When In Rome... Day 1

I only got about three hours of sleep last night. My alarm went off at 3:15am and I grudgingly rolled out of bed to get ready. Despite knowing how much it'd cost, I ordered a taxi. Because my flight was such an early one there was no other way for me to get to the airport. The buses and metro don't start up until 6am. 

I left the house at 4am and was at the airport by 4:30. Security took two minutes and I could literally see my gate from the security line, so I had quite a bit of waiting time. Finally, at 5:45 they started boarding. It took forever, and it was already 6:30 (our set departure time) when the last person made it on. So needless to say we were late in leaving.

I had been prepared for Ryanair's stingy carryon baggage policy. I made enough room in my backpack so that I'd be able to stuff my purse in if needed. I'd heard from many people that they were very strict on what you bring on the plane. But guess what?! I got to the airport and found out they changed their policy last year! They are now the same as every other airline: 1 carryon, 1 personal item. Awesome, now I had room for souvenirs :)

I slept for most of the flight. Even though we'd left late our plane somehow landed half an hour early. I quickly made my way past baggage claim and to the shuttle busses, where I bought a ticket and got on, headed for Rome.

The bus stopped at Termini station half an hour later and I walked to my hostel in less than ten minutes time. I was planning on checking in and then sending Caron a message to figure out where they were at, but when I went to drop off my bag I conveniently happened to run into her and her friends. None of us had eaten breakfast yet so we walked towards the train station hoping to find some food.

As we walked she introduced me to the other three girls in the group and we talked about our plan for the day. We decided we'd buy a hop on/off tour bus pass and ride it to the Vatican. We had all bought tickets online and our reserved entry time was 12:00pm, so we had just under two hours to get there. Plenty of time.

Breakfast was quick but delicious. I ordered a cappuccino and a pastry. Both were very good. We drank our coffee at the bar, Italian style. When everyone had finished we went and found seats on the top deck of our double decker tour bus and headed to see the sights!

We saw some really cool buildings from our bus. Unfortunately our audio commentary wasn't working, so we didn't learn what those neat buildings were. There were a few stops before ours at the Vatican. Those stops were supposed to be for many of the famous monuments, but we couldn't see any of them from the bus. It was still really awesome to simply drive through the city. The architecture, old and new, is beautiful, and there are random pillars or ruins throughout the city. I kept thinking, "oh my gosh, how cool is this?! I'm actually in ROME!". 

We got off at the stop for the Vatican and, unlike the other stops, saw it right away. We started down the street towards St. Peter's Basilica. 

We stood in St. Peter's Square and took in the tall, white marble pillared walkways and the enormous basilica. The line for the basilica was crazy long and we didn't have a lot of time, so we went in the direction of the Vatican Museums. Down a long street and around the corner we found the entrance. With our pre-bought tickets we were able to go straight in, which was especially nice considering the size of the "buy tickets" line.

The place was gigantic. To give you an idea of how much so, it took us almost three hours to go through it, and that's basically without stopping. They had all sorts of things on display there: statues, church artifacts, pictures... My favorite part was the incredible painting and/or design of all of the ceilings. The best of these was, of course, the Sistine chapel. It was beautiful, and I found it absolutely amazing that someone actually painted all of that! Wow.

By the time we'd finished with the Museums we were exhausted and famished. We found a small pizza place and ordered "pizza al taglio", by the slice. It was good, but not hot and therefore not incredible. Though most of us were too hungry at that point to care.

With food in our stomachs we were in much better moods and ready to tackle the rest of our to do list. We hopped on the bus again and got off at the Spanish Steps. Since the bus dropped us off a few blocks from the actual monument it took us awhile to find the place. When we did, it started raining. We took some pictures and started walking in the direction of the Trevi Fountain, which we already knew was covered in scaffolding but wanted to see anyway. This also took us awhile to find, and when we did it was, in fact, hardly worth seeing. We couldn't see much of it at all. We couldn't even toss a coin in. Oh well, that's alright. I don't need to throw a coin in a fountain to know I'll be back here someday :)

After a quick stop for gelato we headed for the Colosseum. It was quite a ways away, but we got there eventually. We accidentally found the Pantheon, went past huge museums, up lots of stairs, and by a bunch of ruins before we knew we were in the right place. There it was, all lit up, all the way at the end of the street. 

Our goal had been to make it there before the ticket office closed and before it got dark. Neither of those things happened and we were left taking pictures of the outside of the building in the dark. We made plans to get up early Sunday so that we could see the inside as well. Then, with aching feet, we started walking towards the bus stop for the Colosseum. 

If you're ever in Rome, don't buy a hop on, hop off bus pass. We walked fifteen minutes just to find our stop. The stop for the Colosseum was FIFTEEN MINUTES from the Colosseum! Ridiculous. We then waited another twenty five minutes for our bus. Meanwhile, the rain had started falling again, and we were all tired of being on our feet. When we did finally get on the bus it felt amazing to finally be sitting down and dry.

As we rode through the city on the bus the rain began to pick up. Soon it was pouring. The streets became rivers, water poured into the bus from the opening up top, lightening crashed and thunder roared. It wasn't any better when we arrived at our stop. The ten minute walk back to the hostel was hilarious. Umbrella or not, it didn't matter. By the time we got back to the hostel were soaked through. We officially checked into our rooms (all of us ended up in different rooms), dried off, and then met downstairs so we could go find a place to eat at. 

The one good pasta place I'd read about before the trip was nowhere to be found. So we looked at the menus of some of the other ristorantes on our hostel's street. We picked one that looked nice but still had fairly good prices. Our waiter was really nice. He spoke English, but wanted to know why we didn't speak Italian. He joked with us and gave us recommendations on what we should eat. We split a margarita pizza (which was delicious) and then all got different pasta dishes. I had spinach and cheese ravioli. It was good. The noodles were definitely made there and the tomato sauce was great. After another gelato for dessert (when in Rome, right?) we agreed to meet at 7:30 Sunday morning in the lobby so we could get an early start and see the Colosseum before they had to leave for their flight at 11am. I went up to my room, set my alarm, climbed in bed, and fell asleep almost immediately. 

 

Day one in Rome was amazing.

San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Pinterest. It's awesome. Why? Because people love to pin travel ideas, and it's so easy to search for weekend trip itineraries, places to eat in a city, or day trips from somewhere and then save them to go back to later. I was looking through my Madrid ideas last week and came across a picture of a large, gorgeous library. The link, in fact, brought me to a page that was titled, "16 Libraries You Have To See Before You Die" (I've now officially seen three. Getting there.). The Library pictured was located at a monastery just outside of Madrid called El Escorial.

I had thought about going to visit the monastery over the last couple of days, but it just seemed easier to hang out in Madrid. Then today I woke up early and thought, "I'd better just do it." If I didn't make myself go this week, I knew I probably wouldn't end up going at all.

I took the bus into Madrid and then found the bus that would take me to El Escorial. The ride took less than an hour and the fare was only 4 euros. We drove up winding roads into the foothills of the mountains, to a small town of the same name as the monastery. It wasn't difficult to find El Escorial from the bus station. The huge dome of the basilica towered over all the other buildings in the town. I walked in its direction and arrived at the entrance in about ten minutes.

I learned quickly that El Escorial is not just a monastery. There is a monastery, library, palace, and burial site for the former royalty of Spain. It's also a school. I bought my ticket (50% off, yay for "student" discounts!) and went into the first room in the self-guided tour.

The first few rooms were a sort of museum; artifacts, building models, and sketches were on display. From there I was directed into rooms filled with paintings, which I quickly glanced at and moved on from. After the paintings I came to the tombs. The entrance to the King's tombs was amazing. The stairway's walls and ceilings were engraved and painted bright gold and red. At the bottom of the stairs was a circular room decorated in a similar manner. And all around the room were spaces cut into the walls where fancy coffins had been placed. A magnificent chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling, and a beautiful crucifix was placed on the far wall. No photography was allowed, but if I could have captured anything on camera it would have been this room. It was amazing. Here's an image from their website:

The cool thing about going on a Wednesday early afternoon is that there were very few other people there. But it was also weird, because every room was empty. It was a very strange feeling, walking through a huge stone fortress, knowing I was looking at the final resting place of dozens of people, and feeling like I was the only one there. The round tomb of the Kings was not the only tomb in the building. As I continued my tour there were more and more rooms filled with royal men, women, and their children. Above each was a name and description of who's son, daughter, or wife they were. It was like touring a really old, fancy graveyard.

I was glad to move on from the tombs and enter the main part of the palace. The rooms were furnished as they had been a few hundred years ago. My favorite thing from this part of the building was looking at the various maps hung on the walls. Knowing they were drawn in the 1500's, it was fascinating to see how closely they resembled our maps of the world today.

After the Palace I walked through the monastery to the basilica. I've been in quite a few cathedrals now, each one uniquely incredible. This was no different. I can never get over the enormity of these churches. The high ceilings, the huge pillars, and the ornate designs in the walls and ceilings. The style fit with that of the tombs and palace: Gold and red, with statues and paintings. In the hall next to the basilica, large portions of the wall had been painted as the stations of the cross. The paintings were beautiful, and probably fifteen to twenty feet high. The entry to the hallway had a wide ceiling painted with clouds and angels, as if looking up to the heavens. The detail put into these buildings just blows me away.

My last stop on my "tour" was the library. I crossed the outdoor courtyard and entered the same building through another door. The library was just as gorgeous as the picture. Even more so. Again, I wished I could take a picture, but photography was banned throughout the monastery. Below is a picture borrowed from Flickr, just so you can get an idea of what it looks like...

A walk through the Library and my tour was complete. I walked through the tiny town back to the bus station and took the next available bus back to Madrid. It was a short "adventure", but it was definitely worth it. The detail in the architecture, paintings, and design El Escorial are incredible. Some of the rooms are simply breathtaking. Out of all the palaces, castles, and churches I've been to in Spain, this is hands down the most amazing. I'm really glad I didn't miss it.

A Weekend In Madrid

My weekend wasn't too eventful. While it was nice to not have to get on a bus or plane for hours, I found myself wishing I had something planned. I slept in Saturday morning and spent the first half of the day working out and researching for my Rome trip. Lunch with the family was awkward. The Grandma was there and she speaks zero English, so I spent the entire meal listening to the family laugh and converse in Spanish. It was also strange because I felt like I was intruding on their family time. I left the table as soon as I could, went and grabbed my purse, and left to go into Madrid.

Friday night another tutor with my program had informed us on the Facebook page that she and a friend were planning on going to the Prado Museum Saturday night and wanted to know if anyone else would like to join. I told her I'd love to meet her, we arranged a place to meet, and I thought it was all figured out. But when I got to the Prado on Saturday evening there was an enormous line that nearly wrapped it's way around the building. I guess Saturdays from 6pm-8pm are free entrance hours, and it seemed that everyone in town had shown up. I waited for the girls I was meeting, but after twenty minutes I decided I'd better just get in line. As the line moved towards our meeting spot I kept an eye out for them, but didn't see anyone. So I went ahead and went in alone. I found out later that they'd seen the huge line and gotten in it right away, hoping to see me as they went inside. Well, oh well.

The Prado made me realize that not everything that's listed as a "must see" in all the guidebooks is actually something you should see. I know that Goya, El Greco, Velasquez, Picasso, and Dali are all brilliant artists with amazing pieces of artwork. The paintings that lines the walls of the numerous galleries were beautiful. But as I walked through and watched people standing and discussing the pieces I thought, "Why?". They're just paintings. Maybe I don't appreciate the historical significance or impact these pieces had. Maybe I'm just not an art person. But ten minutes in the museum and I was done, because frankly, it was boring. History museums or interactive exhibitions are one thing, but walking through a building looking at pictures hung on the wall is just something I don't think I'll ever enjoy.

So after a (very) short visit to El Museo del Prado I began walking back to the metro. It was already dark, but there were people everywhere. I decided to take the "long way" and walked towards Puerta del Sol. It's weird being in a place where Thanksgiving doesn't exist. Already, in early November, there was a feeling of Christmas in the air. People walk through the city bundled up head to toe (It's chilly, but not as freezing as all the scarves and hats and gloves that I've seen) and businesses have already started decorating for the holidays. The skeleton of a large, light up Christmas tree stands in Puerta del Sol, and lights are already popping up on buildings around town. I bought a hot chocolate from a cafe that was playing Christmas music to enjoy on my way back to the bus station. The festiveness and the hot drink made me feel a little better about what was otherwise a disappointing night.

Sunday I woke up early to go back into the city. I wanted to try and get to the market before it got too busy. I'd been to El Rastro before and it was kind of insane. Today was no different. Hundreds of booths and vendors selling everything from clothing and souvenirs to batteries and antiques. Though it was extremely crowded and uncomfortable, I did end up finding some great deals. I bought a couple of souvenir/gifts to bring back to people back home :)

I spent a good two hours there. When I was pretty positive I'd seen the entire thing I set off again towards Puerta del Sol. I was glad to finally escape the massive crowds. Little did I know I'd be seeing more of them soon enough. As I approached the central part of the city I saw people lined up along the streets. Barriers had been put up, and police were everywhere. And then the parade began. Before I knew it I was once again being pushed and pulled in whatever direction the crowd was going. The metro stop was on the other side of the street, but there was apparently no way to get there because of the parade. People were holding banners and wearing costumes, and every few minutes they'd stop walking and someone with a microphone would speak. And the crowd would shout, "Vive! Vive! Vive!" and then the procession would continue. The line of people in the parade was never ending. I found out later that the parade was a part of Madrid's "Almudena Day". It's celebrated only in Madrid in honor of the city's patron saint, and judging by the crowds, it's a really big deal. I eventually decided there was no way to get to the metro station in Sol, and to walk all the way back to the one near the market. That was the next closest stop. It took me so long to get back to the house that I missed lunch.

The whole weekend just felt tired. I've had a sore throat and headache since Friday, and just haven't felt very "up". Maybe it's the weather, which has gone from sunshine and summer to grey and cold in just a week. I don't know what I would've done if the Seahawks hadn't won. Luckily, they did win, and they played better than they've played in quite awhile. So that made me happy. Five days here and then I'm off to Rome. Madrid is fine, but I'm really glad that the rest of my weekends are booked for somewhere else.

Four weeks...

Exactly four weeks from today I'll be home.

Don't get me wrong, four weeks is a long time. But compared to the nearly eight weeks I've already spent in Europe, it seems short. And when I think about all that I have planned for the next month, I know it's going to fly by.

This weekend I'm staying in Madrid. I'm going to go to El Rastro (the flea market) again on Sunday and maybe find some souvenirs to bring home. A week from Saturday I fly to Rome for the weekend. Then the following Friday I'm off to Brussels, and the Friday after that I'll hopefully be headed to Munich. The following Wednesday I'll be on a plane back to the States.

In between my crazy travel filled weekends there are a few things I want to do here in Madrid. I still haven't seen a flamenco show, and since flamenco is a famous traditional Spanish dance I think that'd be neat to experience. I also need to go to the Prado and Reina Sofia museums. I've been putting those off since I'm not really into museums, but they're world famous and I can't be in Madrid this long without visiting them. Along with the museums, I'm hoping to visit El Escorial, a monastery with an amazing library that's just a half an hour outside of the city. And then there's all of the Christmas lights and decorations to see starting the last week of November. I'll definitely be keeping busy...

I thought that, after all this time away, feelings of homesickness would've started to creep in. Though I miss my family and other things about home, I haven't felt extremely homesick. I think because I have too many other things to think about here. This trip has taught me to enjoy the moment. I've done a lot less thinking about the future and worrying about the past, and a lot more smiling about where I am right now. So when I think about having four weeks left here, I'm neither sad nor happy. I'll do all I can to make the most of the next four weeks. And I think, once they're over, I'll be ready to go back. Though traveling is amazing, there's no place like home :)

Futbol

Spaniards are crazy about futbol.

One of the first questions my host family asked me was, "What is your futbol team?". I told them we had one in Seattle, and they told me that didn't count. "No," Said the Dad, "What is your European futbol team?" I didn't have an answer, and he said, "I'll give you a hint...the answer is Real Madrid."

There's no other answer when you're in Madrid. Madrilenos are about as crazy about their team as the 12's are about their Hawks. You can't go into Madrid without seeing people wearing Real Madrid jerseys or street vendors selling them. It was hilarious last week watching the fourteen year old, Santi, try and sit at the dinner table while a game was on. His Dad kept telling him to sit and eat, but he could hear the  t.v. and kept trying to get up and go into the other room. All of a sudden the announcer started yelling with excitement, and both Santi and the Dad jumped up from the table and sprinted to the t.v. room. My host Mom shook her head, looked at me and said, "Boys."

It's a big deal here. I had looked into getting tickets to a game before I came to Spain, but like American Football, seats don't come cheap. I was not going to pay a hundred euros just to watch a soccer game.

Then tonight, after tutoring, my host Mom called me upstairs.

"You want to watch Real Madrid play tonight?" She asked.

I thought she meant with the family on t.v., so I asked, "You mean on t.v.?"

She replied, "Yes, the one on t.v."

Still confused, I decided to just say, "Sure! That'd be great!"

"Good." She said, "We leave in ten minutes."

Still confused, and then excited, I threw on my boots and a coat and went upstairs. When my host Mom saw me she said, "No. It's going to be very cold. You put on more clothes." After adding another coat, a scarf, gloves, and a hat, I was apparently good to go. We got in the car and were at the stadium twenty minutes later.

The short walk to the stadium was crazy. Hoards of people were making their way across busy streets, oblivious to the fact that the signs were telling them not to cross. I was glad when we made it safely inside the stadium.

My host Mom and Dad have Season tickets, so I used one of theirs to get in. The seats were fantastic. We got there just as the game began. Real Madrid vs. Liverpool. The stadium was packed. At one end, up a few sections from where we were seated, was the "Fan club"as they called themselves. They had drums and flags and would lead the crowd in loud chants and cheers. The rest of the crowd was fairly calm. They sat the whole time (Except for the one goal scored in the first half) and clapped when something went Madrid's way. Maybe I'm just used to American Football, but I was amazed at how fast the game went. No breaks. Real Madrid is incredible. In the first half they scored once and had too many shots on goal to count. I kept thinking of Kylie and Hannah. I wish they could've been there to see it all too!

I think futbol players like to slide on their stomach, because there was sure a lot of that going on during the game. I also saw a few back flips. But no matter how bad the fall looked, the game just kept on going. That is, until Cristiano Ronaldo fell down. Then the game stopped, players surrounded him to make sure he was okay, and Real Madrid was given a free kick.

The crowd went wild when Madrid scored near the end of the first half. Halftime was quick, and the second half didn't produce any more goals. Final score: 1-0, Madrid.

Sometimes great experiences come from planning and waiting. Tonight I was given ten minutes warning, and it was still amazing. It was so cool to attend a futbol match while in Madrid. I feel like I've experienced just a bit more of their culture now. And being there was lot of fun. You definitely feel the energy and excitement.

Though, still not as much as a Seahawks game :)

Granada

Long before I ever set foot in this country, I had a picture in my mind of what Spain would be like: Really old buildings, white houses set upon bare, brown hills, street performers playing guitar, outdoor markets and food vendors, and of course, lots of people speaking Spanish.

Madrid was different from that preconceived idea. Yes, it had the old buildings. But they were far grander than i'd imagined. And it had the street performers and the Spanish, but was overall too big to fit my idea of "picturesque Spain". Barcelona followed suit, being too "beach town-y". Toledo and Segovia were closer, but too touristy and no hills with white houses.

Granada, on the other hand, is it.

This is what I'd imagined Spain to be. Granada has it all: from the markets, to the guitarists, to the white houses set upon the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. It's a city, but it's walkable, not huge like Madrid or Barcelona. So though I booked my ticket on a whim and wasn't actually too keen on going there, I'm really glad I did.

I left Friday morning. There was traffic, which added an extra hour onto our five hour bus ride. But we made it, and unlike the ride to Bilbao, the scenery along the way was constantly changing.

Granada is situated at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The drive through the mountains was gorgeous. When we got to the bus station in Granada I set off walking in the direction of the city center, where my hostel was located. I hadn't realized that the walk would take nearly an hour. But it was good to see different parts of the city, and also good to walk after sitting for so long on a bus.

I checked into my hostel and decided to hang out there Friday night. I was tired and knew that I had almost two full days to see everything. I was staying in a six bed dorm, and the other girls in the room were also traveling alone. Once we were all introduced and realized that none of us had plans for the night, we decided to go out for tapas. Before we knew it word of our outing had reached others in the hostel, and our group of five quickly turned into twelve. So my Facebook post wasn't entirely accurate. It was more like: 6 Brits, 2 Canadians, 1 Australian, 2 Koreans, and an American walk into a Spanish bar to have drinks and tapas served by a South African bartender. That would've made for a complicated joke...

Granada is one of the few places left in Spain where the tapas are free when you buy a drink. I ordered two drinks, and with them the thai chicken and the spicy beef. Both came with rice and bread in a little bitty dish. And just two was a perfectly satisfying dinner. The best part? I got all of it for under five euros :)

It was nice to talk with other travelers and share stories about where we're from and why we're in Spain. I talked to a few other teachers, and some people just traveling for the fun of it. My favorite comment of the night was when someone said, "Oh, you're from Washington State? I drove through there once. One of the most beautiful places I've seen." Yep, it is. Makes me miss home...

Saturday I woke up around 9:00am and was out and about by 10. It seemed like I was the only one, because hardly anything was open and very few people were walking around. I wandered until I found a cafe and went inside for some breakfast, chocolate con churros. Not as good as San Gines, but still pretty tasty :)

After that I walked across the main street to a historic area known as "Albaycin", the Arab quarter. All of a sudden I was walking through narrow streets lined with tiny shops and vendors selling all sorts of things: Scarves, tea, rugs, lamps, sandals, jewelry, and more. Spanish began to mix with Arabic as I passed tea shops and traditional restaurants. It was a fun place to experience. 

After walking through the Albaycin I went to the Granada Cathedral. Though it's open for tourists, you're only allowed to stand in a small roped off area by the doors. The Cathedral is big, and definitely impressive. But I was in and out in just a couple of minutes.

Near the Cathedral is a maze of narrow streets connecting open plazas. I walked through them, again looking at shops and buildings. Granada is a tea lover's paradise. They sell it everywhere, all kinds. I went in one shop that specialized in tea, spices, and fruit. I bought some of their dried fruit for a snack. Mangos, strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, coconut, and even Aloe. It was yummy :)

After that I decided to walk towards Granada's most famous attraction: The Alhambra. I had been told you needed to purchase tickets in advance to get in, so I went online on Wednesday to buy them. Sadly, they were already sold out. But as I walked towards the famous site I saw a tourist booth advertising tickets, so I decided to ask if they still had any available. They did! I got tickets for that afternoon between 2pm and 6pm. Since I still had a couple of hours I decided to hike up towards the Sacromonte Caves and Abbey.

I walked for about an hour. Along the way I saw beautiful gardens, got great pictures of the Alhambra, and went by many of the white houses I'd seen from the city below. Whether I went the wrong way or didn't go far enough, I'm not sure. But I never got to the caves. I saw the Abbey, but it was still pretty far off and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss my entry time into the Alhambra. So after a scenic hike up the mountain, I turned around and went back down.

Granada has a lot of going up and down. Once I was back down in the city I had to climb yet another hill toward the Alhambra. It was tiring, but worth it. The Alhambra is not, as I had previously thought, one individual palace. It is multiple palaces, towers, and gardens all situated on a hill overlooking the city. I walked through the gardens first. I loved all the flowers and fountains!

After strolling through the gardens I went to the Nasrid Palace, the largest of the Alhambra buildings. It was built in the 11th century by a Moorish King. It was amazing for being built so long ago. The detail in the architecture was amazing, especially the ceilings.

I also visited other buildings that are a part of the Alhambra, each one a little different. There were great views from the top of one of the towers. Though I didn't think I'd need the four hour time slot printed on my ticket, I almost did. I left around 5:30pm. That place is huge.

Since I didn't have lunch I was starving. And I wasn't in the mood for looking at menus or trying new interesting Spanish foods. I wanted one thing: pizza. So I went back to the maze of streets and squares near the Cathedral and found a restaurant that had pizza on their menu. I ordered a delicious shrimp, mussels, and calamari pizza to enjoy with a glass of sangria as I people watched. After a day full of walking, it was great to just sit and relax.

I slept in on Sunday. Since I'd gotten all of my sightseeing out of the way on Saturday, I decided to spend Sunday shopping :). I spent time in both the Cathedral area and the Arab quarter, walking the streets and looking in the shops. I bought a few souvenirs. At 2:00pm I went back to the hostel, got my bag, and started the long walk back to the bus station. The walk didn't seem as long this time, and I was glad to get some exercise before sitting for such a long time.

I got back to Madrid around 9:30pm. it was dark and raining, and definitely cold compared to the 70's I'd had all weekend in Granada. Granada was fun. It was the last of my Spanish city trips. It's been really neat getting to experience the different regions of Spain. I've enjoyed all seven of the Spanish cities I've seen, some more than others. If I had to rate them right now, based on what I saw in a weekend or less, it'd look like this:

1. Granada. Its just so Spanish. There was nothing I didn't enjoy about it.
2. San Sebastian. So beautiful. I could've spent way longer than a day just taking in the natural beauty here.
3. Segovia. The castle, aqueduct, and history are all incredible!
4. Madrid. I'm not really a big city person, but I do like Madrid. Plus....churros.
5. Barcelona. I wasn't a huge fan. The beach was nice. And there was some very unique architecture, but if given the choice I'd much rather go back to San Sebastian.
6. Bilbao. It's nice. There are beaches, and the city is clean and inviting. But nothing really stood out here. 
7. Toledo. The Cathedral was incredible. Other than that, it was really crowded and there wasn't much else to do.

Next weekend I'll take a break from traveling and stay in Madrid, and then I have three international trips in a row! I can't believe I'm more than half way through my Spain adventure! Time really does fly...