If you’re like me, you love Game of Thrones and eat up everything there is about it. A few years ago, I stumbled upon a filming site for the series and was enthralled. I needed to go to more places. Luckily, here in Spain, there are tons of places to go to. So, when my friends left for San Sebastian, I stayed in Bilbao and took a half-day trip to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe.
Wow. It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything. The truth is, I haven’t had a lot of time to travel and do things. Between working in a concertada, having Masters classes on Friday evenings, and working for an internet company on the weekends, I’ve been grounded to Madrid. But I had to do something. We had a long weekend, or puente, so I chose to go to Bilbao.
Guys, I’ve been so lazy. I haven’t written anything since the Real Madrid game I went to (I have another coming next week!), and I never wrote about my trip to Zaragoza. So finally, a month later, since today is a national holiday and tomorrow is another day off my school, I thought I should finally get it together.
Zaragoza is located in the Aragona region of Spain. It’s a decent sized city, with a population of over 600,000. If you’re looking for a wedding dress, you’re in luck! There were wedding dress shops on nearly every street. The best were the ones right next to baby stores. Get ready! Zaragoza has some pretty neat things to see and do, while still being affordable. I’ve picked out the best for you.
I was having a conversation with my friend about soccer last weekend and we were talking about Champions League. I thought it started later in the month, or even in October, but after checking an app, I found out that Champions League started this week! The Champions League is a multinational soccer competition among the best teams in Europe. It makes for some exciting fútbol. Real Madrid is the current reigning champion from the past two years (and the most-winningest with 12 titles), so I had to go to a game.
When I saw the game was in Madrid, I got extremely excited. I live a mile away from the stadium, so I don’t even need public transportation to get there. So I checked online and there were seats available! There were seats available in the front sections, even! Compared to the cost of American sports tickets, these were cheap. At first I thought it would be a bit weird to show up by myself, but then I thought, “Oh well, who cares?! This is an incredible chance that may never happen again!”
I was sitting on the bed with that feeling like I couldn’t do it. I wanted to book the next plane home. Then, someone walked in, I wiped away the tears, and took a nap. Since then, I haven’t had any more doubts.
I’ve been in Madrid for five or six days now. After living in Catalonia for two years, I was scared in how it would be different to live in the capital. So far, so good. I’ve been lost and found my way, I’ve wandered around, I’ve learned new things. This is Madrid.
I’m a self-proclaimed bibliophile — I love books. It seems like every week I’m going to the library and coming home with a new stack of books to read. I prefer to go for the non-fiction books. If I’m going to spend time reading something, I want to learn from it. To help keep myself sane while back home, I’ve thrown myself into many travel books. I’ve cleaned out the library system’s Spain collections. I eventually wandered out to hit other sections, too.
You may have heard about it in passing, or seen Internet memes, or perhaps you have never heard of it at all. But it’s coming. Yes, Eurovision Song Contest 2017 is coming!
My friend and I are still here in Tarragona in July. I am testing the waters of being an au pair and my friend commutes every day to Barcelona to work with small children in an English summer camp. Safe to say we needed a break from children and explore more of Spain. He suggested we see the city of Peñíscola in the Valencia region of Spain, one of the Pueblos Más Bonitos (Most Beautiful Towns/Villages) in Spain. Although I had trouble pronouncing the name (my American mind kept thinking “Pensacola”), I agreed. There is too much of Spain I still haven’t seen.
At the end of April, I had a three day weekend because of the “May Day” (Worker’s Day) holiday. A friend and I decided we wanted to see another part of Spain that we had never been to before. We decided to travel up north to the Basque region of Spain. We went to Pamplona, Vitoria, and Logroño. We also made a stop in a small village before heading to Logroño. The Basque region definitely has a different vibe than what I am used to in Catalunya so it was something good to experience.
Montserrat is the most famous mountain in Catalunya where there is a monastery, the “Black Virgin”, and a school for young boys that specializes in music and religion. It’s very famous among tourists and it’s just a short trip outside Barcelona. It’s also a pretty funny looking mountain – it’s nothing like the rolling hills of the Appalachian Mountains or the pointy peaks of the Rockies.