We left on Thursday, March 24 at 5:00AM. We were able to fly to Madrid. When stayed in a hostel that was pretty decent. It was our first time to be in a hostel, not a hotel. It is almost like being at camp. There are community bathrooms and a kitchen that everyone is free to use. While in Madrid, we were able to see the Royal Palace and this pretty cathedral that was located next to it. A lot of our time was spent on the Grand Via, which was a shopping and eating district. That night we went to this huge park. It was so beautiful. They had lamps along all the paths and there was a huge lake in the middle of the park where you could rent boats. There were people in row boats going back and forth across the lake. It was very relaxing getting to sit by the lake and watch the sky turn different colors as the sun set.
The next morning at 6:15AM we left for Barcelona! It was only a 2 hour train to Barcelona. Our hostel was located on the Plaza Real which is right off the famous street, Las Ramblas. It was a perfect location for our hostel but it would have been absolutely perfect if we were students who wanted to get drunk and have a good time. However, that was not the case. I was getting ready for bed at 11:30PM while other girls were getting ready to go out for the night. We shared a room with about 15 other people. Around 6:30AM a group of girls came in from partying, unaware that half the room was already asleep. Luckily I was exhausted so it was easy to go back to sleep. Overall it was a good hostel, just for the location.
On the famous street, Las Ramblas they had flower shops set up everywhere. They also had a huge market that sold fruit, vegetables, chocolates, meets, eggs, bread, and fish. I bought a container of strawberries and pineapple for breakfast and it was delicious! The fruit was so sweet. We went to see a famous cathedral called Sagrada Familia. The architecture and design of the cathedral was really unique. They were doing a lot of construction trying to restore it. Here is a picture of Sagrada Familia.
After we saw the sights in Barcelona, we headed to the beach!!! We were so excited to be by the water! The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky! It was beautiful! We ate our lunch on the beach watching the waves crash in! There were a lot of people sitting in the sand enjoying each other's company. After we ate we took off our hiking books, rolled up our pants and ran down to the water. The water was so cold that it hurt my feet!!! Then we laid in the sand and took in the sun! It was such a relaxing afternoon!! That night after dinner we came back to the beach. We sat on the sand and the only sound we heard were the waves. Justin lead a couple songs for us. It was an incredible time to see God's power as we watch the waves come to shore.
The next day, March 26, we left for Marseille, France. This is located in the south of France. We made it there without any problems; it was only when we were trying to find our hostel that the problem started. We walked all over Marseille, we took the bus, we took the metro, we asked multiple people...we roamed for two hours. Finally we ended up at our hostel. However, they did not have any of our names for a reservation. We thought we were going to have to sleep on the street. :) Then a man came out of nowhere and said there is another hostel with the same name. So we got directions to the other hostel. The hostel we were supposed to stay at was only two minutes from the train station...the place where we had begun two hours earlier. We were not in the correct frame of mind to consider it funny. However, in a couple of hours, the whole situation was really funny.:) We went to the beach in Marseille. It wasn't very impressive. It was pretty but it wasn't like the beach in Barcelona. There was a restaurant right by the beach and this is where we ate dinner. For dessert I ordered a crepe. This was the biggest crepe I had ever seen and eaten. Here is a picture!
We were leaving Marseille Sunday afternoon. That Sunday morning we had a little church service and took communion together. It was a special moment we got to share with each other. After our worship time, we waited in the train station and in our hostel till it was time to leave.
We made it to Grindelwald, Switzerland around 11:30PM on March 27. The next day in Grindelwald, we went hiking in the Swiss Alps! It was great! The weather was perfect! We took our time. We stopped and took pictures. We stopped to take water breaks and eat lunch. We had no schedule! It was great!! After hiking we walked through Grindelwald. We went through shops and then went to the grocery to get things to make dinner. We made pasta with tomato sause and bread. We had chocolate fondu for dessert and dipped strawberries and bananas! It was delicious!!!!! Here is a picture of our dinner!
And here is a picture of Lacie, Brooke, and Justin enjoying the chocolate fondu!
When we walked out of our lodge in Grindelwald on the morning of March 29th, this is what we saw.
It was absolutely gorgeous! The mountains were breathtaking! We headed to the train station and made it to Interlaken within two hours. That day in Interlaken was relaxing. We walked around to all the shops and went to this huge lake that was surrounded by mountains. Very beautiful! I bought some yummy chocolate while we were in Interlaken! I can't wait to dig into it! :) We had an all day trip back to our facility in Verviers, Belgium on March 30th. Everyone was there to welcome us back that night! It was wonderful to be back and it was a fantastic first free travel!
Now for what I have learned! Number 1: The Lord always provides. No matter what happens, whether we miss our train or we are lost, the Lord will bring us through. Number 2: If things do go wrong, hey that's ok! Just go with it! Number 3: Be patient with others. Living with 5 people for a week can be challenging, but patience makes everything better! Number 4: Spend your money wisely, but enjoy your trip because most likely you will only be there once!
Thanks for reading! Our next trip is a week-long group trip to Germany! We will be leaving next week. I will post when we return! Au revoir!
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