Okay, so it has been a ridiculous amount of time since I have written anything here, but my hope is that now that I’m back in the States, I’ll find some time to retrace my steps and write a bit about what I have been up to lately. It will all be a bit less detailed, seeing as so much as happened and I could probably write novels about the last few months, so at least this way I will save you all from wasting way too much of your time and hopefully entice you to actually read it... I’ll begin by saying that the since my last post, my time in Spain has exceeded all my expectations, hopes, and dreams of what it could have been. While things were really looking up after my trip to Greece, my last two and a half months redefined my study abroad experience in a way I never thought possible. In the end, it is an understatement to say that I was not quite ready to go home.
Just a few short weeks after my trip to visit Mandy in Greece, and after neglecting the studies I had promised myself I would get to, I was off to Santander and Bilbao, two cities in northern Spain, with my friend Bailey. Santander proved to be the perfect place to spend just a few days, as it lacked the charming atmosphere of other Spanish towns, but it was quite beautiful near the water and out first afternoon was spend lounging on the flawless beach, taking in a bit too much sun, and enjoying a long walk around the parks and palaces that lined the coast. We spent our evenings dining on the wide variety of delicious tapas and getting lost on Santander’s crooked streets. After a few relaxing days, we were ready to move on to our next destination in the Basque Country, my ex roommate’s hometown of Bilbao. While unfortunately Alfonso was not there to show us around, the city exceeded all of my expectations. One of the most modern cities I have ever visited, Bilbao is full of impressive architecture, most notably the Guggenheim contemporary art museum, which leaves one with a sense of bewilderment at its seemingly impossible design. The once polluted river is the cleanest it has been in decades, and the brand new street cars zoom silently past almost unnoticed. In stark contrast to such modernity, the city’s historical section is lined with beautiful cathedrals from nearly all of Europe’s architectural movements, including one style that is truly unique to the Basque region. We were even able to take a cable car up to the top of a mountain overlooking the city, which offered a picturesque view of all that the city had to offer, situated in a wider panorama of the green rolling hills of the Basque Country, highlighted by the towering mountains in the distance.
While Bilbao was absolutely spectacular, one long day proved to be just the right of time to see most of what it had to offer, and we returned to Madrid the following day with illusions of starting some of our major semester papers as the due dates seemed to be fast approaching. Of course, Madrid life and a new found romantic interest made this nearly impossible and before I knew it I was off to Barcelona for a weekend with my friend, Julie. The trip was absolutely phenomenal in every way. Graced by the presence of such great company and sunny, warm temperatures, our weekend was spent sightseeing throughout the architectural marvel that is Barcelona, and enjoying the energetic atmosphere. Antonio Gaudi has left his mark seemingly everywhere in the city, from the entirely unique La Sagrada Familia cathedral, which is still under construction, to Park Guell, to hospitals, to apartment buildings. That man must have worked tirelessly every day of his life. He is Barcelona.
While the city itself is way too full of tourists, and therefore seemingly lacking an identity, and certainly is far from being Spanish in nearly every way, the atmosphere is simply contagious. It has what Madrid seemingly lacks at times, a variety of tasty food. Tapas there are as they should be, creative and always different. Ethnic restaurants have a much greater presence as well, and everywhere has a certain level of class and sophistication that is lacking in most Madrid eateries. The boqueria market is a marvel, La Rambla provides constant action in the center of the city, and the waterfront is unbelievable for such a large metropolis. Our last afternoon in Barcelona was spent sunbathing on the beach, and for the first time since Portugal in the fall, I entered the water without hesitation and worries of hypothermia. Above all, I came to realize just how close of friends Julie and I had become over the course of the year, and was a bit unwilling to make the return trip except for the anticipation I had of seeing Olechka, her Russian roommate, to whom I was growing much closer.
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