I love blogging and I love writing.
I'm going to be real here and state that I have started SO many potential posts that are all yet to be finished.
But that word is the problem: potential.
In my mind, there is a surplus of unfinished ideas which I have been struggling to write down and post.
But I am back baby and this time I'm not leaving.
A friend of mine messaged me the other day asking for "more blog content" and my heart soared! I felt the sudden need to write write write so thank you for that inspiration. You know who you are :)
Life has been... a whirlwind of events recently so there is a LOT that I could talk about! As a fun and easy post, I decided to write a bit about my recent trip to Spain which resulted in a huge collection of photos in my camera roll which I really want to share...
1. Madrid
Upon arrival to Spain's capital Madrid, my mother and I had quite a shock navigating throughout the streets and attempting to PARK IN THE PARKING LOTS. The parking lots and spots are so tiny compared to America and we were shocked at how easily people were able to squeeze through these small spaces at high speeds while we slowly made our way through.
After our parking and driving trauma, however, we decided to conquer Madrid ON FOOT as most residents of the city tend to walk to their destinations as well.
Unfortunately, I took minimal photos in Madrid because of the buckets of rain that were pouring down on us...
One thing that is so special about this city is the insane amount of decorating that went into the city; every street going into every plaza was bedazzled in Christmas lights. You can always tell when you've turned onto another street because the string of lights is new and differently lit up!!
2. Ávila/Segovia
On our second day, we drove about an hour away from Madrid to Ávila (the wall city) which contains an old walled-in city from the middle ages.
I am a TOTAL NERD for architecture and this little city did not fail to impress me. The bright yellow and orange houses brightened the rainy overcast day and boy did I take a TON of photos of walls. (My family was not amused)..
As I said, the walled city gets its nickname from the huge stone wall surrounding it. For about 5 euros we were allowed to spend time walking along the wall and exploring the magnificent views from above (while desperately trying to not fly away in the wind!).
The next step in our adventure was the city Segovia which is home to a HUGE aqueduct. Talk about innovation that excites #medievaltimes!
Unfortunately, IT WAS RAINING the whole time we were there so we didn't spend much time exploring and taking pictures :(
Can you believe that people were able to build THAT ^^ in 50 BC?!
3. Alhambra
I don't know how many people played the board game Alhambra before, but I played very often as a child... SO... seeing the number one most visited place in Spain was QUITE the adventure. Alhambra was built during the 9th century and served as a military fortress during the time of Islamic rule in Spain.
I did not hold back on photographing the whole place:
I felt like I was on the set of Aladdin at some points...
4. Marbella
After a couple of days spent exploring old cities and castles, we headed south to the city Marbella which I absolutely fell in love with after the first step out of the car.
The buildings were all white and every turn off of one street led to an even prettier image. All I could think about while walking through these thin alleys was how amazing it would be to stroll through this city hand in hand with someone and take in the view.
I am quite the romantic so I have mentally noted that when I am older and in love, this is where we shall go.
5. Gibraltar
Who knew that you could WALK from Spain to the UK?
Near the end of our trip, we traveled to Gibraltar, a British territory on the tip of Spain. It was quite a nice break to be somewhere where the citizens spoke English and we didn't feel so lost with our minimal Spanish skills...
The beauty of Gibraltar is "The Rock of Gibraltar". They don't have their own Dwayne Johnson... but this huge cliff is the symbol of the territory and is quite an attraction.
Fun fact: the rock is actually filled with tunnels that British soldiers spent their time in during wars. We had the chance to go into them and look at the 2.625 mi² city from above.
It is no surprise that Spain has tried many times to acquire the land from the UK as it is right across from Africa. Owning the territory gives the UK a clear connection and close-contact with the African continent and is undoubtedly a valuable asset.
The most fascinating part of the experience was an interaction with Barbary macaques which are monkeys native to the territory and cannot be found anywhere else! I took a LOT of pictures of them and one of them actually attempted to eat and braid my hair...
I am proud to say that thanks to the show Duck Tales I knew what Gibraltar was prior to this trip. *insert cool sunglasses emoji here*
Should I have spent more time taking pictures of nature? Maybe. Do I regret that my whole photo album is full of monkeys? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
I really enjoy traveling, taking pictures, and sharing where I've been.
Personally I love seeing where people have traveled and making an effort to live their adventures vicariously.
I hope that I can do the same for others because exploring the world is my dream and if I can share at least part of my experience with others, that makes me happy!
Let me know if this is something that is interesting and could be made into a series. I definitely have MANY other adventures and travels to share if that is the case.
As usual, thank you SO MUCH for reading. Please feel free to reach out, comment, email us, send me monkey pictures, etc.
Thank you and stay happy!
Sasha
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