Hola todos!
Sorry for being so lame and not updating in forever.... it's been a super crazy couple of weeks!
Two weekends ago three friends and I decided to take the tall/dark/handsome factor of the men around us to the next level and venture to Venice and Milan for the weekend. Needless to say, the beautiful Venetian gondola drivers winking at us while cruising under the bridges did not disappoint. ;) The trip didn't get off to a GREAT start since RyanAir apologized for our 5 hour delay with a nice 5 euro snack voucher, which did not go toward any much needed alcoholic beverages or "real food" besides snacks.... that didn't stop us from having a few glasses of cheap champagne before sleeping our way to Milan on our now 1am flight.
Upon arriving in beautiful Italy, we ate our fair share and then some of pesto pizza, spaghetti carbonara, and FAR more than our share of gelato. Although the best-gelato-I-have-ever-tasted-award still goes to Giolitti in Rome, I gave it its run for its money tasting several kinds in Venice and Milan both. We all agreed after strolling the gorgeous, car-less streets of Venice that it was our preferred city. We learned from our gondola driver (whose name was Fabio... not kidding) that Venice was founded in the year 421 and it still retains it's old, quiet beauty. We loved wandering the streets without a map and honestly, maps probably wouldn't save anyone since the streets have no rhyme or reason whatsoever.
Milan was definitely cool in its own way, but the very large, VERY expensive city wasn't really our style. We only stayed there for the afternoon and evening, and got to tour the main shopping street that offers Coach bags more expensive than the upbringing of my future children. We also saw cars that made me drool, baristas dressed in tuxes that very kindly nodded toward the door when we entered (Wait.. my nike shorts and ripped tourist backpack aren't up to par for this place?) and, fortunately, got to tour the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. That part was very beautiful and worth it. :)
Upon returning to our Valencian home, we only had one more week of fun and Spanish magic before most of the kiddos head back to the States on the 7th. We finished things up at our internships, ate huge delicious lunches with our host mom and shared language-barrier-filled laughs with our Italian host brothers at dinnertime, and most importantly, we went to the beach. Ohhh how I will miss that beach.
Yesterday we arrived safe and sound in Madrid and checked back into the hotel where the whole trip started only 6 short weeks ago. Sara and I lost our jacuzzi room and had it replaced by a shower with no door, which makes for a lot of flooded bathrooms. Thanks, Madrid. We got to tour the Royal Palace yesterday which was inCREDible. Who needs separate rooms for sleeping, getting dressed, putting on makeup, and then an in-between room to walk to the dining room, movie room, and important-document-signing-room?? Apparently Spanish royalty does. The only cosa mala about Madrid this time around is that I'm pretty sick :( So instead of going to the Prado Museum and the Reína Sofía today, I stayed in bed and watched Spanish-dubbed Say Yes to the Dress and CSI Miami. A day of rest was definitely in order, but I really hope I'm well enough to spend one last night with all the cool kids on this trip before we part ways tomorrow!
Luke arrives in Madrid tomorrow night; I'm meeting him at the airport and we'll leave from the train station for the first stop on our European adventure: Pamplona for San Fermín and the Running of the Bulls! Pictures to come with either fun shots of the party atmosphere or Luke's mangled body as he succeeds in completing my dream of Running... ;)
Love you all, and see you after DAD'S leg of the adventure is over (on July 31)!!
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