Last night, I made it back to Madrid after two amazing weeks travelling and spending time with my family. We did so much during those two weeks that I'm sure I won't remember to tell every detail, but I'm going to try my best to capture the higlights.
Here is a brief summary: The first week, my mom, dad, and sister arrived in Madrid, dead tired, after a long trip. They were in Madrid for half a day, and then we went to Portugal (Lisbon, Tomar, Mafra, Sintra) for several days, and then back to Madrid for a day. Melissa then headed home (back to work) and my parents and I went to Tenerife (one of the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa) for a week.
As I said, when they first got here, they were REALLY exhausted, after basically not having slept for a whole night. Nonetheless, we still got to see some of the city. They came to my apartment and met Ruth (which was great!), and then I took them on a walking tour for a few hours- around my neighborhood (Arguelles/Moncloa), and then to Plaza Espana, Gran Via, Callao, Sol etc. It was Christmas Eve and we were nervous that we wouldnt be able to find a restaurant open for dinner, but sure enough, we stumbled upon something near Sol. We ate some tapas around 7 pm (they couldnt wait any longer haha), and then we basically called it a night.
The following day, we all flew to Lisbon, where we were only for a short time, before heading to the train station to go to Tomar (about 2 hours away). However, Melissa, our wonderful tour guide for the week, wanted to make the most of our time, and insisted that the cab driver stop at two sites in Lisbon that were near the train station, on our way. Now, I have to make a disclaimer so that my sister doesn't get upset with me- I'm not poking fun at her here, she worked really hard to plan our few days in Portugal and I really appreciate it! But...when we got in the cab and tried to explain to him that we wanted him to stop so we could see a tower and a bridge (mind u..it was raining and super windy out), he looked at us like we were crazy. He then proceeded to (lovingly, i think) poke fun at Melissa for the rest of the cab ride, telling her that she didnt actually want to see those things, and asking her if the tour book was "a good book?" I'm not sure if i'm catching the comedy of the situation here, but it was quite hilarious.
Anyway, the bridge was pretty cool, ill admit (the longest bridge in Europe). Some of the other funny moments of the trip also occured while we were in transit. For example, we were on a bus from Mafra to Sintra, and at one of the stops, this woman gets on and starts speaking to the whole bus of people (at least it seems). Apparently, she knew almost everyone...shes laughing, and handing out chocolates...of course we cant understand anything (Spanish and Portuguese actually sound basically nothing alike, even though they look very similar on paper), but it was quite the scene. And then, when we were in Lisbon on a trolley ride, this woman gets on and starts yelling out loud, about what, again we had no idea, but she seemed quite upset. Everyone is staring at her, and she just goes on and on, for at least 10 minutes. Then, some guys get off and take a picture of her, and she starts yelling at them, even once they are out of the trolley!! It was another very interesting scene.
And..let's see, some other great moments- definitely climbing the old castle/fortress in Sintra- that was absolutely breathtaking! It was quite the climb (I must say, a little scary for someone like me, who is rather scared of heights), but it was totally worth it! The views were absolutely amazing; probably one of the most incredible sights i have ever seen. I now understand why so many people told me that I had to go to Sintra while I was visiting Lisbon. Also, Lisbon itself is a beauitful city! Its very hilly- and when you start climbing, you can see the most amazing, colorful views of the city; it really is unique-looking. We also had a lot of great food everywhere we went; in Portugal, lots of great seafood (Bacalao, their specialty...as well as shrimp, octopus etc).
Back in Madrid, my family really enjoyed seeing where I had been living for the past several months, and hearing me speak in Spanish at every available opportunity. On Weds night, I took Melissa to Cien Montaditos for the one euro weds, which she really enjoyed. For those who dont know, Cien Montaditos is a bar/resaurant where they literally have 100 different little sandwiches for you to choose from. The sandwiches are mini, so you usually order a few for a complete meal..but its really fun to try different combos. Its normally pretty cheap, but on Weds, everything costs just one euro, including the drinks, so it always gets REALLY crowded. Melissa got a good taste for Spanish culture (incl the smoking, which she didnt enjoy), but otherwise, it was a really fun night (Side note here- Spain just passed a new law that outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants, so this will be different now...something i'm thrilled about!)
The next day, we managed to go to the Palacio Real, the Reina Sofia, Plaza Mayor, La latina, have lunch AND churros with chocolate, do some souveneir shopping, and end up back at my apt...so that was pretty successful in my book! We also had a very lovely dinner that night at my apt(courtesy of the Carrefour, the grocery store that i often frequent) of wine, bread, cheese, and olives (very Mediterranean! haha).
After this very fun but busy week, we said goodbye to Melissa, who had to go back to NY for work, and headed to Tenerife for a week of sun and relaxation. It was really beautiful there, and it was so nice to just chill, read, go for walks, work out, and most of all, soak up some sun! It was also fun speaking with the people there in Spanish...they always got really excited and were very friendly when I spoke to them in Spanish, probably because they are so used to having so many tourists visiting, and are not used to finding tourists who actually speak their language.
So, all in all, it was a great two weeks. It was really nice to see my family after being away for several months, and it was nice to have some time off!! But..I'm also happy to be back home in Madrid and to get a chance to catch up with friends here, settle back in to a normal routine, etc. Anywayy, I think thats it for now. Happy New Year!
