Hi again!

Okay, guilty as charged, that was an unforseen and unfortunate hiatus in blogging. I was doing so well too wasn't I! Well don't worry, I AM alive and doing well. Very well actually because my parents were in Spain last weekend! We spent a fantastic 4 days in Madrid together, and even though I had already been it was fun to be able to show them around a little bit.
The trip for me actually started on Thursday night because I was going to check into the hotel that night, so that when my parents arrived jet-lagged the next morning around 8 AM, they wouldn't have to worry about waiting for the room to be ready. After a bus to the airport, a 1.5 hour flight, 2 subway line changes, and a walk to the hotel, I finally arrived in our room. This room was amazing. Top floor, and the only room on that top floor, which means that when we pressed floor 6 in the elevator, it opened up to our door. I have to admit, I kind of felt like a princess in the room by myself! I spent the night video-chatting with my friends Dani and Kelly, bathing in the huge jacuzzi-jet tub, shoving the most delicious frozen yogurt down my throat, and possibly walking around the room naked.

The next morning I woke up around 8 when I heard my parents come into the room, and they crashed into their king size bed that I had commandeered for the night. It  was so nice to see them, even if we were all half asleep. I laid there for an hour or so more, but they slept until around 11. I decided to be a nice daughter and go grab them some coffee from starbucks. Due to our various levels of tiredness/size/normal coffee consumption I ended up ordering 1cafe latte of each size. We then headed out to the Plaza Mayor and grabbed a lunch outside right in the plaza. The weather was amazing, almost 70 degrees. I hadn't actually felt hot in a while, but it was a great feeling. We walked around the area a little longer, and just took in some sun in the plaza while we waited for our free walking tour to start. I had done the walking tour last time I went to Madrid, but there was a new guide, and he was great. They take you all over the city, and teach you a lot about the history. It was a small group, I think only 8 of us, so it was really interactive and informative.
After the tour we headed to the Corte Ingles which is a giant department store that also has a supermarket. Our family is known for our epic "happy hours" on vacation, which basically just prepare and stretch our stomachs out before eating dinner! We had a very European happy hour this vacation which included a cheese medley, a baguette of bread, some wine, and paté for Mom. Another European factor was that we dined al fresco, that's right- fresh air, under the stars on our private deck overlooking the city. It was so nice to be able to eat good food, drink good wine, and be able to talk to my parents face to face instead of on skype. While technology is amazing, there's something to be said about a normal in person conversation. After happy hour my mom was stuffed and decided that she wanted to just relax in the hotel room, take a bath, and read her book. My dad and I decided that we were going to walk around a little and then maybe grab a late night dinner/snack/tapa. We walked around for a little and found a "chinatown" street, a TGI Fridays, and an "American Plaza" which consisted of burger king, McDonalds, and starbucks all in a row. We decided to take a turn off the main road of Madrid, and found ourselves in a really cute neighborhood. However we were having trouble finding a good place to eat that didn't seem overpriced, or too old-man just the neighborhood joint. Finally we made a turn, and right on the corner was the perfect spot. It had really cool decor with tiled walls, was packed but had tables to sit at with waiters running around and working hard to get orders quickly and the food out. We ordere patatas bravas (basically homefries with a spicy ketchup on it), chicken wings with REAL barbecue sauce (mmm delish), and then a thing called a "tosta" which is basically like a toasted piece of bread, and on top of ours it had baby shrimp and baby eels with a garlicky mayonnaise sauce on it. I may not have described it well, but it was delicious.
We also did an afternoon trip to a touristy town called Toledo. It was about an hour train-ride, and although we were a little rushed and off schedule, it was a pretty cool place! They're apparently known for their knives and swords, because basically EVERY store sells them there. The rest of the trip consisted of stuffing our faces with delicious food, taking in the good weather, and spending quality time with each other!
Well, right now we're in the midst of Carnaval, which is basically just like a 5 day party! So I PROMISE that a blog updated will be coming soon to give a recap of all that has happened.
Shout out of the post goes to Kelly Garvey and Dani O'Connor who are currently spending their spring break doing a volunteer immersion trip. This is the same trip where I met both of them last year! I hope they have an amazing time and I can't wait to hear about it!