Islas Canarias [ Twist & Shout] & Mis hermanos

Last week Vicky and I headed to Tenerife (the largest island of the canary islands) for some much needed R&R. In short the trip was incredible. We stayed in a resort right on the water the black sand beaches sparkled and shined everyday in our glorious 75 degree weather. The first night we decided to explore our new setting and was bit surprised on what we found. This time of year the majority of tourist are from Germany, Ireland, and England. The mean age of the tourist: 60. Although we were the outliers it did not stop us from having fun and truly enjoying every moment. We found this quaint restaurant next to our Hotel that served traditional dishes from England our waitress was from Essex! The food was delicious, hands down the best pizza I've had since being in Europe (I know pizza is not English!) It was also the first time in over 2 months that I had butter! Paula Dean would not be proud bc i couldn't recognize the flavor at first and confused it for mayonnaise! The following day we had the ultimate beach bum day and laid out for hours watching the surfers and the Europeans "free spirit" tanning. The following day we took a tour of the Island. We started by going to the largest Volcano on the Island (which is still active) It was my first time on a Volcano and I know I'll never forget it. Afterwards, we headed to the Capital of the Island, Santa Cruz, which is in the Northern part of Tenerife. We had lunch with the most beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean and purchased some of the Islands best known treasures: Pearls! We headed to a Basilica which honestly was a blur bc I was exhausted by this point. On Sunday, It was Carnaval in Los Christianos (The town we were staying in) It was such an experience. The eccentric and bright colored costumes flooded the streets during the parade as people danced to the beat of the live music. We rented bikes on Monday and rode for hours all along the boardwalk until we got to the beginning of the neighboring town (Playa de las americas) I got the worst sunburn from our bike adventures but it was certainly worth it. Every night the resort had evening entertainment; this included a Spanish Beatles cover band (need i say more), Professional Dance show (everything from hip hop to ballet), An exotic birds show (Personal Favorite), and a Flamenco Show. All very entertaining for different reasons. Victoria and I learned from the other tourist at the hotel that fun can be attained at any age and that you are never to old to attempt the worm or a pole dance? I was sad to leave but I know I want to return someday. My brother was in Madrid waiting for us when we returned. It was the best little piece of home I could have asked for. We spent the week going to typical tourist spots and showing them the night life of Madrid. Yesterday, I had to say goodbye to my sister and my brother which honestly was extremely difficult. Feeling the security blanket, that they are, for 2 weeks and then having it pulled from underneath you was not easy. It was the first time i wished I could have gotten on the plane with them. But the hardest part is over now, I am focusing on the trips I have ahead of me which includes a few days in Belgium next week! Soo excited about the waffles and chocolate I cant even explain! Well I have a mountain of hw ahead me tonight! Hasta luego!

xoxo

Better Late than Never..

So it has been almost a month since my last post..my excuse will be I have been sick this past week and I don't have any excuses for the weeks prior. Well I went to Extremadura with my program. Extremadura is the western part of Spain near Portugal. The bus ride was quite beautiful. Lots of lush green pastors filled with sheep or cows or both. Our first stop was to Guadalupe where we saw the sacred statue of Guadalupe who is a saint. It was very interesting but I do not think I understood the significance of praying to her. Apparently she told Queen Isabella to hire Columbus and that he was going to discover America. Coincidence? The area is also famous for their paprika which I contemplated buying. We then drove to Merida which was once ruled by the Romans. Merida was my favorite. That night two of my friends and I walked over a roman bridge which still has the original supports! The next day we went to the coliseums. It was breath taking and makes me soo excited to my trip to Italy. We then headed to Caceres. By this time we were exhausted and had to walk another 3 hour tour I kept myself busy by playing games with my program directors small daughters which I realized can be dangerous in museums. We also bought candy from nuns, but not just ordinary nuns these nuns are not allowed to interact with regular people so the sell the candy behind this wall and you open a cubby to find the candy you have ordered. It was a bit bizarre but very intriguing. The next day in the pouring rain we headed to Trujillo. Unfortunately I could not appreciate Trujillo it was raining very hard and many of us ditched the walking tour early. I was looking forward to the wine and cheese museum but was disappointed when the man working there did not know anything about wine or cheese! I was able to sample and i had queso de cabra ( goat cheese) and vino tinto ( red wine). They both were very good. Finally we headed back to madrid. This weekend I head to the Canary Islands with VICKY. She is currently here and I am sosososo happy. There is nothing like sharing an adventure with your best friend. Unfortunately I am sick..again. I went to the spanish doctor which was a little different than american doctors. For one there are many specialist in one office also the copay was 40 euros bit pricey but my antibiotics and a cough syrup was only 13 euro total! Exactly the opposite of the US. Anyways I need to rest up for my relaxing vacation this weekend :)

Buenas Noches xoxo