Both Coasts of España

Well, well- Liv just made a very thorough and heart-warming summary of the first few days of our Eurotrip. For me, it's harder to discern where my adventure in Alicante stopped and where our shared one began. In between, I celebrated my first Christmas with Miguel's family here in Asturias, which was just as impactful as standing in front of La Sagrada Familia or watching the waves crash upon the shore in Cudillero. While I really missed my family and the celebrations that I knew were happening in California, I couldn't have dreamed up a better alternative. I felt the immediate love of the Gallego Gómez family as well as the love of my own that had traveled across the Atlantic. 

The proof that that love had indeed traveled across that big ocean appeared in the Barcelona-Prat airport in the form of my breath-taking cousin who performed her classic airport prance towards me. In that moment, our eyes met and filled ever so slightly with tears of joy at the corners. Our trip had officially begun.

So, Barcelona was as cool as it's rumored to be. It seems to be the city that carries the weight of the entire Spanish reputation and it didn't disappoint. The ancient, fortified city was juxtaposed by the modernist works of Gaudi. A walk through the city can simultaneously remind us of Spain's traditional heritage and of its saucy, contemporary counterpart. 

After walking over 15 hours, sleeping through the intermittent conversations talking place in Russian, Spanish and English in our flat and trying wine from a porrón (so cool!!!) we were headed back to Asturias. For Liv, this meant the challenge of living with a family who speaks only Spanish, while for me, this represented a collision of my two worlds. So far, it's going stupendously. Today is New Years Eve: Liv is chatting with a fellow from CA and preparing for probably one of the latest nights of her  life. Miguel is in the kitchen with his mom who is making cider-poached merlin, while I'm sitting between his grandma and his father in the living room. I know that this is part 2 of our 'grand adventure', but in this moment, it feels like a perfectly normal, cozy Asturian Monday and for me- I wouldn't change a thing. 

When you hear from us next, we'll have survived a Spanish New Years party…or will we?

And so it begins...

Thirteen hours of travel time later, I was found sitting in baggage claim praying that I was in the correct terminal.  At last, I saw Kenz walk through the glass doors, and our journey just a short four days ago began. To say I still feel as though I am living in some sort of dream would be an understatement. From the very moment I arrived, I knew that my perspectives and outlook on the world would never be the same. Whether it's the frustration of the poorly placed light switches (don't even get me started) or the fact that Spain is made up of some of the nicest people I have ever encountered, either way, this experience holds great impact already.

Shortly after Kenz and I were reunited, we headed to the first place we would be residing. We met Milena and her daughter Aurora, and knew that our stay in Barcelona would come with ease. She immediately sat us, offered us coffee and tea and showed us a map of Barcelona. In between Aurora's sweet questions and silly facial expressions, Milena patiently helped us plan out exactly what we would want to see in just two days. We spent the first part of the day exploring Barcelona on our own, and then headed to take a free tour offered online. This is where we met Ruben, our tour guide, that gave us a private two and a half hour tour of a city he has great passion and love for. The history we learned in this short time gave us greater insight into how Barcelona began and how it has been shaped into what it is today. 

After merely scratching the surface of a beautiful city, we boarded a plane to leave for Austerias, where Miguel was awaiting our arrival. His love and excitement for touring us around his homeland has been abslolutely contagious. His family has welcomed me with open arms, regardless of the fact that our communication has been mostly made up of smiles, head nods and my broken vocabulary made up of a few terms that most 5 year olds would be proficient in. Miguel's friends graciously speak to me in English, and it always amuses me at how well conversation and laughter translates even with a language barrier. Between Miguel and his family and friends, I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such a lovely group of genuinely kind people. 

In between the new food and drinks I have experienced for the first time, I am overwhelmed with the constant feeling that I need to appreciate and take in every single thing I encounter. It's easy in Europe to find yourself walking down another gorgeous street, lined with multi-colored buildings with "La Vie En Rose" softly crackling over the speakers, and to become numb to the beauty and culture constantly surrounding us. Due to the inevitable fact that I am unable to understand the language, nor can I respond, I have the divine ability to take in everything else happening around us. Never before have I paid so much attention to facial expressions, intonation and everything that shapes the beautiful ability for people to communicate so freely. To my dear family and friends following us, here is just the beginning of an amazing two months to come with my best friend, cousin, and ideal travel partner. 

General Eurotrip Musings Vol. 1

Well, well, well...is it perhaps a dark omen when your airline cancels your tickets and then doesn't tell you that the plane that you are counting on to get you back from Rome to your warm, safe home no longer exists? Because we are surely not pessimists, we'll say 'no', however, I can't help but let out a small whine of injustice because those same swindlers over at studentuniverse.com charged be 300 big ones to change my flight a week later. And, what do they do?... They up and cancel our flight. I would like my $300 back, please...or perhaps you could upgrade me?

Voilà business class. I'll (McKenzie here) will be hob-nobbing and rubbing shoulders with the business folk on British Airlines. I can ask questions like, 'Oh, are you going to Madrid for business or pleasure?' And I can pronounce 'pleasure' like 'plesh-uh' the way I assume all smarmy British folk do on their way back to Mother Europe. Yeah, so anyways, I was upgraded to business class on my flight to Alicante. So, all in all, some harm, some foul, but definitely a silver lining.

I am glad to share that Olivia and I both have been slowly filling our backpacks with the essentials: very utilitarian hiking boots (mine look like I'm ready to chainsaw sum'un, whereas, naturally, Liv's are more fashionable...pssh, story of our lives. Liv, there is only one thing I envy you more for...and you know exactly what it (they) are). I digress. In addition to some snazzy 'boots made for walkin'', we also have ourselves some 'rainproof jackets made for long hours in the drizzle'. So, we're off to a good start if we're trying to look like a traveling duo of teenage boys.

The Planning Begins

So, here we are in the early stages of planning for our upcoming trip. Yes, we say upcoming, but it's not actually happening for another 6 months. Why the premature blogging, you ask? Because planning is the best part. Can't you tell how excited we are? (In a calm, mature sort of way: the way that you would want to be if you had 2 months of international travel up ahead of you.)

Ooops, we gave ourselves a way. We're not that calm about it :)

I wish I had a picture to insert here: the part where Grams and Poppa gave me, McKenzie, a check for 2,000$ (Liv's already been sitting on hers for over a year .... grumble grumble.... finishing college early)

Now here's some footage of the part where we found out we probably had to cut Greece from the travel menu. Womp womp!

It's okay! We've still got 6 other countries to conquer!

And by conquer we mean:

-Thriftily sneak our way through frozen ghost resort towns

-Drink wine just to keep warm

-Visit museums because they don't charge per hour

-Get super buff deltoids from carrying around backpacks

-Eat a full meal every two or three days

-Dance our little Californian 20something butts off

- Revel in the fact that we are best friends in Europe, after all!!!!!!! Whoooooo!