Speechless

I recently was blessed with the opportunity to travel in Spain, Portugal and Morocco during Spring Break.  I have been trying for the past week and a half to think of a clever way to put my experiences and my love for these places into words and found it pretty difficult.  Somehow this week of travel has rendered me speechless (not an easy thing to do, as my Dad would surely be happy to confirm).  So, I've decided that I'm going to try to keep the words as few as possible and let my photos do all the talking.

Sevilla: Southern Hospitality

Muchas gracias a Danny y Tania, mis nuevos amigos a Sevilla! :)
Fun Fact: A scene from on of the Star Wars movies was filmed in this plaza!!

 I booked a flight into Seville as a stop on the way to Lisbon and was able to stay for a few days.  With open arms, some friends of  a friend who are now my friends :), welcomed me into their home and spent the day with me.  Even when my flight was delayed by an epic snowstorm in Bologna and I didn't arrive until 2 AM, they were nothing but kind and welcoming.  I am so grateful for their warm hospitality and for the day that I spent with them and their friends.  I was also so happy to have the opportunity to practice my Spanish and that they didn't laugh at me too much since I'm just learning!  The funny thing about Seville is that the people I met everywhere, even strangers that helped me get to the bus station when the bus was re-routed by a marathon, were just as kind and welcoming, even when I was speaking more Italian than Spanish.  It's as true in Spain as in the US, people are just nicer in the South and there's nothing like Southern hospitality!

Seville is so magical, full of hidden courtyards and lovely architecture.

Piripi!  The best bocadillo I have ever put in my mouth!!  Bacon, tomato and mayonnaise.  Yum!! I would go back to Seville just to eat this sandwich!!   

The view from the top!

Another reason that I love Sevilla: orange trees everywhere!  Even though you can't eat the oranges, just the sight of so much citrus makes this Florida girl feel at home!

Seville by night. Just lovely.

Lisboa: Home.

Riding on the bus into Portugal, I had the remarkable sensation of coming home.  It's hard for me to pinpoint exactly why.  Perhaps it's the land, which is beautiful in its own way.  Less dramatic than the sweeping Tuscan hills; flatter and greener and simpler: more like Florida.  Perhaps its the perfectly lovely, unassuming people of Lisbon.  They are warm and kind and welcoming.  Perhaps its being so close to the water, feeling a history so linked with the ocean.  Perhaps its the beautiful, winding streets of Lisbon's oldest quarter, the Alfama.  Perhaps I understand the historical wandering itch of the great Portuguese explorers.  Perhaps it's sitting on a couch on an ocean-view terrace in the sunshine drinking fresh, sweet white Sangria.  Whatever it is, I could live in Lisbon forever.  

Lisbon is known for the beautiful tile-work on many of its buildings.

But really, when are you booking your ticket?

Vasco de Gama's tomb in the lovely Church of the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos.  A reminder of Portugal's past power and wealth.

Cascais, lovely beach town outside of Lisbon

Tangier: Culture Shock.

Mostly because we found a cheap flight and couldn't resist the urge to get all the travel cred associated with going to another continent, the next stop on the tour was Morocco.  Throughout all my travels, I never remember feeling truly culture shocked, so truly like an outsider.  The guy at the front desk of our hotel, a British ex-pat who had been living in Morocco for nearly a decade, described Morocco as a place that assaults all of your senses at once and he couldn't be more right.  Colors!  Sounds!  Smells!  People!  Cars!   Mint tea!  Language!  Everything is happening all at once, but there's beauty in chaos and it's good to be completely disoriented every once and a while.  The highlight of the trip was a taxi ride through the country side (Northern Morocco is lush and green, nothing like the desert that you are probably imagining) that culminated in a camel ride (in a rainstorm, under a double-rainbow, no less).  I can't wait to go back to Morocco!  Stay tuned for a whole blog post about Morocco, coming soon!

Just the most gorgeous room I've ever slept in...no big deal.

The view from the roof of our hotel

Mint tea or heaven.

Speechless.

Madrid: Art.

Our stop in Madrid was short, about 36 hours.  I spent most of the day in museums, The Prado and The Reina Sophia.  I did have the opportunity to cross a few pieces off of my Art History Bucket List, including Picasso's Guernica and Dali's Girl at the Window (not so well known, but a painting that has always enchanted me)  I also had the chance to meet up with a friend from my study abroad time who is now living in Madrid and eat some tapas.  I love tapas because you get to have a little taste of everything, something like this adventure!

Girl at the Window, one of favorite paintings ever.

The Crystal Palace

Giant wall gecko?  I just love Madrid!!!