'Cause I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane, Don't Know When I'll be Back Again, oh I Hate to Go. . . '

Although you would think John Denver, I'm sitting here using The Beatles as my company for this post. :) Roger has quickly become a huge fan of The Beatles and just today we used their songs as our lesson plan; having him listen to the lyrics, write down what he hears and understands and discuss the vocabulary.  I asked him "Do you know what a submarine is?!" He said "yes! It is a boat, no it is LIKE a boat that goes to the sea. . . you know in the water." and I said "exactly! and disappears UNDER the water." He replied, "Yeah! UNDER the water." haha It took him an hour to eat lunch today because he was singing along to the songs.  Thought it was an hour well spent :)

Had to snap a pic of my beach stroll in Ibiza :)

Well here we are. April 19th and 11 days away from getting me back on US soil.  How have these past 6 months gone by so quickly? 180 days, 24 weeks, one half of a year. . . isn't soooooo long.  Time is just a weird thing, isn't it? 1 hour can feel like a lifetime, a week can go by leaving me thinking how did 7 days just pass by? and 6 months can just fly right past us! Won't stop for anything I suppose...not even to allow you sit on that ledge overlooking crystal blue waters for a little while longer (or forever).  Even more reason to figure out what it is you really want and go after it. . . Be happy and LIVE.  If I've learned anything from travel, it's that.  There's just really not enough time in this one life to let anything get in the way of living a life of happiness.

IBIZA!

May 1st is going to be incredibly bittersweet.  Leaving my circle of friends here who have become my Spanish family is going to be so difficult.  There are some that I see almost every single day and it's not going to be easy saying goodbye. *sigh*  Goodbye is always the WORST and I have the same feeling I had before leaving my Kavanagh family in Ireland.  Leaving Roger and Anna will also be difficult.  I'll miss the little ones, especially their laughs! Oh my goodness they have the best laughs that come straight from the gut and is more contagious than chicken pox. I'm so excited to see how they will keep advancing in their English as they make the move to Canada in August.  It's been an absolutely amazing 6 months and although it's going to be hard to leave, when I picture getting to see my incredible family, standing there waiting to pick me up at the airport in less than 2 weeks I could not be more excited!! and getting to have a summer FULL of family, the Arnold and Leroe babes! and my amazing friends is going to be oh so perfect! I'm ready to see 'What Comes Next' for me.  Ready for the next adventure, ready to see where the wind takes me :)  Such an exciting feeling..who knows what's ahead??

Back to a day in the life of an au pair! I'm trying to go outta here with a bang so over Easter break I headed to the South of Spain for a week of solo trekking to three cities; Cordova (pronounced Cordoba), Sevilla (Seville) and Granada.  Check out my photos! ----->   Where Trouble Melts Like Lemondrops... Hope you have some time if you're tuning in. . . this one's a bit lengthy  :)

Can you smell them!?

On Wednesday (April 4) afternoon I hopped on a train to Barcelona then hopped on a bus that would take me 15 hours through the night and through the south to reach my destination of Cordova.  Let the journey begin, right? haha I made it to the bus station at 6 am, slept for 2 hours until the city buses started running, hopped on a bus at 8 and headed to my hostel.  Strapped my backpack on, jumped off the bus and started searching Senses and Colors, wandering through the ENTIRELY empty city streets.  So quiet there wasn't even a dog barking or a car engine running.  I could hear my own footsteps on the cobblestone streets- felt like the whole place was just for me :)  What started as trying to find my hostel turned into exploring when I got excited about the fact that I had the place to myself.  Only a few minutes after getting off the bus I  caught the scent of an unbelievable delicious smell in the air...all I could think was, "what IS that?! I have to find whatever it is." So I started looking up, down, all around and finally realized that the city streets were lined with blooming orange trees.  I reached up and picked a bloom and sniffed. . . YEP that was IT! It was such a sweet smell! I can smell it now as I'm writing about it.  The whole entire city smelled of those blooms.   I only got lost once and knew I was on the wrong side of the city, so I found a man who was approximately 70, who spoke no English and I'm pretty sure was telling me that his name was Joe and he was from Germany? who took me under his wing and rather than just pointing or telling me the directions took my arm and escorted me all the way back to where I need to be! Twenty minutes to the Tendillas Plaza.  Not before stopping at the church (where he must be a member of?) so he could show me the beautiful Easter statues used in processions through the city.  When we got to the plaza my face hurt from smiling and he put his hands on my shoulders and said something that I'm pretty sure was 'Be careful and take care.' I said 'Muchas Gracias!' really wanting to just hug the guy, gave his arm a squeeze and walked to the Plaza. . . another angel in this world :) 

Deserted streets early in the morn

I eventually made it to what I thought was my hostel, I took about 30 minutes freshening up and notifying my brother that I had made it then left my bags so I could go explore and check in later. Well...after coming back in the middle of the day, I discovered that Senses and Colors Hostel actually had 2 locations in the city and I was at the wrong one.  Easy fix! The guy working at the desk showed me the way to the hostel and it was close by.  After checking in for my first EVER single bed room in a hostel I went up the stairs of the old Moroccan house, opened the door and saw, what I considered a heavenly sight.  A queen sized bed with a window overlooking the beer garden and my own sink and closet in my room.  It was about 3pm and I had gotten to see most of the city so I took about a 40 minute nap, falling asleep to the live acoustic music being played downstairs and woke up so refreshed.

I spent the night with an amazing Australian couple I met who were traveling the world for one year. . . obviously a dream of mine once replenishing the bank account :) The tales of their travels...I could have listened to all day and night.  They had seen so many amazing things and were only half way through!  Unfortunately because of unfortunate train delays and other travel FAILS, I only know that their names are James and Vanessa and was unable to get any other contact info from them. Maybe I'll meet them somewhere else in the world someday! haha I don't think they're stoppin anytime soon.  We went out into the city around 9 to try to sneak a peek at the Easter processions that were taking place throughout the city. . . something I didn't really want to see, being that the kkk got their inspiration from the dress of these men in the Easter processions, so it looks like the kkk walking through the streets.  But they're kind of a big deal in the South so I thought I should at least check them out.  . . yep! Not happening. I was just as freaked out as I assumed I would be. Such an eery site to see - even though they had different colored hoods, it was still the same image.  So we decided to take a night stroll around the city instead and saw the beautiful walled city and the river.  I was in bed pretty early, eager to have a huge bed to stretch out in, plus I knew that the next day was the travel to Sevilla! 

 Headed to the train station at noon after 10 beautiful hours of sleep, saw I had missed a train to Sevilla 10 minutes early and curled up to wait for 2 1/2 hours for the next one.  Was able to update my Flat Stanley journal and do my favorite thing, people watch :) haha Can't remember if I already mentioned this but I have my little cousin Addison's Flat Stanley that was sent to me from Coldwater, Ohio.  Flat Stanley is a book character that loves going on adventures and loves peanut butter sandwiches and milk :) A lot of schools  in America and England are beginning projects where Flat Stanleys are sent to relatives or friends who include him in their daily lives and take him on any adventures they might have.

View of Triana from across the water

 It's a really fun project! I think my friends enjoy it even more than I do haha So anyway, hopped on the train to Sevilla with two guys from California I had met in my hostel and made my way to the bus station to get to my hostel, then discovered that the next bus wasn't coming for 35 minutes. Luckily I was standing next to a group of Irish guys who were going to the same hostel so we shared a cab and made it there in no time. The next day was spent exploring! What a beautiful city.  Walking around you feel like you've gone back in time.  The streets were completely packed with chairs, making a trail throughout the entire city where the Easter processions would travel.  Where did the Easter processions go? You could figure it out by following the chairs or the trail of wax from the tall candles carried by those in the procession.   One of those days that only involves sitting down when you're eating or going to bed.  Wandering to every corner of the city and getting to see it all by foot was perfect.  It was a perfect warm, sunny day. There is a river that runs in the middle of Sevilla and the bridge that is across it leads to Triana which was one of my favorite parts of the city.  It's an adorable area. .  vibrant, colorful, relaxed.  I had the perfect spot sitting next to the river, drinking a beer.  Well almost perfect...I wanted a gooey deliciously sinful chocolate treat that looked amazing, but at this particular restaurant you couldn't order dessert if you didn't order a meal...so I had to settle for my Estrella but that wasn't too hard to handle :)

On the bridge to Triana

After my last sip I headed back across the bridge to go back to my hostel so I could make myself some pesto pasta.  On the way, I looked into a store and saw so MANY things that looked intriguing! I stood outside the window for a minute debating if I should go in, then after realizing the person working was looking at me like "are you coming in or not?" I went in.  Turns out, this store was an awesome little holistic store- - - products for the body, mind, and soul.  I was trying (very hardly) to figure out a toy I had picked up and after seeing my obviously confused face, the worker explained to me that it was a thunder toy.  It had a wire thing on the bottom of a cylinder and if you spun it then it sounded like thunder! Pretty cool.  He had a friend in the store who spoke wonderful English so we all started chatting and within 10 minutes I had learned his name was Marcus, her name was Helena (from Tuscany) and we were exchanging numbers to meet for dinner later that night at an Italian restaurant,  La Oca Giuliva.  Just the type of people that make ya smile even after you leave.

Marcus, Helena, Nick and me at La Oca Giuliva

So at happy hour in the hostel bar later that night I met up with Nick who I had met the previous night and we headed out into the crowd in search of the restaurant... and thank God I had him with me! because with the processions going on it was completely impossible to take a straight path to where you needed to go...and you know me and my directional sense. It fails me.  Almost always.  Armed with a tiny pocket compass and his good directional sense (that we decided is embedded in men by genetics) and his ability to speak Spanish, he was much more successful at getting us to our destination then I would have been.  I know it seems crazy to eat Italian while in Spain but I am SO glad we did! I had a veggie lasagna that blew me away, could easily come in 2nd to the veggie lasagna I had in Venice. Yum! It was a wonderful dinner.   The company was so refreshing and enjoyable!  After stuffing ourselves with pasta and cava, the 4 of us went on a night walk around the city. . . always a good thing to have someone who lives there show you around so that they can actually tell you what you're looking at :) The smell of the orange trees were all over Sevilla also so the air smelled wonderful and the streets where we were walking were quiet, except for our chatting and laughing.  Around midnight after walking by the Cathedral and hearing the bells chime, we headed to an Arabic Bath House (Baños Árabes) that Helena attended regularly and had some delicious tea then parted ways.

At the corner of LIFE and WATER :)

Sunday morning was spent finding my way to Granada....otherwise known as a transportation fail.  What I should have thought about before leaving was that travel in Spain is probably the most difficult out of any other European country for some reason.  Buses and trains are more expensive and always have odd times of departure. This of course was true on this particular day also. So over the next THREE hours I got one hell of a workout! haha Walked from my hostel to the train station which took about 40 minutes with my pack on, found out the train didn't leave until 6 pm that night so scoped out a bus station and headed there. Found out the bus didn't leave for about 2 1/2 hours so went to the other bus station that was on the entirely opposite side of the city, hoping they had a bus that left early.  My thoughts before starting to walk there "no point in paying for a bus ticket! it's a

Full DOUBLE rainbow over hostel in Sevilla 

beautiful day and it's a walk next to the river- perfect!"  Thoughts AFTER walking for another 45 minutes and getting stuck walking through 5 different groups of Asian tourists- "not your best decision you've ever made to save 2 Euro."  (oh PS, if I've never mentioned the Asian tourist groups...they travel in wolf packs with sunhats sticking out everywhere and they stop to take a photo every 20 feet making it nearly impossible to pass)  So then broke down and paid 1.50 for my 35 minute bus ride to the other side of the city, to get back to the first bus station. Thinking the entire time on the bus ride that I'm going to get there and all of the tickets would be sold- my lucky stars were shining though because luckily I got a ticket, hopped on the bus and demolished the book I was reading on the 4 hour bus ride to Granada.  Worth it? Absolutely! Just all part of it :)

Granada was the gem on my trip; with the almighty Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada mountains being the most beautiful backdrop for a city, cobblestone streets full of twists and turns leading to every corner that were lined with houses that had white-washed walls giving it a beautiful Greek feel, and a strong influence of Arabic and Gypsy cultures throughout the city.  It really has it all.  Walking into my hostel and seeing the tree house, the hammocks and being offered a welcome beer, I knew I was in the right place!  I unpacked and made myself the first meal I had had that day and sat down to enjoy the beautiful garden in the hostel and soon after met Danny and Becca, siblings from Minnesota traveling for a week together who were wonderful!  We went to one of my favorite spots in the city for sunset-San Nicolas Mirador which was an incredible view that just encompassed the entire city, the Alhambra, and the mountains in one (as you can see).  Just hanging out with the gypsies and the lovers that tended to be everywhere and the sky turning from orange to pink to purple overlooking the city....made for a pretty good end to the day.

 View of the Alhambra + Sierra Nevada Mtns. at San Nicolas Mirador

The next day was spent exploring the Alhambra (description in my photos on Picasa) which is the most influential place in the city, so much that they have a beer, which might possibly be only in Granada that I had called Alhambra.  Then 'followed' my map to find the street I was looking for.  A true work of art... and the type of art that impresses me the most.  Walls FULL of incredible graffiti with so much detail you felt like you were standing next to the people in the art.  I loved looking at it all and it went on for blocks, sporadically on the walls or sides of buildings that would never dream of being painted over or covered up.  That night I went with Kurt, a film-maker from Istanbul, to the caves at the bottom of the mountain.  Homes that have been built into the mountainside by the

gypsies who live without electric and have to find other sources for water.  Primitive living at it's best.   We walked through their village and saw some excellent views of the city and the mountains. Then rewarded ourselves with ice cream and stopped to enjoy the entertainment of instruments being played in the gypsy plaza.  That night I went with Danny and Becca to find Flamenco dancing! Fail. . . the club was full.  So we ventured around the city to find beer and free tapas and instead got beer, spilled a glass of wine, and had to pay 12 euro for coos coos. haha Not exactly what we were looking for! but then luckily went to an Arabic restaurant and had delicious tapas of humus and pitas with our beer.  I had to prepare myself to stay awake until 3 am when I had to go catch my bus to get back to Barcelona.  So I enjoyed the company of other hostel buddies until the hostel bar closed down and everyone went to sleep.  I went and caught a cab and got to the bus station around 2:30 then boarded the bus at 3 for my 16 hour bus ride back to Barcelona.  Luckily I was tired enough that I slept most of the time.
What a trip it was! Just what I needed.  A week well spent :)

The following weekend (alright, 2 days later) I was reunited with Meghann and Aaron!!!  They flew from England to fly to Ibiza Island with me for the weekend (YOLO!!!) and what an amazing weekend it was!  Although not warm enough to strip to suits and swim in the sea, we got to see the entire island and enjoy the perfectly serene beauty of the place.  We arrived Thursday night and along with experiencing the parenting methods, driving 'rules', and Tapas they got their first taste of Spain :) We were able to find a steal for car rentals the next day (2.5 days for 60 euro!) and it was conveniently across from our hotel we were staying in. . . got the keys, loaded up on junk food for the road trip, with complimentary Sangria in a box!.....and so began our driving adventure on the coast :) Just beautiful, is the only way to describe Ibiza.  The Mediterranean can be 4 different shades of blue at once and the rugged coastline creates one beautiful view.  You feel the breeze off the water, have the sun on your face and smell the salty ocean with some of your favorite people by your side and it's all over. You're never goin back to wherever it is you came from and have reached euphoria.  I don't know why I only discovered this land now before I'm leaving! It could have been my weekend spot- I mean 30 euro round-trip for a ticket is do-able! :) Our weekend was full of these same incredible views but all over the island, beautiful sunsets, YOLO!, the HIPPY MARKET! (I thought I had died and gone to heaven), getting lost only a couple 6 or 7 times, getting swept away by the wind, some good jam sessions on the road trips, and some scrumptious food.  One favorite in particular, an entirely Ecological restaurant that served the most amazing veg burgers, salad, bread, pure apple juice and oh yeah...that mouth watering home-made apple cinnamon cake :)

It really was a wonderful weekend spent catching up with the love bugs and getting to see a beautiful  place with them.  On the plane ride I told Meghann, "This is weird. I don't know if I've been on a plane with someone I knew in the past 2 years!" haha Doesn't happen too often anyway :) After these little adventures I believe I can head back across the pond with no regrets.  There is nothing that I am dying to see in this spot of the world that I didn't see.  An overall success I think! Full of new memories that I get to carry with me as I move forward.  Now these two weeks are going to feel like a waiting game.  I wake up most nights in the middle of the night, wide awake with the my blood pumping with anticipation at the thought of getting to see everyone  so soon!  Travel the world, see sites you could never have dreamed you'd see but oh there's truly nothing like home.

YIKES STRIPES!! I'll be there in 11 days! :)

Thanks for reading blog friends! :)
LOVE from Spain,

xxxxooo
M

Shadow trio with Meghann and Aaron 

 "May the road rise up to meet you.  May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields." 
 Quote sent to me from my brother that I love...pretty good advice that I'll take :)