Today marks the beginning of summer madness as my days in Madrid, Spain come to an end. I'm on my way to Cambalache, a music bar, with my friends from choir. I've fallen in love with Madrid and Spain and with every trip that I take even more. As I'm writing this, although fast, I'm translating it into spanish in my head. My heart is thumping with excitement. Wow! A year has gone by and I'm going to Barca de Avila tomorrow to stay with a Couchsurfing host for the first time. It sounds like an incredible town full of nature, mountains and beauty and a river that everyone swims in and man is it hot here in Spain! Then off to Salamanca on Saturday with my friend AnaLy from choir, who is a delight. She studied there years ago and hasn't been back in 10 years, how sweet life is that I'm going with her! Then after an amazing 2 days I'll come back for a few hours and pack for Italy, I can't believe that I'm actually going to Italy, my eyes swell, my heart pumps and my stomach gets butterflies saying it out loud! I have packed none of my belongings but know that all will be fantastic and worth it. Pre-Italy goals, get away to Florence for a day. Sunday night I'll be staying with a couch surfer who used in his description a metaphor of a thirst for water like a thirst for life, my favorite part, a thirst for smiles. I too have a thirst for smiles I told him. Then Monday-Friday I think I'll be staying with another lovely Couchsurfer, whose heart I can tell is big from here as he tells me that his house will be full of four but that I could stay if I didn't mind and when I told him that I was so grateful and didn't mind sleeping on the floor, he told me that he would never do that to me. But, I'm planning on it. Repeat of Barcelona... It was so worth it! My friend Jorge, whose crazy spirit I admire is in Venice right now. He left last minute on a bus to Barcelona, 6-8 hours away, left his stuff in a flat that he'll come back to rent in August and left immediately from there to the airport, straightaway to Venicia. We may just meet up in Rome amigo, all thanks to you! Ireland still calls me but something shouted Rome when Jorge mentioned it. That's my fantastic plan for now, promise to write when the action has begun! Xo xo
