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Last week, we took a day trip with the school program.  We had four stops.  1) A church in Cantabria that claims to have (and has been backed up with scientific data) a piece of the holy cross that Jesus was crucified on, 2) Los Picos de Europa, where we took a cable car up to the top of a mountain.  Up there we had lunch and took TONS of pictures.  3) The town of Potes.  A quaint, beautiful little town that seemed to be all made up of cobblestones with the mountains in the background.  Beautiful.  4) A church also in Cantabria that is unusual because of its Muslim architechture, which is not common up here in northern Spain.  The church was built in the 10th century!

3) (in Potes) Little dogs are EVERYWHERE in Spain.  This one was in the town of Potes, and was very friendly.  When I asked the owner its name, he said "Mini."  I asked, "Como (like) Minnie Mouse?" and he said, "No, como Miniatura!" (miniature)

4) The church built in the 10th century

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4) This olive tree is a symbol of the wife of the man who built the church, because both olives trees and his wife were from southern Spain.  This tree was planted here over 1000 years ago!

Jamon is EVERYWHERE in this country!

1) It's said that if you pass through this door (which is only only on Jubilee years), you will be pardoned of your sins and get to Heaven quicker.  It's called La Puerta de los Pardones (The Door of Pardons).  Too bad it's not a Jubilee year....

1) Inside of the church.  I used the panoramic view to get the ceiling in too.  The huge golden contraption is a holder for the piece of the cross.

Countryside in Cantabria.

2) The view from the top of Los Picos de Europa.

2) Again, the view from Los Picos.  Using panoramic mode.  See the little person on the left in the blue jacket?  That's me!

2)  A beer-vending machine by the exit to go down in the cable car from the mountain top.  Spain has such a different concept of alcohol, it's incredible.

3) Potes.  Enchanting, no?

3)  Las chicas en Potes.  Lilia, Christine, Ashley, Kelsey, and Mollie.

3) A bridge in Potes

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1) The wood from the Holy Cross is inside this golden cross.  See the little opening right below the cross?  That's where we were able to touch the wood.  The priest wiped the wood between each touch.  It was incredible smooth from so many people touching it.  Because of the Cross, this church is a holy destination for thousands and thousands of people.  People travel on foot for days to visit it.  Incredible.

3) Potes.  Mom, this donkey made me think of you.

That's all the pictures from the excursion.  Oh but I have more...

This is my friend Isma introducing us to "calimocho," which is red wine and Coca-cola mixed together.  It's a cheap way to drink before you go out to the bars.  Would I do such a thing?  Never... ;)

I took this picture at about 2:30 AM on a Friday night.  The plaza was FULL of people.  Of all ages. (Well, between, say, 15-65.) 

A bar we've been to a few times... last time, we heard a medley of songs from the movie "Grease."  And EVERYONE was singing.  Awesome.

Some new friends we made.  =)

One of my favorite foods yet.  The white is a delicious light-tasting cheese, and the top is like a apple jelly, but a little drier, like we cut slices with a butter knife.  I can't get enough of this stuff.

Typical lunch.  Tomatoes with vinegar, oil and salt, eggs, and a few slices of ham.

La Bahia de Santander (The Bay of Santander).  This picture was taken by the boardwalk.

Lunch.  The first fast-food I've had here!  The 4-cheese flavor packed a punch!  And the others were barbecue, bacon, and ham.  My fav was the BBQ, although it didn't taste like typical BBQ.

Last Sunday was Gregoria's (Conchi's mom's) birthday.  The entire family came over to the apartment a little party.

Course One:  Paella de Mariscos (seafood paella).  Delicious.

Course Two:  Some sort of seasoned and fried meat with peppers.  Also delicious, albeit a little salty.

This isn't the best photo, but this is Gregoria blowing out her birthday candles, with Ramon (on her lap) helping.  Conchi (my host mom) is the one with the green apron holding the cake out.

Dessert:  I believe it's called Torta... it had a layer like flan and the bottom layer was quite coconut-y.  Also yummy.

This is Gollum (spelling?), Beatriz's dog.  (Beatriz is Conchi's daughter.)  Yes, his name is Gollum like the hobbit/creature from The Lord of the Rings.

 More pictures:

On Monday, we went on a little walk and we visited the Plaza de Toros here in Santander.  Here we are posing by a statue of a bullfighter outside the Plaza. (Isma, me, Ashley, Christine, Mollie, Jesika)

These olive trees were in a park.  I love the way they look!

In parks all over Santander, there is public workout machines like this one, which are hilarious.  This one is like a pull-up, I suppose.  You pull on the bars and it raises the seat.

And this is a treadmill.  A treacherous one.  I was laughing because I thought I was going to biff it!  All it is is rolling bars on a slight slant.  Definitely not easy to do.

Another typical meal: Vegetable puree, little fried things with tomato and tuna (yum), potato chips, and bread.  Always bread.  Baguette style.  I have yet to have "normal" aka "sliced" bread here in Spain.

Typical lunch.  Lentil soup with a piece of sausage, meatballs and potato chips.  And there's bread on the table too, like always. =)

A neat graffiti-ed wall in Santander.

Mom, Dad, check out this shrub!  They should import from KG I'm thinking...

Typical dinner:  Fish fillets covered with a sort of gravy with peas (I had to pick around the bones... not easy), tomatoes with vinegar oil and salt (I think she keeps giving me those because every time I say how much I like them... they're delicious!) and bread.  And I likely had yogurt or pudding for dessert.

Another typical meal:  Espagueti aka Spaghetti.  And it's quite possible that after this enormous plate, she brought me course 2, such as chicken.  And then fruit.  I know I eat a lot, but so far, I think I've walked enough to keep the weight off!

A little side street in Santander.

So far, I've had a great time in Santander.  I went to Madrid last weekend... I plan on blogging about it tomorrow or so.  Sorry the postings haven't been very frequent... My internet connection here at the apartment is very hit-and-miss, and sometimes it takes a super long time to download pictures.  As for now, I need to go study for my exam tomorrow!  I miss you all!  And I love hearing from you, whether it's by email or facebook or Skype... I want to hear about what's going on at home!

Besos! Adios!