Traveling Twins

Off again! This time somewhere close (ish) to home! Surprisingly, it was cheaper to fly, then to train to Sevilla, so off we went! A super early flight out of Madrid, landing us in Sevilla at 9:00am! We checked into our Airbnb, and planned out our weekend. Little did we know, that we would not even sort of stick to that plan! Friday: We walked to Mercado Lonja del Barranco, to eat lunch by the river! We enjoyed paella and salmoreja (although we thought we ordered something completely different). Nicky met us there, and we began our "sightseeing". We walked along the river to one of Nicky's favorite spots for a drink! My bloody mary was AWFUL, but everything else was great. Then we ventured through the city and walked by the cathedral and the Alcazar. We decided not to enter either place as the lines were very long and we rather get a drink! The Gamecocks were playing in the Sweet Sixteen this night, tip-off at midnight. We thought it would be a grand idea to...

Madrid truly is Home! It's so nice coming home from a trip and feeling like we're home, knowing the city, feeling comfortable, being able to relax, and be able to take visitors to all our favorite spots! On Tuesday, Liza, my friend in Chi o, who is studying in Paris came to visit with her two roommates!  I went to my morning class and ditched mads for our afternoon class. I met up with Liza and her roommates at Plaza Mayor and we walked around. Then I took them to San Miguel Market, for a quick snack! Next, we walked over to Retiro Park to walk around! Because Liza and I had so much catching up to do I didn't notice how much walking we we're doing as we chatted away... lots and lots of steps... little did I know one of her roommates DOESN'T LIKE WALKING???????? I was confused by this. We headed home to regroup and meet up with Carolyn! We went to San Anton for 2 for 1 drinks! Mad's met up with us here after class and we headed to Circulo for the sunset! A beau...

BEEP BEEP BEEP... the sound of our alarm at 4am Friday morning to get on our 6:25am plane to Barcelona!!!! We arrived in Barca at 8am, ready to go! Sofia, Madison, Carol, and I all hopped on the public bus to our FIRST HOSTEL EXPERIENCE, Sant Jordi Hostels (We we're BIG Fans)! We arrived to our hostel and we're greeted by Oh, also known as "Handsome Tiger Man," according to him. He was quite the character... pretty sure he was under the influence of something 24/7. Since it was early our room wasn't ready yet and Emilie booked the room and wasn't there yet, we couldn't check in. Oh gave us a tour of the hostel, gave us some tips on what to see and where to drink, we put our bags in the closet, and we were off! First stop was Brunch and Cake, a delicious and unique brunch chain in Barcelona. From delicious juices, to giant slices of cake, to eggs benedict on a corn and charcoal waffle... WE WE'RE OBSESSED. On our way back to the hostel to meet up with...

Hard to believe that we are already halfway through our stay in Spain. These have easily been the quickest two months of our lives! Time sure does fly when you're having fun! Now living in Spain for two months, it truly is starting to feel like home.  After our crazy weekends away, all we want is to come home to our little freezing apartment, and crawl in bed.  Never would I have thought our foreign apartment could become our home! After two months, it feels different. Walking to the Metro station, going to buy groceries, and going to the gym, it no longer feels "weird". I feel like I belong, like I am one of them. I know my way around, and no longer feel like I am aimlessly walking around the city.  There is a difference between a local walking the streets, and a tourist. I can now tell that difference. They walk different and move different.  Two months in, we don't get nearly as many stares or funky looks. We belong! It is crazy looking back to our first week he...

After a fantastic few days in Lisbon, Valencia, and a crazy night out in Madrid, we found some time to relax! We went to our first class of the week Wednesday afternoon, and hurried home to spend more time with Ashleigh! We walked through Plaza Mayor on our way to the San Miguel Market. I can't remember if we've talked about San Miguel before, but it is a big market, with many different vendors selling small snacks, great happy hour spot! We all shared empanadas and paella. SO GOOD. Before leaving San Miguel, we decided we wanted to make a meat and cheese tray when we came home to watch the Bachelor Finale. We were accidentally convinced to buy $50 worth of meats. Quite the price, but I will say it was some of the best meat we have ever tasted. After spending a bit to much on meat, we went to a cheap hole in the wall to buy cheese, to complete our perfect plate! Came home drank red wine, and enjoyed the finale with our nice snack! Thursday: We woke up early and wen...

We arrived home from Lisbon with a 2 hour turn around time to get on our train to Valencia. I opened our door to a surprise of 4 boys in our apartment and I let out a bit of an eek! Madison proceeded to say, "It's okay their supposed to be here." We walked in and met Maggie's guy friends from Virginia that were going to stay in our apartment for the next couple nights. They scurried out and then Madison's 4 friends scurried in shortly after to grab their stuff and head out to Paris. We unpacked and repacked and headed to our train! After a 2 hour train ride... WE MADE IT! We headed to our airbnb complete with towel swans on the bed, a massive fruit basket, and a full dob kit. Then we headed out to the Meuseum of Arts and Sciences via the public bus to meet Maggie and her visiting friend Alyssa. The whole area was beautiful with greenery and modern buildings. We sat to drink a few beers and catch up and then we headed to dinner over by the beach. We got drinks at...

Ashleigh landed from the United States at 8:00am and we were back at the airport by 2:00pm to fly to Lisbon! We ate some delicious and much needed Burger King before departing for Portugal.  Upon arrival, we hopped in a cab and arrived at our AirBnB in Barrio Alto. We had a bit of trouble getting in the apartment, but finally made it inside and had a quick conversation with the owner Mafalda. Next, our weekend began! Right near our apartment, we discovered a really neat lookout, where all of the young locals bring wine and beer and socialize with an incredible view! After some pictures of the view, we explored the hilly, red-roofed city from end to end. After some hassle, we finally landed at a beautiful restaurant on the water for dinner! We had a cheese platter along with prawns (head included, which freaked everyone out). Really yummy and scenic meal.  Later we walked  to Madame Petisca, a new restaurant in Lisbon which sits on top of a boutique hotel and offers inc...

After a wonderful weekend in Morocco, we had some much needed downtime this past week. On Tuesday we visited the Food Truck Expo in Madrid, which featured food trucks from ALL over the world including many from the United States. We all drank some Yellow Cab Beer and filled our stomachs with croquettes, crepes, and waffles! YUM YUM The rest of the week was easy! We awaited the arrival of all of our friends from South Carolina coming to visit next week! Friday was finally here!  and three out of the friends visiting arrived! We walked around Sol and found a nice outdoor restaurant to drink Sangria and catch up with Katie, Emilie, and Sara! Then we got ready for the evening! We started at our traditional spot El Tigre, which we were pleased to know that our friends love it just as much, if not more than we do! After El Tigre, straight to Espit Chupitos, a shot bar featuring 500 different shots at only $2 each. A dangerous first night. We met up with the boys and took far t...