2 Weekends, 3 destinations, Many Memories

So the past two weekends I was lucky to get to travel. The last weekend in March I went to the small town, Cabeza del Buey, where my friend Cheri lives. Myself, Justin, and Nick went together to spend a tranquilo weekend in the "Ox's Head". While we were there we took a little hike up the mountain next to Cheri's town. We walked up a path called the "Sierra del Calvario" which guides hikers by posting 14 crosses along the way. Once we got to the summit, the view was wonderful.

Here is a view of Cabeza del Buey from the summit:

This is another view from the summit. That little chapel is the end point of the "Sierra del Calvario" hike.

After hiking back down, we made delicious fajitas at Cheri's house.

This is a picture of Justin, Cheri, and I infront of the cross in the center of town.

Here is a beautiful view of the countryside surrounding Cabeza del Buey.

I really love seeing the small towns of Extremadura. You get a sense of the real life of Spaniards. Plus the countryside is stunning this time of year.

Now on to this past weekend; the first weekend in May. There was a "Feria de Queso" (Cheese festival) in Trujillo, Spain. I had been to Trujillo twice before (the first time barely counting), but I decided that I could not miss the cheese festival! (plus I wanted to go to Guadalupe and I had to connect thru there anyway). I ate soooo much cheese and I got soooo full! But it was delicious!! I tried so many different kinds. Some better than others. I tried cheese desserts and cured cheese and fresh cheese. In this picture I'm eating Requeso cheese. Its like fresh cheese, very light and soft. It had marmelade on top, so its kind of desserty. I tried lots of cured sheep's cheese because I was trying to find some that I really liked. Because I had been having trouble finding good sheeps cheese in the grocery store. And luckily after 3 or 4 samples, I found one I really liked that wasn't too expensive. Oh, also, you had to pay for samples. Which was kind of lame, but Spanish cheese is really expensive, so I guess they had to help out with the prices.

Before and after cheese tasting, we walked around Trujillo. (I went with two other american girls who live in the next town over from Don Benito) Because this was the third time, I did a little more exploring into different areas and I got to see some beautiful ruins of churches.

I said goodbye to Caroline and Becca at 1:00, because they were going back to Villanueva/Don Benito. So, I was on my own for the rest of the trip. After siteseeing/wandering and Cheese festival-ing I went to the bus station to catch the 2:15pm bus to Guadalupe and then something happened that has never happened before. The bus was full! And they would not let 4 of us on. I was one of those 4. Sooo, luckily there was another bus to Guadalupe at 6:15. So I just had to wait another 4 hours. Thus, I went back into Trujillo and wandered around and hiked around the hill the castle is on. So it wasnt a compete loss. And then when 6:15 rolled around, there were enough seats on the bus. Whew! The reason the bus was so full before was because one of the main bus companies that run in Extremadura is striking currently, but not a complete strike. They are running "servicio minimo" (minimal service). So when they normally run 5 buses, they run 2. Thus, all buses were much more full then normal. When I couldn't get on the 2:15 bus I was like this might be a sign that my trip is not going to go well.

But I finally did get to Guadalupe-- 4 hours later than I had planned, but there was still a couple hours of sunlight left when I got there so I got to walk all around and see pretty much everything. Another auxiliar in my same program lives there, Liam. And he showed me around and told me everything about Guadalupe. He was a great tourguide! :) It was great to get to talk and catch up as well.

Here is a view of the famous Monastery in Guadalupe:

This is a picture of me in front of the bridge that was built for a train-- the tracks were never laid. So, now its just a little pedestrian bridge. But lovely just the same.

The next morning I got to take a guided tour of the monastery. Which was pretty impressive. They have amazing paintings-- Goyas, Zubarans, El Grecos. And many beautiful illuminated manuscripts and music books. However, I unfortunately, didnt get to "visit" the virgen of Guadalupe and kiss her platter thing because the tour went long and I had to get on the bus. Too bad! But overall, I was so happy I got to visit the Monastery and Guadalupe in general. It was so beautiful and a wonderful little trip.

We were not allowed to take any pictures inside the monastery nor the church, but we could take pictures of the cloister. This is in mudejar style and probably one of the more beautiful cloisters I have seen in a church/monastery.

So I caught the 11:45am bus to Miajadas after visiting the monastery. The way back down through the mountains and to Miajadas was beautiful. There were fields and fields of wildflowers. I tied to get pictures of them, but none of them turned out too nice. But this one picture might give you an idea:

So, then I arrived in Miajadas at 1:10pm. Plenty of time before the 2:10pm bus to Don Benito. So I took a little walk around miajadas and had a cocacola light and a tapa. Then I got back to the bus station to sit and wait right next to the platform a good 15 minutes early. Ready to get on the bus. 2:10 passes, 2:15, 2:30--- still no bus. One other guy was waiting as well and I asked him if he knew anything about the bus. And he said that it has to come, it always comes. Well once it hit 3:00pm I decided to do some investigating. Now, I knew it was Labor Day in Spain, so I was like well this company could be on the holiday schedule which means that the bus wont come till 9pm. Which is a pain, but atleast it comes. But then I go and make sure, and there is a sign saying that the company will be running NO buses because its Labor Day. So, then I check the other company (the one on strike) and of course the buses that would have gone to Don Benito were cancelled. So I asked the guy who works there if there were any buses at anytime going to Don Benito that day and he said "not one" (but in spanish ofcourse). So, here i was stranded in the small town of Miajadas that is only 20 kms from Don Benito. I was so close! But 20kms was not possible walking. It was a little too far. I could have 10-12 kms, but 20 was pushing it. And I would have been walking on the highway-- a little dangerous. So I started calling/texting people to see if anyone could come and rescue me. :) I contacted probably 10 or 12 people. Finally one of my teachers called me back and said she would gladly come and pick me up. Yay!! Saved! Once she picked me up, we ended up driving out in the country to go hunt down the horseback riding place. We drove around alot looking for it and once we found it, it was closed! Too bad! But it was a beautiful day to drive in the country.

So I must say this past weekend was very adventurous. And even with the travel stressors, it was totally worth it. Guadalupe was so beautiful! These weekends and trips make me love Spain so much-- as if I didnt love it already. At the end of every trip Im so happy and content with what I had done and seen... it makes me sad to know that in a month I am going back to the US and probably never returning to live in Spain again. Bittersweet.

Semana Santa Adventures Week 2

The day that Mom and Dad left Nicole came. So, there was no gap between the two. We even all ate breakfast at the airport together. After we left the airport me and Nicole went to el Parque de Buen Retiro (as I have said before, its my favorite place in Madrid). We then ate lunch in Plaza Santa Ana (popular place to eat). We ate outside in the Plaza and had some good, traditional Spanish food: tostadas with tomato titurado (pureed tomatoes), empanadilla de verduras, un canapé with salmon, y tintos de verano. Yum

We then went and got dessert: Chocolate con churros

While we were eating the churros Nicole kinda hit a low point, sleepiness wise so we went back to the hostel to take naps.

After napping for a looonnggg time we went shopping on Gran Via-- Madrid's main drag. And then we went out for tapas, we had several delicious tostas (toasts with toppings)

On Sunday, we tried to go to Toledo, but when we got to the Train station there was a sign up saying that all trains returning from Toledo to Madrid that day were full, so we could have gotten there, but not gotten back. So we decided to go to Alcalá de Henares instead. Its a small but quaint town outside of Madrid. Its well known for being the birth place of Cervantes and also for its old University.

Here is a picture of the Plaza de Cervantes:

Here is a picture of Nicole with the statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. The building behind her is Cervantes birth place/house. We got to go inside and look around. It housed lots of different copies of Don Quixote in all different languages. (There are also some classic Spanish nuns in the picture, how lucky!)

We visited several places in Alcalá de Henares: a mudejar palace, churches, parks, and a guided visit of the university. We returned to Madrid late, but in time for some more late night tapas.

On Monday, we headed out early to Don Benito and spent the rest of the day there. I was glad I got to show Don Benito to Nicole as well as everyone else who has come to visit me. I showed her the parks and the main avenue, etc etc.

On Tuesday, I went to work in the morning and Nicole went shopping in Don Benito. After lunch that afternoon, we headed out on a bus to go to Sevilla. However, we had to take a bus first to the city of Merida and then get on another to Sevilla. So since we were going to have a lay-over in Merida anyway, we decided to make the most of it. We went to see the Aqueducto de los Milagros (Aqueduct of Miracles). Its a roman ruin (obviously). Merida is full of roman ruins, but this is what we had time to go see. I decided to do a classic jumping pose infront of the aqueducto.

That night we got to Sevilla and checked into our hostel and ate close by. We were pretty tired from the day of traveling.

On Wednesday, we got to spend the whole day in Sevilla. we started out by going to the Reales Alcazares. Then we went to the Plaza de Espana. This is a pic of me there:

Then we went on a free walking tour of Sevilla organized by our hostel. It lasted almost 3 hours. It was pretty great. I learned alot of stuff about the city that I had never heard before.

The next day, we got to spend most of the day in Sevilla, so I finally got to see stuff I have never seen before. This was the fourth time I had visited Sevilla and I always see the exact same thing because Im always going with people who have never been before, so we always go to the top, same sites. Soooo, me and Nicole went to Cartuja-- a part of Sevilla and walked around the monastery there. Then we went to Macerena (another barrio) and saw some of the original border walls of Sevilla that were built by the moors when they inhabited the area:

Late that afternoon we headed east to Granada. We got there late so just got some kebabs and went to bed.

The next day (Friday), we started off the morning with a delcious breakfast of catalanas and then headed to the Cathedral of Granada. It is in my top 3 favorite church buildings that I have seen. So I was excited to see it again. Its a lot sunnier/happier than the cathedral in Sevilla. White and a lot of light. Here is a view down the center isle towards the main altar:

After the church we went to the nieghboring Capilla (chapel) hat houses the tombs of the Catholic Kings-- Ferdinand and Isabella.

After that we went and walked around the Albaycin. Which is the old, historic, moorish section of town. And it still houses a large population of Mosques and muslims-- a rarity in Spain. It is a beautiful section of town with beautiful views of La Alhambra and Granada itself.

After walking around the Albaycin, we headed to La Alhambra for the massive visit it is. We had to hike up the hill, but of course it is worth it. There are 4 parts to La Alhambra. The first we went to was los Palacios Nazares. This was the palace section of La Alhambra during the moorish times. Here is a view from one of the windows looking out on the Albaycin across the way. Is it beautiful or what?

We then went to Carlos V's palace (built right in the midst of all the moorish buildings) and then to the Alcazaba (moorish fortress), then to the little church, then to Los Palacios y Jardines del Generalife (Palace and gardens). It was all very beautiful. I didnt remember a lot of stuff, so it was awesome to see it again. This pic is of the Generalife:

So we spent a little over 4 hours at La Alhambra which is pretty normal. Its massive. But needless to say, we were pretty tired after all was said and done.

For dinner that night we went to get kebabs, which are everywhere in europe and usually of the exact same quality, BUT this night was an exception. We went to some place thats menu only said they had chicken kebabs, but ofcourse we wanted lamb kebabs, so we asked the waiter and he kinda of gave this weird answer like he wasnt sure if they had any meat left, but yeah we could have some. Then our kebabs show up with this weird looking meat inside. Its ground beef first of all, but in addition it didnt looked cooked. EEkk! So I spit it out right away and the waiter came over and asked what was wrong and he said that it was pink because it was flavored with red pepper. And after tasting it again it did taste cooked, but after half way thru, my mind took over and I just couldnt eat the rest of it. That was the last kebab of the trip-- i think me and nicole were scared after that kebab that we would get another one like that. So we declared those kebabs, kLebabs, becasue they were fake. Haha

That night we went to the Arabic Baths. I learned about these when I was in Spain the first time, but no one would go with me. So, luckily Nicole went with me. :) Its origins are from moorish tradition. The moors had public "baths" which were for the rich but was a form of relaxation. You move around from different temperature warm pools and cool pools. Its kind of like a mixture of going to the pool and a spa. It was really relaxing. And at first, the cool pool seemed silly because it was really cold but after being in the really hot water you kinda needed to cool down. It was decorated very arabic-ish. I loved it.

The next day, we spent the morning walking around the Albaycin again and getting some souvenirs. We then headed out of Granada for Madrid. It was a long bus ride-- 5 hours. But it could have been worse I guess.

That night we had a wonderful last meal, full of wonderful Spanish delights: tinto de veranos surtido de pueblo: queso manchego, jamón ibérico, chorizo, croquetas de carne, albóndigas, and cava. Buenísima!

The next morning, me and Nicole headed to the airport, and I saw her off. Sad.

I am so happy Nicole got to come and visit Spain. I really wanted her to see Spain and I also feel like it is probably the last opportunity we will ever have to take a trip just the two of us. Because we probably wont have an opportunity like this in the future with future marriages and families it can never be just us. So, it was awesome to get to have a sisters trip!

Having two weeks of family here was very refreshing and it was something to look forward to. Something that kept me excited. But, it also made me miss the US more than I thought. I think I am more anxious to get back now especially after hearing all about all the happenings back home.

So, whew, that was a long post. I applaud you if you made it all the way thru.

Thanks for reading. I love you all! (5 and half weeks till I return to US soil) :)

Semana Santa Adventures Week 1

Mom and Dad came and visited me for the week of Semana Santa. We went to Barcelona, Sevilla, Don Benito, and Madrid. Here are some pictures and stories from our trip together!

We started off the trip in Barcelona. Our first excrusion was to Parc Güell. This is a park that was designed by the famous, Antonio Gaudi.

Here is a picture of Mom and I on one of the beautiful benches in Parc Güell. The first year I took Spanish-- 7th grade-- I saw a picture of the benches in Parc Güell and I decided then that I had to someday go see them. And so I finally fulfilled that wish! :)

Our next stop was the Sagrada Familia, another Gaudi work. It was impressive as ever. And this time we got to go inside. And I realized just how unfinished it is! However the towers were closed so we couldnt go up in the spires or walk on the little bridges. I was pretty bummed.

The next day, we walked down the famous Las Ramblas with all its craziness and me and mom took a picture with one of the street performers. I carefully selected him as well. He didnt look scary like several of them do. :)

At the end of Las Ramblas, we continued on to the harbor in Barcelona. It was an absolutely beautiful day to walk around the harbor-- the sun was shining, it was warm and there was a nice lil breeze. I absolutely love coastal harbor towns; and this part of Barcelona definitely gave that vibe.

After walking around the harbor, we went to Parc de la Citudella-- a beautiful park where we saw the impressive fountain called, la Cascada.

Next, we went the the "Gothic Bari"-- which is the old part of town. We walked around the exterior of the Cathedral (La Seu).

Then we ate lunch on Las Ramblas and headed to the Montjuïc section of town.

We saw and climbed up to the Museu Nacional D’Art de Catalunya-MNAC (huge building, very impressive). Montjuïc is on this huge hill in the center of town. So we got some great views!

Also from up here, we walked around the Olympic Stadium (the olympics were in Barcelona in 1992).

The next day we walked around Barcelona a little more and visited Casa Milá aka “La Pedrera”. ANother Gaudi creation. This is a few of the rooftop:

Then later that day, we flew to Sevilla. And then the whole next day, we had to take care of some travel issues and made an emergency trip to and from Madrid. Even with the craziness, we still had time to go to el Parque de Buen Retiro in Madrid. I would say it is my favorite part of Madrid. I go there every time I am i Madrid, so of course, I had to show it to my parents. :)

This picture is of me and Mom in front of one of the big ponds:

The next day, we finally got to see Sevilla-- and we sure did see a lot! We started off by going to los Reales Alcazares. This was once the Moorish palace and then was taken over by the Christians and then served various political purposes. However, it still maintains its "mudejar" (morrish) style. Its very beautiful. Here is a pic of the gardens:

We then went to the Plaza de Espana. It is a beautiful plaza that was built in 1929 for an exposition of all countries that speak Spanish. It might be my favorite place in Sevilla.

Then, we headed back to the historic center and went to the Cathedral of Sevilla. It is the largest cathedral in the world and the 3rd largest Christian church. It is massive and impressve. Here is a picture from La Giralda (the tower that is in moorish style, because it was once a Mosque).

Sevilla is world famous for its processions that occur all over town during Semana Santa. It was insanely crowded at night and there were processions going on everywhere. There were 9 going on at once! And all within a relatively concentrated area because they all have to pass by the Cathedral. We would get stuck in zones because the processions would be blocking off all of our routes. Mom and Dad did not enjoy the craziness very much, but I thought it was an amazing thing to experience. Ever since i learned about the processions in Sevilla, it has been on my list of things to see. Here is a pic of one:

The next day morning. We headed off to Don Benito, my little town. I was very excited to get to show them Don Benito since its where I am living my life right now. I showed them the parks, my apartment, the main avenue and we even got to see Don Benito's procession for Maudy Thursday.

Here is Mom and Dad in the Plaza de Espana in Don Benito:

And here is a pic of the Procession in Don Benito:

The next morning we headed off the Madrid-- the last stop on mom and dad's trip. I first took them on the normal site-seeign route in Madrid. The route I pretty much take everyone on. We went to the normal locations: Plaza de Espana, El Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Gran Via, The National Library. I have never been able to make inside the National Library. I have tried to go many times, but I have never actually made it inside. And, of course, when we tried to go, it was closed for Holiday. ... sigh... Some day.

Here is Mom and Dad in the lovely Plaza Mayor:

Then we hiked it out to the Plaza de Toros. It is a beautiful plaza. We couldnt go in, but the outside is impressive enough. (Mom got in my picture, haha)

And then on Saturday morning, Mom and Dad flew back to the United States. I was lucky that they could come and visit me. It was great to have them here and I was glad I got to share something that is a big part of who I am-- Spain and Spanish.

Coming soon-- the blog about me and Nicole's adventures!

Madrid-- Megafaun, Bull Fight and Flamenco

We arrived in Madrid on Friday afternoon. Our hostel had a great location. It was right on Gran Via and our room looked out onto the plaza and the street. Here is me and Justin and the plaza behind us.

That night, we went to a show in Madrid. Megafaun (from Durham, NC, and friends of Spencer) were playing in Madrid. I had been planning on going to Madrid for the show since I heard about it. And, fortunately it was on weekend, so I was able to. Here is a picture of the poster that advertised the show.

Here we (Justin, Nick, and I) are waiting for the show to start:

The name of the club was Moby Dick and it was all decorated very nautical-ish.

The show was absolutely fantastic. I had seen Megafaun a few times in NC before Madrid, so I know it was going to be great. I was able to talk to them some after the show and it was nice to see people from NC-- a little bit of home in Spain.

I have a video of part of one of their songs at the end of the post. The quality is pretty bad.

On Saturday, Justin was flying out and Nick and I stayed in Madrid to enjoy the day. The day started off with a weird occurence-- There was some type of filming going on right outside of our hostel in which hundreds of motorcycles were parading threw the plaza and out onto Gran Via.

Nick and I had kind of a slow start to the morning-- we had to change hostels and we went to a book shop, and a few more things. Before we knew it, it was lunch time and we went and ate at the lovely Parque de Buen Retiro. Its probably my favorite part of Madrid. I make a point to go there pretty much everytime I am in Madrid. It has been kinda sad and cold in Madrid recently until this trip, so I got to enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed. :)

Later that day we went to a Bull fight. It was my first one. I must say that the Bull ring stadium in Madrid is quite beautiful.

Here is some art outside of the Plaza de Toros:

I had been warned many times by Spaniards that I was not going to like bullfighting. So, I felt like I had mentally prepared alot. Even so, the first bull that was killed was still quite jarring. But after the first bull you get kinda de-sensitized. And I spent a lot of the time trying to figure out the rules, etc of the sport. Here is a video of the last part of the killing of one bull. I think this was the third bull of the Corrida. (Corrida is the name for the bullfight)

Here is a picture of the "team" of torreros (bullfighters). The 'lesser' toreros use pink capes, and the head honcho uses a red cape like you saw in the video above.

Here is an image of the bullfight in the plaza. I think it helps emit the true sense and "antiguedad" of the Spanish corridas.

And, here is me sitting in the stands:

Later that night we sought out a bar that had Flamenco music. We finally found a place that had this older man and guitarist just playing and singing their hearts out. I was pretty happy to see that everyone else there was Spanish, so it felt a little more authentic. As with Spanish music, everyone watching claps along and yells "ole" when the singer/guitarist/dancer does a good job. I have a video below of the singer and guitarist and also two girls who did some improv Sevillanas dancing. I am taking Sevillanas classes, so it was awesome to see some Sevillanas as it is done in the little Spanish bars. It was pretty thrilling for me.

Video of the concert: This recording is really bad. Some guy in front of me kept getting in my way, so i had to keep moving and I eventually gave up before the song was over. But I wanted to put it on here for my own memory.

Weekend in Herrera del Duque

So this past weekend,myself, 3 other auxiliares, and 2 visiting Americans all went to the village, Herrera del Duque to visit another auxiliar, Nick.

The first night we just hung out in Nick's piso and made some delicious pasta carbonara.

Saturday morning we woke up early and went and had some coffee and tostadas/catalanas with a couple who Nick is friends with.

Then we all drove halfway up a mountain, that neighbors Herrera del Duque. Once halfway-up, we hiked the other half up and explored a deteriorating castle. It was super guay.

This is me and Cheri in front of the landscape. And here is a picture of the beautiful olive trees that were all along the path up to the castle.

This is a picture of Liam, Justin, myself, and Cheri in front of the Castle.

We kinda had to walk over rubble to get into the castle. It was quite an adventure. We felt like we had discovered some unknown ruin. Javier, who is in the background, told us that most people did not care about the castle because it is not well conserved. But it was for that reason that we all found it so intriguing.

Later that day we met a lot of Nick's friends for lunch.  We ate cuchinillo, which is like a small suckling pig.  It was pretty good.  But it was a pricey meal (23 euros a piece).  Eek!

Then we headed to a bar to watch the Real Madrid game.  The Spaniards are so crazy about their futbol.  The power kept flickering earlier because of the crazy winds, so they brought in a generator to insure that not a second would be lost of the game.  That bar was super packed during the game.

After the Real Madrid game we watched the Barcelona game and apparently Herrera people are all Madrid fans because they were routing hard against Barca even though they were playing Malaga.

During the Barca game we all shared raciones and then all hung out till late into the night.

It was a wonderful weekend.  I am so glad I got to see this small town in Spain!

Paris, Je t'aime

This past weekend we had off Monday and Tuesday because it was a holiday. It was carnival in Spain. While most of my friends stayed in Spain to enjoy the huge Carnivale parties, I took advantage of the long weekend and went to Paris. I was very fortunate to also have one of my best friends from home visit me-- my college roommate Nicholle. she arrived in Madrid on Friday Feb 12th and that same day we flew off to Paris.

On Saturday, we spent the day walking around to most of the outdoor sites in Paris. We started off by going to see the church Sacre Coeur, which is located in Montmatre. We did this first because this was the main thing I wanted to do in Paris since I did not make it there when I went to Paris 3 years ago. It was absolutely beautiful. It was snowing while we were there, so the view from the church was phenomenal. Paris was so lovely covered in a cap of white snow.

We walked around Montmatre a little more, but we were unable to find the Moulin Rouge, so we just headed to our next destination-- The Eiffel Tower. This was my favorite part of Paris the first time around, so I was excited to do it again. 3 years ago, we were only able to go up to the second floor, but this time, Nicholle and I were able to go up to the top level, in which you are right below the needle at the very top. The view was amazing. Paris was still snowy, so it was a great view. And, as Im sure you have deduced, if it was snowing, that means it was cold. And it was very very cold. Half the time I could not feel my toes.

After the Eiffel Tower we went to the Arc de Triumph and then started to walk down the Champs Elysses but decided to go back to the hotel to warm up for a little while and then to later return to the city center to see Paris at night.

We did return later that night and walked around the Champs Elysses, Place de Concorde and then on the Seine towards the Eiffel Tower. We picked up some nutella crepes and ate them as we walked. We got to a good spot and we were able to see the Eiffel Tower for when it is all sparkly at the start of the hour.

The second day in Paris, we went to Versailles. The first time I went, we took a paid excursion, but this time we took the train out there and waited in the very ling ticket line. Versailles was very interesting to see this go 'round because the gardens were covered in a thin layer of snow which gave them a completely different character.

When we got back to Paris from Versailles, we went straight to Musee d'Orsay. The line was very long because on Sundays there is a reduced entrance fee. I loved Musee d'Orsay. It was the perfect amount of paintings without being overwhelming and the building was gorgeous-- it used to be a train station and it maintains that charm.

Afterwards we walked around a little more before returning to our hostel and then to dinner at a Brasserie. We both tried the Beef borgeonon (sp??). And it was delicious and very filling!

Our last day, we started off the morning by going to Montmatre again to try and track down the Moulin Rouge and do a little tourist shoppin before heading back. We also got some crepes and wandered around the neighborhood a little more.

Then we headed to Notre Dame, and then we wandered around the Latin Quarter and headed to the Pantheon.

We flew back to Madrid that night, but after being delayed over an hour and a half. Im about to give up on flying. I dont think I have been on a single on-time flight in a very very long time.

We arrived in Madrid, and I was pleased to discover that Nicholle really liked Madrid.

We spent most of Monday wandering the streets of Madrid (when it wasnt raining that is) and just having a more relaxed day. Nicholle and I both happened to injure a foot, so we were not too speedy at walking.

We returned to Don Benito Tuesday night at 11:30pm. It was a very full weekend, but wonderful. I was so happy to go to Paris again. It is such a beautiful city. I dare say it is the most beautiful in Spain. However, in the end, I was ready to return to Don Benito, where it is much warmer. :)

Nicholle left today to go back to Madrid to catch her flight in the morning. It was sad to see her go. I enjoyed so much having her here. But I know it is not long till my parents come, so I cant be too upset.

It feels good to be back in Spain for awhile. In France I missed Spain, so its nice to be "home".