Spring Break

Spaniards take Semana Santa very seriously, processions all over Spain & families taking advantage of the time-off to travel. The main dish is Bacalao and for dessert Torrijas which are delicious.

Derick & I went with a couple of friends to Reinosa, Cantabria to ski and sight see. I was hoping that it would rain on saturday because I didn't really want to ski but I did want to visit all the tourist stops. It didn't r

ain on saturday so we went to ski, I tried my best but I think sports & I don't mesh well at all. I ended up sitting with a beautiful view to the mountains: camera was not working so no pictures from my side but a friend forwarded some. Due to sitting outside, my nose got burned bad and to this day (April 19th) it is still a bit reddish. Drove up to Santander & had tapas! Love Cantabria but bummed out about my camera not working!!

Went to Salamanca for two days alone because Derick had to work and I wanted to take advantage of my vacation time. The weather was cool but gloomy from time to time. Salamanca is a beautiful city with a lot of history and culture. On the day of arrival, I managed to see the whole city in five hours but kept a few things for the next day because I had to use my time wisely. Loved the New & Old Cathedrals, University and Casa de Conchas.

London

Derick & I headed to London on December 28th to January 7th. I loved London & Oxford!

It was raining, snowing and too cold for a Californian chick but nonetheless we managed to have a great time. London had a vibe, it felt as though I was back home but with an European flair. Ate at

Prat a Manger everyday, 'bueno, bonito y barato' Spanish saying

that translates to 'good,nice & cheap'.

Spent a couple days in a hotel and then with Daniel who

is one of Derick's friend. Daniel made us feel right at home and also met Carina, his girlfriend. At first Carina & I had difficulty understanding each other (Carina is from London), same language but diffe

rent. Derick & I thought about spending New Year's in front of the London Eye; we bought food, wore the appropriate clothes but it was too cold to wait for five hours to hit midnight. Daniel & Carina saved the day by calling us to spend New Year's with her family. We tried but ended up having a great time with her family with food & fireworks.

Last trip in our itinerary was Oxford, the whole town is the University & it is beautiful. I bought my Oxford sweater, yes I didn't go there but it was a nice souvenir that I will cherish it.

I will always remember having Afternoon Tea in the Orangery which is right next to Kensington Palace, that was one of the many highlights from our London trip.

January 7th: we had to catch a flight in Luton to Barajas Madrid but there was a problem, it was snowing! In t

he beginning, our airline kept on delaying our flight due to the snow for six hours and finally it got cancelled. Ok, by this time I was starting to feel anxious and sad but got a bit happy because it was going to be the first time being stuck in an airport with Derick. Thousands of times asking when the first flight was leaving to Madrid, getting use to the cold floor and knowing that I would have to sleep there all night was getting to me. I would like to thank Derick for putting up with me those 12+ hours jeje.