Lisboa

Bom dia! I am currently sitting in an internet cafe in Lisbon, Portugal. A bit of a stretch from England Term, but thanks to Bethel´s love of travel we students get ten days in the middle of the semester to, quite literally, go wherever we want. Myself and two friends picked Lisbon, and here I am, burning in the hot October sun.
Since I last got to post I have only changed countries once (shocking, I know). After a couple of days in Bayeux, we headed back to Paris to end the first half of the term with romance. Our last full day in Bayeux we visited the Normandy beaches and the American World War II cemetery. It was a really powerful thing to be there, and I´m really glad I got to experience it. The white gravestone markers feel like the go on forever and it is nearly impossible to comprehend all of those people dying for America.
That night we had a banquet to say goodbye to our first professor of the trip. This is the first time on England Term that we have two professors and I think it was really tough on a lot of us to say goodbye. We all stood up and said a little something, and thanked both DR and Judy (our professor and his wife) for their planning and care. We are really going to miss them.
Then we headed back to Paris and enjoyed the city. We walked through parks, saw the Eifel Tower, went to the Louvre, walked along the Seine, bought books, sat in cafes, drank coffee and saw Notre Dame. Paris is everything everyone tells you it is, just with a higher bill at the end. I really did love Paris though. I just wish I spoke French, and then I would have loved it more.
Then after about five days in Paris we flew to Lisbon ahd here I sit. We´ve been here four days and it is lovely. The weather is gorgeous, the river is beautiful and the sites are great. The city is pretty cheap too, and I can get one meal from the market for about €2. The markets (one which we went to today) are alive with color and sound. The streets have little trolleys taking people from one end of the city to the other and the streets are cobblestone mazes slopping up and down the Portuguese hills. Thus far I´ve seen a castle, a 360 ft cement Jesus (and sat at his feet to relax), a handful of amazing sunsets, and a ruined cathedral from afar. I´ve taken loads of pictures that I´m sure you´ll be able to see someday soon, and I´m having a wonderful, calm, relaxing time.
Thank you again and again for your thoughts and prayers. I´m thinking of you all and wishing you were here with me. I miss you all so much and can´t wait to tell you more.
Miles