Ignorance is Bliss?

Buckle up, it's been an exciting few weeks, so this will be longer!! 

"Ignorance is bliss": a phrase I've heard many times, yet never thought about, until arriving in Spain. One would assume that with technology where it is before arriving to a country I would excitedly look up all of the random facts, places to go, sights to see, and important information about that country. Key words: One would assume. But, not this girl. Nope. I didn't look up a single picture of Sevilla, surprisingly only slightly stalked my now roommate on Facebook, didn't look up any facts about Spain or its traditions-- nothing. So, whenever a conversation about Feria, cities to go to, countries to visit or sights to see get brought up, you can imagine the looks of confusion I may portray. (In my defense, I was learning how to be content and enjoy the moments I was in while home?!) The lack of knowledge of these cities, countries and adventures, however has worked in my favor, especially recently.

I have to pinch myself what seems to be everyday reminding myself that this is in fact my life. The fact that people ask me "How was your weekend? What did you do?" And I have to contemplate which country I was in still amazes me. I am so. thankful. It's been absolutely amazing visiting new places, countries and sights. The fact that I'm "checking things off of my bucket list" (Which is really just growing longer-- 1 check off = @ least 2 new boxes needing to be checked), still amazes me. Back up to two weeks ago. The group I am studying abroad with took 150+ of us to Lisbon, Portugal. Friday was filled with a guided tour and the beautiful sights of Lisbon. Friday night ended with a group of 7 of us finding a restaurant, which served the typical Portuguese dish, bacalao (cod). It was amazing. The servers were incredibly kind and helpful, and the food was delicious. 

The Tower of Belen
 was just a little windy

Saturday we woke up to a delicious breakfast at our hotel, and headed to the (extremely windy) Tower of Belen. We tried another typical Portuguese dessert- pastel de Belen, and it was soo tasty! A group of us then booked it to the train station, and took a trip to a local city our host mom suggested, Sintra. WOW. It was breathtaking. 10/10 recommendation from our host mom, because it definitely lived up to her hype! 
We made it to the park 5 minutes before they stopped selling tickets, so we quickly ran (literally) up the 300 meter incline to find the beautiful Pena Palace; the perfect princess castle set in and above the clouds. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground, because it was truly breathtaking. We couldn't stop smiling, laughing, or taking pictures, it was "splendid." That night we returned to Lisbon where we finished the night eating the most incredible gelato/sorbet I've ever tasted, bought out a street artist's collection of paintings, and listened to a 22 year old play the cello extremely well. Lisbon was filled with lots of kind people, talented street performers/artists, tasty food, and lots of great memories and sights. 

Pena Palace

So many beautiful colors!

Pena Palace, Sintra

Evora, Portugal

Fast forward one week, which was filled with lots and lots of homework. (YES, I actually do study for tests, write papers, prepare and present presentations, and have homework every night!!) The next 6 weeks are going to fly by, so I've been trying to use my time as wisely as possible, so that I can enjoy every second of the upcoming weekends and special trips. Writing papers and checking things off of my to do list felt great, but it felt even better Thursday night when I arrived to my long-awaited weekend to London. I could hardly contain my excitement as we got off the plane, got through customs and I left the 9 girls I had flown with, ordered a cab and was on my way to stay with a friend for the weekend. I was so excited, that within the first .5 seconds of being there I made a rookie mistake.... I followed the cab driver to the car thinking to myself, "Wow, how kind-- he's going to the passenger side to open the door for me!" I quickly realized that DUH, I'm in the U.K., where they drive on the wrong (I mean left) side of the road with the steering wheel on the right. 

The feeling that a car was going to crash into us at any moment didn't seem to matter, because nothing could wipe the grin off my face due to the sheer fact that I was in England!! (Idk whose life I'm living, but I'm still 99.99% sure it's not Rachel Shive's.) 

I arrived to my friend's house around 11pm, where we quickly caught up over the last few months of life, and discussed our plans for the weekend. Besides the fact that falling asleep was difficult due to my excitement, I had a great night of sleep and woke up early Friday morning to take the train/tube into London to meet up with half the girls at Kensington Palace. It took a few extra minutes to find my way around London by myself (crosswalks aren't really a thing, which made it socially acceptable for me to J-Walk--a thing my friends here in Sevilla frequently yell at me for!) but, I finally met with them at Kensington Palace, and we made our way to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. 

Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Guard

The sergeant on Lion Heart

Looking back, the palace itself was a little underwhelming in comparison to the other palaces and places we've seen, but the changing of the guard made it all worth it. We got there early, which resulted in an incredible spot to see all that was about to take place! One might have thought I had never seen a horse, due to my excitement and amazement at how well behaved they all were! The sergeant on LionHeart who was closest to us was incredibly kind, funny and excited to share all sorts of interesting, useful information about the Royal Family, horses, training involved, changing of the guard etc.!! All of the police officers/guards had a great sense of humor, and it was quite amusing to hear them crack a joke one minute, then quickly tell the "ladies and gents to keep walking, horses are the same in your country!" in their awesome British accents. The changing of the guard itself was so fun, and was quite the ordeal. Nothing could wipe the smile off my face or the joy in my heart that I was experiencing. The 5 of us couldn't help but giggle and remind the others "We're at Buckingham Palace in London.. what is this?!"  

Next, we walked through the beautiful St.James Park and to Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye. Westminster Abbey was rather solemn after the attack that occurred just 2 days prior. We decided to stop and pray for the people of London, and all those that were affected. Shortly after, a man stopped and asked us if we were Christians and praying.

Westminster Memorial:
The tough reminder that life is short;
"Let your light shine before others,
 that they may see your good works
and give glory to your Father in Heaven."
Matthew 5:16

It was such a great reminder that people are watching, whether we realize it or not. It is in these dark times that we as Christians are called to share the LIGHT of Jesus Christ and the HOPE he provides.

After spending some time looking at the memorials and keeping quiet, we took pictures of the London Eye from across the river, then took the tube (underground system) to Baker Street (Sherlock fans?) and ate fish and chips for lunch.  

We then took a double-decker bus (another first) to Abbey Road, and took the infamous Beatles picture. Next, we made our way to Notting Hill, where we were greeted by rows upon rows of beautifully-colored houses. We grabbed delicious belgian waffles and nutella for a snack, then took the tube again to the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square. Here, my friend met up with us after work and took us to a local place for dinner, where we ate--you guessed it, fish and chips!! The night was filled with lots of laughs, accent impersonations and questions for my British friend, Seb.

Abbey Road

<This day was filled with approximately 35,000 steps and 15.5 miles, but you can't put a step count on the memories, laughs and good times that were had.>

Big Ben

London Eye

The beautiful streets of Notting Hill lined with rows of pastel-colored houses.

Had Peanut-butter (Gelato) for the first time since arriving in Europe-- a taste I didn't realize I missed so much!

My beautiful stay for the weekend.

Although I didn't think it possible, Saturday was even better. Saturday morning started early, and was filled with English must-haves-- hot crossed buns, and a taste of marmite (not my favorite!) I got a tour of my friend's beautiful house, then we walked about 25 minutes to the train station through the beautiful countryside of Surrey, England (reminding me of one of my fav movies- "The Holiday!".)

The day began by ticking off the Natural History museum, then the infamous Parent Trap-House, which costs approximately $15 million (what!!!). 

"I have a brilliant beyond brilliant idea!!!"

The houses and surrounding area were absolutely beautiful (and rather expensive!!) We stopped by the giant department store Harrod's, then made our way to South Bank, Millennium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral. We stopped at a rooftop bar for a mid-day break, which overlooked the beautiful St.Paul's Cathedral. The rooftop held great views, and had heaters on outside-giving the illusion that it was a hot summer day in London---perfection! Also, the weather could NOT have been better. It didn't rain one drop, and we had beautiful 58 degree weather in London in March-- unheard of! 

St. Paul's Cathedral from the Madison Rooftop

After our relaxing break we continued to hit the ground running, making our way to the Borough Market, where he sweet-talked his way into 2-3 samples at most every booth! Here, I tried Turkish Delight, instantly resulting in feeling as though I was in the presence of Edmund and the White Witch in Narnia! We got delicious pulled-pork sandwiches on a ciabatta roll for a late lunch, then made our way back to South Bank to eat by the river. Next on the list was Tower Bridge & the Tower of London. The London Bridge wasn't pretty, and was literally just a bridge, but the Tower Bridge was beautiful! The Tower of London, home of the crowned jewels was soo cool and something I highly recommend! The carats that each of the jewels was made up of is a number I probably can't even count to!!! Once the Tower closed we met up with a few of the girls, and got some inside peeks of London from the Londoner himself. 

Next up on the list was SkyGardens, a rooftop bar with yet another awesome view of London. Lots of joy, laughter and conversation was shared while seeing more of the beautiful city of London lit up at night. Seb then took us to a cheap (for London) restaurant, where even more laughs, jokes, and questions were asked about London, adventure and travel. 

The Tower Bridge 

South Bank views

Hanging out with the Guard at the Tower of London

Awesome recommendations
from this guy to get the best food
 & see the greatest views! 5 star Tour Guide

Special thanks to Seb who opened up his home to me and gave up his weekend to be a tour guide to myself and 10 other girls at some points! All in all, I checked off lots of things from my bucket list, and experienced sooo much more than I could have asked for or expected. 

<Even though we took the tube quite often, this day was filled with 39,600 steps & 17.8 miles, resulting in sore feet but an incredibly full and happy heart.>

Sunday we made our way back to Sevilla with hearts full of joy, memories, inside jokes, and incredible times. 

So, ignorance is bliss? I've found that it couldn't be more true. These past two weekends (and this whole trip) have been more than I could ask or imagine. Who knew that knowing nothing and having close to zero expectations could result in so much joy, laughter and memories?! 

God has been teaching me a lot, stretching me, challenging me, and continually reminding me of how blessed I am to live the life I am. I'm so incredibly thankful for all of the experiences I'm getting, the places and countries I've visited, the memories I've made, the pictures I've taken, and the friends I've made. I don't want to take a single second of these incredible opportunities for granted, and want to give the glory and thanks to my incredible God.
The next 6 weeks are sure to fly by, but I am so excited for all that God will surely do in my life and through me. Ephesians 3:16-20 is one of my favorite passages in God's Word, and is going to be my prayer for the next 6 weeks here in Sevilla/Europe. Here, Paul is praying for the people of Ephesus-- for spiritual strength, & that they would have strength to understand God's love. That is my prayer for my personal walk with Christ, but also for those around me who don't know Christ and the love, hope and gift He has to offer. My prayer is that others may see Christ's love, hope and compassion through my actions and words each and every day. Ephesians 3:16-21:

"16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Thank you, Jesus for this incredible life I get to live. Thank you for the experiences, memories, fun times, and challenges. Continue to challenge me, and make me more like you each and every day. Refine me, so that others may see your love and hope through the way I live my life. Amen