Last week I had a much appreciated break from classes. Things have been going great at school... but getting a little pause is never something to complain about. I was a little bummed to have missed Halloween because not many French people seem to care about our silly American holiday -- all this really means is that I've had a lot of time to think about it and my costume for next year is already in the works and it's going to be incredible. On the afternoon of Oct 23 I arrived in Oviedo, Spain (an airport almost as small as Santa Barbara's) and met my very best friend from home, Jackie. Oviedo is located on the north-western coast of Spain and Jackie is spending the semester there studying Spanish. I was actually very surprised at how much Spanish I could understand - possibly from taking a few classes here and there, but most likely due to its similarities to French. I tried to talk to her housemates a little bit but English always managed to take over.
Jackie and I had an amazing time walking around Oviedo, eating churros con chocolate, and drinking cidre - the area's specialty drink made from fermented apples (kind of tastes like blue cheese to me). One afternoon her house mates made an amazing paella dish with 5 types of seafood (clams, shrimp, calimari...I'm actually not even sure what else was in it). Needless to say it was homemade and the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. We also took a whole day to cuddle up in bed and watch Gossip Girl...that's what best friends are for :)
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| HUGE park in Oviedo - San Francisco |
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| Beautiful part of town...a little bit like Old Nice - lots of winding streets and cafés |
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| Cathedral in the old part of town |
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| View from a pathway overlooking the city! |
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| Friends since 1996 |
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I know this picture is insanely immature but really...the town of Oviedo just can't cut their plants like this..
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After spending a girly weekend with Jacks I flew down to Madrid to meet my parents! From there we spent four days traveling around Spain...We visited Toledo, Granada, Cordoba, Cadiz, and Trujillo! Because we were traveling so much my time in Spain wasn't quite vacation-like...but I am so happy to have visited so many incredible sites (Cordoba's Mezquita and the Cathedral of Toledo are must-sees). Cadiz is very very very tourist friendly - paths for self guided tours throughout the city are painted on the ground and accompanied by brochures (why doesn't every city have this!??).
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| Cathedral of Toledo |
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| Inside of the Mezquita |
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| Cordoba from across the bridge - looking towards the Mezquita |
This weekend I am off to Rome with my parents! Once I return I'll have to hit the books - so many finals, so little time left!
Bisous!
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