It’s been a pretty busy past week or so, we’ve been gone a little and we wrapped up classes just yesterday, so that brought on a lot of work too. We went to Cantabria this past weekend, in the North of Spain and when we got back I basically just did work most of the time, with a few breaks here and there.

Also, last week, before we went to Cantabria, was Rosa’s b’day, which was super fun, Maggie and I got her a cake and we all celebrated!

rosa!!

And Friday was Ivania’s birthday, a girl in our group, so Friday night we all went out together and hung out. Though I’m really different than most of the kids on this trip, I’ve really come to enjoy spending time with all them and getting to know them.

me and john micheal, probably the craziest boy on this trip.


lisa and me.

As I said, we were in Cantabria this past weekend, which ended up being the best excursion. We left early Saturday morning and headed to the north and stopped first in this small town where these prehistoric caves are located. We went in and toured one cave, which has drawings from thousands years before Christ. Some pretty cool stuff. There were drawings of animals, like bison and horses and negative paintings of hands. It definately the oldes piece of history I've ever seen. That's a cool feeling.

town near the caves.

After that we drove to Fuente Dé, the small town we were staying in for the night. So this place is in the middle of nowhere, it took like an hour and a half to even get out there. Yeah, and hour and a half of curvy mountainous road. On a bus. No fun.

But the final result was amazing, as this was definitely the coolest place I’ve ever been in Spain thus far. We were staying in this ski lodge type hotel at the base of the Picos de Europa, these magnificent snow-covered peaks. And the best thin g was that we just had all day to go and do whatever, which included climbing up the mountains and exploring. So Stacy, Will and I went out for a while and wandered around and climbed around the rocks and snow. It was so great, I didn’t’ even mind that it was cold and rainy. It was the most relaxing thing to just have nothing to do for a whole day and have no where really to go, that is, except exploring in the mountains.

view of the mountains from our hotel room window.

That evening, Jesus told us that there was some kind of festival at the base of the mountains, and that there would be fireworks. Well this was a festival alright, to say the least. Come 7pm, tons and tons of people where pouring into the area near our hotel and picnicking out and such. I think that there were thousands at least. And so after or dinner we headed out back, cause really the peaks are right out back, and there were all these people sitting on the grass and standing on the ground near this big field out back. There were all these people doing stuff with fire and there was this strange, almost creepy music playing. It was like some religious festival to celebrate the end of the holy year. Then this huge man-made man type thing, which branches on its body was lifted up with this huge crane and it moved all around the field, while this really strange electronica music was playing in the background. After that moved around a bit, one of the cable cars that goes all the way up to the peak of the mountains came into sight and there was this girl hanging doing this gymnastic type stuff from it. With like ribbons and all that stuff. So we all watched her for a while as she descended to the ground, and upon touching down, she is taken to the big tree man and rides on it’s back, as it’s now in a laying down position, like she’s some type of queen. Then they took the big tree man and put it in this circle of fire and all this smoke rose from it. And then that was it.

Just writing this I almost feel like a crazy person, and trust me if you are at all confused at what occurred, I’m totally right there with you. At the end, we were all just like, “What the heck?? Does anyone know what just happened??” And all of us just had to shrug our shoulder just say, “No.”

some kind of fire thing.

Soooo….how can I top that? Gosh, let’s see.

The next morning we got up and the whole group went to the cable car station type thing and we all got in and took it up to the top of the mountain peak. It was pretty mind-blowing, actually. It was warm and sunny at the bottom, but at the top of the mountain it was snowing and a little chilly. But we had about an hour or so to wander around and just do whatever we wanted, which just basically meant climbing and walking as far as you could on the rocky and snowing cliffs until you couldn’t walk any more. It was just so beautiful, the view on the valley and the grass below was perfect and the white snow on the dark mountains was like nothing I’d ever seen before. It was amazing to just be able to sit in fresh air and look around and just be so thankful for being exactly where you were.

snow caps.


mike and the valley. this should be a post card.


stacy and me.


katie, juliet and me at the top.

After going up on the mountain, we had a little time to just hang around the hotel and the park outside before we headed out from Fuente Dé. Then we all got back on the bus and headed back through the countryside, the beautiful countryside, to Santenilla del Mar, another small little village. We stopped here and had lunch and then had some time to just sit and the boys played soccer. We met up and went a looked at a church and then we went to the ‘Museo de la Inquisicion’, which actually ended up just being, ‘El Museo de la tortura’ So most everyone went in, I don’t know what I was really thinking going in, as within in 2 ½ minutes I was right back out the door. I know it’s important to know both the good and bad parts of a country’s history, but learning about manners of torture is not really anything I want to do. I felt just sick to my stomach after going in. It was just horrible.

one of the prettier sights in santenilla del mar.

When we left Santenilla del Mar, we headed to Santander, one of the main cities on the northern coast. We got checked into our hotel and then a bunch of us went down to the beach, as it was warm and mostly sunny.

That evening we had dinner in the hotel and then we all just stayed in, as it was a Sunday night and not much to do. I got to talk to my dad though, so that was pretty sweet. I think I also watched part of Pretty Woman, wow, what a fun night.

Monday morning we got up and walked to a part of town and went and looked at this palace that was built as a summer palace for the kings of Spain to try to bring tourism to Santander. Thankfully we didn’t have to go in and look around, as it was a beautiful day and we all wanted to be outside. From the palace, there was a great view of the sea and the cliffs. There was also a zoo type thing for water animals near the palace, so we went over and saw the seals and penguins there. They were precious. We got to see the penguins eating their lunch and they were so funny to watch.

maggie, jesus, and me.


coast of santander.

summer palace.


penguines

After that we just had all afternoon free, so we all headed to the beach and just hung out there all day. It was so great; this was by far the most relaxing excursion we had. And were all finally pretty close, and pretty much the whole group was together on the beach, so it was just nice spending time all together. Being outside the whole time was so good for me.

justine and me at the beach.

We got home Monday evening and unfortunately we came home to tons of work, so mostly all this week, I’ve just been working and studying and writing papers. It’s kind of lame how I finally have friends that I want to hang out with, but now I have tons of work, so it’s hard to do all I want to. Lame how it works that way.

But, gooood story. I was walking from class with Maggie on Tuesday afternoon, and I walked by this guy who looked a lot like this guy I was friends with in high school. I couldn’t believe it was him, but I turned around and yelled his name anyway, and what do you know, he turned around and it was him!! So here’s my friend Raphael in Salamanca visiting his cousin and I had no idea, because I haven’t even talked to him in two years. The funniest thing. He had been in “Europe playing tennis and then he’s heading to Argentina to train for tennis. So we met up for just a little bit that night and caught up. It was so random and funny! I enjoyed talking with an American who hasn’t been her eth e whole time.

raph and me.

So aside from that, I basically locked myself in my room until Friday. I had a bunch of work, mostly a paper for Cine and Lit, and so that meant not doing that much fun stuff with my friends. But I got it done Thursday and did a pretty good job, so that’s good. There’s not really anything better than knowing you make the right decision by staying in and working hard and doing a good job.

So after Friday, I was pretty free. I had an oral exam that morning, which was super easy, just a convo with my professor, and then two hours of cine. In the afternoon I met up with a bunch of girls from the program and we just hung outside for a while, sitting at a café on the plaza. Then I met up with Sophie, Alex and Matthieu and hung with them for a while. I hadn’t seen them much this week, so I was nice to get back together with them. I’m going to miss them so much when I go back. It’s just going to be really hard leaving.

kate, lauren and emily on the plaza

Friday night, Maggie and I had the privilege of having Sylvia, Marina and Patricia come out with us for the night. We had wanted to go out with Sylvia all semester, and finally we found a time to. It was so much fun. They came with us and got to meet all our JMU friends and it was just cool being with them outside the house. It was more like we were friends than people who lived together.

sylvia and me!!


patri, marina and sylvia


So today marks the last week for me here. To be honest, I’m pretty terrified about it. I’ve come to love being in Salamanca a lot, and though I would never want to be here long-term, I know how difficult it is for me to adapt to change, and I know inserting myself back into US life is going to be difficult. Also, I’m trying to rack my brain and think of all the things that I need to do this week before I head out to, while at the same time, trying not to panic about the fact that I only have 7 more days. I want to climb the cathedral tower and go to the modern art museum, and I” sure that there’s plenty of other stuff I’ll think of in the next few days.

i'm sure going to miss this.

It’s been kind of frustrating because when I get worried about something or really concerned, I tend to make myself physically sick. So I’ve pretty much been nauseous/ill for the past week and a half or so. I’ve just got this pit in my stomach and not really the peace that I’d been blessed with for some time here. It’s kind of frustrating, because I want to be able to fully enjoy this last week, and not be sick to my stomach the whole time.

So that's what I'm praying for. And that it stops raining in Salamanca.

back home, but with a heavy heart.

So we’re finally back home in Salamanca now, after traveling for about a week and a half, we just got back from a four city tour of Andalucía on Monday, which was really great, but I’m sure glad to be back. Though knowing about all that has occurred in Virginia these past few days has made me resent Salamanca just a little bit, as I would prefer to be in the States during this time.

Just a note--please excuse me as you read, because I’m sure that at times it may seem like I have a disregard for all that has passed this week with my use of sarcasm or humor, but I wrote most of this entry before knowing.

We got back from Dublin on a Tuesday and had one day in Salamanca before leaving for Andalucía on Thursday. It was my last day with Hannah so we hung out most of the afternoon and evening. It was a bit rainy, but in the early evening, it cleared up and we walked around the city one last time. We went to this garden near the cathedral that neither of us had been to. It was really beautiful, a good view of the city and also the cathedral.

view of the cathedral from the garden.


We just hung around there for a while and talked, till it got too cold to just sit. Then we stopped at a café for coffee and then went back. I made dinner for her and her roommates that evening and we just hung around, Hannah, Sophie, Mike and me and had one last hurrah. Unfortunatley Matthieu was still at home in Pau, France and I'm not really sure where Alex was that night. It would have been cool for us all to be together one last time.

hannah, sophie, mike and me.

Thursday morning we left early for Andalucía and got to Granada early afternoon. We had a few hours to eat and rest and then we headed into the city and visited the Capilla Real, where the bodies of Ferdinand and Isabella are buried, as well as their daughter Juana “La Loca” and her husband Felipe. We were going to go watch the sunset, but it was cloudy and rainy, so we were just given free time to walk around the city and do whatever. We wandered a bit, I bought a killer pair of earrings and then we headed back home right as the rain was starting to pour. We got soaked. And it was magnificent.

emily, kate, katie and katie in the rain.

We had dinner in the hotel and just hung around the rest of the night.

katie, me and lisa at dinner.

Friday morning we got up and then went to the Cathedral of Granada. Its construction began in 1521 and is actually attached to the Capilla Real. It too was beautiful, but to be honest, I’m getting a little burned out on Cathedrals. It’s hard to keep them all straight now; I think we’ve seen about 65 of them so far.

part of the cathedral.

We had some free time and then after that we went to La Alhambra, basically what Granada is known for. It’s an old Muslim Palace/fortress/independent city that was constructed in the 11^th century and it is where the Muslim king lived. It is made up of three parts, the Palacios Nazaríes, the gardens of the Generalife, which is the summer palace, and the Alcazaba, which is the outside, military part. Id been here before and have seen it all, but it was still cool to go there again. It’s a beautiful, beautiful place, the Generalife is just a huge garden with a few buildings, and the Palace is just glorious, so much decoration-tiles and carved and painted plaster walls. We did get to climb up the tower of the Alcazaba, which I didn’t do before and that was really cool. It gave you a great view of Granada.

garden of the generalife


beautiful forsythia (?)--reminded me of you elizabeth.


part of the palacio nazari


juliet and me at la alhambra.


That evening we got all dressed up and went to see a Flamenco show in Albacín, an old Moorish barrio of Granada. We walked through part of the city before the show and the streets were narrow and beautiful, it kind of reminded me of Toledo. The show was very cool; it was in this tavern which looked like a cave in this really neat part of town. The show was pretty sweet, I was all the way in the back row, so I couldn’t see terribly well, but it was an experience. The music and singing were amazing, I loved that, and the dancing was just very cool to watch.

maggie and i before the show.


flamenco dancers

Saturday we got up and set out for Córdoba. When we got there, we were in for quite a treat--it was sunny and warm!! In Granada it had been rainy and cold, so this was a pretty great thing. So we visited the Mezquita of Córdoba. This place was amazing. It was originally a Muslim Mezquita, but after the Muslims were kicked out of Spain in 1492, part of the Mezquita was turned in to a Christian Cathedral. In the Mezquita is the Mihrab, the wall which faces in the direction of Mecca and amplifies the words of the prayer leader. When originally constructed, the design would have naturally sent worshipers to the Mihrab, but after the additions in 1523, the Christian cathedral is the center of the building. While it’s a terrible shame that part of the Mezquita, a very unique and beautifully created piece of architecture, was destroyed and a church built instead, it is pretty cool that there were two styles of architecture and two places of worship in one. This place of worship is known for its double arcs, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the only mosque in Spain that has them. They are made of alternating brick and stone, so they have this neat striped look

arcs in the mezquita.


stained glass in cathedral part.

When that was over, we headed to Sevilla and went to the hotel. There was a great lawn by the pool at our hotel, so some of us just sat out in the sun until the sun set and read and wrote. It was great to finally have warm and sunny weather. Good for the soul. We all cleaned up and ate dinner in the hotel and then most of us just stayed in and hung out. Some people went into the city, but our hotel was terribly far we hadn’t been in the city at all yet, so some of us just didn’t want to have to take a taxi and then have no idea what to do.

Sunday we got up and went to visit the Reales Alcázares, a palace with beautiful gardens that the leaders of Sevilla have lived in for hundreds of years. In the Reales Alcázares is a chapel, the Patio de las Doncellas, and many private rooms for the rulers. In this palace, there were a lot of the same types of decorations as in La Alhambra. Even though it was a palace for Christian kings, there’s still so much Muslim influence.

walls inside the alcazar.


gardens of patio de las doncellas

After that we had free time for lunch. Laura, Mike and I just went to a park with some fountains and just sat in the sun for a while. It was perfect. Well, nearly, except for the lack of grass. They don’t have grass in Spain, if I didn’t tell you. Or at least if they do have it, you’re not allowed to get on it. So we just had to sit on this brick wall thing near the fountain.

park in sevilla

After that, it was yet again, time for another Cathedral. But this was a little different, a little more interesting. It’s the largest Gothic cathedral in Spain, as well as Europe. Its construction began in 1402 and completed just 104 years later. Inside is a monument to Christopher Columbus, and some of his remains also are here. His remains and also the remains of someone else, as DNA tests done by scientists at Salamanca have actually proven. Kind of funny, huh? We got to climb up the Minaret of the cathedral too and we had a great view of Sevilla. Climbing up towers of old cathedrals has got to be one of the coolest things we’re doing here.

view of sevilla from the minaret.


mike, stacy, me and will at the top.

We had all afternoon free on Sunday, and most of the group actually went to a bull fight. But you couldn’t’ pay Laura and I to go to one of those, so we just went back to the hotel and sat outside and read our Spanish novel ‘Niebla’ that we have to read for Cine on the lawn and later took baths and relaxed. It was so nice.

Monday morning we got up early and headed out of Seville. We stopped in a town called

Mérida, which is in La Comunidad de Extremadura, on the way back to Salamanca. This was the old capital of the Roman province of Lusitania and it has the most Roman remains in all Spain. Here we saw an old Roman amphitheater and theater. This was so cool. There was some sort of festival going on this week with students at local schools, so there were all these elementary students at the teatro when we were there.

roman teatro


arcs on the entrance to the anfiteatro


spanish kiddies!


the kids were putting on a play of pandora's box.

So we returned to Salamanca Monday evening, and it was so very good to be back home, but when we got back, we heard the news about the shooting at Virginia Tech. It’s just a terrible thing that’s happened, in all aspects, in the fact that lives of young people were taken and that the young man who did all this must have been in such pain to commit this crime and then take his own life. The whole situation is just heartbreaking. It’s been hard to know what to make of it all, being so far away and not feeling like we really know all that’s going on. It’s been on the news over and over again and the images are just horrible, as Spain’s media seems to be much less censored than the US. It’s very difficult being here, not feeling like we can do anything at all. I wish I could see my friends and just hold them. But truly, I think it’s best this way, because it’s good to realize in situations such as this, we as humans, really can’t do anything at all. We must just give it all up to God and trust Him to lead us through.

It’s been a quiet week so far, for obvious reasons, and I’ve been fortunate to just be able to take it easy, be studious, and spend time with people I care about. Our friends and families have rallied around us, knowing that though we may not be directly affected by this tragedy, we all feel the burden of the pain of our peers. It’s just so hard to make sense of all this, I’m just praying for clarity in understanding the gravity of what has happened and how to appropriately respond.

That’s all for now, I love you all. And I really mean it.

delightful dublin, but first....SEMANA SANTA!!!

So I just returned to Salamanca last night, after 4 days in Ireland. They were possibly 4 of the best days I’ve had since I left the US, and while that may seem to say bad things about my time in Spain, I’d prefer not to think that way, but just be unbelievably thankful for the wonderful, restful and rejuvenating time I had in Ireland.

The week off actually began last Wednesday, and lots of kids, including Maggie, left then for vacation. But Laura and I weren’t leaving until Friday, so we had two days here which was really nice. We just got to relax and enjoy Semana Santa and all the neat things that were going on then. There were tons of processions all week, which include nearly hundreds of people dressed in religious outfits, which resemble KKK outfits, carrying floats or crosses, followed by bands playing very ominous music. They are quite a site to see. We went to a handful of them and watched.

men and women carrying a 'float'.


man carrying a cross


procession with a float with jesus


Thursday night I went to Indian with Hannah, Sian, Alex and Jessica. It was Sian’s last night in town before going back to Liverpool, so we all got together.

sian and hannah

Friday morning Laura and I got up and caught a bus to Madrid. Our flight left Barajas, the airport around 6pm, so we had some time in the airport. We arrived in Dublin around 9:30 and got to our hostel around 10:30.

By the time we got settled, it was nearly 11:30 and we still hadn’t eaten dinner, so we headed out to find some place that was open. Dublin definitely is not Salamanca, and things definitely don’t stay open nearly as late, so we had quit eth time finding a place to eat. But finally we found this little kebab place.

haypenny bridge at night.


Saturday was our day to look around the city and see all the Dublin sights.

river liffey


voted cutest irish boys in ireland as well as our favorite dublin site...


dublin city

We started off with the Guinness Storehouse. We walked through the museum they have which explains the whole process of making Guinness from Barley, Yeast, Hops and Water, just four ingredients. The tour consists of five floors or so, ending at the top of the building which is a bar with glass windows on all sides. Up here we got a ‘free’ pint of Guinness and were able to take a look at the city from up high. It was a pretty sweet view.

front gate


laura and me at the top

After this we went and bought some bread and cheese and found a nice little church with a lawn and ate our lunch. From there we walked over to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and checked out that. It has a huge park type thing along with it, quite beautiful. After that we headed to Trinity College and snooped around a little. It’s a pretty campus with beautiful buildings and lawns.

trinity college building

After that we headed back to the hostel because Laura and I weren’t feeling so well. I think we were really dehydrated and we both had headaches. So Laura went and took a nap and I investigated the area around the hostel and went to the bus station and made a few calls to friends living near Dublin to figure out when we could meet up. After that, she woke up and we walked to Merrion Square, which is a park in the city. We actually saw a proposal here, which was so sweet! It was the cutest thing in the world.

merrion square lawn

After that we wandered over to St. Steven’s Green a huge park in the city with a small lake. It was so beautiful there, the grass was so green and tons of flowers were blooming. We stayed there until it started to get dark and cold.

gardens at st. steven's greene.


laura and me in st. steven's greene.


Saturday evening, we wandered around the city and finally found this little pub and went in and had a drink. I think the average age of customers there was about 60, so it was funny to watch all these old Irish people hanging out and talking. We went home and went to bed after that.

Sunday morning we got up and ate some breakfast and actually met up with some Americans who were going out to one of the boroughs that we were going to too. Laura and I had been invited by some friend Tom and Vicki Gilliam out to Maynooth, a town outside of Dublin for the day, and these girls were going there too actually, so we headed to the train station to go. Unfortunately we had trouble finding the station, so we missed the 9:30, but we were able to make the 10:30 train and were to Maynooth by 11:15. It was a beautiful trip out there, driving through the country. So we met them at their church and sat in on an Irish service which was really cool. After that they had coffee and deserts and we got to meet and talk with a bunch of Irish friends of theirs. I met two guys who were actually in Ft. Portal, Uganda just recently doing a work project. So that was cool.

tayor and us, one of the american girls we met

After that we headed back to their house. They live in a neighborhood, which is actually called an estate, and it could have been one I the US. Their house looked tons like a house in the US too, and it was so amazing to just be with a family in a home. They have three boys who are just hilarious. The youngest has a black eye now and he’s just the cutest kid. So we helped Vicki prepare Easter dinner, which was very fun. It was great to be in a kitchen cooking American food with Americans who speak English and who are happy to have you over. They had three Irish friends and a few other Americans over for dinner so it was a nice crowd. We ate and then just sat around for like 2 to 3 hours talking and laughing. They are in Dublin with World Harvest, so it was great to talk about people we know. We talked about Bundibugyo a lot and what's going on in Dublin. Keith, a friend of theirs is doing the MAP program in Dublin, so it was cool to talk with him abou that. It was the nicest thing, to be with people who felt like real family and to be in a relaxed setting. It was just what Laura and I needed. We stayed until the last possible train back to Dublin and Vicki drove us to the Station. It was so hard to say goodbye, I Just wanted to stay with them forever. I’m pretty sure I cried when I hugged her goodbye. There wasn’t much to do that night, and we were tired and sad, so we just showered and went to bed early.

vicki making apple pie- so american


the gilliams and us minus their youngest james, the one with the black eye-- he was probably out playing and getting another black eye.


mags, keith, and kian- some of the coolest irish people i know


Monday morning we got up and walked around Dublin just a little more. We walked to Dublin Castle and walked around the outside and inside the courtyard a little bit. You can tour the inside of it, but it costs money and it’s a guided tour, so Laura and I weren’t really feeling that. We then went to the store and bought some more bread and cheese and yogurt for lunch.

one entrance to dublin castle

We headed back to the hostel and met up with Sarah, a friend we had met who’s from New Zealand but living in Vancouver now. The three of us headed to the train station and caught a train to Bray, a town just south of Dublin. There is a path that leads from Bray to Greystones, another town further south, so we were going to do the walk along the cliff in the afternoon. When we got to Bray, it was pretty overcast and a little cold, the normal weather I’d expect in Ireland. So we set off to Greystones, walking along a little boardwalk in Bray up to some hills. As we walked the sun started to come out and it got much warmer and it was just the most beautiful day. The walk from Bray to Greystones is just unbelievable. It takes about 2 ½ hours with all the photo stops and it’s just magnificent. The water was gorgeous and the grass so green and these yellow bushes grow there and they were just so vibrant. It was one of the most spectacular sights ever. So we finally got to Greystones and you come in along the water and can actually get down and walk on the rocky shore. So we walked in along the water and when we got in just wandered around the town a little. We were going to take a later train in, so we had some time to just sit by the water and enjoy the sun.

coast of bray


me and laura in some ruins along the way


path to greystones


laura and sarah


me by the shore


view of the land and water. duh claire.


beautiful contrast of colors

breathtaking


field near the shore


beautiful old bridge

greystones


hills before greystones

We took a train back and Sarah went all the way back home, but Laura and I got off at Monkstown because we were visiting an old friend who lives there. So Richie, an Irish guy who’s a good friend of my family’s, picked us up at the station and we went back to his house. I finally got to meet his new wife, who’s an American and we had dinner there and stayed and talked for hours. It was so wonderful to see him again, it had been nearly four years since he was in the US and meeting her was wonderful too. Richie is like the son that my parents never had, so seeing him was like seeing family and very comforting. We talked about my parents and our lives. It was great to spend time with them. Richie is just hilarious and so very honest and candid and Erika is even more amazing that I expected. We stayed over there until very late and we’re going to catch the last DART into Dublin but instead of taking us to the train station, Richie drove us all the way in, which was wonderful, because it saved us money and like 30 minutes and gave me just a little more time with him. I cried again when he dropped us off and I had to stay goodbye. It’s really hard to say goodbye when you really don’t know the next time you’ll see someone.

richie and erika

Tuesday morning we got up and went to the grocery store to buy a few things for lunch and dinner. We walked to the river one last time and sat for just a little bit and said our goodbyes to Dublin city.

don't be fooled by our smiles, we were really sad to leave.

Our flight was at two, so around 12 we hopped on a bus and headed to the airport. We got in and got on our flight just on time and made it to Madrid around 6pm. We caught the Metro to the bus station and caught our bus and finally made it back to Salamanca around 10:30. I think it’s safe to say neither of us wanted to return and we both were sad to be back in Spain, but I can say, when we are driving into Salamanca and I see the lights on the cathedral and all the old buildings, the feeling of coming home is overwhelmingly comforting. It’s nice to be back in a city that I know, and while there are people that I love who aren’t here and though I really would have loved to stay in Dublin and though the feeling of homesickness is stronger than ever, I am thankful for my last month here and I am ready to keep on going.

With that said, Hannah leaves very soon and I'm leaving for Andalucia tomorrow morning, so today is our last day together. That's pretty sad and scary, as she's been a rock to me in many ways. And Andalucia will be great, but I'd love to just stay home for a bit, as traveling takes quite a toll on me. So we'll see how the next weeks go...

Until next time, take care and I love you all.