Hi!
Ok..Portugal was AMAZINGGGGG! We went to the city of Porto..it's in the northern part of the country..on the coast..and is the 2nd biggest city in Portugal (after Lisbon). They speak Portuguese (I'm glad one of us knew Portuguese...oh wait..none of us did)..most people speak a little English though. Miriam, Ashley, Claire, Jen, Augustin, Aaron, Nick and I flew out of Madrid on Friday and got to Porto about noon. We checked in our hostel and went to this outdoor restaurant for lunch. Fish is huge there so I got this traditional meal of fried fish and rice. It was delicious..very mediterranean-ish. When we were walking to lunch, the first thing we noticed was how QUIET everything was...I mean, there were people, buses, cabs, etc...but the town just had a peace about it which felt so nice. And people actually SMILED at you on the street...and made eye contact! I finally felt like people had souls again..haha..Madrid is not a very friendly city. Anyway, Porto is a very walkable city so it was great not to have to take the metro or a cab the whole time we were there. After lunch we walked around the city and took a trolley tour through the town. Porto is known for its pasteries..so we hadddd to stop at a few bakeries...mmmm, don't get me started on how good they were. The whole town is built around the Douro river...a gorgeous river with 5 bridges within viewing distance. We walked down these steep stairs..past these tiny houses...down to the river and were just blown away. It was so so pretty and peaceful. There is a street alongside the river filled with cute restaurants and bars..and people painting and playing music. We went to dinner at a really cute place and then just hung out. The next day, we had coffee at a little cafe and the walked back down to the river. We walked across one of the bridges to the other side..which is the city of Gaia. We walked around over there for a while and just layed out in the grass. Then ,we took an hour long river cruise. It was so fun...relaxxxxing and beautiful. I got one of those feelings where I realize that I am so SMALL in this world and God is so BIG. You know? I love that feeling. We rode to the point where we would could see the ocean and it was great. After, we ate at an italian restaurant along the river...margarita pizza...yummm. Thennnn we went to a tower called Torre dos Clerigos..its the highest point in Portugal. We climbed 252 steps to the top and saw the best view of the city. It was worth the hike...and I'm feeling the burn today. Haha...after that, we went to a wine tasting. Port wine is made in Porto...I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but its realllllly sweet..and you usually drink it with dessert or cheese..anyway, we had a guide who explained all the different types and why they tasted the way they did..it was really interesting..but I now know that I'm not a fan of Port wine...haha good to know though. After that, we walked around by the river and then went to Jen, Nick, Aaron, and Augustin's hostel..they stayed in a different one than Miriam, Ashley, Claire and I...anyway, the hostel workers cooked a big dinner for their guests and we tagged along..It was kind of like jumbalaya...we ate dinner and watched a movie (Virgin Suicides...an American film). While I was eating, I was like ok...I'm in Portugal...I'm eating dinner on the floor of a hostel...made by someone random hostel person...there are just some things I could never see myself doing and there I was doing them. It was just a weird feeling. PORTUGALLLL. Alright moving on...after dinner we got dessert at a restaurant by the river (chocolate cake with rasberry sauce...SOOO GOOOOD)...we walked down by the river and there was this festival going on...there were like, circus acts going on...acrobats and stuff doing tricks over the river..hanging by chords..haha random things....and there were fireworks. I have no idea what was going on but I'm glad we got to experience it. I had SUCH a good time this weekend...it was one of the best places I've ever been to..and it was also so nice to get out of Madrid and breathe fresh, clean air and see pretty waterrrrr.

-The night before we left for Porto, our program went to a Flamenco show. It was awwwesome. The costumes and the music...and the intensity of the movements..it was really interesting. It is so respected in this culture and it was nice to be a part of it for a night!

-I am sooo thankful for the girls I've met during my time here...they are just solid and smart and GOOD. We're all in that stage of wanting to see everything..wanting to know everything...there is just so much we don't know/ havn't experienced and we want to do it alllll. Also, we all come from very different religious backgrounds..Catholic, Jewish, Southern Baptist, Methodist, Non-Denominational, Spiritual...and I'm learning so much...I just think it's cool how we are all so open with eachother in what we believe/don't believe/question. I love it.

Anyway..baaaaack to school...who knew they were gonna give homework here? Come on. A group of us are going to Italy on Wednesday..wahoo...hope you're all doing well!