Tag: Spain

Spain4 Comments

Me-Oh-My, Better Finish That Wine!

Vanessa Lynn Uzcategui

I spent most of the train ride looking out the window. I love train rides in Spain. The AVE is a wonderful fast train that feels like a plane on Earth. It is comfortable, clean, and with inevitable great views of the country side.  Bradley and I were on an anniversary trip to a region of Spain I had been dying to see: La Rioja. My girlfriends and I almost always drink Rioja at the bars in Madrid. During my second year living in Spain, I became determined to go to the source.   Bradley and I were aware that … Continue reading Me-Oh-My, Better Finish That Wine!

Spain3 Comments

There’s almost too much oxygen in the Basque Country.

Vanessa Lynn Uzcategui

  She didn’t know where we were going. I did not tell her until we got on the train. But when I said we were on our way to San Sebastian in the Basque Country, I knew she still had no clue. So I showed her a map and the Google pictures I had saved for this moment. Taking my mom on a vacation was something I had dreamt of since moving to Spain two years prior. Not only did I want her to cross the pond so she could visit one of her top dream destinations, but I also … Continue reading There’s almost too much oxygen in the Basque Country.

Spain3 Comments

Madrid Guide: from expat to traveler

Vanessa Lynn Uzcategui

  I am so near the finish line. I have completed my second school year as an Auxiliar de Conversación and private English teacher in Madrid, Spain. Tomorrow I will fly back to Florida, United States. Madrid filled me with aliveness for two years, and it will always hold a place in my heart. I have written about Madrid before, and have recommended all my go-to places (from that time). Check out my older entry: My Madrid’s Can’t-Get-Enough-Of   🙂   Time and again that list gets edited. By May 2017, when my good friend Ariena visited me while on … Continue reading Madrid Guide: from expat to traveler

Spain, Uncategorized3 Comments

An Ordinary Day in Madrid (a walk-through)

Vanessa Lynn Uzcategui

  It seems I have 82 days until I leave Spain. 82 days seem like nothing now that Bradley returned from Mexico so we don’t have to do the long distance thing. Now that joining him on the other side of the world is no longer a daily concern, I have plenty of room to start missing Spain before I go. I have taken little getaways and day trips here and there since my last entry, but the last three months have not been monumental in terms of travel. So I stopped blogging and let daily routines get a hold of me. It was not until recently that … Continue reading An Ordinary Day in Madrid (a walk-through)

Spain6 Comments

Hope

Vanessa Lynn Uzcategui

The sun is out. It has not been bright in Madrid for weeks. This is really unusual, Madrid. Last year, I hardly ever heard the sound of rain here. But now I hear it a lot. I have always felt European rain is pretty – a romantic touch. I am grateful for the wide bed I get to write this post from, with a big window, in a blue painted room. I am drinking this eucalyptus, mint, malva, thyme tea that’s supposed to boost my immune system. I got the flu last week. November was a strange month. I encountered all … Continue reading Hope

Spain1 Comment

The getaway after I blew up on Friday.

Vanessa Lynn Uzcategui

I wish I could tell you I was thrilled to get out of the city, and could not pack fast enough! I wish I could tell you I could not wait to get on that bus! But the only thing I was excited about was my warm, beige/hot pink bed and Netflix. It was past 9 p.m. when Sarah texted me to ask if I still wanted to go to Salamanca with her the next morning. Of course I was still going! I would never waste a paid bus ticket, and booked accommodation. This trip was happening no matter what. I … Continue reading The getaway after I blew up on Friday.

Spain2 Comments

I was really, really glad I wore my hiking boots.

Vanessa Lynn Uzcategui

No, but seriously. I was really, really, really glad I wore my hiking boots. Granada is the steepest city I have yet been to. It was my first trip to the South, a long time wish while in Spain. The main thing drawing me to this region was Flamenco dancing. Granada is known for housing  THE most symbolic touristic sight, representative of Spain: La Alhambra. This was a small city that housed around one thousand residents in Moorish Spain – a period that lasted about 7 centuries, starting in the 700’s. When we think of Spain’s stereotype, we often picture bullfights, Flamenco dancers, ham, and sangria. … Continue reading I was really, really glad I wore my hiking boots.