Constanta

Hello Everyone!

I know it has been a really long time since my last post, so I have a lot to catch up on. Last week was our mid-semester retreat. Our group ended up going to Constanta, Romania. It is right off the coast of the Black Sea and is actually one of the biggest ports in Europe. It is winter still, even near the coast, so it was pretty cold, but it was wonderful anyway. We spent a lot of time just walking around the pier, looking at the ocean and collecting seashells, it was really peaceful. The first day we went down to the pier there were these three accordion players playing on the pier as we were walking, it gave me one of the most surreal feelings I have had in a really long time. I loved it. It was even romantic because Justin and I started dancing to the music, right on the edge of the pier next to the ocean..=) Then Maylee saw that we were having a really fun time and she wanted to dance with us, so all three of us started dancing and then people started watching us and the accordion player started singing, it was amazing! I felt like I was in a movie. Sunday after church Justin and I decided to take a walk around the giant lake that the branch was located by. We ended up finding the beach in Mamaia, a town just out side of Constanta, which apparently is really close to where the branch meets and we walked around on the sandy beach (the beach in Constanta wasn't sandy, it was just a beach full of shells). Our walk lasted about 2 hours and we were able to see a lot. Since it is winter in Constanta there weren't a whole lot of people around, but it seems to me that during the summer it can get pretty busy. There were a lot of shops, especially by the beach that weren't open. I really enjoyed being there when it the city was a little more desolate because it seemed like we were there alone and everything was quite, but it also made me wonder what the city would be like in the summer when it is more alive. It was a really relaxing trip and I was so grateful that the program has us take a week off. It was a much needed break for all of us.