A New Year's Fez

The Ceramics Cooperative

We woke up way too early again this morning for a full day in Fez. I preferred the whole sleeping-in thing we were doing until the last two days. We had a delicious breakfast of yogurt with dried fruit, Moroccan breads with endless spreads, mint tea, and fresh OJ. I was stuffed by the end of it, as usual.

We waited outside our hotel at 9 am to meet the guide we had set up the day before. He came around the corner a little after and was incredibly relieved because there were three streets in Fez with the same name as ours. That just proved how much we needed a guide to navigate the city. We got in his car to go see a panorama of the city but stopped first at a pottery cooperative. It was really cool to see the whole process of how they make the pottery and tiles that line this city. We only intended to stay for a few minutes but ended up staying for an hour to see every step of it and make the decision of what to buy. My parents ended up getting a beautifully painted giant vase.

In the Medina

Then we drove a little further to see a panorama of the whole city, which was really pretty from above. After that, we walked through the medina and saw various sites in Fez. I much preferred walking through Fez over Marrakech because there are no motorbikes or cars in the medina – just some donkeys. It is also a lot less touristy than Marrakech. Today was Friday, which is the day of big prayer for Muslims, so many things were closed or closed early, so we didn’t get to see all of the shops. But we definitely got a gist of the city – it is still totally unlike anywhere I’ve been before and anywhere I would want to live, but the people seem friendly. I am in love with the little Moroccan kids – they are absolutely adorable. My dad thinks the well-dressed Spanish kids are cuter but I’ll go for the grungier Moroccan children playing in the streets. We spent a long time in co-ops today with people showing us their products and trying (usually successfully) to get us to buy their goods. We spent way too long in a rug co-op, but the tannery was interesting despite the terrible smell. Luckily, they gave us mint leaves to stick up our noses to help calm the stench. We had lunch at a spot where all the guides take their tour groups, but the food was decent and very filling. Eventually, we parted with our guide after making plans to see the countryside and more of the city tomorrow. Then my parents bought me a pretty scarf, and we got a whole demonstration on argan oil, so we had to buy some of that too.

The Tannery

Tonight, there is a party in our hotel so I’m hoping that will be a fun way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. I miss all my friends who are getting their party on in Boston, but I’ll survive with some couscous and Moroccan adventures (apparently the male chef here is an incredible belly dancer). ;)

Eight Hours to Fez - No Problem

Our Riad Room

This morning, we woke up a little after dawn with the chirping birds outside our window. We had our final delicious breakfast in Marrakech and taxied over to the train station. We said a very sad farewell to Josh and sent him off to the airport to go to Berlin. Traveling just isn’t the same without a brother to pick on me constantly.

We boarded the train and found that even first class seats in Morocco are pretty dingy, but they were surprisingly comfortable enough for the 8-hour ride. The Moroccan countryside was really gorgeous and the landscape changed often throughout the ride. We met a few interesting people in our car, including an incredibly adventurous Australian couple. Later, a sweet student got on and explained some things about Moroccan schools. Lastly, we were in the car with a very friendly Moroccan guy who worked for the tourist center in Fez. He told us everything we could want to know and hooked us up with a guide for tomorrow who supposedly showed Bill Clinton and Bono around Fez. It was like he was planted there by the government to give us all the inside details.

The train eventually stopped, and we took a van to the Palais Amani. It is tucked away in a poor-looking alley but it is anything but poor. We got the longest welcome I’ve ever received at a hotel. We walked into a central courtyard garden filled with beautiful tiles. Then the co-owner sat us down in the living room with mint tea and cookies and gave us a detailed explanation of the entire riad. It was fascinating. He was born in Morocco but grew up in France and had a very rich friend that he wanted to do some business venture with. So they decided to turn this previously private home (I would like this to be my private home) into a beautiful hotel. But he wanted to make it a project as well, so he said he would only hire local people. They trained the workers for a year before opening and had to teach them an entirely new way of reacting to things. It sounds like it totally changed their lives and he claims that they are very happy working here. I think I would be too, minus the long hours. Eventually, after my dad had all his questions answered, he showed us to our room. My parents are staying upstairs and I have a little bed downstairs in one big room. It is very nice.

Our Riad's Patio

We settled in and ventured out for a short walk through the city. We did not go very far because it is incredibly hard to navigate without a guide. The stores were all closed so we mostly just got looks and got asked to come to restaurants, but we saw some adorable kids playing in the street. I may have to smuggle a Moroccan child out of here when I go.

We went back to the riad and had one of the best dinners ever. It started with a beet puree. Then we had some sort of fennel dish with spinach. Then we had delicious beef – it was melt-in-your-mouth. It ended with sweet oranges and cinnamon. I wish I could say a more detailed description about the food but there was no menu and they couldn’t tell us in English what it was. But everything was perfect. Now we are relaxing and getting ready to sleep before the big adventure that surely awaits us tomorrow. And there is a party here tomorrow night for New Year’s Eve that I’m pretty pumped about!

Guided Around Marrakech By A Drunkard

We had another crazy day today in Marrakech. The adventures and oddities are never ending. We had a delicious and plentiful breakfast this morning before heading out into the city. First, we visited the Saadian Tombs. We waited in a very long line to see one room filled with tombs. It was very pretty but unexpectedly small and similar to many other rooms so I’m not sure it was worth the wait, but everyone was doing it. Then we went to El Badi Palace, which was now just ruins but it was really cool. It was a huge open space with a giant pool in the middle. I would like to throw a big party there like P. Diddy threw his birthday party in the next place we went – Bahia Palace. This palace was more functional with tiled floors and gardens. But I would still choose El Badi Palace for its expansiveness and its pool.

El Badi Palace

Jewish Cemetery

We then headed into the Jewish neighborhood – Mellah. It was hilarious because every time we were near that neighborhood, people would point us to the Jewish section. Everyone automatically knew that we were Jews; there was no fooling them. Somehow Josh got sucked into talking to this completely drunk, stumbling old man who ended up being our guide for the next hour. He led us all around the section. First we went to the synagogue, which was pretty with its blue and white tiles all over the walls. We were walking down the street and went into a spice shop. A man sat us down and showed us all of the spices and products on his walls and gave us some delicious mint tea. After a lot of product demonstrations, we ended up buying some amber perfumes and the mint tea. Then the drunk guy led us to the Jewish cemetery. He said he would wait for us outside because he was not allowed in, but we told the workers there that we were done with him. He put up a protest, but some workers eventually got rid of him for us. Like everyone else we voluntarily pay, he complained about the money and wanted double. We figured out that all of them are trained to beg for more, no matter what the pay is. We heard the stories of the Jews in Marrakech and wandered around the extensive cemetery. I nearly got locked in a bathroom there but luckily wheedled my way out eventually. In any case, I did not end up staying in the cemetery, although I have certainly thought that was possible on this trip.

Getting a Henna Tattoo

After that, we headed to the big market and actually found a good route to get there. The people on the street constantly point for tourists and say, “This way big square.” My mom asked for directions yesterday, and, because of Josh’s not-so-subtle prompts, actually said, “Which way big square?” It was classic. Today we found it without asking that question and ate another delicious dinner there after being told it was the best restaurant in the whole place by about 5 waiters. They sure know how to hound tourists. I had couscous, delicious olives, amazing Moroccan bread, and tomatoes and onions. As we were walking through the square after dinner, a lady approached me and offered me a henna tattoo. The next 3 minutes were totally crazy as she started putting it on me without my agreement, walked me quickly over to another area, grabbed two stools, sat me down on one, and had another woman apply tons of henna to both sides of my right hand. They tried to charge us a ton of money, and, like every other transaction, we ended up getting overcharged, but at least my hand is pretty now. Then we went scarf shopping in the souks before heading home. More people tried to show us to our riad, but we told them we knew where we were going. They also told us that they recognized us from yesterday. Did I mention how I feel out of place here? I think they can tell I don’t belong, too. Now we are back in our riad for a relaxing night before an early morning train to Fez. Josh is sadly leaving us to go party with his friends in Berlin, so there will be three of us left to brave Fez. I hear there aren’t motorbikes there, so we actually have a chance of surviving. 

Marrakech Adventure - Day 2

Me at the Majorelle Gardens

This morning, we woke up to a delicious breakfast provided by our riad. It had breads, yogurt, pound cake, omelets, crepes, jellies, fresh orange juice, and tea. What a great way to start the day! Then we walked through the crowded streets until we found a taxi that would take us to the train station to get our tickets to Fez in a couple days. We drove through the new part of the city, which was infinitely more luxurious than the old part – it literally looked like Boca Raton with endless fancy hotels. The train station was also very nice, and we felt like we were out of Morocco. We got the tickets and took another taxi to the Majorelle Gardens. After waiting in line for a little while, we entered this oasis. It was like a jungle filled with cacti and brightly colored pottery. We enjoyed the peacefulness there and checked out the museum filled with fashions by Yves Saint Laurent that were inspired by Marrakech. We wandered back through the new city to the old city and had lunch outside at a restaurant, which included more yummy couscous. It is funny to see the locals sit outside at cafes because they are all men and almost all sit on one side of the table and just people watch.

Medersa Ben Youssef

We got lost finding our next destination – the Medersa Ben Youssef. It used to be an Islamic college and is now a really cool building to walk around. It reminded me a lot of the Alcázar in Sevilla. We also explored a museum and ruins in that area. Then we went to a really nice spice shop, where we bought some amber and other gifts. It was beautiful with all the different colors of spices and various products in glass jars, including snakeskin and dead birds. We got sucked into spending way too long in a Berber rug store, but the rugs were very pretty and the people were nice. Eventually, we wandered through the “big market,” got some orange/grapefruit juice, and headed home. That is easier said than done, especially at night. We walked for way too long and ended up having little kids help us out. Everyone here offers to lead you places for a tip and then complains about what you give them. These kids were really cute until they begged us for more money, but they did point us in the right direction. With the help of many people on the street, we eventually found our way to a spot that we recognized. On the way, I saw a child pushing another child in a wheelchair who was wielding a gun. I hope it was fake but I was not going to ask. I was relieved to make it back to our riad and sit down for what felt like the first time all day. It was another exhausting and exciting day in Marrakech!

Moroccan Culture Shock

Dad and Josh with Snaaaakes

Today I ventured to a new and extremely different continent – Africa. We took a very quick and easy Ryanair flight from Sevilla to Marrakech, Morocco. The cab ride was fairly normal, although the driver did tether our oversized American suitcases to the trunk with a bungee cord. The driver could not take us down the street he wanted to because it was under construction, so he let us off in a different spot. He told us that our Riad (house-style hotel) was only 200 meters down a straight path. We were doubtful but set off to find it on foot with our suitcases in tow. On the crowded, unpaved streets full of people on motorbikes, I felt completely lost and out of place. Luckily, many people offered to help us, with the hope of getting tips, of course. We let one guy be our guide and followed several meters behind him as he weaved through the crowds of people. After about a 10-minute walk and many twists and turns, we arrived at the Riad Alma. We rang the doorbell, and a worker there let us in. She sat us down and brought us delicious mint tea. Eventually, another guy who barely spoke English showed us places on the map and led us to our rooms. It is a very nice and cozy place with huge beds and cool-looking showers. We settled in for a bit and headed out for quite an adventure.

Big Square

We walked back through the streets and ignored the countless offers to guide us. Not far from our hotel, I spotted my friends from Sevilla who we had also run into at the midnight Christmas Eve mass. How random! We exchanged some stories, and it was great to see familiar faces in such an unfamiliar place. We eventually parted ways and, after getting a bit lost, found the giant market square we were searching for. It sure was exotic! There were men dancing and clapping metal instruments, snake charmers (which I hated), and men holding monkeys. Then there were endless places to eat, buy fresh orange juice, and purchase dried fruits. We wandered around there and into an enclosed market with even more shops with hundreds of items, more spices, and more nuts. It was certainly overwhelming. I’m not sure how anyone can make a decision as to what buy since there are way too many options. I think if each store were open only one day per week, they would make a lot more money and work much less. After the claustrophobia set in, we sat down to eat at the first open air restaurant stand that courted us. We had chicken tangine and delicious cous cous. It was very yummy. When I asked to go to the bathroom, many of the waiters helped me out and pointed me to a café on the corner. One of them gave me 1 dirham to pay to use it. After crossing the path of doom (full of motorbikes, regular bikes, and cars), I walked into the café and looked totally lost. One guy eventually pointed me in the right direction. Another guy in a corner pointed me towards it again. Then I walked downstairs and found two guys waiting for me to pay them to use the restroom. I felt like I was going through a secret business transaction just to go to the bathroom. Everyone was excited for me at the restaurant when I returned safely.

Couscous

On the way home, I had cinnamon and fig flavored ice creams. Mmmm. Then we made the trek home. At one point, we had to cross a very busy intersection with no stop signs or traffic lights. The rest of my family made it across at an opportune moment, but I was stuck stranded on the other side. They were all laughing at me from across the street and were certain I would never make it. I spotted two Moroccan women down the street and stood stealthily behind them. When they started to cross (incredibly calmly, of course), I followed close behind them and used their expertise to guide me. I got across safely and found my mom doubled over with laughter at the sight. My brother had been trying to snap photos the entire time. On another street, some guy said to us, “Riad Alma, right?” He had either remembered where we were staying from the chaos earlier in the day or was a really good guesser. We eventually made it back to the hotel to much relief. Today was one of the biggest culture shocks I’ve ever experienced. Luckily, most people speak some English and I can understand the signs in French. Otherwise, this would be nearly impossible. The next few days will certainly be filled with adventures, and hopefully I’ll snap some great pictures of this out-of-this-world place.

Sevilla Con Mi Familia!

Josh at Plaza de España

My family and I spent the last week exploring Sevilla. It was so wonderful having them there to see what I experience all the time. They arrived on Thursday. I met them at their hotel just as they were checking in. It was amazing being able to give my parents huge hugs. I walked around with my mom a bit through Santa Cruz and we met Josh at the bus stop. We were all reunited for the first time since I graduated from college. We had dinner at Los Coloniales, which they were not huge fans of because it was mostly potatoes.

On Friday, I took them to Plaza de España and Parque Maria Luisa, which they thought were beautiful. In the park, my dad bought bird food and poured it all over himself, which means he was covered in pigeons and doves. It was hilarious and a wonderful photo op. My brother loves modern architecture, so we took a cab to the Alamillo Bridge. We walked on the bridge for a while and then along the river before heading back to the center. We attended the midnight Christmas Eve mass at the Cathedral, which was a really cool experience. I met friends who were sitting in the front row, so I had a great view. I was proud of myself because I understood most of the Spanish throughout the mass. That was certainly the largest cathedral I’ve ever attended mass in and probably ever will.

Dad at Parque Maria Luisa

We explored more areas of Sevilla on Saturday, including Santa Cruz and Triana. We satiated Josh’s desire for jamón iberico for lunch. I had no idea my brother was so obsessed with Spanish ham. In the afternoon, I took my parents to see my apartment and get stuff for the upcoming trip. We got tickets to see a flamenco show near the hotel. It was incredible! It was much more interesting and lively, with both a male and female dancer, than the flamenco I had seen for free. I guess you get what you pay for. My family was really happy to have seen the show. We went out for dinner after the show at Carmela and enjoyed some more tapas. After my parents headed back to their hotel, Josh and I stayed out for a crepe. Shhhh…it’s a secret.

Mom and Dad at the Cathedral

On Sunday, my parents took me to the Museo de Bellas Artes. Museums are not my favorite parts of cities, but we did it fairly quickly and there were certainly some good paintings there and a really nice courtyard. I found a painting where it looked like the guy lying on his deathbed was texting, so we all had a good laugh over that. Then we headed to the art festival in Plaza Nueva, where my parents bought me a handmade bag I had been eyeing. We ran into Rebecca’s parents on the way to a delicious lunch of paella. It truly is a tiny city. After lunch, we spent a while exploring the Alcázar. It was gorgeous, as always. Later, on a nighttime walk to the Alameda, some kids stopped us right outside of the cathedral and asked, “Where is the cathedral?” It couldn’t have been more obvious, and my mom replied, “Are you serious?” It was hilarious and my brother compared it to standing on the beach and asking, “Where’s the ocean?” We settled on dinner at Cervecería Giralda, right by our hotels, and had a variety of delicious and authentic tapas. My dad told the waiters at the end that it was the best tapas he has had but I’m not sure they understood him. We said, “Buenas noches” to Sevilla and headed back to our hotels to sleep before our grand adventure to Morocco the next day.

Sevilla with Brenna and Rosa!

Rosa and Brenna Came to Sevilla!!

I had an incredible time with Brenna and Rosa in Sevilla this week! It was so wonderful to be able to show my friends this city that I love so much. And I think I was successful in getting them to love it too. The week was filled with eating, exploring, shopping, and dancing.

Plaza de España

On Thursday, we went to Plaza de España. It is not only beautiful, but I had one of the most interesting encounters of my life there. There was an old man (about 80-something years old) with a cute puppy that Brenna started to pet, naturally. He started talking to us in Spanish and asked where we were from. He told us that his dog's name was something in French but that he was Jewish and had spent time in Israel. I told him that I was Jewish too, and he got so excited! He immediately said, "Shalooooom!" and gave me a giant hug. He was so happy to meet another Jew, as there are very few in Sevilla, and he went on to say how I had such a beautiful face and white teeth and how Jews are the most intelligent and know many languages. He proceeded to offer me a job and a house. It was a hilarious encounter the entire time, but it was absolutely crazy when he started speaking in nearly perfect English randomly during the conversation. He had been aware that Rosa doesn't speak Spanish but failed to mention his language skills earlier. Eventually, I gave him my number because he could not remember his, but it was adorable to see him try. We had been standing there for a while and his dog had disappeared. So we went off in separate directions trying to find it, with him weakly calling the dog's name. I spotted it about a quarter mile away, and Brenna and Rosa chased him down. I walked with my new friend and he kept saying how happy he was and how precious I was. We eventually departed after getting the dog back on the leash, and he called me an hour later to give me his number. I seriously want this man to be my Spanish Jewish grandpa. He was beyond adorable and nice. Maybe I should randomly pet dogs more often...

Real Alcázar

We had several lovely meals together, ranging from countless tapas to nachos to Japanese food. It is so much fun to eat with Brenna and Rosa because they are so knowledgeable about food and analyze everything about it. I wish my taste buds were as alive as Rosa's. We celebrated Rebecca's birthday at a really cool restaurant with very sweet dishes. We bought mantecados, traditional cookies here, but they turned out to be the most filling, floury cookies ever. And we enjoyed some ham chips and the occasional gelato. Let's just say, we did not starve.

Parque Maria Luisa

On Friday night, the three of us went dancing at Buddha. It was very smoky and crowded, but we met some mildly entertaining guys and danced with them for most of the night. I mostly just wanted to watch this one guy who was an incredible dancer and dancing alone the entire time. I so admire amazing dancers, and he was stellar. It was a really fun night out, but I was dead tired by the end of it and smelled like an ashtray. Supposedly indoor smoking will be banned next year, and I seriously hope this comes into effect quickly. We went to a flamenco show on Thursday night, but they could not even enjoy the show because the smoke was so potent.

I am really sad that they have left Sevilla now. It was so nice having them here and traveling with them earlier. I hope they know how much I appreciate them coming to visit me. When I am so far away from home, it is a wonderful thing to have a bit of home come to me. I appreciate the endless laughs (usually at my expense) and interesting conversations we have had over the past 3 weeks. Now I await my next guests - my amazing family! They are coming on Thursday, and I cannot wait to show them around. I just need to rest my legs before that adventure begins...

Barcelona

La Boqueria

On Thursday night, we arrived in the wonderful city of Barcelona. We took a shuttle from the airport and walked the rest of the way with our luggage down Las Ramblas. It was instantly gorgeous with Christmas lights on all the trees. Our hostel was small and not very social, to my displeasure, but we found our room and met a nice German girl who was staying there. When we left to go out for dinner, it became evident that people on the streets of Barcelona harass girls much more than in Sevilla. We walked quickly past everyone to a tapas place that our hostel recommended. I did not think it was very good overall. We had a few good dishes, but most of them had too much mayonnaise or were too fried. Brenna and Rosa had a very interesting and unappetizing dish of snails in a bitter sauce. We stopped on the way home for pretty bad soft serve at Dunkin’ Coffee and regretted it when we found gelato just a few feet down the road. Then it was time for our first night of sleep in Barcelona.

The next day, we went to the best place in the world – Boqueria. It is a giant and never-ending market of every type of fresh food you could want to buy. It is famous for its fruit juices, and we had many a juice of the next few days. They were incredible! We always bought them from one stand, and the worker often gave us a free juice with our purchase. Yum yum yum. My favorite was mango coco! I also had a huge banana and nutella crepe that was messy to eat but so delicious. After we indulged ourselves, we strolled down Las Ramblas and found a cathedral with a Christmas market. Although it may have been due to the better weather, Barcelona’s streets were much livelier than Madrid’s. We went in and out of stores for the rest of the day and ate more kebabs. At the end of the day, we walked to the waterfront. It was stunning. There were countless boats and the water looked beautiful with all the lights reflecting off it. We headed home to relax for a bit before I met up with my friend Sarah, who is studying abroad there. We got drinks at La Oveja Negra, and it was great to hear about her abroad experience, complain about missing Tufts Naked Quad Run that night, and instruct her to give people hugs from me back at Tufts.

Park Guell

On Saturday, we conquered Gaudí. We went on a self-guided walking tour of his architecture around the city. All of his buildings were impressive from the outside but we didn’t fork up the money to go in. My favorite from the outside was Casa Batlló. We ended up at Park Güell, which was just as cool as I remember it being from my last trip to Barcelona. We hung out around there for a while and took many pictures of the gorgeous tiles. Later, we got dinner at Boqueria, including more juices, paella, kiwis, and pizza. Yum again. We couldn’t muster the energy to go out dancing, so we relaxed and chatted, like always.

On our last day in Barcelona, we had very overpriced coffee on Las Ramblas and walked to the waterfront, stopping to look at the markets along the way. It was even more gorgeous during the daytime, and we relaxed on the boardwalk for a while. We strolled along the water until we found a delicious lunch of black rice paella, patatas bravas, and melt in your mouth calamari. Then we just wandered around the city without direction and enjoyed gelato. We wandered upon the Arc de Triomf and a long walkway with an eco fair. Then we explored the park on the other side full of adorable Spanish children and eventually headed home. We had to get up early the next day for our 7 am flight back to Sevilla so we packed and had a quick but yummy dinner of falafels. It was time to go back to reality and work in Sevilla, but I was super excited to show Brenna and Rosa my amazing city. But this long trip definitely made me want to travel more, and I cannot wait for a Euro trip after my program ends.

Madrid

Me and Brenna at Parque de Retiro

When I arrived at the hostel in Madrid on Sunday after a treacherous trip on the metro, I was greeted by Brenna and Rosa who had been waiting for me in the lobby for the past 5 hours. They had not known when I was arriving and I got in late. We had a wonderful reunion and caught up on various stories from the first legs of our trips. I’m sure other people in the hostel thought we were crazy because we were so excited to see each other. We talked like no time had passed since graduation but way too much time has passed.

On Monday, we had a day out and about in Madrid. The weather was not great – it was raining on and off all day – so we were in and out of cafes. We started off with a walk to Plaza Mayor which was pretty but too crowded because it was a holiday in Spain. We went to a restaurant with homemade breads and delicious jams. The place looked like you were on the inside of a bread oven. Then we went to Puerta del Sol and popped in and out of the European clothing stores. We saw the enormous Palacio Real and the cathedral nearby. We had a lunch break at a non-chain version of 100 Montaditos, and I was proud of myself because I confronted people in Spanish who had taken our seats after we had been waiting for a long time. It worked, too. We strolled to the prettiest part of town near the Prado. We stepped into the Ritz, which is where I had stayed on my last trip to Madrid with my family. But this time I got yelled at for taking a picture. It sort of outshined our hostel and was exactly as I remembered it. On the way back to the hostel, we found a Dunkin’ Coffee! I was beyond excited because it is so hard to find to-go coffee in Sevilla. We enjoyed kebabs for dinner, of course, and saw Harry Potter in English, which is not available in Sevilla. I looooved it! But it ended way too abruptly for my liking.

On Monday, we went to Parque de Retiro, a beautiful park near the Prado. It was gorgeous and great for taking pictures. It started to rain when we were there so we didn’t get to row in the boats. In the evening, we went on a long hunt for tapas. They are much pricier than in Sevilla and not as plentiful, but we ended up settling on a crowded place near our hostel. Brenna and Rosa had delicious soup, tortilla, and croquetas, and I had a ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg in the middle. Mmm. We rushed back to the hostel to get dressed for the pub crawl that night. The turn out was low that night, but we met a few other kids from Canada who are studying at Oxford. We all had an amazing night dancing together! We found the pop music we were looking for, including a Backstreet Boys song that clearly identified us as Americans. I tore up the last club we went to – people gathered around and were taking pictures! We ended up meeting some guys from Liberia who were pretty strange but fun to practice Spanish with. It is so easy talking to foreigners and Brenna and I had a great time translating everything for Rosa. We eventually went to sleep at 4:30 am, an early night by Spain’s standards.

Brenn and Rosa in Puerta del Sol

On Wednesday, we woke up late and headed towards the Prado. We got famous calamari sandwiches before going to the museum. We walked around the museum for a few hours, which was interesting but not my favorite part of exploring cities. I wish I were half as talented as anyone featured there though. I met up with my friend Abby and her boyfriend who are teaching English in Madrid for coffee. It was great seeing them and comparing our stories. They work for many more hours than me and have had quite different experiences. Hopefully we will meet up again in Sevilla. After I met up again with Brenna and Rosa in the hostel, we went to dinner at a place with a cheap menú del dia. Although we did get paella, it was a pretty bad meal. Luckily, the price turned out to be 4 euros less than expected, which was a big relief because the food was so bad. The literally gave Rosa a pudding cup from a grocery store. We went back and continued the slumber party with a stimulating game of “Would you rather?”

This morning, we got up and packed. We had an egg-filled breakfast near our hostel and went to the airport. The flight to Barcelona was very short but on a cool plane sponsored by MTV with purple lighting. We found our hostel pretty easily and are about to head out for dinner. The room is tiny but very well located. And the city seems much better to me already than Madrid and is full of Christmas!

In Bruges - A Fairytale Land

On Thursday evening, we arrived at our hostel in Bruges. We stayed at a place called St. Christopher’s Bauhaus Hostel that was much nicer than the one in Brussels. It had a cool bar/restaurant attached where they served a delicious breakfast of pastries and hard-boiled eggs. When we got there, we checked in and found my friend Katie resting in our room. Katie and I had randomly booked the same hostel for the same nights in the same city and figured this out a few days before we went (thank you, Facebook). Rebecca really wasn’t feeling well (pobrecita) and she got a single room to try to recover. Julia, Katie, and I went to the hostel bar to try some Belgian beers. I am not a fan of beers, but I got a very light-tasting Hoegaarden that turned out to be bearable. I might actually have enjoyed it. Katie got a typical Belgian beer called Kwak that comes in a strange wooden contraption and is supposed to make a sound like a duck when you drink from it. After the bar, Katie and I went to the sound-proof club right next to the hostel where we sort of wreaked havoc. It was “rock night” and the only people who were dancing were head bangers. So we requested that the DJ play “Waka Waka” by Shakira – he was not having it and showed us the rock symbol with his hands. I was talking loudly over the music to the bar manager when the music cut out suddenly and everyone heard me yelling. He looked at me, said, “Jesus Christ,” and walked away. I’m not sure I’ve laughed that much in a long time. Because the club was so terrible, we called it a night and planned to go out somewhere better the following night.

The next morning, we headed out to see the gorgeous city of Bruges. We met some guys from our hostel on the walk there. We had actually eavesdropped on their conversation the night before and knew they were studying abroad in Granada, but we played dumb and chatted with them about southern Spain. After a quick stroll around the Christmas market (I love Christmas!), we climbed the Belfry Tower. It was quite an adventure but a lot of fun to do in a group. There is a line in In Bruges where they tell a family of overweight people that they would never make it up the tower, and I wasn’t sure if that was an exaggeration, but I found out that it most certainly was not. The tower consists of a windy 366 steps to the top. Both the steps and the spiral become narrower and narrower as you climb. The traffic jams of people going down and coming up are quite terrifying. You pretty much have to hold onto the rope or railing or down you’ll go. But we were laughing and joking with the boys and the other people in the stairwell throughout the entire thing so it was a lot of fun. The view from the top was certainly pretty, but I enjoyed the view from the top of the tower in Ghent more. The one in Bruges had wire covering the windows and it was very foggy. Nonetheless, it was definitely a memorable climb. The only time I stumbled was near the bottom on the easiest step in the entire tower. It was so big that I didn’t even realize it dropped down. That was quite ironically funny.

After that work out, I got the most delicious cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream from a stand at the Christmas market. I forgot how good hot chocolate can be (or maybe it’s always that good if you use milk). We decided it was time to eat and went to get cheap pasta with the boys. Katie and I shared a delicious salad and pasta carbonera. Then we went to see Jesus’ dried blood at the Basilica of the Holy Blood. It was in a fancy tube up at the altar, and you walk up to the tube and place your hands on it. That is some seriously old blood – it looked a lot like a dried scab. There is a priest who wipes the tube after every person – I felt bad that he had that boring job but I guess it is pretty cool that he gets to work with Jesus’ blood everyday.

Me and Katie on a Canal

The boys departed for Amsterdam and we went on a lovely walk around Bruges. The town is just plain adorable! The roofs are so cute with their ridged edges. The shops are full of cheer and, most importantly, chocolate. I have never seen so many chocolate shops in all my life. I think we went in most of them, too. The sugar content of that town has got to be off the charts. If anyone who lives there is not diabetic, I am impressed. I bought some boxes of chocolate to give as gifts but mostly looked at the beautiful candies. And when we found free samples, it was a joyous occasion. After many Christmas and candy shops and priceless views of canals, we sat down for a waffle. This waffle was infinitely better than my waffle in Brussels – it was soft and covered in amazing whipped cream and cherries. Yum yum.

Then we headed back for a brief rest before the night began. While I was in the lobby, I asked a group of boys a question. When we got to talking, I asked what school they went to, and they said, “Tufts University.” I freaked out and said, “Noooo way!” I was so excited to see people from that amazing place that I miss so much. It turns out that I had actually met one of them before at a frat party. We reminisced about Tufts for a bit before they headed out. We got Rebecca to come out of her room – she was still very sick – and had some take out dinner in the bar before going out.

Katie and I left around 11:30 and headed in the rain to a section of town called the Egg Market. The second bar we walked into turned out to be a success when I immediately got approached by a guy who claimed to be from Kazakhstan. I called him out on his lie because his British accent was shining through. We hung out with him and his friend for the rest of the night. They were hilarious! Katie and I mostly enjoyed when they would bicker with each other in amazing accents, although they tried to say that our accents were better. One of the guys was really sassy – he didn’t quite understand what that word meant though – so there are some memorable quotes from the night. We went to a few different bars but none of them were the dance clubs we were seeking. But Katie and I did dance to “Waka Waka” alone in the corner of a sit down bar. Eventually, we headed home and stopped by the club near our hostel. It was terrible again so we walked out after five seconds. Some Spanish guys followed us out and we started talking in English. I asked what he spoke and he said Spanish so we switched to that, which made them very happy. I had a blast chatting with them in Spanish and translating some things for Katie. It had certainly been refreshing to hear English speakers in Belgium, but it is infinitely more fun speaking in Spanish. It made me very excited to go to Madrid today. After a funny conversation, we decided it was time for bed and passed out after 3:30 am.

We got up too early this morning, had breakfast, checked out, and went to the train station. We got off at Brussels (Rebecca headed to her flight back to Sevilla) and Katie and I went to see the Christmas market that I had missed the first time around. It was massive! The one we had seen before in Brussels was a joke compared to this one – it is apparently the third largest in Europe. There were endless delicious-looking stands. My favorites were the ones with interesting jams (prunes with dark chocolate, pears with rum, strawberries with vanilla) and candied fruits of every kind (melons, kiwis, celery). I was in a bit of a rush to catch my flight, but I’m so glad I got to see the market, even in the rain. On the way to the big square in Brussels, someone grabbed my arm. I was about to tell them that I couldn’t help them with directions, but it was my friend Andrea from Sevilla. What a small Europe!

I bid farewell to Katie (I’m soooo happy we got to meet up in Europe) and headed to collect my luggage and trek to the airport. I had to take the shuttle back and then wait for a bit in the airport, but it was not bad. Someone in the airport said to me, “Hey, you were my orientation leader at Tufts!” What are the chances of this happening? She had actually spotted me on the train to Bruges too. We caught up on life – she is studying abroad in Alcalá – and I met some of her other friends from Tufts. It was great hearing about their experiences and not having to fly alone. On the flight, I met some really nice people from Madrid who gave me a list of things to do there. They were super sweet and, again, really fun to talk to.

Now the plane is landing and I’m off to meet up with Brenna and Rosa. I am beyond excited to see them – I know we will have the best time together for the next 15 days. A little bit of home is coming to Spain, and I cannot wait!

Ghent

We got to Ghent around 1:00 on Friday. We were immediately thrown from hearing French to reading and hearing Flemish. A cleaning lady in the bathroom was ranting to me in Flemish and I tried to make it clear that I understood absolutely nothing but she kept talking away. We took a tram to the center – in the wrong direction on the first try – but eventually got there with the help of a high school student who definitely downplayed his city. It was really, really gorgeous. The buildings were all connected and of different widths and colors, and it really felt like I was in movie or dreamland. We wandered around for a while and then sat for a bit in a café (what else is new?). Then I went off on my own and felt like I truly saw the city. I think we had bypassed the good stuff on the first walk, but it was stunning. I went up the Belfry tower and got a view of the entire city from above. With the snow settled on the rooftops and the people sliding through the slush on the streets, it was perfect. I talked to a boy in the train station who said it doesn’t usually snow in Ghent. In hindsight, that makes sense because the locals on bikes were falling all over the place in the slush. I think we were lucky to see it at a time that looked like a winter wonderland. After my lovely solo stroll, Julie and I went in search of a famous ribs restaurant. We found it with the help of several sweet people (the people here are so nice!) but it was closed until later. Instead, we collected Rebecca at a café and got kebabs. Now I am on the train to Bruges and cannot wait to see this city that I have built up in my head (based on several reports and a certain movie). I am so enamored by Belgium so far even with the freezing cold. The people are so cute (the guys are much cuter than those in Spain) and it just seems so quaint. It is full of chocolate and pastry shops (which I have barely had any of yet) and beautiful streets and buildings. Now I’m off to fall in love with Bruges…

Brussels

After a night of ridiculous insomnia and a misunderstanding of the Andalusian bus system that resulted in me missing school, it was time for the grand trip to begin! I headed to the Sevilla airport, checked in at the obnoxiously strict Ryanair kiosk, and strolled to our boarding gate. I ran into a friend at the airport who was heading to Rome (lucky girl!) and chilled with her until Rebecca and Julia got through security. The security in Sevilla was frighteningly lax – they didn’t make me take out my computer or check anything very thoroughly. We boarded the plane – there are no assigned seats but we were early in line so we all got to sit together. Ryanair flights are like being in a mall. They were literally advertising some product for sale during the entire three hour flight. So much for catching up on lost sleep! The ride was pretty smooth, and I only freaked out when I thought I saw fear in the flight attendant’s eyes. Luckily, it was just my imagination. We landed safely and they played a song because we arrived 5 minutes early. Woohoo! We waited in a freezing and very long line to get shuttle tickets to actual Brussels (the airport was one hour outside of the city). My footwear was not by any means appropriate for the weather, and I could barely feel my toes by the time we got on the bus. When we arrived at the train station in Brussels, we tried to get a taxi to the hostel. There was an impossible to understand system for getting a taxi – in the end, it seemed like taxi drivers got out of their cars and approached you. One guy finally offered us a ride but said it would be 30 euros. Umm, no thank you. We ran to catch the closing metro and made it to the hostel for free.

We stayed two nights at Hello Hostel – it was very underwhelming. There were not many options when we booked the hostel and it was about what I expected it would be. My bed was like a gymnastics springboard that sunk in so I essentially slept in a nest. There was a decent breakfast the next morning though. When we arrived after midnight, we met an Australian guy who was living in London and all went to get kebabs. Eventually, I had a decent night’s sleep.

The next morning, we headed into the center of Brussels. We walked through a shopping district that had H&M’s like America has Dunkin Donuts. We ended up at a small but beautiful Christmas market with stands of mulled wine, waffles, hot chocolate, and cheeses. While the market was cute, it was pretty disappointing, and I later learned from people at the hostel that there is a much more elaborate Christmas market in a square that we didn’t go to. I learned this information way too late, but we might make it there on Sunday before I leave. We went to Grand Place, a big square with beautiful buildings around the entire thing and a huge Christmas tree and nativity scene in the middle. It was absolutely freezing so much of the day was spent indoors at cafes. I had a delicious sandwich at a café and talked to the waiters. I had no idea until recently how much I love French accents. They kill me. Julia and I ventured back out into the freezing cold to see Mannekan Pis, a small statue of a boy peeing. It was pretty underwhelming but something I had to see. It is very famous and there are chocolates in the shape of the sculpture all over the city. Before we saw the sculpture, we went on an H&M shopping spree to warm up. I bought a much-needed hat and sweater tights to go under my jeans. I was actually quite warm after all that. H&M truly was facilitating my warmth yesterday.

We picked up Rebecca at the café and ended up finding the strangest and most fun event going on in the streets. There were endless college students dressed in funny hats and white lab coats covered in writing all with beer steins or measuring cups filled with beer. And there were countless open back trucks blasting music and serving these kids beer. We had to find out what was going on, and someone told us it was an event for all the universities in Belgium. It was wild! We tried to find a cup and ended up meeting three guys who helped us out. They were really nice but terribly drunk. One of them was quite crazy and turned around to tell us, “We all have girlfriends but want to show you Belgium!” It was hilarious! They got us some beer from the trucks and we chatted for a while, but then it got too cold and we went in search of food. We got French fries at Fritland and devoured this typical Belgian food. They were yummy but way too much fried food. Then we moved on to another café. I got a Belgian waffle with chocolate and ice cream. It was pretty good but the waffle was not as soft as I hoped. We sat there for hours before it was acceptable to move onto a bar. Josh had recommended that I go to a bar called Goupil Le Fol. We had read reviews of it that called it a mix between an opium den and a 1970s porno set. It used to be a brothel, and that atmosphere definitely remained. It was soooo cool. The walls were covered in interesting paintings and records and artwork of all kinds. The building was filled with steep stairs and many rooms with couches. We sat downstairs and were surrounded by people on dates. Whoops. We had incredible sweet wines – raspberry, strawberry, and nut flavored – and chatted for hours about mystical thinking and less philosophical topics. It was amazing. Thanks for the recommendation, Josh. Rebecca never wanted to leave, but we wanted to make it back to the hostel before the metro closed and get a good night’s sleep for the next day. But I would love to go back there if I ever find myself in Brussels again.

We went back to the hostel, met some girls from northern Spain in our room, and went to bed. On Friday morning, we got up and went to the train station to go to Ghent. I am currently on the train there, thoroughly enjoying the Belgian villages along the way. If it wasn’t so cold, I think I’d move here. We have been spoiled by Sevilla and have vowed never to complain again about the weather there.

Pre-Departure Lazy Weekend

Pizza Party!

'Twas a lazy and rainy weekend in Sevilla. On Friday, it took me a long time to recover from Thanksgiving the night before. I should never eat again after that meal. In the evening and through the pouring rain, I went to Rebecca's house where she and her roommate Nina were making pizzas for her roommate's Italian friends. The pizza was incredible - she used her Italian friend's mother's recipe. It made me miss Italy and want to go back there soon. It was also good Spanish practice, which I haven't gotten enough of recently. I called it an "early" night and headed home around 2 am.

Saturday was equally rainy and gross out so it was another lazy day. I think I left the apartment only once to run a soaked errand. I was totally fine being lazy this weekend because I have a crazy two weeks ahead of me (more on that later). I finished reading, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," which was wonderful. I've never read as fast or as much as I am in Sevilla, and I'm loving it.

Patio Inside the Cathedral

On Sunday, I did loads (pun intended) of laundry on the only nice day of the weekend. Unfortunately, not everything dried in the cold weather and it's raining again today, so I have a drying rack taking up most of my room. In the afternoon, despite having acquired a cold during the previous night, I went to do some touristy adventures with Rebecca and Nina. We wandered around the Cathedral, which I realized I will be doing a lot in the coming month with my groups of visitors. We climbed La Giralda and got our exercise for the day. It is just so gorgeous up there - I could stay forever...if it had food and bathrooms. Rebecca had a strong craving for Chinese food so we indulged her and went to a Chinese restaurant. I have heard that the Chinese food in Sevilla is not good, and I have heard correctly. It was edible but it was not nearly as good as it is in America. Of course, since we're in Spain, the rice had ham in it. It was a satisfying meal, but I think I'll stick to the tapas from now on. Then we had a café con leche (only my second cup since coming to Spain) in an Irish pub. It was wonderful just sitting and chatting for hours, especially since I don't think I'll get to see Nina again before she returns to Germany. :( I came home, chatted with Brenna and Rosa before they boarded their planes to Madrid (!!!!), and relaxed before bed.

View from La Giralda

Despite yet another day of pouring rain, I had many things to take care of today so I bundled up and headed out. First, I went to the library and got some more books. Somehow, whenever I leave the library, I cannot figure out where I am and end up in Puerta Jerez, which is not where I mean to go. I cannot figure out why it is impossible for me to just go back the way I came. One day. Then I went to Nervión Plaza and bought some gloves for the freezing weather in Belgium. I changed my phone plan at Vodafone to something that sounds perfect - now I have 350 free texts per month for 9 euros, which I can spend on phone calls. I don't know why they couldn't have told me this was available the first time I went there, but now it's all good. Then I got my first haircut in Spain. The hairdresser used an electric razor and I gave her a very scared look when she first took it out. I think it ended up looking good, but I need to style it myself to really know.

This evening will be dedicated to packing for the big trip ahead. On Wednesday night, I am flying with Rebecca and Julia to Brussels. Then we are heading to Ghent and continuing on to Bruges on Friday. On Sunday, I fly from Brussels to Madrid to meet up with Brenna and Rosa. And we move on to Barcelona next Thursday. By the way, welcome to Spain, Brenna and Rosa! They should be somewhere in Madrid at this point. I have yet to decide if I'll be taking my laptop to blog along the trip. If I decide not to, hasta luego! I'll be back in Sevilla on December 13th!

Thanksgiving - Take 2

Me, Rebecca, Tierney, Laura, and Paige with Turkey Plates

I had a wonderful Thursday night, despite being 3685 miles from my family in New York (looking up that number didn't help my Thanksgiving homesickness). It was Inma's birthday so the three of us roommates went down to the Cervecería right below our piso for a beverage. I had a great time chatting with them, and of course it was great Spanish practice. They picked on me when I messed up a few key phrases, but I did accidentally say some funny things.

Sam, Jaime, and Lindsay

Then I rushed off with my warm sweet potatoes to Thanksgiving Dinner #2 in Spain. This dinner was hosted by the lovely Andrea, Kelly, and Alex in Triana. I knew almost everyone at the dinner but do not see these people as often as the friends at the first dinner, so it was wonderful bonding with different people and making new friends. We hovered around the appetizers for way too long and got way too full before the dinner even started. Appetizers should not be allowed at Thanksgiving...but they are sooo good! When dinner was served around 10:30, it was perfect and complete. We were not missing anything from America, thanks to care packages. It was all delicious and felt a lot like being back in America. We had some incredible and much needed girl-talk at the "adult table" and I'm pretty sure I laughed off some of the calories (maybe enough to negate one bite of stuffing). We all talked about our plans for the early December break and Christmas break, and everyone seems to be doing something cool.

Some of the Chefs - Alex, Andrea, and Brett

There was not enough of a gap between dinner and dessert, but I somehow found room to take bites of the amazing apple pie, chocolate and banana crumble, and homemade pumpkin pie. I must say - we did Thanksgiving right last night. We sat in an uncomfortable state for another few hours before heading home around 1:30 am. That was certainly the latest Thanksgiving I've ever had, but that's just keeping in tradition with late Spanish dinners. 

America on a Plate

When I got home, I immediately got on Skype and connected with my entire extended family in Rochester, NY. They were all bustling about after dinner and before dessert - this time the 6 hour time difference actually came in handy. I got to say Hi and catch up with all of my cousins, aunts and uncles, and gramma. It made me really happy to be able to see them all in one place, but it definitely made me even more sad to be missing it. Josh so kindly ended the conversation when he determined that I was getting between him and dessert. I can always count on my brother for sentimental feelings.

Pumpkin and Apple Pie...mmm

I am thankful I got to experience two amazing Thanksgiving dinners with two groups of incredible friends. I never expected to have such great friends so far from home just a few months into my stay in Spain. If it wasn't for them, I would never have been able to adjust here and be so happy. As Andrea said last night, I am also thankful for Skype so I could actually see my whole family on the best day of the year in America. I love and miss you all so much!

Thanksgiving - Take 1

Sweet Potato Ingredients

I had an incredible weekend! On Friday, I went shopping in Nervión Plaza and bought some great pairs of tights. Every girl here seems to wear a dress with tights and high boots. Literally, everyone. Then I went to El Corte Inglés in search of ingredients for the sweet potatoes. I bought a ton of sweet potatoes (batatas), multi-colored marshmallows, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I hauled that all home and got cookin'! Peeling the potatoes was an arm workout - as I said before, I have lost all arm strength since coming here. After that, the recipe was very easy to make and it came out delicious! I was incredibly excited to bring them to the dinner the next day.

Waiting in Line at Buddha

After a lot of reading (I finished El niño con el pijama de rayas - it was great but very sad!) and TV watching, it was time to go out for the night. I headed to my European friends' house in Triana. We hung out there for a while and I met Nite's awesome friends from Holland. Then we went out dancing on Calle Betis at Río Latino. There was a group of guys there from Belgium for a bachelor party. They were all dressed in funny hats and the bachelor was wearing a cow costume. It was quite a sight but they were a lot of fun. I also talked to them about my upcoming trip there. It was great fun dancing with all my friends, but a smaller group of us girls eventually moved on to the bigger and better Buddha to meet up with Rebecca. I had an amaaaaazing time dancing there. The music was perfect and I was rocking out to no end. We danced until I was about to collapse from exhaustion at 5 am. I had to pay for an 11.16 euro cab ride home - uncool - but it was such a great night out.

Yummy!

On Saturday morning, I woke up to pouring rain and the anticipation of a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily, the rain stopped but the anticipation did not. I dropped off my sweet potatoes at the so-called "Club Benidorm" to be warmed up before dinner. Then I went to my intercambio. There were more British girls there so there was a better balance of English and Spanish speakers than there had been before. It was fun and I learned some new phrases. But I also got the best compliment ever - Juan told me that when I talk, I speak with an Andalusian accent!! Woohoo! That was so nice to hear - maybe I have actually been absorbing something since being here. I can definitely tell that I am improving - I feel more comfortable speaking and sometimes things come out that I didn't know I knew how to say. I still have a loooong way to go but at least I can see some improvement. Another great thing was that Juan offered to show me and Brenna and Rosa all around Salamanca if we come there from Madrid. That would be wonderful.

Julie, Julia, and Sofie - Club Benidorm

I headed back to Julie, Julia, and Sofie's apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. Their place looked amazing! They set up paper tablecloths with crayons so we could draw on the tables. I joked that that was the kids' table. There were appetizers all over the place, including Julie's delicious "handmade" croquetas. People started arriving little by little and soon there was a full house. It was great having everyone together in one place and catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while. I don't think I've been that hyper with excitement since I got to Sevilla. Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday and I was so excited about the meal and great atmosphere. We eventually dug into the endless food and it was amazing! There was chicken (no turkey this time), green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing(!), rolls, macaroni and cheese, etc. We weren't really missing anything. 'Twas delicious and, of course, we all ate way too much. But I think that's the point of Thanksgiving.

Chelsea, Me, Sean, and Turkey

Another point of Thanksgiving is giving thanks. We each wrote down three things we were thankful for (mostly funny things) and put them in a big bowl. After dinner, we all gathered around and read the papers out loud. We had to guess who wrote each thing. It was quite easy to guess in most cases and very funny. Chelsea said she was thankful for my sweet potatoes and my blog. So sweet! This is my shout out to you, Chels! One of the things I said I was thankful for was Carrefour, the superstore mentioned a few posts ago. Cat turns to me and says, "You know there's a store just like that much closer to you, right?" Ummm...I had no idea! It was a Thanksgiving day miracle. Now I have plans for Monday. After the thankfulness game ended, it was time for dessert. We enjoyed Cat's amazing apple pies, Rebecca and Nina's banana chocolate crumble, and vanilla ice cream. Mmm mmm mmm. Thank god there is always room in the dessert stomach. We hung out on the couches in coma position and chatted for hours. We spent most of the time discussing our experiences at our schools and with our students. Everyone is having such different experiences, and it is really interesting to compare our perspectives. But one thing we all seemed to have was funny stories to share.

Cat and her Apple Pies

At about 1:30 am, fully satisfied, I headed out to catch the last bus home. It was incredibly poor planning to leave that late and I was booking it to the Prado. I saw the last tram to the buses leave in front of me so I either had to run or pay for a taxi. After the night before, I didn't want to spend any more money on cabs, so I opted to run. And boy did I run - for about 13 minutes, I was jogging in my fake leather boots and dress, carrying a big shopping bag with my glass pan and leftovers. I must have looked like a complete fool, and I never recommend running directly following the biggest meal of the year, but I made it to the bus at 1:59 (it left at 2:00). I was sweating all the way back on the bus and I'm sure people wondered what my problem was. Plus, the bus driver didn't even stop at my stop, so I had to walk back from the following one. After such a perfect dinner, it was a much less than ideal trip home. Eventually I made it, got in my pajamas, and chatted with Kathy until I passed out.

This morning, I made even more sweet potatoes for my next dinner on Thanksgiving night. Then I cleaned and here I am, writing about my incredible weekend. I have a few errands to run tomorrow and have to prepare for classes this week, but it is nice to relax after such an exciting two days. I wish every weekend was Thanksgiving!