Mom and Dad's Visit

Life has been crazy around here! Constantly something going on- haven't had much time to sit down and update my blog! So, I'll try and do a quick re-cap of the past couple weeks, so you know what I've been up to:)

Mom and Dad Visit!
So a couple weeks after we got back from Portugal, Mom and Dad arrived to visit me in Madrid! They got here on a Saturday evening, after quite the traveling difficulties. Long story short, the shooting at LAX took place the morning of the day they were leaving, so the cab wasn't able to take them all the way to the airport since it was such a mess- they had to walk a couple miles down the streets of LA with luggage in hand to make it to the airport. Then, the plane took off late, which made them almost miss their connector in London, which they just barely squeezed on to, and then once finally in Madrid, one of their bags was lost. But, they made it here safely, which is all that matters. :)

That first night we just spent catching up, and enjoying each other's company- went and got a nice traditional Spanish dinner near Sol- tapas and vino...it was perfect. Sunday was tour day- we spent the entire day walking around the city. I showed them the Royal Palace, Retiro Park, Gran Via, Plaza Mayor...you name it. We had lunch at Botín, the oldest restaurant in the world, which was a really cool experience. The food was delicious, and we got to eat downstairs in the most authentic area which had such a neat ambience. After a long, exhausting day, we rested at the hotel for a bit then got a low-key dinner. I headed back for my school week and they left the next morning to head out to Sevilla, Córdoba, and Granada.

They came back to Madrid on Thursday, so we had another whole weekend together. That night we got a scrumptious dinner at a little place one of my professors recommended, called La Puebla. Friday we made a trip to Segovia, which was absolutely amazing-I'm so glad I had a chance to see the city before leaving here. It was about an hour train ride outside of Madrid, closer to the mountains. The city is known for the aqueduct, the beautiful Cathedral, and the Alcázar Castle (which was one of Disney's inspirations for the Cinderella castle). That night, back in Madrid, we went to a great paella place for dinner, where we got some authentic home-cooked seafood paella, and drinks afterwards.

On Saturday, we walked around Moncloa, the area where I live, and I showed them my house and they got to meet Conchi, my host mom. We all went out to lunch together, and spent the afternoon talking and getting to know one another (which was quite the struggle considering the language barrier...it really tested my Spanish skills as I played translator!). That night we went to go see a Flamenco Show, which was such a great experience. It was a small place- only about 5 other tables full of people, so we got a pretty personal show. The dancers and the music were both amazing- it reminded me of tap dancing in a way, which I absolutely love. So there was a point in the show when they asked for volunteers to go up on stage...so, I decided to go up. I got to dance up there on stage with them while they taught me how to do the traditional Spanish flamenco dance! It was amazing. Afterwards, Court and I took Mom and Dad to Dubliner's where we met up with the group and all had some drinks together, which was a blast.

Sunday was more of a relaxing day- went to el Rastro (Spain's famous flea market) in the morning, then Mercado San Miguel for some yummy food, walked around some more (I think Mom and Dad were ready to kill me after all that walking), stopped for a gelato break, then I gave them a full tour of Retiro Park. The rest of the evening we just relaxed, got some dinner and then it was time to say goodbye. I am so glad they made it out to visit- we really had such a nice time together and it was so good to see them. I hadn't realized how much I miss both of them, and it helped getting to spend some time together and show them where I've been living. 4 months is a long time to be gone!

Well, I was going to make this about both Mom and Dad's visit and our trip to Milan, but there is just too much to write about, so I'll cut it here. Hopefully I'll have some more time this weekend to catch up and write a post about Milan. Only 3 more weeks until I come home! How crazy is that. Wow time flies. Till next time!