Alrighty... so it has been a while since I updated this so I apologize.... I have been very busy with my parents visiting and I just finished midterms.. so next stop Italy and Egypt! My parents visit was great... we spent a few days in Madrid and Barcelona and then took a day trip to Toledo (about a 35 minute train ride away from Madrid). Barcelona was great... minus the delay of the flight because the French airtraffic controllers were on strike. However, it seems as though they solved their problems because the flight back was on time and Ryanair even greeted us with a "Dundadadun, Another Ryanair Flight has arrived on time!!!" needless to say I have learned that Europeans tend to celebrate when things go according to plan. However, back to Barcelona... it is a very beautiful city... the Sagrada Familia (the cathedral in the pictures) is one of the most impressive things that I have seen since being here.... and although they began building it in the late 1800s it is still not finished (I'm not surprised..its Spain). While we were there we hit up a couple Irish Pubs and conversed with a Swede.... he was very friendly (contrary to my previous opinion of the Swedish being rather cold) but I suppose the shot and what Im sure were many beers he consumed before talking to us fostered the interaction. While we were in Madrid we saw the Palacio Royal and just happened to be walking by during the changing of the guards...more pictures to come.

On another note my political science professor is still full of stereotypes.. he was talking about the world post WWII with the start of the Cold War and all of the sudden stopped for a moment and then posed the question, ¿Quién tiene la llave al mundo? (and who has the key to the world?) and then points to Ben (an another American) and me and screams "You two, the United States!" I had no other choice but to burst out laughing... he is so ridiculous sometimes... I wanted to stand up and say I wasn't even alive... will you please stop singaling us out in class... everytime he mentions the US his eyes dart over to us and there are also a British girl and a French guy in the class (he doesn't seem to be fond of either of the countries) and everytime he discusses France or England he looks at them as well...we always meet after class and laugh about what ridiculous stereotype he has referenced that day.... I think France has taken the hardest hit so far... he has given the US a lot of credit and is always saying how Europe can't get their s*** together so they are always 15 years behind us... but anyways enough on my crazy political science teacher... I probably won't be writing for a while because I am going to be in Italy and Egypt for Semana Santa but I'll be sure to come back with lots of pictures! Hasta Luego!