Spring break foreverrrrrr

For Spring Break I decided to head south to Portugal and Spain to get away from the cold dreariness that is Bonn during the winter. Our first stop was in Lisbon. The city was amazing, the scenery was beautiful, and most importantly, the weather was perfect. I actually got to wear shorts (something I didn't expect to do at all on this trip). We went to a flea market, visited a castle, walked around the plaza at the center of Lisbon, ate seafood and drank sangria, went to the Monastery los Jeronimos, analyzed modern art in the Berardo, strolled along the coast, ate some custard pastries, and just enjoyed the beautiful weather. We tried to see all the major sights in Lisbon in the two days we were there. The view from the Castello Sao Jorge was amazing.

Next stop, Madrid. Madrid was such a change from the nice village-like feel of Lisbon. It was almost like being in Mexico City. The city was very busy full of tourists and its usual inhabitants with tall buildings on either side of us. The first night we had dinner and found a famous churros and chocolate place called the Chocolatarie San Gines. Now let me tell you, I LOVE CHURROS. But the fact that we were able to get them with chocolate made everything better. We got not one, not two, but thirty four churros and ate them all in one sitting. The next morning we walked around the city and again saw as much as possible. The highlight of Madrid had to be the Prado Museum. There was so much art it was insane. I got to see the famous black paintings by Goya, my favorite being Saturn  eating one of his sons, and so many more famous pieces of art. 

I think a lot of my time on this trip has been looking at and building a greater understanding and appreciation for art. I have seen thousands of works by so many different artists over the past few months and every museum I go to is drastically different from the previous. 

The number one thing I learned from this trip is that I am pretty good at planning and getting around in a new city. But I am one hundred percent sure that even though we saw so much in each city, I am going to have to come back and visit these places again because there is so much that I missed.