Time Warp...

It's been a while since my last post, but I have to admit that after Mom left Madrid I've been occupied with many things, both good and bad. One weekend this month I went on an excursion with students from the WIP program to Extremadura, the western region of Spain bordering Portugal. We stopped in 3 different cities (Mérida, Cáceres, Trujillo) and spent the night in Cáceres. The architecture and vibe of this region was totally different than that in any other part of Spain that I have visited thus far. All brick buildings, scattered across green, rolling countryside. It was a breathtaking side of Spain I had not yet seen, but I wish we would've had more free time to roam the cities & discover things on our own--we were stuck with our tour guide Pablo the entire weekend. Bummer!! But overall I am satisfied that I took part in the excursion--I never would've known what I was missing out on!

Upon returning to Madrid I was lucky enough to be in the pleasant company of Mom's long-time friend Laurel and her husband Frank. They came over to see my piso, and then we ventured off for some drinks and tapas, a typical Madrileño tradition.

I ended up having a lovely time visiting with Laurel & Frank, who shared stories of their many great adventures. I also tried raw oysters for my first (perhaps last) time. Never hurts to try something new! We also enjoyed the sweet, sweet chocolate con churros at Chocolatería San Gines~if it sounds familiar, it's because I have mentioned it before...it's that good!

Last weekend Sonya and I traveled to Mallorca, a Balearic Island off of the southeastern coast of Spain. We had

the most incredible

weather, sunny sunny sunny and warm!! It was a fabulous way to wind down and relax. We decided to do next to nothing--just laid on the sandy beach and feasted. I even took a dip in the Mediterranean Sea, which was a dream come true. The water was so blue and clear! It was a fabulous weekend away with my best friend!!

My agenda for the next month is looking pretty hectic. I have final exams coming up in a couple weeks, along with "trabajos finales"...10 page papers that I must write for each class in addition to our final exam. I'm going to miss my Literatura Española class the most--my professor Sonia has the most energy I've ever seen in a professor. She has a passion for literature and loves her job--plus, she had been a student herself at the Universidad de Complutense, so she relates to us students very well! The books we have read have been great and I can actually comprehend what I've been reading...and my professor does a great job at helping us to really think about the book and how we interpret it. After all, literature can be interpreted in different ways by all readers.

I'm not planning to travel around the country or continent for the month of May since my school work is keeping

me so busy, but I'm thinking about what kind of traveling I'd like to do in June once I only have to focus on work for 2 class--Amsterdam? Canary Islands? I'm ready to get out on the beach again, instead of doing the days packed with sight-seeing. But first things first, I must get through the month of May. My two favorite boys from home, Turkbas and Andrew, are coming to stay with Sonya and me from May 17-June 4--so we'll also be busy having a blast with them!! It will be the best way to end a fantastic semester abroad!! And I am officially booked to head home on June 23rd...51 days away--how time flies!! See ya'll soon!

MOM IN MADRID ♥

As soon as I hopped off the Metro from the Barajas Airport in Madrid, I headed over to the precious Conde Duque Hotel, where my mother was patiently waiting for my return to Spain! It was a fantastic feeling to be in the comfort of my mom's arms again! And I knew we were about to start out on a great adventure...

On Mom's first night in Madrid she treated Sonya and me

to an authentic Flamenco show. I had not been to one yet, and we definitely picked the right venue: the Cardamomo. The dancers were magnificent, and their talent was unbelievable! It

was a fun night and a great way to say "Bienvenidos a Madrid"...(WELCOME TO MADRID). The dancing was intense and really displayed the passion of the Spanish people.

The next morning Mom and I took the teleférico, or cable car, to Casa del Campo, where we went to see the Parque Zoológico (ZOO). It started as a beautiful, warm day. We enjoyed all of the fun animals and the atmosphere at the Madrid Zoo. We concluded that we liked it much more than any zoo we had been to before! It was very awesome. And luckily, there were baby

animals scattered all over the zoo-from a tiny baboon, to a rhino, to a little mountain goat, which was very enjoyable. By the end of our time at the park, we were thoroughly fascinated. As it started to rain we thought it would be the ideal time to head back home. What started as rain turned into a downpour. If only you could see the unmarked, gravel paths we had to climb uphill in order to find the teleférico station...and if only you could have seen us by the end of that journey ;-)

On Easter Sunday, Mom and I went to the Rastro--the famous flea market in Madrid. Streets are lined with booths selling anything you could imagine--and we both found some things to take home! We also toured the La Latina neighborhood and stopped at the incredible Basilica San Francisco to witness part of a Spanish church service. Very fascinating and such a beautiful and intricate basilica! The next few days consisted of lots of shopping around (Mom

loved all the shoe stores, as you'll see by her purchases)...and enjoying the perfect sunny weather. Monday night Mom and I went on a tapas tour. Our tour guide James made the night very fun and interesting-as did our companions Stewart, Herbert, Alex, and Lauren. We tried everything from great red wine, to octopus with potatoes, to blood sausage (black pudding), tripe, and many other adventurous food choices. It was a fun night of trying things that I would never dare trying on my own!!

While I was in class, Mom was feeling adventurous and conquered many missions all by herself. She was so good at navigating and finding cool new places! She introduced me to a coffee shop, some clothing stores, and a bread shop, none of which I had previous knowledge of-but all of which are right in my neighborhood. (Thanks Mom!) One morning we took the Madrid Vision bus around the city and saw sites from the top of the big red bus. We also went to the convent where nuns sell sweets.

It was not easy to find, but when we did finally figure it out it was very rewarding! We got a generous bag of lemon cookies from the monjas--who are not allowed to see you. The cookies came on a turn table in the wall, which was pretty sweet.

Other highlights of the week with my Mom included bringing her to Chocolatería San Gines--the renowned locale for churros con chocolate, which we both enjoyed. We also soaked up the sun and rented a row-boat at El Parque de Buen Retiro (a huge, fabulous park). We were also able to spend time at the famous Prado Museum, in which we were able to find several pieces of

art that interested us. I also had the privilege of showing my Mom how my friends and I like to spend our Wednesday afternoons-cheap drinks and sandwiches at Cien Montaditos! EuroMania! We hit all of the biggest sites in Madrid and just enjoyed spending time with each other.

I feel so fortunate that Mom was able to visit--all of my friends were jealous and I feel pretty lucky to have had time to spend with her. It had been a long time since I had patted her face...and it was great to see her. Now I am anxiously waiting to return home to see the rest of the family! I can't believe I'll be back in Minnesota in just 75 days...time sure has flown!

Venice and Paris, Oh My!!

I have recently returned from my first European adventure outside of Spain. A taste of something new...which started in Venice, Italy. So far I would say that Venice is my second favorite city in Europe after Madrid. We got lucky to have sunshine all day, every day. It was the perfect opportunity to indulge in wine and Italian food alongside the canals. Venice was a very, very lovely city, with plenty of beautiful stuff to see, but peaceful and relaxing at the same time. There were touristy things, but nothing as big and well-known as in other places. Sonya, Alex and I planned to just see where the day led us--our hopes were to avoid stress and hard core planning while in Venice, as we had just finished mid-term exams in Madrid.

Everything in Venice is picturesque. The buildings are all precious, with window boxes and flowers, and beautiful colors everywhere. I can't forget to mention the glistening blue water that surrounds the city. We were even lucky enough to enjoy the perfect gondola ride! An experience that everyone must have at least once! It was peaceful and beautiful and it took us through back canals that you can't see from any other place in Venice other than a boat. It was the best way to start off a European spring break!

After 4 days, we headed to Paris, France. Unfortunately, we had 3 very cold, very rainy days, which kind of put a damper on the whole walking-in-strange-territory-without understanding the-language thing. We got lost...frequently. We got directions...that usually led us to a place other than where we intended to go...but we tried to find things we liked every time we ended up somewhere unfamiliar. We did get to see all of the biggest sites: Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Catacombes. It was all very grand, and I would love to return to Paris some day to have more time to explore and I'd hope for better weather for getting lost too!

While we were in Paris, we stayed with one of Alex's friends from Wisconsin, to avoid the troublesome hostel experience. Maddy and her roommates were all so nice and generous & made our stay very pleasant. They took us out to a fun fondue restaurant, where we were able to indulge in wine from baby bottles...very strange, but lots of fun! They also showed us the best places to get both savory & sweet crepes--a heaven-sent gift! We went nuts on crepes while in Paris. Well...pretty much anywhere we can get our hands on them. The 4 days in Paris were filled with ups and downs, as we were absolutely worn out by the end of the week. We were all looking forward to reminiscing about our Semana Santa from the comfort of our home in Madrid!

And as soon as I returned to Madrid, I had something to look forward to--my Mom!! In Madrid! I feel incredibly lucky to have my mom visit me in Spain, and I'll include a separate entry about all of our adventures together...