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!

Felices Fiestas ~ Happy Holidays

Wow how the time is flying by… I just finished all of my finals and cannot wait to go back home and visit my friends and family over the winter break!

Over the past few weeks I have been very busy making sure everything was completed for the end of the semester as well as studying for my final exams. Now that they are over I am able to enjoy my last few days here in Madrid before I travel home for a few weeks to spend some time with my family and friends. This year has been very special for me because I have been able to spend the preholiday season with some of my, now, very good friends! We have seen the holiday spirit in Lisbon, Portugal; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; as well as in Madrid, and each place we have traveled to we tried to get a little out of their culture to bring home and share with our own families. I am currently spending some time in the Sierra de Guadarrama visiting with some friends of mine and enjoying it a lot before I travel back to Madrid for the Cena de la Despedida (Farewell Dinner) which will take place on Monday evening. I think that the main reason as to why I am enjoying myself is the fact that there is so much NIEVE! That’s Right! SNOW!!!! I know it does not snow that often in Madrid but a mere 30+ minutes north of the city you can really get in touch with the winter weather where it snows a lot. However you are still able to get that warm holiday feeling in the city, the other evening my friends and I decided to take the Bus de Navidad (Christmas Bus) which cost only € 1 and took us all over the place to show us all of the Christmas Lights that are being displayed throughout the city…and on top of that there was a tour guide who pointed out several important places along the way! It was great fun and I recommend it to everyone because it surly brightened our holiday season!

I took this picture in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris!

¡Hasta Luego!