Here we are in Espana! After our last Portugese stop in Porto we flew to Toulouse to pick up our car, stayed in Andorra (a tiny country in between France and Spain) and for the last week we´ve been travelling through Spain.
The constant rambling lifestyle of travelling is really starting to sink in. Showers and comfortable beds are becoming few and far between, and normal things from home like cream cheese, driving a car and understanding the native language are now nonexistent However, the overwhelming benefits of getting to experience new people and places everyday greatly outweigh not having those simple comforts.
Without sounding too negative, Spain has not really been me and Daniel´s thing. Like anything else, there are ups and downs in life, and it is disappointing to have a country you´ve been excited for to not live up to your expectations. However, in the wise words of Daniel´s mother, "you are free spirits! go where you want!"
Obviously there have been uniquely Spanish experiences that have been unforgettable. One was definitely our hostel in Barcelona. I have never been in a place where everyone is so friendly and fun and so willing to put themselves out there to make friends. We were so lucky to get to know an amazing group of people in such a short time, and we picked up a super cool Aussie (Kiri) to travel Spain with in the process. We also met some awesome French dudes who suffered through my French, and who invited us to visit them on their farm in Chably. Can´t wait to meet up with everyone again!
Our group of friends from Barcelona
Some other amazing Spanish experiences included: swimming in turquoise natural hot springs surrounded by rock walls completely by ourselves, seeing the amazing Sagrada Famillia by pure luck (normally tickets get sold out and the lines are 2 hours but we managed to find online tickets!) and the gorgeous Alhambra in Granada. Also, lots of (topless) beach days with our friend Kiri.
when in Valencia...
Before Spain we went to Andorra for two nights. Andorra is AWESOME but I´ve never met a single person who´s been there. To be fair, the country is only 20km by 30km big, and on top of a mountain BUT it´s incredible. Please go if you have the opportunity! We were the ONLY people staying in our hotel, but luckily it´s super safe and we became besties with our hotelkeeper. Andorra feels like one of those last refuges of old world charm and rustic nature truly appreciated by its natives.
Beautiful mountains and snow (in May) at 2000m
A highlight was having a super yummy 3 course meal (including a full bottle of wine) for 8€. We were served by an 80 year old woman who spoke NO English and very little French, but who somehow communicated that our dessert, the crema of Catalan, would put roses in our cheeks.
Daniel with our favourite lady
Anyways, off to France tomorrow to follow our hearts. It was the two year anniversary of my dad´s passing the other day, so I´m going to spread some of his ashes there. In my favourite picture of him, he´s holding two baguettes surrounded by the fields of the French countryside. He looks so incredibly happy and at ease, so I think he would be okay with that. Hope everyone is well, and please comment! 323 blog views already! Pretty awesome :)
whoa whoa whoa - daniel got to see Kiri's boobs? amazing.
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