I am a Princess.

Sometimes the best adventures happen by accident. They're the beautiful corners you stumble upon, the waterfalls hidden in a forest, the palaces sitting in the mountains. You can't plan moments that wow you, but if you're really lucky... They just sort of happen?

Some of the girls from my study abroad group wanted to go hiking this afternoon. I thought it would be a great opportunity to give you patient people the photos that you've been waiting for. What I didn't consider was the fact that I'm not even the slightest bit athletic. That trait passed me up in the gene pool. I can barely walk through my bedroom without bumping into something. I can't walk down the street without tripping over my own feet. I was crazy to even think that I could hike.

I was in mid-stride as my brain breathlessly began saying "No, no, girlfriend. No." My entire body felt like I had dipped myself in olive oil. That's how gross I felt. Miserable was not how I wanted to spend my day. I'm not a hiker. I'm a wanderer. Gasping for air and praying for water is not a good time. As the rest of the girls hit the hiking trail, I decided to do what I do best... Get lost.

I'm one of those girls that if I get lost, I end up finding some really incredible things. It's fate. You always find what you're not looking for. In life, love, and adventure....When you stop looking and just breathe, something magical will find you. 

Today, I just so happened to walk right into the Alhambra, an old, Muslim fortress turned royal palace. I'm sure I was supposed to buy a ticket or something, but no one stopped me? I just kind of walked in, not really paying attention to where I was going.

The Alhambra was built in the 9th century, according to Google. Most people had nice recorders that explained to them what everything was. I guess if I had payed a couple of Euros, I would know more about the Alhambra. My fellow tourists walked around with their fanny packs, Nikons, and hand-held devices... but I had Siri. She gave me all of the information that I really needed anyway and I didn't have to pay her for it. 

I don't need an in-depth explanation of dates and facts in order to admire how beautiful something is. I can see it with my own eyes. I said in the beginning that I wanted to come to Europe to marvel at something. The Alhambra was definitely worth marveling at. Imagine all of the people that have came and went in the past thousand years. Kings, Sultans, and princesses... They've all stood where I stood and saw what I saw. It's an incredible rush of adventure to know that wandering could lead you inside of something that time has preserved.

I was the stereotypical tourist that draped her camera around her torso and stopped to read maps that said "You are here" without truly knowing where "here" was. It is quite relaxing to just move around from place to place with no agenda, no quick-footed tour guide to tell you to hurry and keep up. I marveled on my own time, lingered longer than I had to, and sat on the ledge of the palace without wondering if I had lost my group.

I even watched a girl get "blessed" by a gypsy. The poor girl wasted her money on a twig of rosemary, but I got a laugh out of it.

It took every bit of my strength to not begin quoting the movie, "Borat." 

Do not fear me, gypsy.

Have you ever just sat and laughed at some of the situations that you get yourself in? Maybe you burnt your finger on a hot plate that you knew not to touch... Or maybe you found money in an old jacket pocket... That is how I felt today. I laughed on the ledge of the Alhambra for a good twenty minutes about how I just seem to end up at the right place at the right time. There were several episodes this afternoon where I would ask Siri where I was... Even she didn't know there for a minute. 

Granada just keeps getting more and more beautiful by the second.. My classes begin tomorrow, so I'll be able to learn a little more Spanish, more history, and have a better understanding of the place that I'm living in. I have felt more alive in the last 2 weeks than I have in my entire 20 years.

There is something exhilarating about living every single day as though it is some grand adventure. I won't know what to do when the day comes that I have to give all of this up. I feel like Cinderella. It's all magical for awhile, but it won't last forever. . . Unless some Spaniard finds my shoe? And asks me to marry him? I don't see that happening, but then again, I never thought I would live in Europe either. Anything can happen, right?