I just returned from a brief tour of Andalusia! It was amazing. Spain is awesome, and it’s really striking the difference between north and south. I shouldn’t be surprised given my background, but it was definitely refreshing to have a change of pace.

In Málaga we spent a lot of time napping on the beach and hanging out with cool people in our hostel. I learned a new paella recipe and i really want one of these big gas powered cooking rings, they’re awesome!

Córdoba was one of my favorite parts. We arrived on Sunday in the midst of Holy Week festivities… I saw probably about 6-7 processions in the span of a few days. The processions block the street and everybody brings their families out to see it… it’s a BIG deal. Catholics know how to do dramatic. It was also nice to be away from crowds of tourists for a bit. At the Holy Week processions, we were surrounded by Spaniards who were genuinely participating in a tradition for their own benefit… miles from the put-on shows and gimmicks made for tourists that i find myself constantly surrounded by.

Granada was a very brief stop. I did not successfully get in to see the Alhambra (which is one of the more famous palaces in Spain) but i DID get up at 5:20 a.m. to wait in line in the cold and damp, with the result that I spent most of the rest of the day developing an illness. Oh joy.

But it’s clearing up now. I got all my gifts for people back home and have almost finished packing up. My flight leaves for Heathrow Sunday morning, then to ATL. I am sad to be leaving Europe but also ready to return to something normal… I miss dumb weird boring things like chicken nuggets and the YMCA. Which i definitely need to use ASAP: think i’ve developed a baguette bump over here. Oops!

The time has passed so quickly… they all said it would fly by, but in the middle of it all it seemed SO LONG. Now I am of course wishing I could have gone more places, seen more, learned more… but in those moments i remind myself how TOTALLY overstimulated I have been all semester, and exhausted trying to absorb all the newness! It’s been a fantastic experience. There is only so much one person with so many euros at her disposal can do, even in 4 months. Now I will be able to develop more intelligent goals for my next Europe trip. ;)

Hasta la vista!