Now that I am back home in the states, I finally have a chance to write about my last adventure and final week in Spain.
The first weekend in December I took a BlaBlaCar to Madrid to meet my good friend, Ada, who was studying abroad in Ireland. After a little bit of confusion and a whole lot of luck, we were able to find each other and make it to our AirBnb in one piece.
The next morning she went to tour the Bernabéu Stadium and I went to the Reina Sofía National Museum of Art. The museum was huge. I must have spent two hours walking through the different exhibits and I still didn’t see it all. I was able to see El Guernica, a famous painting by Picasso, and a few works by Dalí. I tried to snap a picture of El Guernica while the guards weren’t looking, but I ended up getting too scared I was going to go to some sort of art jail.
I met back up with Ada at Plaza Mayor and spent the rest of the day showing her around the major sites of Madrid. That night we found some open space at a bar to watch the Madrid vs. Barcelona soccer match. A few locals called us over to sit with them and we ended up drinking a few beers and chatting through the whole game.
Sunday morning we walked around El Retiro, a huge park in the center of the city. The walking paths were beautiful and I loved seeing all of the different leaves that had changed colors. We stumbled upon a completely glass house that served as an art installation in the middle of the park.
After a quick stop for some chocolate and churros (yum), we made our way to the airport to catch our flight to Ireland!
I followed Ada back to her dorm at Maynooth University to stay for the week and tour around Ireland. Monday morning I took the train into Dublin. All of the streets were lit up with Christmas lights and every so often you could hear street performers playing Christmas music.
The next day I went back into Dublin to tour the Guinness Storehouse with my friend, David. I have never really been a fan of beer, especially Guinness because it is a little bit strong, but it was interesting to hear all of the history behind something so iconically Irish. At the end of the tour, we admired the view from the rooftop over a pint.
Thursday I decided to take a tour to the Cliffs of Moher. I quickly made a new friend on the bus ride there who, oddly enough, was visiting from Spain as well. The tour guide took us through some cute little towns, stopping on the way to tell us the history of Ireland and other anecdotes. When we made it to the cliffs, I was absolutely astounded. We started walking along the edge of the cliffs and decided to hop the fence to get a better view. Standing there, 700ft up in the air looking over the edge at the ocean below, I was terrified. But it was one of the most special experiences I have had.
Friday morning I got up before the sun did to catch my plane back to Madrid. Once I got to the Madrid airport, I met my mom and stepdad and took the train with them back to Oviedo. I was so happy to see them and even more excited that they would be staying for the week and traveling back to Texas with me. After a long day of travel and some good Spanish food, we all passed out for the night. In the morning I took them around Oviedo, showing them my favorite spots of the place I had called home for the past 3 months.
Sunday morning they accompanied me on our Rollins excursion to Santillana del Mar. Santillana del Mar, a historic medieval town in Cantabria is known as the town of three lies since it is neither a Saint (Santo), nor flat (llano), nor is it by the sea (Mar). However, it was perfectly charming and we had a lovely day walking the streets and visiting the local church.
My final week in Spain I juggled finishing up classes, touring with my family, and spending time with my newfound friends. My host family was nice enough to invite my parents to dinner one night to their home. With a lot of translating and even more wine, everyone had a blast.
Saturday morning, with tears in my eyes, I said goodbye to my host family and the city that I have come to love. While my adventure in Spain is over, I have no doubt that I will be back soon.