sushi and watching Pretty Woman in French I rested after 2 days without sleeping and was able to come here refreshed and not smelly.

Will update more soon.

On My Own

So in exactly 10 minutes I will be saying goodbye to the 4K's and heading off to catch 3 trains and 1 bus to the Taize Community just outside of Macon, France. Here I will be joining thousands of other young adults from all over the world in a century old Catholic retreat center that was originally made to hide Jews during WWII. I am very excited about this experience even though have to travel 26 hours straight. I will try and keep you updated throughout this next week but am not sure about Internet availability. Aside from a little aprehension regarding the length of travel and the fact that I will be going there alone amongst the 1000s of other people, I am looking forward to seeing and hearing what God has for me in this place.

Will Keep you posted

Lisboa

Today was the first day where I actually felt quite productive and emmursed in my surroundings. I am not sure why, but it has been difficult for me to enjoy where I am as odd as that sounds. Unlike my other trips where I have felt the most alive while traveling, my spirit has been somewhat weary and distant from the environment around me. But today I purposefuly filled my day with sightseeing and freed myself to spend money so as to fully experience all that Lisoba has to offer.



Arriving here yesterday, we hopped aboard a tram and toured around the Alfama, old district, that we are staying in. This is the only part of the city that was not hit by the devestating earthquake in the 18th century. Our hostel here is wonderful, though I am staying in a 12 bed mixed dorm and the Ks have their own private room...ha ha, really its all good. So far we have cooked our own suppers and have a complementary breakfast so really we have it made. The place is super clean, really friendly and helpful staff, and an 11 pm curfew no so midnight suprises!

Today we toured Alfama by foot and started off by strolling through a Flea Market that is open every Tuesday. My romanticized ideas of Flea Markets have been dissolved as this was really just an outdoor, expensive, MCC/Hippies R Us. None the less it was cool to miander through the streets and take pictures of the old couples selling their antiques.



After stopping for an 80 cent espresso with milk and rice pudding, we continued on to the Iguia de St Apologia. A huge beautiful old Cathedral that in which every room, stairwell, corridor, and cortyard is lined with handpainted tiles depicting Portugals history.

This city is filled with music and history...as is most of Europe I suppose.

Next stop was another church. This one was build in the 12 century as is the oldest building in all of Lisboa. In side the Cloister there rests tomb upon tomb of dead priests; a little errie as there are no barricades stopping you from opening up the antient coffins and seeing the decayed remains for yourself.

While enroute to find the famous 1st Century castle, we of course got lost and lucked upon a resturant with a sign that read " Come try our good Portugese wine and cheese and yes...we also give directions." Needing directions and a snack, we went in and recieved both.

We eventually found our way through the unmarked streets to the castle and while the other 4 went back down hill towards the sea, I ventured through the ruins, enjoying incredible views of the city.

Beaches, Vineyards, and Pepto-Bismol

It has felt so good to stay in one place for more than 3 days. We are still in Albuferia and are enjoying it significantly more then Spain. The people here are so friendly and curtious, the food is fantastic, the days are hot and the nights are cool, and it is stunningly gorgeous.

We have been taking full advantage of being near some of the world best beaches and here is a sneek peak at where we have been sunbathing ( must admit though that since I am unable to upload my own pictures in this internet cafe, these are from the web and were not taken by moi...sorry).

Cave exploring in St Elulia




Old Town beach in Albuferia




We also went to a beautiful beach in Floresia but I cannot find a picture at the moment.

Aside from beaching we rented a car and toured a Winery as well. This vineyard is owned by Sir Cliff Richard who is apparently some old pop star trying to still be important by owning a vienyard whom I have never heard of and his face is plastered everywhere (see picture below) in the Algarve (the region that we are in). The wine produced here is called Vida Nova...meaning New Life and the tour included a walk around the grounds, a tour through production (they were actually making the wine at this time of the year which was really cool to see), a view of their oak barrel reserve, and of course, plenty of wine to sample. It was very fun and totally up my alley...thank goodness for those wine classes as I fit right in swirling my glass.

We have also discovered fanastic resturants out here as well. Last night we went to this place owned by an Isreali couple and I enjoyed a fabulous chocolate milkshake and potatoe wedges and Dean ate his body weight in ribs as they challanged you to eat as many as you can manage. Tonight we are going to a Thai/Veitnamese place that is sure to be nothing short of amazing as we have been craving Thai food for the past month.

I am feeling somewhat better but have gone through more advil and pepto then every before in my life. Having never had a headache before, I have had one for 7 days straight but luckly my stumach is almost back to normal so thank you everyone for your prayers.

We leave here for some place unknown on Monday and then on the 29th I will be leaving from Lisboa to Paris where I will be catching another train to Macon. Here I will be staying the the Taize community for a week. This is something I am really looking forward to doing and am a little nervous about going on my own but know that it will be worth it. You should check out their website for more info http://www.taize.fr/

After this I will be meeting up with my dear friend Michelle and we will be exploring Ireland together for our birthday month of September.

Well that is a wrap for now

Albuferia, Portugal

We are in Portugal!!! I am at a little internet cafe, as we do not have internet where we are staying, after a day soaking in the warm Portugese sun on one of their world famous beaches. We arrived yesterday after an early morning bus ride and are in our glory as we have our own apartment complete with a full kitchen and yes....wait for it....A WASHING MACHINE!!!! So I am now proudly sporting a freshly washed pair of shorts and a tshirt that smells sweetly clean! Thanks Amy for the Norwex detergent, it lasts forever!

We will be staying here in Albuferia for exactly a week and plan to visit many beaches, tour vineyards, and simply enjoy having a home base. Tomorrow we are renting a car and plan to explore the countryside. It is only 30-35 degrees here during the day, which is such a nice break from the crazy heat in MOrocco and Seville.

Unfortunately, ever since MOrocco I have become somewhat ill. Today was a good day but last night I slept for 16 hours with an intense headache, chills, and a digestive system that needs some tender loving care. After an all Poweraid and digestive cookie diet, along with a high dose Pepto, I am feeling somewhat better but could definately use some prayers for future healing as my trip is not even half over.

I will try to upload some pictures when I can but for now my words shall have to suffice.

Seville

Today Wendy, Dean and I went to an Arabic Hamman in Seville, Spain, a Spa that houses many different pools for relaxation. Wow, this was totally what I needed. I foated from deep cool baths to hot jet powered tubs, cleared by sinuses in the eucalyptus aromatherapy room, and had a 30 minute relaxation massage. The Hamman was in an huge old Spanish mantion. Every room had candel lit sconces lining the walls, votives floating in the aromatic water, and huge candleabras hovering overhead. The walls were old and painted rustic shades of red, taupe, and green, with fountains splashing nearby and arabic intramental music filling the air. I melted into the marble stone surrounded each bath and tea room. Sitting in the large Hammam for what felt like hours, I closed my eyes, and breathed in the sweet sent of peace, becoming one with the tranquil atmosphere around me. The dimly lit corradors and silky pools made me feel like Queen Esther during her 2 years of beautification. In a city where the daily low is 38 degrees and the high is 45, this was a welcome retreat and so timely after our Moroccan whirlwind.

Morocco

Yes, I am still alive. Unfortunately I have not had internet access for the past week and have not been able to document the adventures which have transpired. So my blog somehow just deleted everything I just wrote and I have little heart to try and put much effort into describing the recent events so I am going to do it in point form.

On Aug. 9th we caught a Ferrie from Tarifa, Spain to Tangiers, Morocco. Once there we met our guide, Abdullah who drove us around for the next 5 bays. I LOVED Morocco and here is a list of my highlights in chronological order:

1)Learning that harassing tourists in Morocco is illegal and an automatic prison sentence, is delivered if caught
2)Chefchaouen, an old city where every wall and door is painted blue or indego. Our Hotel was very authentic with an open air lounge, fountain, and a beautiful outdoor padio all decorated in traditional Moroccan furnatings.
3) Dinner at an authentic Moroccan restraunt where chairs are replaced with couches pilled high with hand embroidered pillows, blankets, and tapestries.
4) Eating catus fruit at a roadeside stand
5) The city of Fes, we got a walking tour of the city which is 20 centuries old, toured a tannery, Turkish rug factory, and watched cloth being weaved. We slept in a 250 year old Rihad (Moroccan house) in the heart of the Medina (the walled portion of the city). The house had a beautiful traditional open air lobby, beautifully furnited rooms with brass fixtures, and a roof terrice were we drank our evening wine and ate our breakfast.
6) Feeding the monkeys in the Ceder Forest
7) Visiting the 2nd larfest Palm grove in the world (2, 850, 000 palm trees) which produces some of the world largest and most expensive dates
8) Buying our trubins and Kaftans to where in the Desert
8) Camel Desert Safari...AMAZING total highlight so far for all of us. We rode our camels into the Sahara Desert at 9 pm for an hour and a half. Our camel guide had us stop at at sun set to set up camp and we were fed by a nomadic Berger family who lived in the desert. They fed us traditional Moroccan soup (I had this every day...soooooo tastey and filled with spice), Tagine, and melon. We sipped mint tea with our 20 year old guide and Dean and Wendy tried to trade me as a bride for 2, 000 camels (see picture below of our Berber camp where my nomadic fiance is in the orange turbin)...somehow I managed to negotiate my way out of the deal:) We fell asleep to shooting stars over our heads and sleeping under the moon lit Desert sky. In the morning we watched the sun rise over the dunes and after some more Mint tea (a Moroccan staple) we rode back to base camp where we were fed breakfast and could take a shower.9) Searching for Jurassic fossels with a group of young Moroccan boys who were ever so helpful

10) All the colour, spice, friendly people, every changing landscape, and learning about how peaceful Islam really is.

Not lowlights but now exactly highlights either:
1) hours and hours of driving
2) hot hot hot
3) Sticking out with my blonde hair and bare shoulders
4) 3 o clock call to Islamic morning prayer yelled over speakers all over each city for 20 minutes, even earplugs could not drown it out
5) having our Ferrie back to Tarifa sold out, buying a random ticket to Algeceris, running to catch the 5 pm Ferrie that we barely caught, hearing and smelling people throw up through out the whole trip which made me sick, taking a bus to Tarifa from Alegeceris, and no one had room for us so we had to stay in a 150 euro rat hole with no airconditioning and a dirty bathroom.

Top 6 Moroccan Pick-Up Lines:
1)Hello...you are nice;)
2) Chai Chai Chai (not sure what it means)
3) Hey...I love you!
4) It is good! (said with a thick Arab accent and punctuated with a wink)
5) I like the curve of your bum (my personal favorite)
6) And many more in Arabic

All in all...Morocco is definately worth every dime! African Overland Tours is a great company who supports local businesses and I would definately go with them again!

Almeria

I went from Spanish hell to heaven in a few short minutes. We arrived in Almeria, Spain, August 3 with having actually reserved a hostel ahead of time, but our journey to get to the city was nothing short of exhausting. First we left Valencia at 7:04 in the morning and took a train to Murica, then to Aguilas where we tried to find a place to stay. Unfortunately there are all but 3 hotels in the city, so after much walking and sweating we resigned ourselves to having to wait for the remaining 3.5 hours till the next bus to Almeria arrived. Once we got to the city there was no cab who was will to take the 5 of us so we walked the 30 min. to our hostel with our packs. The hostel turned out to be mucho expensive and ultra creepy...kind of an abandoned catholic monestary (not the beautiful romatic kind)/grandma's moth covered basement feel. We searched for 2 hours that night trying to find someplace better and were just too beat to go any further as everything was either full or just as bad. What we really wanted was a place with a kitchen so we could cook our own food but have learned this is hard to come by in Spain . Drained and weary we stopped at a place for dinner that had 5 euro pasta...what we found out after we'd ordered is that the same pasta was available at the supermarket down the road and we were just as capable of heating it up in the microwave as the resturant was. Needless to stay we had a long crappy day. The next morning we started our search again but to no avail. Just when we had all given up and were about to write Spain off enti, Dean came running into our room exclaiming that we had just secured us 3 nights in a hotel apartment complete with 5 beds and a kitchen!!! We all jumped and yelled so loud I'm sure the other guests thought that we were on fire. We packed up as fast as we could and literally ran to what is now our haven.

We spent the rest of the day at the beach and to celebrate the fact that we finally found something that was affordable and that we could cook in, as well as Dean's birthday we went to a Argentinian Grill had gorged out on stake, chicken, ribs, and wonderful wine!! It was amazing and totally saved our outlook on Spain!

Today we had a relaxing morning, made crepes for breakfast, did my laundry in the bidette (not sure if that's how you spell it) and toured La Alcazaba which was a Morish Castle that now lies in ruins. It was stunning and held wonderful gardens. We made ourselves some more fresh salsa and guacamaoli for lunch, and are now planning on cooking some fajita's for supper....feels so good to be able to make our own food once again!

Preserving the Sabado (Sabbath)

Very cute boy chasing the pigeons.

Overlooking the city of Valenica

Some ancient preserved hand of a Saint that people were worshiping. Strange and nasty looking.

Local Cathedral

Wendy picking out some wine.

Old city Valencia.

My by the fountain in a Piazza close to our hostal.

mmmmmm....yummy Tapas for appetizers.

We slept in this morning till 9:30, thanks to the Spanish couple last night that thought they'd like to yell at each other at 4:30 am till dawn. Oh well, at least i had earplugs. After a wonderful breakfast consisting of cafe con lech y un tostados (coffee and toast) we walked over to the cathedral near by and toured around. The 4K's had plans to go to the local zoo for the rest of the day. I wasn't so interested and loved the idea of having the day to myself. So, I stayed behind and stayed for morning mass. I don't know why but I really enjoy Catholic services, something so different and I can just sink into the back pew and worship in my own way. At the end of the service communion was offered and I felt that I wanted to fully embrace the experience, so I walked up to the front and the priest put one of those little waffers that taste like sawbust and feel like styrofoam on my tongue in the nombre de Padre, Jesus, y El Spirito Santo. I tried my best to follow the service, crossing myself I'm sure the wrong way, and probably offended most of the members but I just really felt that I too needed a place to worship even it was someplace totally different than what I am used to. In fact I felt that was the point. It's like I turn off my discernement radar and just embrace the fact that we all worship the same God. I'm going to see if I can try to attend a church service every Sunday that I'm here.

For the rest of my day I wandered around the old city streets, found an old castle a great view of the city, walked through a Sunday market and bought a pair of earings, grabbed a bagette sandwich for lunch and took a wonderful afternoon nap. This day was highly needed!