Christmas in Spain Part I

So here I am. Christmas Day, in the South of Spain. I just came back from the beach and watched one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life on the rooftop. Now's a good time to update.

My journey started December 18th, when I headed by train to Vienna, at 8:20am, and then to the Vienna Airport. I arrived in Vienna at 11:40'ish, and my flight to Barcelona was at 2:40. I arrived in the evening, with a girl who is studying in Graz with me waiting.

We stayed with a friend of hers who lives in Barcelona, and spent the next two days sightseeing like crazy (don't make the same mistake as me - spend more than two days in Barcelona; you'll need it). Gemma (who I was in Barcelona with) introduced me to a very Spanish way of eating - and one of the greatest things I've never heard of. It's called Tapas.

Tapas. The greatest culinary invention in the world. It's essentially a series of small plates of food that you share with your lunch/dinner associates. The tapas I had in Barcelona was Octopus over potato, Calamari rings (like onion rings, except with squid inside) Mussels in Marinade, and a small sampler dish with some fish and olives, with a nice bottle of white. This is also at a restaurant in La Barceloneta, on the sea. Below are some pictures from Barcelona!!

From Barcelona, I took a 9 hour bus ride to Madrid, which had a stop in Zaragoza on the way. In Madrid, I was picked up by two friends, and after doing a quick car tour of downtown in the car, I headed to Alvaro's place and met his family. His father lived in California, and everyone in the family speaks perfect English, which was great for me! I spent three days with Alvaro, sightseeing the city, experiencing the Spanish nightlife, going to the Prado (one of the great Spanish Art Museums), and of course, tapas. In Madrid, they do Tapas a little differently. Whenever you buy a beer in a tapas restaurant, they give you a free plate of something. There were four of us who went out for tapas, and so when we bought four beers (one for each) we were given two very large plates of tapas. In Madrid, I tried a Bruschetta-like plate, potato wedges, jamon serrano (spanish ham) and cheese, and some other smaller plates. Well, I spent an amazing three days with Alvaro, and then went to another friend's place for my last evening in Madrid. Maria and I met up with her friends and had an amazing traditional Spanish dinner at one of the homes; Spanish people are amazingly generous. When they say "This is your house" (and that's literally how they say it) they mean it. It's a very warm atmosphere. Some pictures from Madrid are below!

Well, after Madrid, I headed on the train to the South for some warmth, in San Fernando, Cadiz. That was last night, Christmas eve. It was amazing, seeing streets literally blocked off from all the Spanish people out on the street. I had one of the best dinners of my life last night, I physically couldn't eat a single bite more. The house was pretty crowded as extended family poured in, but it was amazing. This afternoon I woke up late and went to the grandmothers' for a Christmas lunch. Again, it was a five course meal, with more food than should be legal. It was fantastic!

This afternoon I skyped with my family, went to the beach, and afterwards watched the sunset on the rooftop of Lily's building. So here I am. It's 7:30pm one week since I left, and I'm having the greatest adventure! Some pictures of today below!

Stay tuned! I'm still going to Malaga, Huelva, Seville, and as a bit of a detour, I think I may spend some time in Portugal! I still have soo much to do and see, and it's amazing here. I am so happy!

As always, thanks for reading, and remember to comment!! Feliz Navidad!!

Kyle.