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...
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