Lagos & Lisbon ( Portugal!)

Last weekend my friend Karla and I set off on a 9hr bus to Portugal. The bus drove through the night and when we arrived in the morning we were in the beautiful fishing village of Lagos. Lagos is quaint town with pastel houses lining the beautiful beaches. After a power nap we headed to soak in the sun at the beach. The water was chilly but the sun was perfect in the 75 degree weather. I thought Portuguese would be easy to figure out but it wasn't...for dinner we sampled a Portuguese specialty which was a spice chicken dish. Luckily for me the sauce was on the side because it was super spicy. The next morning we boarded the same bus to take us to Lisbon. Lisbon is truly a special city. The buildings are covered in tiles and many of the roofs look like they are about to collapse in. It actually made for a stunning combination. Lisbon is pretty much a giant hill and we spent a good portion of the day climbing it. When we finally reached the top we were at the Castle. The grounds of the Castle gave us stunning views of the entire city. Later on in the day we headed to the port and watched the sail boats glide through the water. It was a prefect ending to a long day. That night we ventured into Barrio Alto it is Lisbon's infamous bar street where most of the night life lives. Sunday morning we boarded the bus, yet again, and headed back to Madrid. I was actually very excited to head back to Madrid. I only have about 2 weeks left in this wonderful city and I want to take advantage of every last minute I have. This weekend I head to ROMA...more on Rome next week.
xoxo

Belgium & The Zoo

When you plan, God laughs. I have heard that phrase a over a dozen times but did not truly experience it until this week! My Semana Santa (which is the equivalent of spring break in Spain) plans did not want to work out. They constantly rebelled against me until I was forced to wave my white flag and give up. They way I like to describe it is: todo que pueda pasar, pasó. With that said, I did make the best of it. I went to Belgium for a couple of days to start my week off. Thanks to day light savings I boarded my 6 am flight with about four hours of sleep and tried to prepare for the unexpected. When we arrived we soon realized that no one spoke English or Spanish. French and dutch are the two languages of the country (although I did not hear any Dutch while I was there). A shuttle from the airport dropped us off at a random train station in Brussels and then our adventure began. I located a map and was able to direct us to the central plaza. Brussels was amazing. Belgium is known for their Beer, Chocolate, and Waffles. Waffles: the most delicious waffles I have and ever will taste. They are smaller than their American cousin and are topped and filled with anything you can imagine. Perfect for breakfast or a snack to go, reason enough to go to Belgium. Chocolate: The most famous chocolate house is Galler they don't export! Therefore, I was forced to buy a carry on worth of chocolate, again another incentive to go to Belgium. Beer: To my fathers dismay, I did not try the beer. Another highlight of Brussels is the Museum of Musical Instruments. This museum has 5 floors. When you enter they hand you earphones and when you approach a display of a certain type of instrument your headphones automatically begin to play a song played by that particular instrument. It was incredible! Hands down my favorite museum I have been to in Europe. Liege is the town we stayed in, I will refrain from mentioning much about Liege. It was small, few tourist attractions, and in Liege we attended a traditional Passover Dinner. Overall our trip to Belgium can be called a success. It was the first time I have been in a country where I didn't understand a word of what there were saying. Spanish and English came to no use but I think my hand signals improved. After we returned to Madrid, my friend Rachel and I took a trip to the Madrid Zoo. I had no idea there was a Zoo in Madrid either! It was perfect day trip that brought me back to my even younger days. We saw lions, tiger, and bears ( Oh My!) I couldn't resist that..In addition to those animals, we also saw a dolphin show, a seal show, sharks, Nemo, Dory, Pandas, Giraffes, Elephants, Gorillas, every type of monkey, this list can go on and on. Name the animal and we saw it! I highly recommend spending an afternoon there if you get bored of the historical sights of Madrid. Lucky for me I do not have to return to school until Tuesday. I am looking forward to seeing what Easter festivities there will be tomorrow. Missing everyone but see you in just over a month! xoxo