Bienvenido Febrero

This morning I spent my last free Sunday (before my semester starts) hiking up to the Albayzín neighborhood with Greta, Annie, and Taylor. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning for a (extremely inclined) walk. The air was brisk and the temperature was somewhere around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but while we were walking in the sunlight it went up a solid 10 degrees. We started out by walking through a garden at the base of a hill; the entire courtyard was in shadows and a great place to start exploring. It was incredibly peaceful and I would love to go again when the sun is hitting at a warmer angle. We left the garden and continued up the steep cobblestone road. I honestly am surprised I don’t see more people in Spain on crutches, every day I am given 15 easy opportunities to sprain my ankle!

After the road there was a few more sets of steps and we were at the most incredible view. The lookout was filled with lots of people, but I wouldn’t describe it as a collection of tourists. The group felt more like people with the common purpose of enjoying the warmth of the sun while looking out over the mountains, Alhambra, and half of the city. Whenever one of these moments happens, without fail, someone will grin and yell, “WE’RE IN SPAIN!”. Its just a reminder of how incredibly lucky we are to be on this journey with friends who share the same adventurous spirit and views that can satisfy any restless or searching soul. With school starting I know I’ll have to make it a priority to visit often to recharge and remember why I love where I am when it seems like life’s intention is to do nothing but challenge me.

I only have a little over 100 days left here and I want to make them count, based on how the past month has flown by I know the coming months will go by just as fast. With planning trips to Austria, Morocco, The Netherlands, Czech Republic its becoming clear to me that the 5 months I thought was an eternity is now 4 months I need to use to the fullest. I’ll be seeing you all very soon J

Gardens at the base of the hill

Greta, Taylor, Me, and our new love The Selfie Stick