Hola chicas y chicos,

Just got back from a whirl wind weekend in Spain! I sort of went on a whim. Last weekend was the weekend before finals, and since I didn't have a final until Tuesday, I had a four day weekend. I had friends who were already going to Spain, and they invited me to meet up with them for the weekend, perche no? So I went!

They got in before me, I flew into Valencia and they met me at the airport. We took off at 7am and I got in at 9-ish, I didn't sleep the night before. The flight from Rome to Valencia was strait over the Mediterranean, so the decent was very dramatic: ocean, ocean, then an amazing strip of coast line. We lucked out because the weather was really nice the whole weekend. A kooky Italian guy named Fabio, sat by me on the flight. He was from Luca, a small town in Tuscany outside of Florence. We spoke in a weird Italian/ English hybrid. He was funny and forward in a typically Italian way. He stayed with me until I met my friends. He got the hint (eventually) and went on his way. My friends had rented a car, so as soon as we had eaten, we went on our way. The first day we drove all day. We got lost getting out of Valencia, and once we finally got on the freeway, we got pulled over, and the Spanish Police gave us a ticket. I think we got scammed, it was 98 euro on the spot, but they kind of just pulled that amount out of the air. Oh well, what can you do? We found our rhythm eventually. We stopped at a few coastal towns for food and gas. They were all really pretty, very colorful and very friendly. I love all the sights, smells, and sounds which go along with being near the ocean like that.

That night was found a small cove and slept on the beach (I had a Cinque Terre flash back), we were smarter this time and brought sleeping bags. The stars were so bright; they seemed so near, like they were pressing down on our heads. There is something very comforting about falling asleep so near the water like that, the waves just sort of lull you to sleep, a natural lullaby.

The next day we drove down to Marbella, which is exactly as it sounds, a town by the beautiful sea. We walked through the town and wandered through a really pretty little park. We ate breakfast in this small Italian café (go figure) right on the board walk, and then spent the better part of the day lying on the beach. Feeling the hot sand beneath me, and the hot sun on top of me was so familiar, and so nice. Once I got a little crispy I spent a really long time swimming. The Mediterranean was clear, calm, and very blue. The waves rolled smoothly, making swimming and floating very easy. I went a long way out. I felt completely at one with the sea just floating there, completely connected to my self and my environment. It was spiritual actually. The most peaceful and content I've felt in a long time.

We left Marbella for Seville at around 3pm. The drive along that part of the coats was very mountainous and very windy, lots of hairpin turns, I was a bit frightened at times, but we lived. The landscape reminded me of driving through the hills and canyons behind Malibu off of the PCH back home. We got into Seville a few hours later. Seville was a really cool city, historical, artsy, metropolitan, and old worldly all at once. If you ever get a chance to go to Spain, go there. We wandered the streets, and saw a random procession, I think for the Virgin Mary, but I can't be sure. The city was full of flower strewn balconies, brightly painted shutters, rambling parks, beautiful cathedrals, and tucked away cafes. I could live there. We ate dinner in a restaurant hidden at the end of an alley; it was really good, wonderful sangria. We stayed until 12:30 am or so. We drove to the coast because we had planed on sleeping on the beach again, but it was too cold, so we slept in the car. By the next morning we all felt soo dirty. Va bene.

But it was ok because the next day we ... drove to PORTUGAL! Portugal was so pretty. More undeveloped than I had expected, rolling hills, white stucco buildings, red terra cotta roofing, and hand painted tiles. It was so nice, a very peaceful, simple, and friendly country. We drove into a town which we called Trivia, even though that wasn't the real name. We found rooms in one of the residences. We explored the town, wandered around a castle, and then checked in, showered (finally) and napped. So nice! That afternoon we drove to the most southwestern point in all of Europe. The Mediterranean was to tour left, the Atlantic to our right, and Africa straight ahead. It was literally where the side walk ends. The place had a very somber almost sad vibe. The landscape was bare, red cliffs and low shrubs, with a huge white fort of all white buildings starkly against the landscape. I felt like I feel when I'm reading an existentialist piece, or like I did when I read "The Bell Jar," pensive and melancholy, but peaceful at the same time. The whole time I felt this urge to get as close to the edges of the cliffs as possible, and just peer over at the rocks below, I wanted to get as close to the water as I could. I felt safe, but my friends were a little freaked out I think.

Afterwards, we drove to Lagos, a really fun little funky town. We ate dinner in a really nice little restaurant and then wandered around the city and ended up at a really chill bar full of friendly people. The town had a really positive and funky vibe, I really liked it. Portugal felt very earthy and easy going, another place more than worth visiting. We didn't even get to our rooms until 2am or so, and we had to get up really early, 5am or so, to make my flight out of Jerez Spain the next morning. We over slept. We Got up at 6:15am and left in about ten minutes. So stressful.

I made my flight. I flew out at about 11am and flew into London, and then after a layover, I flew back to Rome. I got back to my apartment at about 9:30pm or so. I was in four countries on Monday: I woke up in Portugal, Drove and flew out of Spain, stayed in London for about four hours, and then ended up back in Italy. So crazy, I love Europe. Now I am back in the midst of finals, classes are winding down and we are all finalizing our travel plans for after the program ends. Time here has flown by, so surreal, but so amazing.