It's official in less than a month I will be on a plane flying back across the pond to home! I have no idea what my culture shock is going to be like, but I've been told that all I've learned while I've been away will mean so much more when I look back. I have come to love what our country represents while I've been away, and diversity is something we have that I miss. I need prayers for continuing perseverance because I know most of my friends are coming to the end of their semester in only 2 weeks! So my friend whose card reader I normally use to post pictures, well she can't find it...so that means I'll have to spread out the pictures I've been taking in Oviedo so you can see some of the stuff I've been talking about. I do owe ya'll some pictures from Dublin still. Sorry I won't be able to post Greece or the Canary Islands, but I can post those once I get back for those of you who I won't be seeing right away.





Check out this castle! So it'd been raining all week in Dublin, but our 1 day it was super blue and sunny. It was still a bit chilly, but still a great day for our FREE walking tour. Our tour guide was totally Irish, you'll be seeing him shortly.

I love asking questions, and our tour guide challenged us to ask him a question he couldn't answer. Our prize: the brelly (umbrella) which was huge that we would use if it should start raining. As we were walking along I noticed all the doors on this one block were brown except for #7, so I asked if this was a common theme in Dublin. Unfortunately, later we figured out it was not, but thankfully it did not rain until later that night.

So after we all successfully walked over this bridge, we learned that this was made by the same people who built the Titanic! It's still going strong. How cool is that!













Here we have Trinity College or their version of our bell tower. Students don't walk under this because the story is that if they walk under this they will fail they final terms. Our tour guide suggested that over lunch we come back and try and push a student under it for fun, but alas we didn't have time.















Here is our tour guide with some of the rosiest cheeks I've seen. Sadly, I can't recall his name. He was pretty funny and boy did he know his history! Here he told us the story of why #7 is significant.














And...finally this is what happens when you get stuck in an airport for a long time ;-) My next few posts should be pictures from Oviedo, school, that gorgeous view behind my apartment finally, and Parque San Francisco.










Overall I really do need prayers for wanting to keep working hard on my Spanish. It's been challenging getting back into it after traveling to countries where they speak English or a language other than Spanish. I hope I can get back into it and really work hard these last few weeks! I love you all and miss you.

Hasta Luego ;-)

She Can Fly! She Can Fly! She Can Fly!

[Wendy:]
But Peter, how do we get to Neverland?

[Peter:] Fly, of course!

[Wendy:] Fly?

[Peter:]
It's easy! You think of a wonderful thought!

[The children:] Any happy little thought?

[Peter:] Uh, huh

[Wendy:]
Like toys at Christmas?

[John:] Sleighbells,snow?

[Peter:] Yeah, watch me now, here I go!
It's easier than pie.

[Wendy:] He can fly!

[John:] He can fly!

[Michael:] He flew!!

[Peter:] Now you try!

[Wendy:]
I'll think of a mermaid lagoon.
Ahhh, underneath the magic moon!

[John:] I'll think I'm in a pirate's cave!

[Michael:] I think I'll be an indian brave!

[Peter:] Now, everybody try!

[All:] One, two, three!

[Children:] We can fly, we can fly, we can fly!

(they all crash)

[Peter:]
This won't do. What's the matter with you?
All it takes is faith and trust...
Oh, and something I forgot! Dust!

[Wendy and John:] Dust?

[Michael:] Dust?

[Peter:]
Yep, just a little bit of pixie dust!
Now, think of the happiest things...
It's the same as having wings!

[Wendy:]
Let's all try it... just once more.

[John:]
Look, we're rising off the floor!

[Michael:] Giminee

[Wendy:] Oh,my!

[Wendy:] We can fly,

[Peter:] You can fly!

[All:] We can fly!!!

[Peter:]
C'mon everybody, here we go! Off to neverland!!!

[Choir:]
Think of a wonderful thought
Any merry little thought
Think of Christmas, think of snow
Think of sleigh bells Here we go!
Like a reindeer in the sky

You can fly! You can fly!
You can fly! You can fly!

Soon you'll zoom all around the room
All it takes is faith and trust
But the thing that's a positive must
Is a little bit of pixie dust
The dust is a positive must

You can fly! You can fly!
You can fly! You can fly!

When there's a smile in your heart
There's no better time to start
It's a very simple plan
You can do what the birdies can
At least it's worth a try

You can fly! You can fly!
You can fly! You can fly!

My next adventure begins in London where I learn how to fly! I have the best teacher. You'll be meeting him soon enough. My adventure contains every sort of transportation possible, plane, boat, taxi, train, the "tube" or metro, and an English car [you know how they drive on the left side of the road and have their steering wheel on our passenger side]. So many pictures where to begin?




Here we have the classic red telephone booth in London. What's really funny is that this was our meeting spot for our Fat Tire Bike Tour, but we realized this after we had finished taking our pictures. For another pose, P and I were in each phone booth pretending to talk to one another and I actually started talking to myself to get into character...;-)









Here we have a youth getting a head shake from the "Bobby." P and I learned this phrase from P's cousin who we stayed with while we were in London. Can you believe these uniforms are for real? I just couldn't help but giggle every time I saw them. Actually, I would often stand in the street in a fit of giggles or I would try to decide if it was okay to take pictures of them.















Here we have the famous Rosetta Stone! I learned about this in my Humanities I class at UNI. This was just so cool to see in person.















Now as I mentioned earlier my travels included using the train. Who can pass up platform 9 & 3/4? I must tell you that this was in a pretty ridiculous location, but P and I managed to find it on our own. It was cool to see, but not quite what I had expected. In reality, P and I used the train at St. Pancreas not King's Cross.









This was too pretty to pass by. So I thought I'd play Alice and pose amongst the daffodils. It was a bit chilly though so I only had my winter coat of for the picture. This was in Kensington Gardens which were beautiful. I would have loved to have just strolled through this park more or just leaned up against a tree and read a book.




Alright here we have him. Peter Pan! I can't believe that I walked through the very park where Peter Pan was written. It was a fabulous park for inspiration and exercising your imagination. I enjoyed taking flight even if it was briefly.














Yes here I am imagining myself as Robin Hood. I think I look pretty natural don't you? Although I need to get some green going. This was at the Tower of London. What a fun filled day of history and loads of stories!






More pictures...Sherlock Holmes are you home?, London Bridge, The Eye, and my good friend P!



Hasta Luego!

Where's Carol?

Ah yes Paris known as the city of Romance and wonder. 13 of us piled into a bus for our 17 hour ride to Paris. I rather enjoyed the great view of the mountains, valleys, and the ocean. I met so many wonderful people from Australia and New Zealand! Every day my friend B and I met a family or couple from Australia. We saw so many things and used our energy up to the last drop everyday, and I thought Disneyworld was draining...

The first stop B and I made was to Notre Dame. This would be the back view. Notice how the one tower is really black, well just a few years ago lasers were used to clean the centuries of dirt that had accumulated on this noble structure, but they decided to leave this one tower untouched to show the contrast. We didn't have to wait long to reach the bell tower of the infamous Quasimodo. It was a pretty chilly weekend in Paris, probably the coldest we have been since living in Europe.









See if you can find me! Here is the front view which I'm sure more of you are familiar with. At this point my legs were shaking because the decent with the winding spiral staircase made our leg muscles go nuts. From here our journey continues, but where you might be asking yourself? Follow me.








B and I spent 4 hours in the Louvre and still didn't see it all! Oh yes here is the famous Mona Lisa. For those of you who are educated this size probably doesn't shock you, but I was a little shocked considering that they used this huge wall for this very small painting. Across the room there was another painting that covered a wall this size. I have to admit though seeing this in person was really cool!







I couldn't resist posing with this great noble. Actually I don't know who he was, but I thought he looked pretty sweet so I'd join him in looking dignified. Sadly, I didn't have a sword so I improvised. This was in the Palace of Versailles.











Here we have Marie Antoinette's estate. Pretty sweet. I found that this estate would suit my best friend J. It had both her fav colors pink and yellow. I liked her taste because each room was so colorful. This was Day 2. I feel like there might be something I'm forgetting...hmmm...






Sweet crepes sooo yummy. I know that A will want some when we go to Paris in a few short weeks. I think I'm starting to remember that thing that was buggin' me earlier, but still can't quite put my finger on it. It'll come to me.










Ohhhh yeah that's it, The Eiffel Tower! I took so many pictures of it and will show some more off. I've grown a few inches since I've been in Europe as you can tell. This could be a problem fitting on the plane when I fly back, but I'm sure they can find room for me. Actually my clever friend J took this picture. My feet were exhausted since we walked and walked and just for fun walked a little more.





Now I've put a few more pictures in that I thought ya'll might like.






Hasta luego! ;-)