Where in the World is Katherine Anne Willis....

So contrary to popular belief I have not fallen off the face of the earth... even though my blog may appear that way. The past 8 weeks of my life have been rather interesting. Working in Spain was marvelous. I enjoyed getting to know some fantastic individuals as well as being surrounded by the culture that I love so much. I had some crazy, fun, and spiritual experiences over those few weeks. One of which was being grabbed off of a random bus by none other than a guy I had had a fling with 5 years ago. Quite possibly the scariest and most random experiences of my life. If you want to know more just ask. I have decided I'm a pretty open book, there very few things that I keep completely private in my life. I have not yet decided whether that is a good or bad thing.
I went dancing one of my last weekends in Spain. While going back to my hotel we ran through some sprinklers on a hill, and well somebody lost their balance and I went sliding down on my back through the mud. I wish I had taken a picture, and a picture of people's faces when they saw me. I also spent some time with a few people who I had taught while I was on my mission. It was a sweet experience to be with them. I learned to appreciate the beautiful art in the Prado. Learning the artistic styles of Italian and Flemish schools. I will forever be amazed by how much Dr. Rosenberg knows. I never thought I could be in an art museum for four hours straight and not even think twice about it. Learning from him will be an experience of a life time.

Shortly after the program ended I started my great adventure with my sister. We briefly took in Madrid which included seeing a processional in the middle of the city for James the Apostle. It was quite exciting, I love when traditions come alive. We spent part of the night in the airport before flying to Paris at 5:30 in the morning. I couldn't really sleep much, which for those of you who know me well is quite odd. :) My sister brought a banana with her that was quite possibly the best banana of my life. In fact I even called it the dream banana. Anyway... Paris was amazing. I was absolutely enchanted by the city. Contrary to popular opinion I found the French to be very nice and helpful. Our stroll through the Louvre was impressive. We spent two days taking in as much as we could Versailles, the Eiffel Tower, Rodin Museum, Napoleon's Tomb, the Arc de Triumph, a stroll down the Champs de Elysees, Notre Dame, Sacre-Coeur Basilica, the Tour de France, and just simply admiring the beauty of the city. Paris has definitely put its self on a list of cities worth visiting again. Rome came calling next. We checked into our hostel, where the very nice lady at the front desk told us where to go in the city. We were able to see a church where the wooden cradle of Christ was... sketchy, but interesting none the less. Another church had Michaelangelo's Moses. Then we went off to the Colosseum. It never ceases to amaze me how history comes alive as you see these places. It is truly remarkable and awe inspiring. I did have rather awkward run in with a guy posing as a Roman soldier outside the Colosseum. This picture might explain why...if you want the story just ask. We then barely slipped into the Roman Forum right before closing. Once again , it was very impressive. The next day we attempted to take in the Vatican, which I believe to be nearly impossible. Everything is absolutely astonishing especially the Sistine chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.
The next day we found ourselves on a train to Venice. Although I said I'd simply be content with just seeing the grand canal, I was happy with what we were able to take in. Probably one of the highlights of the trip was our walk from the train station to the piazza de San Marco. It was earlier in the morning so as we winded through the streets we found our selves at the open air market. It was beautiful. The variety of fruits, vegetables, and seafood was amazing. I loved the colors and the atmosphere that surround it. Peering down the small canals to see gondolas, doorsteps, and laundry out to dry made me smile. We also were able to take the boat bus over to the island of Murano and Lido. Murano is famous for its glass making, and Lido for its beaches. We did take advantage of the beach and finished off the day with a nice swim. Also I forgot to mention that earlier as we were looking at some souvenirs, I overheard a woman talking to a gondolier about pricing for a gondola. She wanted to find two more people to go with her and her husband to split the cost. I watched her go back over to her husband, and thought why not and asked if she'd like for us to join them. It worked out quite well, because we got a ride for less than we had budgeted for. :)
Soon we were off again to London. I fell in love with London. Well with everything besides the fact that our dollar is simply pathetic over there. But the city was again enchanting. My mom joined us there. Being together just "the girls" was fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the British Museum, seeing WICKED, strolling through Portabello market, taking in Westminister Abbey, the Globe, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, London Bridge, and Hyde Park. We also had the adventure of renting a car and driving to Burbage where my great great great grandmother is from. The church in the town was beautiful. But the walk through town to get there, was one of my favorite parts. :) We also enjoyed seeing Stonehenge. That was a very quick summary of London. It truly was marvelous. I very much appreciated having my mother around simply because she knows so much and it was wonderful to simply ask a question out of curiosity and she always knew the answer. Rachel flew back to the US, and my mom and I flew back to Spain. I had the wonderful opportunity of showing her around the country that I love so much. We stayed quite busy seeing a different city everyday; Toledo, Avila, Segovia, El Escorial, and Madrid. I was grateful that my mom could finally see so many of the things I have been talking about for years. One of the silly ones being that there are so many old people in Spain. They are always out on the street. I really wasn't exaggerating. :) A funny little story from the trip to Segovia was a little run in that we had after walking down to the bottom of the hill to take a picture of the castle. I particularly want to hike back up to the castle, but it seemed inevitable after walking down. Oddly enough as we were about to head back up a taxi pulled up and a woman popped out of the cab asking if we spoke English. She explained to me that she couldn't communicate with the cab driver, so I went over and talked to him. While I was talking to him the lady offered for us to ride with them back up to the top of the hill if I'd translate for them for an hour. It was quite the experience, but it worked out great for both parties I think. :)
And although this is a shameful job of trying to wrap up my amazing trip, it will have to do. Better late than never right? :)

Here are some pictures. :)