Bonjour!
Sorry that i haven't blogged for a long time. I've been so busy traveling and with schoolwork. The latest great adventure in my life was a trip to Barcelona! This trip started on February 8th. Thankfully I kept my journal updated on the trip to reference to.
Our first stop was Carcassonne. It was really cold there. Our professor, Eric, told us that there hadn't been a cold spell like this since 1985 and people were calling it "the great cold." As you can imagine, I was delighted to hear that. So while we all froze we explored the city. We saw a museum and then headed up to the castle.
We ate at a little restaurant before going to learn about the church. It had some beautiful stained glass windows.
Soon we were back on the road and headed to Narbonne. On the way there we got to see the Pyrenees Mountains. They were gorgeous. Words can't describe them and pictures don't do them justice.
Narbonne is where we had supper and got a hotel for the night. We ended up trying the McDonald's there. It was really high class for McD's, sounds crazy but wait until you see!
They had do it yourself ordering screens. Is it crazy that I was confused in a McDonald's because it was so high tech? Oh Europe....
Then we spent the night in Narbonne and I got to see a gorgeous sunset.
It's these little things in life that bring the most joy. More often I find myself taking in these precious moments, really absorbing them. Our lives can become so rushed that we forget what life is really about. To me, truly living your life can sometimes mean taking the time to just sit back and enjoy it.
The next morning we made our way across the Spanish border and to Barcelona. After arriving at our hostel we unpacked before taking a walking tour of the city. The hostel had 8 people to a room. There were 4 bunk-beds. It was a little crowed and interesting but it worked just fine. Tim took us for the walk and showed us the main roads. After leading us to the Christopher Columbus statue we were on our own to explore and find our way back to the hostel. The statue of CC was very tall and it showed him pointing out into the ocean, towards the U.S.
A group of us were determined to find the beaches. We had a map of the city which helped a little. It still managed to take us what seemed like forever. However, when we finally saw the sand leading to the Mediterranean, it was worth it. Of course I had to put my feet in the freezing water.
We walked out onto the rocks and took in the sunset over the city. Hannah and I talked about how there are some moments, some sights, that just can't be fully captured by a camera. You just have to sit and soak it in.
God is good.
After the beach we went back to the hostel before finding a place to eat. Hannah and I chose a little hole in the wall that had some great sandwiches. Then the two of us just walked around the main street, absorbing it all. We met some amazing people, and learned about their lives. It may not sound safe, but it was harmless and it was so interesting to hear their backgrounds. The last people we met before calling it a night were Maria and Louis. They were a couple from Argentina who were in Barcelona for Vacation. Louis is a doctor and he spoke a little bit of English. Maria is Italian and also spoke Spanish, but very little English. Were were talking with them when an older man joined our conversation. He would sing and Maria would dance. It was another great experience. I can picture us now; sitting and clapping along, all laughing and just having fun with people we hardly new.
The next morning we went to the Picasso museum. It was so interesting to see how his work changed throughout his life, reflecting his emotions at the time. He was able to truly capture that strong feeling of emotion in each of his paintings. When you think of Picasso you usually thing of the abstract paintings from the end of his life. This was just one theme of the paintings from his collection. From room to room I got to see his life change from inspirational to depressing and sadness and then back to enlightening and extremely symbolic.
After the museum we went to a restaurant before meeting a current Spanish painter. Her name was Mercedes. Mercedes had a unique story herself. She went to college and became a lawyer. After graduation she went back to art school. She shared with us that studying law was her parents dream for her, but she knew her whole life she wanted to be a painter. She showed us her studio and told us about her life as a painter. We were able to buy some paintings of hers and she even personally signed them for us.
Our next trip for the day was to the Gaudi Gardens. It was a huge garden that overlooked the city.
That night we went to a Tapa restaurant. Tapas are small portions of different foods. We each got to pick around four. They were delicious! It was my favorite meal so far.
The next morning we went on the bus to visit Sagrada Familia, the church in the center of the city.It's in the process of construction. It's another masterpiece of Gaudi. He designed the whole building and created it so every little detail has meaning to it. He included something for all people, so that anyone can look at the structure and find parts of themselves in it.
We got audio sets and toured the whole building. The inside was beautifully decorated with stained glass windows.
While inside we witnessed a proposal. That's how much this building means to people, it's gorgeous, religious, and a building that will go down in history.
Gaudi made the church extremely tall. However he made it 1 meter less than the highest surrounding mountains. He did this to show that while humanity is great, nothing is greater than nature and God's creation.
While in Barcelona we also go to see the Miro art museum. Miro was quite different than other painters we had studied. Miro had the concept of the "Ladder of Escape." The Ladder of Escape was included in many of the paintings. It was a way to escape all of the problems in the world during that time. Miro also had some paintings that were very simple. One was all blue with a bright red line and then black dots....
Although this painting is really simple, it has a lot of meaning. I just sat in front of the painting and absorbed it. It brought simplicity to life.
Our last night in Barcelona we got to see Flamenco dancing. I had never seen this type of dancing before and it was really cool. The dancers were so passionate. Their facial expressions were so strong that you could feel what they were feeling. The singer was very good also. It was a great experience.
This was our last night in Barcelona.
On the way back to the monastery, we stopped at the Dali museum and got to inspect his paintings as well. One that stuck out to me would be the one of Abe Lincoln.
At first glance (in person) you may only see the woman, but after taking a picture you can see the face of Abe. Very neat!
Overall, the trip to Barcelona was a great experience. Along with the other students, I was in need of a change, a break for a couple days. Barcelona was a breath of fresh air. I'd love to go back to Spain someday, the culture is very interesting to me.
This past week was Valentine's Day. I was lucky enough to get many Valentine's. I hung them up on my door so I get to look at them everyday and I'm reminded of the great people I have in my life.
First I received one from Everett and Mary, a couple from my church. It's a great thing to know that my church family is thinking about me. I also got one from Mom and Dad. I don't need a card to be reminded of the love of my parents, but it made my day.
I also got some valentine's from my family in Philly! Holly and Jody sent me a card and Evan and Emma made personal valentine's! They are the cut out hearts. Emma colored a picture and Evan wrote his whole valentine in French! He did a really great job! It's amazing how the smallest things can sometimes mean the world. Thank you all for the wonderful reminders of how blessed I am!
Thursday we went back to Toulouse. We got to see the Garonne River.
We also visited the Dominican houses and some museums including a medical museum.
Since I haven't blogged for a long time, the everyday details of my life at the monastery have been lost. I will try to blog more often. One of the latest joys I remember is getting to skype my mother and brother and they surprised me with my Nana and Pappap! The weekend after our skype, my Nana and Pappap headed to Florida to spend the rest of the winter. It was great to see them and get to talk to them. I love my family.
I just have one thing left to tell you before I end this post....and those who know me should be extremely proud, so be prepared. Today, for lunch I ate some Octopus. Yes. Amy Clevenger ate Octopus. Write it down because I'm not sure it will be happening again.
Au Revoir!
Until I write again!
Amy Morgan
