Fairy tale castle, creepy basilica, and temple (Spain part 3)

(Click here for part one, part two)

I have been some really beautiful places in my life. I've done a bit of travelling in my life and spend a lot of my time outside exploring and hiking. This means that it's a big deal when I say that Segovia (our next stop after Merida) is in the top 3 most beautiful places I've been. I felt like I was walking around inside a painting of a fairy tale. It was magic, I tell you... magic!

My favorite picture of us!

Looking up at the castle from the river.

First order of business was to check out the inside of the castle.

Tiny suit of armor!

There were some amazing views from the castle tower of the town (with the cathedral in the center) and some snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Working off all the delicious food on the stairs to the tower! 

Here is a closer view of the cathedral we could see from the tower.

Inside was beautiful, and very different from the cathedrals I saw in Russia.

Next stop: the incredible, huge Roman aqueduct! It's almost in perfect condition, even after all these years, and it is truly a sight to see.

See little Dallin way down at the base?

We couldn't stay long because we had one more place to stop before headed back to Madrid, so off we hurried to our car by way of the beautiful path/stairs. These were much more fun going down than coming up.

A couple more pictures of the grandeur, because it was irresistable...

...and then we were off to our next stop, Valle de los Caidos, or Valley of the Fallen. Now, this is kind of a controversial place. It was built by Franco, who was kind of a bad dude. And when I say he built it I mean he forced his enslaved opposing political leaders to build it. I don't know the whole story thanks to my limited knowledge of Spanish history, but all I know is that this place gave me the willies. Although majestic and amazing, is was very creepy.

There is a huge basilica carved inside, but no pictures were allowed. Look it up if you'd like!

I wish you could tell just how massive that cross is. 

We tried to walk up to the cross, but the trail was closed, so we got as close as we could and then walked around the big monastery a bit before heading out.

We drove through El Escorial where there is a huge, beautiful monastery. I didn't get a picture of it, and we didn't have time to find parking and see it, but it was beautiful! 

After El Escorial, we managed to successfully make our way back to the airport to return the car, which was both stressful and miraculous. The next morning we woke up bright and early to attend the beautiful Madrid temple.

We were able to do both sealings and initiatory, and it was wonderful! Oh, it is beautiful in there. The Celestial Room is so bright and gorgeous, and I just loved being there. Maybe one day we can go on a mission here!

P.S. I got to wear the Shabby Apple dress I got with the gift card I won from the lovely Katie (from Katilda, which is one of my very favorite blogs to read) to the temple! The bright red felt very fitting for Spain. :)

Lunch of a Spanish tortilla, bread, and European orange Fanta. Also known as what I wish I could eat all day errrday. If you haven't had real Fanta (not the crap from the US) or a Spanish tortilla, then you are missing out, folks. Good stuff right there. And of course it tastes even better when enjoyed at a cute cafe with outdoor seating.

We spent the evening exploring Retiro Park.

The Crystal Palace

Pretty leaves in the park. Aren't these cool?

A view of Puerta de Alcala on the walk home.

The next and final edition of our last few days, which included a crazy bullfight, museums, my birthday, and a really beautiful, unique cathedral, will be coming soon! :) Thanks for reading! 

We saw The Piano Guys, guys!

The Piano Guys came to Mesa this week! I've been a huge fan of them for a long time, and was just a wee bit excited to get to see them live, to say the least. ;)

They were even better (and funnier) in person!

Oh, and a couple got engaged there too, which was pretty adorable. Although it did remind me how thankful I am that Dallin proposed to me when it was just the two of us, not a huge audience. Know what I mean? Which would you prefer?

All in all it was loads of fun, even if it was on a weeknight which meant a long drive home right after. 

Five Hap-pay, Hap-pay, Hap-pay Things

I've been in a funk lately that I just can't seem to shake, so here are five happy things to replace the slightly disgruntled post I was writing (because ain't nobody got time for being disgruntled, right?).

Numero Uno: This video of me smashing an egg on my head.

This is what happens when my siblings and I get together. Yes, we are crazy, but the skin on my forehead does feel silky smooth now! ;)

Number 2: These pics from our hike on Saturday. 

This place was beautiful and I'm glad I went through the trouble of waterproofing and lugging along my good camera. 

Thank you Dallin, for being the only person in the world that is whiter than me!

Number 3: Studio C

Dallin and I are a little obsessed. They are just too good. This one is my favorite!

Number 4: Baby hands and dandelions

I made a surprise trip to visit my family a few days ago, and caught my sister E picking (and then squishing) dandelions for my mom. She melts my heart (and makes me exceedingly baby hungry).

Number 5: THE PIANO GUYS!!!!

We are headed to Mesa tonight to see them! Can you tell I'm a wee bit excited??? :D

Castle #1, aqueducts, & storktown (Durfventures in Spain part 2)

(Read part 1 here)

We woke up bright and early Monday morning to take the metro to the airport, get our rental car and drive to Mérida  And by early, I mean we were awake around 4:00 or 5:00am... without an alarm or anything. Sometimes having jet lag has its perks since we were wide-eyed, bushy tailed, and ready to go instead of being really sleepy like I expected. Once we got our cute little car we successfully navigated the streets to get out of Madrid without any glitches, and that is quite impressive, ladies and gents! They have a major traffic problem, lemme tell ya. 

The drive to Mérida  which is a small-ish town about three hours drive from Madrid, was so fun. Madrid is cool and all, but I loved the Spanish countryside. Part of this probably has to do with the fact that I've never been a big fan of the beaten path.

There were lots of farms with quaint houses, vineyards, and olive orchards. 

One of the many castles we passed. They were all over the place!

A tunnel under a mountain. My siblings taught me from a very young age that holding your breath when you go through tunnels is mandatory, both to get a wish and just because that's what you do obviously. This one strongly tested my breath-holding abilities due to its length, but I am proud to say I made it, thank you very much. Please hold your applause until the end. ;)

We stopped by the cute little town of Trujillo on the way to Mérida. This was one of Dallin's favorite places from his mission, and I loved it too! Especially since it was Dallin, not me, that got to navigate these crazy streets in our car. 

Some of the many cute buildings I took pictures of during this trip! 

Trujillo's main attraction is the cool castle that has amazing views of the countryside! 

Dallin enjoying the view.

Can you see us?

These red flowers were springing out of cracks and crevices on the castle, and throughout the whole town too. I loved it! 

The castle also gave us a great view of this church.

After seeing the castle we went exploring around the town. There were lots of sweet arches...

...and lots of holding hands, which I found quite acceptable indeed.

After walking around the town we went on a little adventure exploring the city wall...

...and took advantage of a lovely photo op. 

Then if was off to Mérida! We got to stay with Petri and her family, who were some of Dallin's friends from his mission. Petri is probably the sweetest, nicest, cutest person that ever lived on this earth. She made us feel so welcome, and greeted us with lots of hugs and kisses which made me happy. :) 

Oh, and she is also an amazing cook! She stuffed us full of goodness every day. 

Spanish tortilla, amazing bread, and a rice dish made of magic. 

The first night she and Dallin took me around the town to see some of the sights. Mérida used to be the capital of Lusitania in the Roman Empire, which means there are awesome Roman ruins everywhere! 

For example, this cool aqueduct (which would be in better condition if the Arabs hadn't come in and destroyed it but is still awesome).

There is also a really cool Arabian aqueduct just a mile or so away that we saw. 

And the road goes through one of the arches!

More Roman ruins... this is the Temple of Diana.

My wonderful tour guides on the longest of the two Roman bridges. They are both still in use (wow!) and this one is almost a mile long and goes across the river. It really amazes me how long these have lasted and that even after 2,000 years they are still being used. Apparently this bridge has been restricted to foot traffic only for 20 years too! 

The Arab fortress and a section of the bridge.

Dallin, Petri, and me by one of the arches on the bridge. This picture makes me so happy. :) We love Petri!

The next day Dallin took me to see some more cool stuff!

Here is a Roman theater that I loved! Dallin got to see a play here on his mission and I am a bit very, very jealous. How cool would that be?!





Detail of the theater. Pretty cool to think that some Roman (or Roman slave) carved this roughly 2,000 years ago.

Outside the theater. If you look closely at the exterior of the theater you can tell which stones are original and which are restored since the originals have been worn down over the years.

Remember how I said there were roses everywhere?

Right next door to the theater is an amphitheater, which is basically a mini coliseum. Originally, the depression in the middle was deeper and covered with planks to make underground tunnels and chambers. Apparently this was sometimes flooded to stage naval battles, again similar to the coliseum. Pretty sweet!



Next stop was the Roman museum. Most of the original statues and such have been moved into here for obvious reasons. The museum itself was really cool with arches and natural light coming through the skylights.

Spanish candy! Mmmmmmmm... :) Both pretty and delicious!

Next we visited the Arab fortress, which was primarily made up of stones from the Roman fortress they tore down. The wall around it gave us a good view of the Roman bridge!

Just ignore whatever is going on with my face... the light was bad, to say the least.

The fortress has a cool cistern we checked out...

...and one of the best preserved sections of Roman road. P.S. the building to the right is where the stairs to get to the cistern are located.



My toesies on le road!



Later that day we went to this place Petri told us about to see this abandoned building the storks took over. I don't think I had ever seen a stork before this trip, at least as far as I can remember, but they were everywhere in Extremadura! Everywhere, I tell you! But this was the only time I saw so many nests in one place.



I s'pose this stork liked to have her space more than the others. (A bird after my own heart!)

We stayed one more night with Petri and her family, and then after a breakfast of Cola-cao and tostadas (not the kind from Taco Bell... haha! Very different!) we left Mérida for the next part of our adventure.

But not before getting hugs and kisses from Petri! :) Hopefully we can come back to see you soon!

Next up is the last part of our trip that includes beautiful Segovia, which has to be in the top 3 most gorgeous places I have ever been, and that is saying something! Stay tuned for some amazing castle pictures! :)