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Hello all!

Well… it’s Monday and I must report that we had an amazing weekend in Santiago de Compostela.  As described by Jess, we rented the car and arrived in Spain on Thursday evening.  Our hotel was beautiful.  It was situated just outside the city, but the accommodations were really nice (especially for 64 euro a night) and the hotel had a shuttle which took us into the heart of the city.  On night #1, we went out for dinner in search of some traditional tapas.  We dined on some of the most delicious food ever (Bobby- I thought of you when I ordered the croquettes) and washed it down with some authentic sangria.  After that, we decided to grab a drink at a local bar.  To our delight, we found a place that offered 40 cent glasses of wine…served in cat bowls.  It was so weird, but so fun.  After that, we headed to a dance bar where we attempted to shake out some salsa moves (and by that I mean moved our hips and feet only).  It was a long day driving and so we headed home 3:30 ish (which is late for me, but apparently very early in Europe) to get some rest.

drinking wine from cat saucer...

 

 

Importing American Moves...

 

 

 

We spent the next day roaming the beautiful city.  Our first stop was the Cathedral, which is the most famous place to visit in the city.  The Spanish started construction on the Cathedral in 1055.  I must say, it was an amazingly beautiful and spiritual structure.  The tomb of Saint Jacob was among the incredible features inside.  We lit a candle for all of you loved ones back home.  After visiting the Cathedral, Jess and I bought necklaces that had pieces of the door of the cathedral inside of them so that we can always feel connected to the beautiful city. 

Cathedral

 

 

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the city streets, peering into little shops full of religious iconography and local crafts.  The streets are incredibly clean and safe feeling.  We found our way to a tiny bar where we sipped on some sangria and munched on some chips.  Afterwards, we grabbed some paella (traditional Spanish rice dish) and then decided to get some wine and head home for a relaxing night in. 

 

Little Spanish Church in Park

The next afternoon, we visited the “new” part of town which was equally as charming, but in a totally different way.  We went to this beautiful park where Jess proclaimed that she wanted to have her second wedding there (the third wedding is at Quinta in Sintra).  We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city.  That night Jess, Ana Patricia, and I had a romantic Valentines Day dinner at the restaurant in the hotel.  We then headed out for some more Spanish nightlife, which was very different from Portugal.  In Portugal all the bars and clubs play American music, but Spain only plays its own music.  We ended up at this alternative bar in a dungeon amongst a crowd that read like a who’s who of Rastafarian hairdos gone wrong (and I’m not sure they can ever be right).  Unfortunately, Ana Patricia met some Portuguese girls and asked one of them to hold her purse while she went to the bathroom…she never saw her camera again

L

 

 

Lovely Ladies

 

 

Bar transportation!

After hanging out in the clubs for a while longer, we headed home so that we could get some rest.  The next morning we packed up and headed back to Lisbon.  It was sad to say good-bye to the city, but I made a promise to it that I would return one day in the future. 

 

 

 

Now we are back in Lisbon, and we started our third class this morning.  We are taking a three day long class on Comparative Regulation…but we are yet to have a book or any reading (are you jealous Wash U kiddoes?).  We are throwing “The American Party” on Wednesday night at our apartment so that we can teach our new friends the good old fashion American games (beer pong, flip cup, and quarters).  Talk soon!

 

Much Love,

Liz

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