Tara´s thoughts....

Hey everyone! We finally found an internet cafe that is cheap, clean, not painfully slow, and in a nice area of the city!! I never imagined it would be so hard to find computers but nearly everyone is carrying their own as they travel. However, I´m proud to report we also have much less luggage than most people we´ve met! You can check out us with ALL our luggage in one of these pictures (I can officially say that one time in my life I packed light!) Since we have such a nice place to type, we both thought we´d leave some thoughts and experiences....

Today we´re having somewhat of a lazy day which was much needed as I am feeling a bit wiped out! This isn´t suprprising considering the schedule we kept-I´ve been up BEFORE 5am twice to catch a train! It´s always a struggle to relax when each new city is so exciting and there is SO much to see. We usually get up early and go go go all day' LOTS of walking!!! The trip has been such a whirlwind but that has been a fun part about it as well...it seems to have been much longer than a week because we´ve seen so much in a short time. So, today we are enjoying the outdoor cafes and drinks and tapas in Madrid. I had a WONDERFUL glass of sangria and worked on some journaling this afternoon. We have a few more things to do today but for the most part are wandering the cities streets, eating, and enjoying their great (and cheap) wine!

Some of my favorite experiences so far:

• successfully navigating these large cities with complex metro systems. I am definately a ND girl who hasn´t really had to deal with finding my way around a large city without a vehicle (and GPS)of my own. While the European metro systems are impressive and convenient, I miss my truck! Every new city is a bit daunting but by the time we leave, we are always smiling and we feel like we know exactly where we are going or can figure it out without a hitch.


• the food is so different...and so good!!! My favorite thus far is probably trying the different local wines (Erica, you´d be so proud of me!) and the CHOCOLATE!!! They definately know how to do dessert over here and my sweet tooth and I have definately enjoyed dessert....


• Every city we´ve been in has had several huge, incredibley beautiful churches. Usually we run into several just walking around town and a few have brought tears to my eyes as they are so GORGEOUS and come with so much history....we´ve been able to go to mass in both Amsterdam and Madrid and it´s been incredible to pray in each of the churches we´ve seen.


• I´m by no means a history buff, but the history is so interesting and fun to learn about as you are in the actual places you read about in textbooks throughout school...it´s surreal.


• Ordinary buildings here are often several hundred years old...such a different world than the US. Just wandering city streets and seeing apartment buildings or houses that are so beautiful in their own right....not to mention the art they have in museums....so fun!!!


• The bullfight last night in Madrid was also a ton of fun! We were told it was sold out but tried to get tickets anyway and ended up meeting some great guys from Spain who helped us order seats and sat by us. They narrated the entire thing and taught us so much about the tradition and sybolism of the fight. It was great fun!


• Of course, seeing the famous landmarks has also been a huge treat-Big Ben in London, the Eifel Tower, Notre Dame, the Prado, etc.....

I´ve definately learned to appreciate free public restrooms, my closet that actually does have a HUGE amount of clothes (I´ve realized since living out of a backpack), and easily being able to communicate with family and friends. Thanks for reading...I DO miss you all and although we ARE having a blast, looking forward to catching up via phone or in person in a few weeks!!!