Viajando ~ Traveling

Catching up for lost time, a big thanks to final exams… I thought I would talk about traveling. It has been one of my favorite things and I cannot wait until I can travel more next semester. Thus far I have been to Salamanca, Avila, Villalba, El Escorial, Segovia & Toledo which are all small villages in Spain just a bit outside of the city. Some have been day trips while others weekenders, but however you plan on traveling I recommend spending time in Spain to try and get a feel for the culture before jumping into Europe. Salamanca was one of the school trips this semester where we had our orientation, which I mentioned in and earlier post and the others are just some other small villages that I have visited with friends because we have friends that live there or because there is some historical palace or monastery there, such as El Escorial. Avila is a medieval city which has a very interesting history, but I do not want to give away too much information because there is a school trip traveling there next semester! However, I have also traveled outside of Spain this semester! I have been to Paris & Toulouse, France, where I was able to spend time exploring and getting to know other cultures and customs. Dublin, Ireland is one of my all time favorites and I tend to return quite frequently to visit with some people who are very good friends of my family. On top of that I traveled to Lisbon, Portugal with the school on one of the semester trips. Each European country in very unique, meaning that they are proud of their culture as well as their customs and are always trying to show other people how special they truly are. By studying in Madrid I feel as if I am in the center of Europe and at the gateway to visit other countries, but at the same time if you come here on a smaller budget there are so many things to do in Madrid and its surroundings that you really do not have to leave. But as for now I’m going to go play in the snow because I have not seen any for a very long time…

This picture was taken on my flight from Ireland to Spain while we were just over the cost of Ireland, as you can see...
¡Hasta Luego!