Wednesday, July 9, 2014

so many places in so little time

As always, when in the midst of the school year, my blogging takes a bit of a hiatus; and now that I'm on vacation, I have plenty of time to share some updates :)

I've been thinking about this post for since April, a month where every weekend landed me in a different country for a wide variety of reasons! Although I know that this type of travel is possible in the USA, it never happened to me quite like it does here. It's just so easy to get everywhere and I feel like there are more "reasons" to visit places than ever before.

During Semana Santa, I had my third literacy coaching cohort meeting. This time it was in Budapest - a city I was thrilled to visit again! In the hopes of also seeing someplace new during this week, I opted to head to Vienna and check out this Imperial city first. Although I enjoyed Vienna, I didn't find it to be the most exciting of places. (I think the very cold and miserable weather may have contributed to this!) However, it is a gorgeous place!

A beautiful Russian church
    
"Live" music was everywhere!

Beautiful corners and cafes




  





After a few days in Vienna, I headed to Budpaest via train. Again, I fell in love with this city! I definitely think it's one of my favorites in Europe. The mix of history, culture, and edginess give it such an interesting vibe. The fact that it's so inexpensive helps, too! Although the majority of my time was spent in an (excellent!) conference, I was still able to see the city.

Another visit to the baths - so wonderful!

Truly one of the most amazing sights there is!    

































After a week visiting a bit of eastern Europe, my third April weekend took me to Paris - for the first time! I'd been dying to visit Paris since moving to Spain, but just hadn't made it there yet. When I heard that Justin Timberlake would be playing there, I knew it was the perfect excuse to go. The city and the performance didn't disappoint!

I have to say, Paris was even more incredible than I expected. Just having a chance to see a place that is so often featured in books and movies in person was amazing. I truly loved everything about it - the Eiffel Tower, the parks, the French cafes. Wow.

Even more amazing in person!

Yum . . .

Arc de Triumf

And Justin Timberlake put on the best show that I have ever been to! Almost 2.5 hours and every song I could have hoped to hear. I've been his fan for a long time, but officially fell in love with him during this concert. (Sorry about the video quality - dancing and filming aren't the best combination!)

 

 


After three amazing weekends outside of Spain, my last one led me up the Costa Brava - the stunning coastline north of Barcelona. With stops in Roses, Cap de Creus, and Tossa del Mar, I was again amazed by just how beautiful the country I live in is! It's hard to believe that in just an hour or two, I can be in place that looks like it was taken from the Caribbean.


I am reminded again and again how lucky I am to live where I live and have the opportunities to explore so much, so easily. What a great month this was!

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