spring break, whoooo!

If you didn't get the overall sentiment before, I really liked Spain. Both Madrid and Barcelona were amazing cities, very different from Paris for many reasons. I liked Barcelona more, just because it was warm and a beach city - relaxing, less to do, etc. I got to see a bunch of Tufts friends along the way (OH HEY to you all!), which was VERY nice. What they don't tell you about abroad is though it is a great experience, it is HARD to be without the people you're habituated to seeing every day. I'm very used to walking around campus and seeing a friendly faces all over the place (and every 10 feet if it's prorow). Paris is much more anonymous than that. Regardless, more details about Spain!
First of all, there were a series of unfortunate events that resulted in me getting to Madrid about a day late. But I got there and that's what matters!
Madrid: Whew, I went to Alcala the first night I got there to see where the Tufts-in-Alcala kids go to school, which was fun. Very cute, many tapas. The rest of the weekend was a blur of sights: the Royal Palace (fat cherubs), the Prado, the Reina Sophia, tapas tapas tapas, some Madrid nightlife, some thousand year old ruins, Puerta del Sol, Place de Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel, an upside down elephant, and les Jardins de Buen Retiro. I even took a day trip up to Toledo, which was, per usual, absolutely beautiful. Most of the time the weather was even good.
Barcelona: Speaking of good weather, Barcelona's was beautiful, like its architecture. We spotted many Gaudi buildings accidentally and went to the Gaudi Museum. Honestly incredible stuff. We also took a long time to walk down Las Ramblas, which is a huge market street. There were street performers (the kind that stand like statues and the kind that move) everywhere who all had very elaborate costumes, a wide variety of animals for sale - I thought about taking a bunny for only 10euro, and so much more. I got a fresh fruit juice that, although it was full of seeds, tasted like summer was coming. We hiked up to the Gaudi Park - Parc Guell, which was amazing itself but the view was even better! More tapas, etc.
Overall, spring break was GREAT, but it is nice to be back in France where I speak some semblance of the language and back to routine. I've got many weekend trips planned (Milan, Amsterdam, and hopefully London and Greece), so I'll keep you updated. Special shout out to my brothers, Ashley, Benjamin and Sarah, who are coming at the end of my trip, to travel around France!
I promise to upload pictures soon, or at least make an album with a link!