El tiempo perfecto para correr

The shadows were beginning to grow steadily. (I realize now how many of my posts begin with the sun haha). It was nearing 8:30, and by now mass had ended, and our glass of cerveza was now empty. My lovely señora and I headed back home.

The flowers in the garden are blooming now. Roses, lilies, poppies, and the like. The birds swooped down and around into the courtyard catching bugs for their dinner.

But the weather was too nice for me to go inside. Sevilla was calling my name.

So I went for a run.

What? you may be asking, Derek, you never run. Which is true 99.9% of the time. But tonight was different. Tonight was the .01%.

After getting my headphones and changing into running attire, I began.

And little did I know it would become my favorite thing ever. Here's an account:

Pat pat pat went the sound of my feet through the neighborhood. Music played in one ear, the soundtrack of the outside world in the other. Tiny streets corner after corner.

Then, I find the main street. There's room here. People are free to walk, to run, to bike. And on I go. Destination? Unsure yet. But I'm loving the sights of the city. A man sitting at a local cafe nods as I pass by, taking a sip of his beer.

And on I go. The Plaza de España is along this street, so, I think, Eh, why not? Sure it's far but I have nowhere else to be. I pass by buildings and under low hanging orange trees. The orange blossoms are blooming now too, and the city smells of a sweet, citrus-y smell.

Breathe it in.

Birds are singing everywhere. In the trees they announce the closing of the day. Tee-tow, tee-tow goes their song. Perhaps they cheer me on. Perhaps they're advising me of the coming night.

Pat pat pat.

Crossing over busy streets, passing street vendors packing up their ware, then stopping to take pictures of fountains and monuments and buildings that I've never taken time to appreciate before.

Pressing on. The plaza is near. I pass by a tiny park with a huge tree in the center. It's at least 12 feet wide. A man reads under its eaves. It's on an iPad though; I try not to judge.

And on I go. My feet hit the tile of the plaza. Here is were the slow but steady heartbeat of a Sevillian Sunday night lies. There is a group of four or five horse paseos giving rides in the center of the plaza. Kids run up to their parents to give them a "present" that they found on the ground. Couples are rowing boats in the canal. Numerous people are taking "selfies" of themselves. Two girls sit by the canal and eat some sugary red dessert that I don't recognize. Through passageways, over tile, under arches, by enormous towers, stopping to take another picture of the fountain. Lots of pictures of my surroundings really. It's too picturesque not to.

I make it around the half circle of the plaza. To go around again?

But what typically would be an affirmative has become a negative tonight. Because there is an enormous park -- Parque Maria Louisa -- that is open before me.

I jog up to a trail. I look within and see a jungle. The birds, perhaps the same ones as before, beckon me to enter the green world. My feet leave tile and encounter dirt.

Crunch crunch crunch.

There's a pool on my left. Two women sit talking.

Crunch crunch crunch.

There's a playground on my right. Surprisingly empty tonight.

Crunch crunch crunch.

I pass by a bush with white-clustered flowers. The smell. Oh, if only smells could be recorded and replayed later. I would record that smell for sure.

Crunch crunch crunch.

Weaving in an out of the columns ahead. Up and down the steps. Under the arching stone walls.

Crunch crunch crunch.

There's a waterfall ahead. A waterfall? How have I never seen this before? The tumbling water falls off a tiny hill with rocks and flowers. I stare. I go to take a picture but notice the awkward couple alarmed that I would invade their privacy at their special place. So no picture. On I go.

Crunch cr--

What? There's a tunnel that goes through the hill? Again, how have I never seen this? I turn on my heels and pass through, of course.

Crunch crunch crunch.

There's a pond on my left with fountains. There are ducks on the fountains. Of course I stop to take a picture. There are palm trees in the background.

Crunch crunch crunch.

I encounter what appear to be abandoned buildings. White with yellow trim, just like all buildings in this city.

Crunch crunch crunch.

The street lights are turning on now. My feet strike asphalt.

Pat pat pat.

I take one last picture of the plaza and head home.

Now I know that there was a reason that Sevilla was calling me tonight. She had something to show me. The funniest thing is, that was the furthest I've run in a long time. And in the end I wasn't even tired. I guess I hate running, but love experiencing.

And experience I did.

Barcelona

Like, wow, is Barcelona gorgeous.

Reasons for loving this city:

- The beach
- The mountains
- La Sagrada Familia
- Park Guell
- The magic fountain
- El barrio gótico
- The food
- Camp Nou (famous stadium of F.C. Barcelona, but since I'm a Real Madrid fan, it's only a little cool)

But seriously, I loved it all.

Located in the northeast of Spain, Barcelona is the capital of the region of Catalonia.  As mentioned above, it's located on the sea.  There is are mountains that surround the city, and it slopes down to the shore.

By the way, amazing view from the top of those mountains.

All was perfect.  The only issue was that in Barcelona, the speak catalan and not castellano.  What in the world does that mean?  Well, although Catalonia is in Spain, (traditional) spanish is not the primary language. Instead, in the region, they speak the dialect of catalan.  (Some argue that it's its own language, and some argue that it isn't, considering that Catalonia is not its own country.) There are two other dialects aside from catalan and castellano too.  Gallego is spoken in the northwest region of Spain, north of Portugal, and Basque is north in the basque country as well.
Catalan is, simply put, a mix between French and Spanish, which makes sense because it's located on the opposite side of the Pyrenees mountains of France.

However, I don't speak any French, and therefore I understand only a small part of Catalan. But all is well, because everyone speaks spanish too, considering it's the national language.

Also, another great highlight was getting to see the Sagrada Familia-- a basilica designed by Antoni Gaudi.  The interior, although difficult to see here, is built to resemble nature, specifically a forest in the picture above. He used different geometrical patterns for supports and the exterior as well.

superguay.

But in reflection, I am so glad to be able to witness all of these amazing things in Spain (and other countries too!) that have so much history and meaning.  It's so cool to be able to talk about Spanish geography because now I'm starting to actually live it.  I also have discovered that I love traveling.  Planning trips and handling all the bumps in the road is what my life's been all about the past two months.

So grab your passport and my hand...

Sorry, I had to throw that in there.  Love y'all.

Derek

Madrid

Right now --and yes I'm rather embarrassed to say it-- I'm sitting in a Burger King

after just finishing my very American breakfast sandwich and coffee

and after giving up on my sudoku puzzle.

Which, I must ask, how does anyone ever complete the hard ones? I couldn't even get halfway through my medium level puzzle.

So if anyone has tips, I'd love to hear them.

But although my puzzle is bringing me down a bit, I cannot complain about my weekend. I'm in Madrid. After taking a bus and plane and metro, I made it to my apartment. But boy, is it nerve-wracking to travel by yourself.

Oh, with the added stress of the fact that

You're in a whole different freaking country.

But you manage.

Anyways, highlights of this weekend being in Spain's capital: El Palacio Real, el Museo Thyssen, and El Templo de Debod. Oh and finally taking pictures of the lions outside of Congress.

El Palacio Real is a direct immersion in Spain's past. The palace has been around for hundreds of years, and it's where the royal family used to live. It's huge. And its lavish. And the decor is just crazy intricate with a lot of things plated in bronze and silver.

The Thyssen is a modern art museum. It's smaller than El Prado (which I didn't get to see..thankfully because it's old art haha). But the Thyssen boasts very abstract artwork, similar to Picasso. (I really like Picasso by the way, and no, not just because hes the only painter I know). But there were a bunch of landscape paintings too. And each one demonstrates the artists' proficient use of light. Which, fun fact: sunsets, or sunrises, or moonlight through forest trees, or lights of a harbor reflecting off the water surface, or sunlight through a dirty window are all things I could stare at for hours.

Light is kinda a cool and beautiful thing.

Which brings us to the Temple of Debod. Not really much to look at in the daytime, it's three stone structures surrounded by a manmade water lake thing. However, at night, it's truly breathtaking. The lights illuminate the structures, and with the reflection off the water, It's like whoa.

And then here are the lions outside of congress. Rawr.

So now I need to get a metro so I can take a plane so I can take a bus back home.  Never a dull moment when you travel.  So, thanks Madrid, for being a fun and unforgettable weekend.

Los gorriónes

The tile on these steps is still warm from the sun's heat this previous afternoon.  But now it's setting.  There's still enough light for the plethora of people here.  A group of boys play soccer.  Two moms sit and chat while their daughters do likewise.  A dog runs by me to its elderly owner.

Right now I'm thinking about the birds here.  (Haha yes, I should work on my subject transitions, but it is what it is.)

Spain's selections of birds is rather standard, with a few added tropical species here and there.  Doves and pigeons are quite prominent, especially in the plazas, like the one I'm sitting in as I write this.

One species that surprised me, for whatever reason, was the sparrow.  She's pretty common here.  Brown back, light chest.  Small.  Flittering and twittering hither and thither around the plazas and such.  Pretty timid.

I was watching one the other day in this same plaza actually.  A mother and daughter were feeding pigeons, and this little guy (or gal) decided to help itself to the sunflower seeds they were tossing on the ground.

I couldn't help but be reminded about how I am that sparrow.

Anyone who asked me how I planned to grow in my faith this semester abroad will know that it revolved around a central concept.

Trust.

Not even just trust.  Faith really.

Faith in God to sustain me.

Going abroad obviously comes with its fair share of fears and trust issues.  Like, for instance, getting lost in the calles (like really lost), or trusting that my conversation in Spanish about changing my flight would go well (even though I didn't have a wide enough vocabulary to clearly articulate what I even wanted to do).  In the end, I found my way, and the conversation went well.

Good luck?  Karma?  I don't really believe in these things.  I believe God has a profound intervention in each of our lives.  He transcends but is immanent in all things.

This is love.  Being willing to reach out through the darkness, dinginess, expanse of an unloving universe to care for us and love us where we are.

It is His nature to do so.  There is nothing He enjoys more.

So he takes care of us.  In all things.  We need not worry about anything.

This has been something that I've been trying to learn.  In all things, I am learning to consciously acknowledge God has control over every situation.

And how incredibly freeing and liberating it is.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  Matthew 6:25-27