Super 7 Shots

Well, its been about 6 months since my last post. I have been reading so many other great Expat blogs by people (mostly other American girls) living in Spain, about what they are doing, how they are making it, who they are making it with, etc. All very interesting to me. I envy their ability to blog so freely and share all their feelings--and most of all, remember at the end of the day what it is they really wanted to add to their blog. So now, that I'm packing my bags for a "visit" home, or rather, I should be, I would rather take this time to distract me from the task ahead and write my very own Hostelbooker's 7 Super Shots from my travels. This year I haven't been traveling as much, but I have seen some amazing things even close to my second home. Spain has endless new places to explore and all of them more beautiful than the next. What I most love about Spain are the wide open spaces--the people are so concentrated in the cities that it leaves vast area open for....nothing. Which is absolutely beautiful!
As I go through ALL the many shots I have, it is sooooo hard to just choose one. Let's see... a shot that takes my breath away....like, ALL of them? There have been so many moments that I can't even believe what I'm seeing!

So, my Super 7 Shots:

A photo that takes my breath away:


This moment was captured at an unknown beach in Caiscais, Portugal, that Fernando and some friends and I happened upon by chance after some botched directions by an old Portuguese man that Fernando attempted to understand. We arrived just as the sun was setting, and it couldn't have been more beautiful. All at once, the sun got really low and got in a place behind the clouds do it could poke its rays out in a perfect arc onto the water. What a moment!


A photo that makes me laugh or smile:

This one is not really travel but its from a moment that I think is funny and it was a night that was so special and fun. It was at Fernando and my birthday party last year (our birthdays are 6 days apart), and I vaguely remember seeing my parents have a similar photo cutting a cake...
Another:

My friend Jaclyn is an expert at painting faces and dressing up. There's not much she enjoys more! She painted our faces identically for Carnaval last year where we went as tigers. The paint was so realistic and people were staring at us the whole night. I felt like a superstar! Thanks Jac! You can see our cat counterparts next to and behind us. More:



A photo that makes me dream:

This photo makes me dream because in all my travels, I still haven't had the chance to go to the Grand Canyon. I think of all the amazing photo opportunities I might have there and it reminds me so much of Ravi, who went so many places in the world that I only dream of going.

A photo that makes me think:


This photo makes me think because it reminds me of the image that the rest of the world has of America. This photo was taking at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC, an incredible city dedicated to the governing and the history, whether good or bad, of the United States. I learned SO MUCH when I lived in Washington, and I walked around marveling daily at all the amazing and important monuments and tributes to American citizens. This photo makes me think because it reminds me of the way I perceive being American not living in the country. My views are always changing but I am always proud and very fortunate that I was born in the USA.

A photo that makes my mouth water:

Las ensaimadas from Mallorca. We went to this traditional restaurant with Monica and the kids with homemade ice cream that was really icy and creamy and you could tell it was made with fresh strawberries and nos hinchamos (we stuffed ourselves) with ensaimadas, a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth pastry that has dough like air and this amazing ice cream. It helped that it was hot out, until we finished and had to walk around in the streets with our bellies THAT full.


A photo that tells a story:

This may seem weird and romantic, way too romantic for me, but its something that I love happening and I also can't figure out why it happens. Are there a TON of pure white horses in Spain? Maybe. Are they always at the same place where I am? Yes. Particularly if I am with Fernando. White horses have become a symbol of my life in Spain and a symbol of the great times that I have had. When Fernando and I go on a road trip in the car, or on vacation to a different country, or just happen upon something beautiful, be it a little pueblo or on a hike, we see a white horse. There is always just one, usually by itself but sometimes with other brown, gray, and black horses. Occasions when we/I have seen white horses since I have lived in Spain (all I can remember):
Lisbon, Portugal, January 2011. Saw white horse among a bunch of houses on a hill while driving. Not a place for a horse.
Hike in Ciudad Real province. Fernando happened to come even though it was from my school. Just happened upon a little Manchegan farmer and he invited us in to his farm to see his animals... well, ANIMAL. An absolutely gorgeous, wouldn't you know it, WHITE Cordobes horse.
We went to Urrez, a town near Burgos, but a tiny tiny tiny town, and on the way back to Burgos we pulled over ot the side of the road because we saw a ton of horses galloping along the road. Only one was white and when we got out of the car it came over to us.
On my way back to CR from Burgos one time, on the bus we passed a lone creek, and there was no one around, but there was a white horse drinking from the creek. Surreal.
When I did the Romeria de Torralba, a religious pilgrimage in a little town near CR, I was offered the chance to ride a horse. There were four horses, and only one white. My friend Evaristo asked the owner if I could ride one, and the one he grabbed was....you guessed it, the white one. I RODE a white horse!
There have been numerous other occasions where we have been driving in the car and see a white horse on the side of the road, in a pasture, on a farm, behind a fence, or just standing alongside the road. Its really incredible.
Some of my other white horse encounters:


Horse fit for a princess...this one was so beautiful.


A photo I am proud of (a Nat Geo shot):

Well, I don't think this is a National Geographic worthy shot, but I love it. Its from Santorini, Greece, one of the most beautiful places on Earth in my opinion. I have never seen bluer water. At first I hated that there was a guy in the picture, but then I thought it gives it a little bit of character.