el pais vasco en francia y mas

So, this past week was pretty crazy. It rained- a lot. Spain likes rain, well at least the Basque country does. Speaking of which, I stinkin’ love the Basque country. It’s not touristy at all. They speak two languages- Castilian Spanish and Euskara (Basque). But yeah, this week was nuts. I had a ton of reading and spent most of the week frustrated- the speaking lab computer program doesn’t understand a word I say which means that it takes me twice as long to get stuff done in there, and I couldn’t articulate a thought to save my life in my language class. But it ended, and on Friday, CIDE took us to the French Basque country and the cities of St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz in France and Loyola, Spain. St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz are both on the Atlantic coast and are beautiful little towns by the sea. We visited la Plaza Louis XIV, la Maison Louis XIV, la iglesia de San Juan Bautista, el paseo de la Grande Plage, el Hotel du Palais (a palace turned into a hotel), el iglesia ortodoxa ruso (Russian Orthodox church), la roca de la virgen (so gorgeous- the rock of the virgen Mary by the sea- check facebook for pictures!!!), el Mercado culderto de la Rue des Halles, la Plaza Clemenceau, la calle Edouard VII, la Basílica de Loyola, and La Casa Torre. The Basílica de Loyola is the church of San Ignacio. It’s gorgeous- once again, check facebook for pictures. Mama, Daddy, and Robbie- I wish yall were here to experience all of this with me! Mama and Daddy- yall would’ve loved the basilica. The history behind it all, the in laid marble, the resemblance of every basilica to the architecture of Church of the Ascension, it’s all incredible. We had a good time, and the French Basque country is very similar to the Spanish Basque country, only they aren’t an autonomous body within France and they’re desire to secede is almost non existent compared to the Spanish. Everything was written in Euskara and French. Tapas, pintxos, basque cream cake (it’s gross- I promise), and the flag were everywhere. We had paella (a rice and meat dish- it’s yummy!), chicken, pan (mucho pan!), and flan (so gross- it tasted like eggs, and yes, I know it’s made from eggs) for lunch. Our bus broke down in Spain, just outside of the French border, and we had to wait an hour for another one. All I have to say is that one hour is nothing compared to the thirteen I spent in Amarillo this summer- my girls know exactly what I’m talking about- how about that motel and breakfast with Texas shaped waffles? haha. I love yall! We got back, and I hung out at the dorm for a little bit with Boo and Kristin. I got yelled at by the guard because I left 2 hours late- oops. On Saturday, we celebrated Amanda’s 21st birthday. We had a blast and dressed up- Dan and Steve looked very dapper in their button downs with a tie (Dan) and sweater vest (Steve). I enjoyed the opportunity to wear Grove attire on a different continent. haha. We went to a discothèque and had a blast. We’ve decided that, as Americans, it’s our job to show the Spaniards how to have fun. And for real, we do it… The Lord has blessed CIDE and me with some crazy fun kids and I’m having a blast. If I can ask yall to pray for one thing, I’m fighting a chest cold- my voice is pretty much gone and I have more phlegm in my lungs than I know what to do with (Mama- I know, I know, I should just suck it up and go to the doctor). Anyway, I love yall and hope you have a wonderful week! Check facebook for pictures of the French Basque country. I love all of the comments on my pictures and the messages!