Más despacio, por favor: Snapshots Since March 5

Dear all, I'm sorry I have not been updating you. Although my life has not been busy with real work, which is what I call what you are busy with, like real homework or a real job, I have actually been busy. I have not posted anything about my life since March 5!

This is what has been happening:
March 12-19, Clark visited.
March 24-29, I was in Prague.
March 31-April 11, my mom visited.
April 14-23, I went to Rome, Florence, and Barcelona.
And tomorrow, I go to Morocco for 5 days!

After my trip to Morocco (I get back on Tuesday, May 3rd), I have 10 days of classes and 5 days of finals left or 4 weeks left in Spain, including weekends. This is crazy!

To make up for my lack of blog posting, I will summarize my life in pictures (although I should be getting homework done before I leave tomorrow!).

First, Clark's visit. I met Clark in Málaga on Saturday when he arrived and we spent the night there, returning to Granada the next day. We were in Granada the entire week until Friday, when we went to Valencia for the festival, Las Fallas, which is essentially a week long festival that ends with burning these huge, elaborate paper mache statues (see here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falles). Clark left from Valencia, and I returned to Granada.

Clark and View of Málaga from the Alcazaba or fortress

Margaret and Clark at the Alhambra in Granada

Firecracker show in Valencia

Example of a Falla--My personal favorite

Another Falla--I call it the "Circle of Life"

Once, Clark left, I went to Prague, which is a very cool city but so different than Southern Spain. Southern Spain is very Mediterranean, but Prague is so European--very interesting contrast. We also took a day trip to a small city, Kutna Hora, but I will post about this separately.

Astronomical Clock--on the hour, it chimes like a cuckoo clock, but with saints in the little windows.

Of course, we had to go to the Starbucks. Apparently hazelnut hot chocolate is everywhere, except the states. Bummer.

Cathedral inside Prague Castle.

Inside Prague Castle. I liked it a lot because it had a lot of light and beautiful stained glass windows.

John Lennon Wall.

Best meal I ate! Meals are usually meat with a type of sauce and dumplings.

Margaret with her Saint Margarita on Charles' Bridge.

Miss you, Trinity!

Prague Castle on the hill with the Cathedral in the middle, along with a part of Charles' Bridge.

Then, two days later, I met my mom in Madrid. We spend the next day in Madrid and the next in Toledo doing every touristy activity possible. We came to Granada on Sunday and stayed until Thursday when we went to Sevilla.

Palacio Real--Royal Palace, Madrid

Margaret and Mom on the top of a cathedral in Madrid.

Toledo is surrounded by a river on three sides and was once the capital of Spain and a center for cultural exchange.

Margaret and Mom at the palaces in Sevilla

Part of the Cathedral and Giralda Tower in Sevilla.

Then, four days later, I started my vacation for Semana Santa. The same girls with whom I went to Prague and Istanbul and I got to Rome after spending the night in the Barcelona airport (this was planned, but I will never plan to do it again!). We stayed there until the 17th and then went to Florence until the 19th. We flew to Barcelona on the 20th and headed back to Granada on the 23rd.