Madrid etc.

Sorry for no updates all week. We went to Madrid and I didn't have much time to update.
Tuesday from Madrid we went to Segovia where we toured a big castle and saw the Roman aqueduct. It is so big and the fact that it was built without any machines or mortar around 2000 years ago and is still standing tall and strong today is amazing to me!

Wednesday we went to the Prada and Reina Sofia museums. I had been to the Prada before with my high school trip, but now that I have studied most of the paintings in SHA and UCF Spanish classes, it was much more exciting to see.

Thursday we went to Toledo on the way back to Valencia. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain. It is a very old city and full of many amazing sites including churches, paintings and sword factories. They sell swords and many expensive items handmade from gold in shops all throughout the city. The city is also surrounded by water which used to be used for protection but now just looks amazing.

Friday I went in search of this nicer bowling alley that some bowler at the bowling alley I've been going to said to check out and that we had found online before I came here. I looked up the directions and it said that Metro line 4 dropped you off accross the street from it, which is perfect because that's the line closest to here. I rode the line the 30 minutes to the stop, but I didn't see it. So, the driver pointed out the street that I had to walk up for 15 minutes before I arrived. It was worth it though. The place was huge! It had a big movie theater, a whole bunch of restarants and clubs, a fitness center, stores, a big courtyard that connected them all filled with fountains and children's fun areas, and of course the bowling alley, Planet Bowling. It was 5Euro a game or for 11Euro you can buy a pass for 1Euro games, food and drinks for a month, which I bought. I bowled 5 games and finally started to get everything to feel right again. I can't take this much time off, it's going to kill me... I'm going to go back to the old place Monday night to postbowl for last week and to bowl this week, plus once more next week for the end of the league. I won't probably go back to Heron City where I went yesterday just becasue of the distance. Leaving, I didn't want to walk through those streets again since I didn't know that area, so I asked at the desk and they told me to take the bus out front. 2.5 hours and 1 bus and 2 metros later I got back to the study center... Not worth the hastle since I found out there is another Planet Bowling near the City of Arts and Sciences which is only like a 3 miles from here. I'll probably go by there Wednesday after classes since my pass thing I bought will work at any Planet bowling location. Is it bad I wrote more about bowling than Spain? Guess that shows where my heart/mind is now lol

Today, I got up and ran in the morning. I went the other direction in the riverbed park and saw some really cool stuff. There were tons of playgrounds all unique and amazing plus a bunch more fountains and a festival of nations. I really wish we had a park like this in Louisville and in Orlando because it is such a cool place for the whole family and I love having a safe, entertaining place to run. After, some of us went to the beach to relax for a while. It's so pretty and the weather was perfect today. It's a weird beach though because you have to walk forever in the sand before you reach the water. It is the longest beach any of us have ever seen, but it is still awesome! :) I love the beach!

Ok... off to do homework and stuff... and I just read the comments and Joni- I would love to come back here with you some day! and Mom-you keep asking for more pics, did you see the ones in the last post? Love you all!