I had a busy day at school and at home studying for my big cine test! I was going to pack today but it didn't happen. Tara and I stayed at school in between classes and after classes in order to study. I put some good time in and feel good about it! First test of the semester :)
Segovia/Madrid 21/03
Today I went to class, took my cine exam and then impatiently sat through my next class. The exam went well I think! I am just happy that it is over with. I ran home from my classes to quickly pack my bag, organize my room for leaving, and grab a quick lunch. Puri packed me a dinner which was really nice. I then went to meet Tara and Katelin to catch the bus at the aqueduct that took us to the Renfe (speed train) that took us into Madrid. We then got onto the subway and executed my flawless plan of meeting Kristin in the middle of a random subway stop in Madrid. It went so well! We found each other without problem. It was so exciting to see her! We then continued on the metro to get to Tara's hostel which was the start of a few problems. The reservation was under the name of the girl she was sharing the hostel with, but the girl was coming on a later bus and we had no way of connecting with her. We had to wander around for a few hours with our luggage before finally convincing the hostel lady to let us into the room. Finally we got our stuff down, ate dinner, and then headed to the Mumford and Sons concert! We got in and found everyone in our group who was there which was such a small world because it was a huge concert. Kristin and I split a huge beer and sat with Tara off to the side of the stage. It was such a great concert! After the concert we said goodbye to everyone, got our stuff from the hostel and then took the metro then a cab to our hotel by the airport. We were wiped!
Madrid/Mallorca 22/03
Today we woke up and had a wonderful breakfast at the Hilton that we were at. I had cereal for the first time in forever and it was so good! We then hopped onto the shuttle and then went to the airport. Our flight was about an hour (so short) and when we got to Mallorca we had to wait a bit for Mom and Dad to get in. We got some bocadillos and hung out for a while. Finally Mom and Dad came which was so fun! We got the rental car and then headed to our hotel. We stayed at a wonderful Mariott townhouse thing with separate bedrooms for Kristin and I, a full kitchen, balcony, living room, and all that good stuff! What a special treat :) We were all kind of tired but forced ourselves out to the grocery store to get the necessities before crashing. Then we ate a wonderful dinner at the hotel! It was a successful first day in Mallorca.
Mallorca 23/03-29/03
While in Mallorca we toured Palma, ate some wonderful meals, saw the Palma beach, took a train to a wonderful town called Soller and hung out there for a day, did a Segway tour of Palma, swam in the pool, dipped our feet in the ocean, played cards, drank cava with fresh squeezed orange juice, read books, explored eastern Mallorca, lots of carsickness (due to lots of roundabouts), watched movies, cooked together, tried all the different hot chocolates and had an overall excellent time! It wasn't as warm as we were hoping but it was ok. We were able to throw together our warmest clothes and go outside, and sometimes it was nice out for a few hours and we could be in a tank top. It was better weather than Stockholm or Segovia. I even got sunburned (and a nice sun rash) which is proof that the sun was out! I am sad I didn't get to swim in the ocean but it was too cold. Maybe next time. :)
Mallorca/Madrid 30/03
Today we woke up early and packed out. We all headed to the airport and said our goodbyes. As Kristin and I were about to board, we ran into Mom and Dad who had gone through security after us (because their flight was later) and got to say goodbye one more time. We had a nice short flight and then took the metro to our hotel in the center of Madrid. The hotel was pretty dec and we got there in time to drop our things and then head out for food. We ate at the top of Corte Ingles with a wonderful view of Gran Via. We ate the same pizza that Katie DSA and I got when we went there. It was delicious and easy to get which was good because we were hungry. Then we went to walk around Madrid a bit. We saw the Palace, puerta del sol, gran via, plaza mayor, and cathedrals. We even got hot chocolate and churros. Pretty successful walk! Then we went back to Corte Ingles to buy bread, cheese, and yogurt for a very tasty dinner which we ate while watching a movie and then headed to bed!
Madrid 31/03 Easter!
Today we woke up early to get a start on our day. We went to find a mass and after not being able to figure out one church, we found another church/monastery and went to church there. Hardly anyone was at mass. I think it is both because religion is dying out here and because Friday (or the death of Jesus) is more celebrated here than his resurrection. So easter day is not as big of a deal to celebrate. After mass we walked to a pastry shop that was crowded and asked for the two most popular pastries. One was kind of like bread soaked in milk (like Semla in Sweden) and we didn't care for it. The other was delicious! Then we went to the plaza mayor where we saw a parade of drummers which was pretty neat. After that we ran away because it was super crowded and went to the Rastro, or the sunday flea market. It was packed too! Kristin got a really cute elephant necklace. We didn't last long there and decided to go find lunch. We went to a wonderful place called Wok to Walk which is kind of like Tokyo Joes. What great food! I was so pleased! Then it was time for a brief nap in the hotel. We woke up to it raining outside but decided to brave it in order to go get some frozen yogurt which was a good call. It was then back to Corte Ingles to pick up our dinner and then we called it a night. We enjoyed our dinner again while watching a movie. Very relaxing! Didn't quite feel like Easter, but it was a nice day.
Madrid/Segovia 01/04
Today we slept in a bit and went to breakfast close to 11 so that we could then pack up and be out by our 12:00 check out. We headed out into Madrid with our luggage and with time to kill before the train to Segovia left. We walked to Puerta del Sol and sat there people watching for a long time which was delightful. After a while we got cold and hungry and decided to again, stop by Wok to Walk, which awkwardly enough had the same worker. Oh well! It was equally as delicious the second time! On our way back to sit for a while we got one more pastry from the crowded shop and it was excellent as well. Our people watching was really fun because lots of interesting people pass through this main part of Madrid. We also got hassled by a lot of gypsies which was annoying but oh well. Finally it became time for us to walk to the metro and head to the train station. We bought our tickets and got right onto the train, no waiting! 30min later we were in Segovia. I love the train. We bought Puri some chocolates and then went to the apartment. Kristin and I talked with Puri for a while before getting ourselves settled in and then headed out onto the town. We walked past the aqueduct, went to the plaza mayor and had her try a segovian hot chocolate (gotta try them everywhere). Then we were both tired and decided to come back to the apt to watch Uncle Buck and relax a bit. We finally ate dinner around 10:30 because Puri got home late. We chatted and ate dinner until 12:30! So late! We were tired and went to bed.
Segovia 02/04
This morning we were able to sleep in once more and eat breakfast/get ready slowly. We headed out into a bit of rain to see Alcazar. We toured it and it was my third time but it is still fun. The views are breathtaking! After touring we still had some time before lunch, of course, so I brought Kristin to my favorite bakery, Limon y Menta, where we shared one excellent apple pastry and one terrible pastry that tasted like licorice. Ew. Lots of fun to try new things though! After that we headed back for a wonderful lunch with Puri and Yami (our Japanese student) and then it was time for me to go to class again. I couldn't believe my wonderful break was over and that I actually had to go to class. No fun at all! Kristin sat in on my art class which was fun for me. She had already learned a lot of it from a spanish art class she took at CSBSJU. How cool! After class we walked around a bit through the historic section of Segovia and then finally came home. We took a little cat nap, chatted with mom, and killed some time before dinner. Crossword puzzles, looking at class registration, and things like that. We ate dinner a bit earlier tonight which was nice! Puri wanted to go watch her show. After dinner Kristin and I attempted to watch a movie but decided that bedtime would be better. I took that time to catch up on this massive blog of course and am now off to bed before more class tomorrow.
I had the best week and a half break here in Spain. My family is so wonderful for spending that time with me and I couldn't be more grateful. I am excited to get one more day with Kristin tomorrow! Thanks family for everything, it was such a wonderful time. Now, back to reality.
No comments:
Post a Comment