Barcelonaaaaa

Barcelona Round 1: to Pick up Shannon from Semester at Sea! (Photos include Sagrada Familia, Parque Guell, our very lovely very full hostel room, Mexican dinner at Rosa Negra, and Mercado de la Bocarila)

La Feria...

This post is long overdue since La Feria was the third week of April but I couldn't skip writing about the most amazing week of my life... In its most basic form, La Feria means "the fair" but in reality is far more. It is impossible to describe until you go, dress in tradicional flamenco in 90 degree weather, drink ribujito while riding in a horse drawn carriage, pay 4 euros to go on a ferris wheel at 5am and dance the Sevillana in a casetta with a 70-year-old woman. I cannot even begin to explain the number of friends I made that week, the few number of hours I slept, and the authenticity of the experience that occurs only once every year. To me, Sevilla is no longer Sevilla without La Feria and was seven days and nights of pure loco, pure Spain that I will never forget.

Lagos, Portugal #YouOnlyLagosOnce

Lagos was absolutely beautiful, with the prettiest beaches I have ever seen. We made the quick 3 hour bus ride with Discover Sevilla and had a blast with everyone in the group and the guides for the rest of our time there. We laid on the beaches all day, went cliff jumping, drank the best sangria and went out to eat at some really yummy restaurants. We visited two different beaches and one night went to watch the sunset along the coast at the cliffs of Sagres, also known as "The end of the World." It was a little windy but absolutely beautiful. Our only complaints the entire trip were forgetting to put on sunscreen the first day and being sleepy in the morning from going out to the bars with all our friends the night before- not real complaints at all. Even though it was a little early in the season and the water was freezing cold, we could not have had better weather and a better time relaxing on the beach, making new friends and reconnecting with old ones!

Media Maraton

Back in January I signed up to run the half marathon in Malaga having never ran even half that number of miles in my life. But I thought it would be a good way to stay in shape and explore the city. This plan was working out perfectly until I went to Italy and ate gelato 8 days in a row... But I came back to Spain and a week later, Sheldon and I were off to Malaga not really knowing what we were getting ourselves into. But after a good night's sleep we arrived in the stadium and the energy and adrenaline of the other 5,000 runners was infectious. Together, the two of us ran the 13.1 miles in 2 hours chatting the entire way enjoying the run along the ocean in a city we had never explored. We finished smiling, only a little tired and so happy with what we had accomplished. We rewarded ourselves with a burger (the first I have eaten since arriving here!) and a few hours of sitting on the beach stretching. It was such a good feeling to know all my training the past 4 months helped reach a goal I had set so long ago.

Spring Break in Italy (Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre)

 Italy and the 8 days we spent there were way too incredible for words and a short blog post so this one is all photos. Enjoy:)

Morrocco

One Wednesday I spontaneously signed up for a trip to Morocco  with DiscoverExcursions and left that Friday for Africa! A completely new continent that's only only a 2.5 hour bus ride and 45 min ferry away. When we arrived I was so glad I decided to take the trip because the country was so different than I had imagined and so cool to explore with new friends. We visited a beautiful blue-walled city called Chefchaouen where I got a henna tattoo (not permanent) and we ate lunch on a terrace overlooking the entire town. After bargaining for jewelry in the markets we went on to the next town called Assilah where we visited caves, rode camels, and saw where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic! And despite not being able to drink the water and a 4am arrival back in Sevilla due to some technical difficulties caused by Moroccan children illegally trying to cross the border on our bus, the adventure, the people, and the cous cous are things I will never forget. 

Carrera 10K

I ran in my first 10K this Sunday in training for the half marathon and felt great! We ran all through the city, including down my street where Lola and the pups were standing out on the balcony waving and cheering me on. Overall such a good experience and fun to see other women in Spain who run, up until this point I had only seen maybe one or two. Now I'm just hoping for the rain to let up so I can keep training! Dedos cruzados! (fingers crossed)