So, when I arrived on Thursday, Bekah and I were bound and determined to take a weekend trip that would allow us to see more of the Spanish country. We tried for Sevilla, but that didn't work. Back up plan: Granada. That way, we could still visit southern Spain. Failed. We thought the weekend trip would never work. So, we spent Friday in Madrid with Trish, a girl who has been living with our host family for 6 months now!! We went to the pool (much appreciated on these 85-90 degree days), shopped a little, and explored. I think the best part was getting to know her a little more. She's the personal guide for the rest of us girls here in the house simply because she knows so much after her long stay and wants all of us to get the most out of our visit. She is so sweet & funny; I'll be sad to see her leave this coming Friday!
Since our plan of a full weekend failed, we finally just decided to do a day trip to Salamanca. No jokes, please. I have wanted to visit Salamanca since (2005) seeing a beautiful courtyard filled with alcoves that represented major cities/provinces. The one for Salamanca was so outstanding. Plus, yes, there is some interest simply because we have a Salamanca at home. To make things more interesting, Bekah actually had the option of studying in Salamanca or Madrid. So it seemed fitting that we should take a little trip to check things out.
It took us about 3 hours to get there (good nap time!). When we arrived, we were astounded by the beauty! Now, Madrid is no slouch when it comes to eye-catching architecture, but Salamanca just seemed much older and even more elegant. Every building looked so regal that it was tough to tell what was old and historically important from what was just a regular (beautiful) building. Thank goodness we bought a map!! We were able to see most of the buildings we wanted, but we didn't get to go in many of them. Apparently, we arrived in the middle of a 3 hour city-wide siesta (my hypothesis - I actually have no idea what was going on). Whatever the reason, many buildings were temporarily closed up. Nonetheless, we really enjoyed wandering around and taking everything in. Salamanca is much smaller than Madrid; it's a university town. The pace is slower, the atmosphere very serene. It was a nice get-away from the hustle and bustle (still very exciting) of Madrid. There was just something about it that couldn't be captured with a camera (though I sure tried!!).
In the end, we were grateful that our idea of a packed weekend in another city didn't come to fruition. I was still trying to get over jet-lag, and Bekah was pretty tired from burning the candle at both ends. In Madrid, you get up early, nap midday, and stay out/up really late. I swear, these people don't sleep! Our host parents (Marina and Carlos) don't get home from the theater school they own until sometime between 10:00 PM and 12:00 AM. So if we stay up to eat dinner with them, that means we don't usually get to bed until around 1:00 AM. I think I was made for the European lifestyle, as I do that naturally :)
Salamanca was extremely enjoyable, and it was nice to explore Madrid more on Sunday. We slept in, spent time with the family, and then went shopping/exploring with Trish. All in all, it was a great weekend!
But next weekend should be even better because we're going to....
....BARCELONA!!!!
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