Home sweet home!
I made it back home on Thursday after a long day of traveling. In a nutshell: woke up at 6am, took a car to the bus station, bus to the airport, bus to the terminal, metro to the gate, waited a few hours (with Sangria, cookies, and good company!), 9.5 hour plane ride to Chicago, long walk through the airport, train to next terminal, airplane to Denver, and then finally a car ride home! Wooooo. No wonder I was exhausted.
I actually got very lucky coming back. All my flights were on time and things went smoothly. Unfortunately, everyone I've talked to had issues getting home. Some students sat on a plane for ten minutes, ready to take off, before an announcement was made that they had some mechanical issues. 2.5 hours later, they were still sitting there on the plane waiting at the gate. Then they learned their flight was cancelled until the next day.
Another friend (from my flight) made it to Chicago, but then learned his connection to Pittsburgh was cancelled. Last I heard, he ended up meeting a random couple who he decided to drive to Pennsylvania with.
A few similar stories really made me realize how great I had it!
The last few days have consisted in sleeping, eating American food, and cuddling with my puppy. I had a bit of jetlag on Sunday, when I woke up at 4am. Imagine my mom's face when she walked downstairs in a sleepy shuffle at 6am that morning, only to find me wide awake and eating breakfast. Trust me, that has never happened before.
It's a bit sad to think my experience in Spain is over. As happy as I am to be home and rested, I already miss all my friends, the University, and all the places I saw. I hope this blog will be a way for me to always remember the time I spend studying abroad in Spain!
So, to conclude this blogging adventure, here's some of the highlights from my trip. Sorry, they're out of order, despite my attempts to organize them. Dealing with photos can be difficult. But, you get the picture ;)
Downtown Madrid
Museo del Prado
LOTS of pastries :)
The castle in Toledo.
This kid photobombing me in front of El Escorial
The gardens at El Escorial
Puerta del Sol
Valle de los Caidos
AQUEDUCTS!
I love Segovia
Instagramed- picture of the Plaza (so artsy, right?)
The facade of the University
Cathedral in Oviedo
Cathedral in Toledo
Drinking some apple cider in Asturias!
Hiking to an old church in Oviedo.
Cathedral/street in Toledo
Cangas de Onis
The landscape in Segovia
Sunset in Asturias
Segovia castle- the basis for Sleeping Beauty's
Look at dem towersssss
I would totally have sat there if it wasn't roped off
Mountains of Asturias
See above ^
Ditto
Cervantes House
The Plazaaaaaa
Our morning snack in the airport
GOODBYE, SPAIN
Look at that shimmering water!
Chicago-land
Train station in Alcala- I spent so much of my time here
The photo everyone has seen- the coast of Spain
KAYAKING
Pastry shops!
See that bucket? It was full of food.
Awesome houses.
THE GROUP!
The girls in front of the gate to Madrid
Sancho, Theresa, and Don Quixote
Calle Mayor!
My host mom and I
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
Plaza!
Gijon- the place with the beach.
THE ATLANTIC OCEAN I SWAM IN
Awwwww. Leaving our mark.
A hot Spaniard. In a uniform. 'nuff said.
Beachhhhhh
Oviedo keeps it classy
Representing IU!
Just casually walking onto a plane. No big deal.
Cathedral in Segovia.
At the airport- finally in the US! My parents decided to surprise me with a Kit-Kat bar!
Because I didn't get enough Kit Kat bars in Spain! ;)
And Facebook messages like this one that make me happy :)
Thanks for reading! I hope you felt like you were able to visit Spain with me (at least a little bit). It was an amazing experience and I'm glad I could share it with you all!
Until the next trip- hasta luego!
