la extranjera

Let’s go to Venice! On Saturday morning the girls and I took a verrrrrry early (4:30am) train from Florence to Venice. Now normally my hat comes off to the excellence of European trains, but this time it was a nightmare. Trenitalia crowded way too many people onto this train, so that people were standing in the aisles face to face, babies were screaming, there wasn’t room for luggage, fights broke out… it was a disaster. Luckily I was able to find a tiny niche on the train where I could pop down and sit on my backpack to read. (I was so addicted to the Hunger Games series) Unfortunately it was a pretty long ride, and my legs were quite achey by the end… 

Relieved to be in Florence, my friends and I found our way to our last Italian hostel- another Camping Plus area. This time Dani and I were put into a trailer/windowless jail cell together which was actually a welcome relief from the Florence tents. After freshening up, we took a bus back into town and then started to walk. 

The first thing that I noticed about Venice was that it is quite a sleepy little town… you could almost say a ghost town. There were practically no people walking the streets, many of the buildings seemed dilapidated, the city wasn’t bubbling with usual Italian energy… it was weird. Perhaps it is the fact that Venice is a sinking city. It was originally constructed on essentially a bog, and all of its buildings have concrete and granite foundations. The sinking effect + global warming = a city going down… literally. I heard somewhere that it is predicted to be uninhabited in fifty years- yikes! Well, I could certainly feel the desperation of the Venetians. It’s such a beautiful city that leaves its inhabitants feeling stranded and hopeless… how romantic. 

We were able to enjoy the sights of the city, however, and very much enjoyed the gorgeous canals, ornate churches, and incredible glass stores. Venice is home to the Murano glass factory, and it was clearly a point of pride for the city- everywhere we turned there were hand-blown colorful glass jewelry and nick knacks. For the majority of the day we hung out around the Piazza San Marco.  

Unfortunately gondola rides are very expensive, and my friends and I decided to opt out. Perhaps one day when I’m rich and famous I can return and be sung sweet to by a Fabio in stripes… On a more positive note, the weather was quite lovely, and my friends and I were able to enjoy cappuccinos in the sunshine and people-watch. We ate dinner at an American-Irish pub, then headed back to the hostel for a night of bonding in the other girls’ cute log cabin. 

Sunday was Easter (Alleluia!), so my friends and I went back into Venice for Mass. We then walked around the city a bit more, and realized a pretty hilarious truth. Apparently Saturday we took a wrong turn and ended up in one of the non-touristy parts of the city. Whoops! We were all laughing when we realized we’d missed the majority of Venice’s heavy-hitter tourist attractions, but then eventually made our way over to see them. We saw the Campanile di San Marco, Palazzo Ducale, San Giorgio Maggiore, and the Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge). 

After lunch (and one last gelato), we went back to the hostel to gather the Big Mamas, then caught a bus to the train station. From there we took an evening/night train to Milan- the cheapest city to fly in and out of in Italy. There we spent our LAST European night in an airport (yayyy!), and then flew home to home sweet Madrid Monday morning. PHEW!! Italy was by far the most exhausting trip of the semester, but it was also probably the best. The cities in Italy are just astoundingly beautiful, and the history incredible. My one complaint would be that the majority of the people are not very friendly- they’re loud, rude, unhelpful, and arrogant. I guess you can’t win em all though. Maybe the Italians should just keep their mean opinions to themselves and just do what they do best- make food. (Was that too harsh?) Seriously though, Italy had hands down the best food in all of Europe. I’m pretty sure I gained about 40 pounds over ten days… lovely. You can’t blame me though… I was in the land of pizza, pasta, and gelato!! VIVA ITALIA!!

Monday in Italy was a day of relaxation and travel. We allowed ourselves to sleep in a bit on our last day in Rome, and then caught a mid-morning/afternoon train to Florence. Once in Florence we checked into our hostel. Except it wasn’t really a hostel at all. It was a camping ground for RV’s, and we were in tents. Literally, tents. Granted they did have hard wood floors and metal framing, but they were total canvas Boy-Scouts-Little-House-on-the-Prarie-the-Bathroom-is-Called-a-Latrine-Let’s-Make-S’mores-Tents. It was hilarious. Well, it was funny until that first night when we realized how ridiculously cold it got. I’m pretty sure I ended up wearing about nine different shirts, leggings, a dress over my legs, towels, and the hostel wool blankets. Brrr!

Tuesday we decided to see the sights in Florence. Immediately after stepping off the bus we ran into the infamous Florence leather market, so naturally we took a peeksy. You would’ve done the same thing. We then wandered the beautiful streets of Florence and saw the Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, the Campanile (bell tower), Il Duomo (a huge cathedral and dome), The Baptistry of St. John the Baptist, and the Pitti Palace. We also saw Florence’s two largest museums: Galleria degli Uffizi and Galleria dell’ Academia. Michelangelo’s “David” is housed in the Academia and although we attempted to wait in line to see it, the museum’s computers were down which led to a 4 hour line/delay. Yikes! We decided to reschedule for a different day. After a short gelato and cannoli break (haters hate on), we explored Florence’s shopping bridge, a bridge that actually has shops on it. While the bridge used to be covered in specialty shops, it is now home to only expensive jewelry stores. Most people just wander up and down the street window shopping, but I decided that I wanted to actually go inside one of these oh-so-haute stores. When I walked in, an employee asked me “Can I help you with something?” Automatically I snapped into actor mode and in my best pretentious Pretty Woman voice replied “Oh no thank you. I’m actually looking for something specific” and gently rubbed my ring finger. My friends thought it was hysterical. 

We also encountered some chain fences covered in locks. As many of you probably already know, it is a European tradition for lovers to put locks on chain fences, bridges, etc. in order to secure their love and relationships. How sweet!! 

Later that afternoon my friends and I found an indoor/outdoor antiques market where we not only found jewelry and post cards, but also our friends!! We ran into the same group of girlfriends that we saw in Rome! What a small world! On an unrelated note, while we were all sitting and chatting some boys came up to me and told me that they were art students in Florence. They then told me that I was the most beautiful work of art they’d seen and that I looked like Marilyn Monroe. Sheesh! These European boys- they never quit… My friend Erinn got a kick out of it, at least. 

My friends and I also went to check out a stage that was being set up in front of a church for nothing but… the TRL Award Show!! How exciting!! (I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow).

We ended the night with an outdoor meal from a roadside vendor by our hostel that provided us with cheap and delicious paninis, pasta, pizza, and nutella crepes. I’m pretty sure we ended up going to that same stop at least three times before leaving Florence… the old man working came to love us seven American girls. 

The weather in Madrid today is pretty rainy and cold. Yuck. With the pressure of finals creeping up everyone’s starting to get anxious about leaving Europe. All of a sudden our entire study abroad class has been going out together every night and having a good time. We’re all trying to hold on to that last little bit of Spanish magic… I never want to leave!

After a packed granola bar breakfast at our Rome hostel, the girls and I were on an 8:30am tram to the Flaminio train station. From there we took a train into the city, where we were supposed to catch the metro to Vatican City. However, we weren’t so lucky. The metro strike was still going on, so we had to switch to Plan B. We started reading all of the bus stop signs, looking for any that might point us towards the Pope. After talking to a few strangers we eventually found the right bus, and hopped on. We were guided all the way there by a super sweet girl clad all in denim who worked in film production. As we walked towards the Vatican she said to us “I have a secret. This city is magic! It has given me everything I could ever want- love, friendship..” She was beaming and we all couldn’t help but “awwwh” at her sincerity and happiness. She also let me share her iPod on the way!

Upon arrival at the Vatican, I was floored. It was every bit as majestic and wonderful as I’d imagined. I’m sure that the beautiful architecture and immensity were impressive to all of the tourists, but for me as a Catholic, it was inexplicably comforting. I felt so blessed to be in the heart of Catholicism, to walk where the Pope walks. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to experience such a place. 

Only a few minutes later, my friends and I were reunited with my friend Jana from SLU America, who is currently studying abroad in Rome. Needless to say I was quite excited to see her (she lived across the hall from me freshman year), and our reunion was a blissful and shriek-filled one. After introducing us to her friends we stood around in St. Peter’s Square catching up on each others’ lives, all grateful to see familiar faces. And then one of the greatest moments of my study abroad experience happened- Way back in early February Lexi made reservations for we girls to go on what’s known as the Vatican Scavi Tour. At 11:00 we were allowed to pass the Swiss Guards and enter a back building of the Vatican, where we met our tour guide. For the next few hours he led us down underneath St. Peter’s Basilica, where we got to see the excavations that lie beneath. It was all very humid and dank, but incredible. We were allowed to see several mausoleums and tombs that had been uncovered, many of which were marked with the Chi Rho. The first Christians. We were then led to a different room where we were able to peer through rock and see the alleged bones of St. Peter himself. WOW. It was incredible. Although scientists are not 100% positive that the uncovered bones are from Simon Peter, there is significant evidence to prove that it is. Our guide told us to make of it what we will, and I for one was convinced. It was so amazing to me to think that this man, Simon Peter had interacted with the actual living man, Jesus Christ, and that he had eventually come to be the cornerstone of the Church. It was by far one of the most moving things that I have experienced as far as my faith. Our tour ended in the grotto of St. Peter’s Basilica, where many past popes are buried, including John Paul II. I’ll admit it- I was fighting back tears. It was definitely a worthwhile tour, and it’s something that I’d recommend to anyone looking into a trip to Rome. It was just amazing. 

After our tour we met up with Jana again who led us to the most delicious sandwich shop I’ve ever been to. (Sorry Tienda Verde) Never have I had such fresh mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes on a baguette- it was just as scrumptious as I expected Italy to be. 

Following lunch we walked back to the Vatican and toured St. Peter’s Basilica. It. Is. HUGE. The cathedral itself is just incredibly beautiful, as it is decorated in the elaborate and somewhat over-the-top Baroque style. We also decided to pay the couple of euros and climb the 551 stairs that lead to the cathedral’s dome. It was a somewhat exhausting climb, but truly worth the trouble. Seeing the inside of that golden dome up close was just amazing, but the view of Rome from the outside was even better. From the top I could see the city of Rome stretched out before me, a beautiful city teeming with history and detail. I once again found myself speechless, unable to convey just how lucky I felt. Seriously someone pinch me- this can not be my real life!!

To complete our Italian cuisine experience Day 1, Jana took us to what is supposed to be one of the two best gelato shops in all of Rome- Old Bridge. I have to be honest when I say that prior to spring break I didn’t really understand the difference between gelato and ice cream, but oh man do I now!! Gelato is like a softer, creamier, richer ice cream. It is heaven on earth. Not to mention the fact that most places allow you to choose three flavors for the price of one- AH. MAY. ZING. I think that after ten days of trying different flavors I decided that Nutella is my favorite. 

Our last Vatican stop of the day was of course, the Vatican Museum. It was a truly glorious and impressive museum filled with some of the world’s finest art. I know what you all want to hear about though… the Sistene Chapel. Yes, it is GORGEOUS. Yes, it is HUGE. Yes, it is detailed as can be. Unfortunately, the guards inside the museum tend to rush people through it, which was a shame. My friends and I just learned to veer towards the outside of the crowd so that we wouldn’t be ushered past too quickly. Also, I did not disappoint you guys- I illegally snapped a picture so that I could share the wonder with you all (:

Following the museum we went in search of dinner and ended up a a cute pizza and pasta restaurant… how typical. Now I will tell you, it is in no way an exaggeration when I say that pizza and pasta are all that Italians eat. Literally every restaurant that one finds has an extensive pizza and pasta menu, with a much smaller and more expensive meats/other dishes menu in the back. If I had chosen to study abroad in Rome, I would absolutely be obese right now. I would stand no chance against that tantalizing food. My first meal was a spinach and ricotta stuffed tortellini, which was just melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Viva Italia. 

After our usual “stumbling around like idiots trying to figure out where the heck we are” routine, my friends and I eventually found our way back to Rome and to our good ole train station. One more tram ride and were home to the camping grounds. Though pretty darn exhausted from our first day of touring, we decided to play around in the hostel bar for a little while, where we were able to access the Internet. Contacting our families and loved ones- always a priority. 

I was in a different room than the other girls, so before hitting the sheets I chatted up the two girls staying in my room, who were studying abroad in Granada- cool! (I always think it’s a good idea to be-friend your hostel roommates: less likely they’ll steal from you.)

All in all, our day in Vatican City was just exquisite, and a must-do for any Italy tourist. Random traveler’s tip: My friends and I were very concerned about having our shoulders and knees covered in the Vatican, so we all went out and bought long dresses and tights and whatnot. Turns out the rules have slackened considerably, as there were tons of people in blue jeans- what!? I also saw two boys in sweat pants and a girl in shorts… make of that what you will. 

Today’s just another beautifully sunny day in the neighborhood. Our spring break starts tomorrow (or Friday for those poor unfortunate souls), and you can feel the excitement in the air. The number one question this week: “Where are you going?” The number one answer: “Italia.” Now I’m not at liberty to disclose where exactly in the world my friends and I will be for the next ten or eleven days, but I can tell you that I’ll be eating a lot of pizza, pasta, and gelato. And possibly seeing a huge ancient ruin or two… (Eek I’m so excited!!) 

So yes, I am psyched about my spring break plans, but I have also come to a horrific realization. I will be home in less than a month. As in, KENTUCKY home. Noooo!!! Sure, there are a lot of things and people that I miss from home, but I’m just not ready to come back! This semester has absolutely flown by. It’s the middle of April already- really!? It feels like just yesterday I was dropped off at Mercedes’ doorstep and informed that Wifi causes cancer… It’s just sad to think that never again will I be twenty years old and studying abroad in Europe. **Tear** This has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I regret that it is already coming to an end. I know that my bank account is screaming “Go hommmmeee! You have no moneyyyy!” but my heart is yelling “Stay in Spainnn! See the worlddd! Live your youthhhh!” Alright, so that may have been a bit dramatic, but c’mon. The USA just doesn’t cut it anymore. Madrid is mi casa now.

And so in honor of my nearing departure (and whining), I have compiled a list of things from Spain that I will miss:

1. Retiro Park

2. Living across the street from an ice cream shop

3. Starting class at 2:30pm

4. Traveling around Europe on the weekends

5. Digestive cookies

6. Tienda Verde hot turkey and brie sandwiches

7. Staying out until the 6am metro

8. Playing in Mercedes’ museum of a house

9. Having my laundry done, dishes cleaned, and room straightened every day (Mom?)

10. White chocolate Kit-Kats

11. Bullfights

12. Real Madrid insanity

13. Sleeping in a bubblegum pink bedroom next to Dani Trout

14. Tapas and sangria at The Golden Cock after class

15. The beautiful architecture of Europe

15. Merengue, tango, bachata, and salsa

16. Soaking up the sun in the quad

17. El Corte Ingles

18. Museums galore

19. Jumproping in the lobby of my apartment building

20. Oranges from Mercedes’ bathroom window

21. Fat Spiderman in Plaza Mayor

22. Seeing Mercedes’ breast

23. Spanish children

24. Theme nights at Joy

25. El Mercado de San Miguel

26. Sol and Gran Via

27. Playing “beauty parlor” and dyeing Lexi’s hair

28. “Saliendo” at midnight

29. Going to class with kids from around the world

30. Being told daily that I am guapisima by Rose

And the list goes on and on… I realize that I listed a lot of foods which is ironic since I always complain about it, but hey, I’m a hungry girl. I become very emotionally attached to food. Tomorrow I’ll provide a list of things I’m looking forward to in America! 

Hasta luego

Back to the Paris story!!

Saturday morning we girls woke up, and had breakfast on our way back to the Eiffel Tower. Once there we met out tour guide from Fat Tire Bike Tours. Yup! We did a four hour, 7ish mile bike tour of Paris! It was awesome. We saw tons of important Parisian sights including the dome church where the body of Napoleon lies, the Prado, Musee D’Orsay- Paris’ largest modern art museum, the Tuileries Gardens, a cute outdoor market, Champs-Elysees, and the Alexander III Bridge. And the best part was that this was all atop precious little wide-seat bicycles with even wider-set handlebars. Although the wind was a little nippy, it felt wonderful to be outside enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Our group consisted of about thirty people ranging from older adults to young children, and I was impressed with our ability to stay together as a group. Our tour guide made it pretty clear to us that if we all stayed together then we could pretty much defy any traffic law we wanted, and boy did we take advantage of that! We crossed pretty big, treacherous roads with complete disregard for all other vehicles- exhilarating. It really was a picture-perfect morning, and I could not have asked for a better way to see the city of Paris. 

After our tour we were all pretty hungry, so we stopped at a local bakery to get some food in our bellies. I still wasn’t feeling 100% fantastic, but I was able to stomach a yummy pear tart and a mandarin orannge- deeelish!! Funny story: on our bike tour, my friend Emma ripped a huge hole in her jeans (yikes!) so she had to make a quick H&M run. Too funny! She was such a champ about it though. 

After our lunch break we headed over to the one and only Notre Dame Cathedral. Though I’d seen it in cartoon form in Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (which Dani watched for the first time this morning), it was even more magnificent in real life. It’s an absolutely beautiful church, though the inside is quite dark. It’s an intimidating building, but has some of the most gorgeous stained-glass windows I’ve ever seen. By the time we finished touring the cathedral it was almost evening, so those of us who are Catholic decided to stay for Saturday evening mass- sweet!! Even though we struggled to understand the French-speaking priest, we were all jazzed about the fact that we were in Mass in Notre Dame!! It really was a beautiful Mass… well, except for one thing. All of the music consisted of minor chords, which made it sound like a creepy Phantom of the Opera… or the theme music to a horror film. At any rate, I couldn’t stop laughing every time the organist played, especially because my friend kept whispering “I’m gonna get killed!” I know it probably wasn’t mature or polite of me to giggle, but I just couldn’t help it. It was ridiculous! Definitely a different kind of liturgical music than I’m used to…

After Mass let out, it was pretty dark, so we decided to return to the Eiffel Tower so that the girls who went to the wine-tasting on Friday night could experience the magic of the sparkling tower. I had no qualms about going twice. It really is one of the most gorgeous sights to experience, and I think that I could probably go back and watch it every night for the rest of my life.

What does it spell…?

We then wrapped up the night with a warm dinner at a cozy Parisian cafe. Katie and I split a calzone pizza that had a runn sunny-side-egg baked right into it! Different, but scrumptious!! Finally we bundled back up, headed back to the hotel room, and promptly passed out. 

Read tomorrow’s post to find out about how I spent 32 hours in the Paris airport…!

The Dam. AmDam. Slamsterdam. Venice of the North. Sin City. Mokum. AMSTERDAM. 

That was the destination of my friends and my latest weekend adventure. We began our trip Friday morning with a RyanAir flight (per usual) from Madrid to Eindhoven, Holland. If you haven’t caught on my now, RyanAir tends to fly us into small cities right outside of the ones we actually want to see-Girona/Barcelona, Luton/London, Eindhoven/Amsterdam… much cheaper. We’re college students, we deal. We then caught a comfy double decker train (great seats, great view) into Amsterdam. We arrived at the Central Station, and from there took a tram to my friends’ hotel. 

Amsterdam Centraal

Before I go on, I need to explain something- somehow our travel group grew to the number eighteen. Yes, eighteen people trying to tour together. I went to Amsterdam because Dani’s boyfriend Pat has a fraternity brother from MIT who is from Brussels, Belgium but now studies in a small city called Delft, Amsterdam, and the opportunity was presented to me to room/board for free. How could I pass that up? Dani’s friend’s name is Robin, and he was a fantastic host, but obviously could only house so many people. Four of us girls stayed with him, the other fourteen people were left to find a hotel. They all ended up splitting two rooms- eight boys in one, five girls in the other… ouch. 

Okay, so our first move in Amsterdam was to take a tram out to their hotel so that they may all check in and drop off their bags. However, when we arrived they found out that check in wasn’t until 2:00pm. Hoorah. And so we decided to take the scenic route back to the main downtown area of Amsterdam, a.k.a. get there on foot. It was probably an hour walk or so, but it was pleasant and we were able to start experiencing the city. Once downtown, we stopped for lunch, then headed to one of the city’s many museums. We spent a awhile exploring this… how should I put it… different, interesting, and thought-provoking museum… I’ll say no more about that. 

Amsterdam has over 1000 canals…

Exhausted from travel, we all decided to part ways. The big group went back to their hotel, the three girls and I took a train to Delft. Now our original plan was to call Robin before arriving at his apartment. However, Dani’s Spain phone did not work in Amsterdam, and without a card we were unable to use a pay-phone. Dilemma dilemma. We had his address and found his street on a map, so we decided to just start walking. Soon enough we found his exact residence (Delft is quite small), but didn’t know how to go about barging in. We ended up trying to use the phone of a local BBQ restaurant, but no luck. Eventually we just decided to go for it. We ran the doorbell and a woman answered. She turned out to be Robin’s neighbor, and so she summoned him for us. Hallelujah!! Robin welcomed us into his apartment with loving arms- the girlfriend of his old fraternity brother, and her three stranger friends. Ahhh the bonds of brotherhood…

Robin is a very tall man. As in, 6’8” tall. A small giant if you will. He’s as cuddly and sweet as a teddy bear though, so we all felt very safe around him. His single apartment was cozy and clean, and we were all truly grateful for his hospitality. After dropping off our bags, Robin took us on a tour of Delft. It is the most gosh-darn precious and quaint town I have ever seen. Cobblestone streets, churches with massive steeples, town squares, lively local businesses… much different than Amsterdam. We treated Robin to dinner at a local pizza restaurant that was absolutely delicious. I have not had good pizza since January. No, Mercedes’ frozen pizzas do not count. We ended up walking downtown (if you will) for awhile after dinner, and even checked out a few of the local bars. A short while later, we girls were all cuddled up on Robin’s extra pull-out bed deep asleep. 

How pretty are the different colors of bricks?!

Day Two to come tomorrow!

A few nights ago at dinner, Mercedes said (in Spanish) “Lexi, your hair and skin are so special and pretty. I have three beautiful girls in this house. Dani is the prettiest though. I like the color of her lips.” However, over the past two weeks Rose has developed a sort-of woman-crush on me, so she jumped at the chance to defend me and said “No no! Emily’s the prettiest! She has very expressive eyes.” This was a real conversation. We live in a nut-house. Last night’s dinner somehow ended up in a family singing talent-show… I love us. 

Speaking of dinner, we’ve decided that we are served exactly 5 different meals in this house: pizza, fish and french fries, spaghetti with meat sauce, potato and vegetable soup, and chicken nuggets. I’m pretty sure tonight is pizza and french fries…ooh mixin in up!

So the first time that Dani and I tried to work out in the house, we were doing crunches and Mercedes yelled at us because she said we were going to sweat all over her beautiful rugs. Typical. I have since switched to working out on top of my Snuggie, but little does Mercedes know that I’ve been using this bad-boy as a weight…

Another Mercedes gem: This morning we had chamomile tea (we usually have black), and so I mentioned that I also like green tea. Mercedes told me that in Spain “they don’t drink green tea” and then made some gesture in which she flattened her breasts. I have no idea what that was supposed to mean…

Unrelated but important. I’m pretty sure that pretzels don’t exist in Spain (ahhh I’m dying!), and peanut butter can only be bought at places like “The American Store” for 11 euros a jar (eek!!). Spain does however, have a weird obsession with Kit Kat bars…

Another language quirk I’ve picked up on: Pretty much no one here pronounces the “s” in mas (more), so it always comes out as “ma.” Duly noted.

We went out to a place called Orange Bar last night for Ladies’ Night. Meh, it was okay…

Once again I have grand plans for this weekend, so don’t expect to hear from me until Monday. I’ll miss you all!

I would just like to announce that it was 0 degrees in Salamanca today. ZERO. Okay, okay so that’s 0 degrees in Celsius so maybe I’m being a drama queen/baby/whiner, but still. No one wants to be on a long, outside walking tour in that kind of weather. It was distractingly cold today. 

That being said, Salamanca is a very pretty city, and we FINALLY got to see the inside of a cathedral. Yippee!! What’s even cooler is that we got to walk along the roof in and amongst the turrets of the cathedral. Righteous. 

Interesting fact: Salamanca is a huge college town. The population is 200,000 and 100,000 of those are students. It would’ve been interesting to see the town at night…

Enjoy yourselves…

Ah yes, we stopped in a little town called Avila on the way for a rest stop. I bought some postcards, but apparently set them down in the store and then walked out without them. Idiot. Here’s a nice picture of the city though!

I had paella again for lunch today- deeeelish! Also, it was the first time I’d ever tried a prawn. Neither Lexi nor I really knew how to eat the little buggers (they were whole…with eyeballs), so we just sliced them down their bellies and ate the little bitty meat inside. Too graphic? Lo siento. 

Mercedes made us frozen french fries and frozen pizza for dinner tonight. She claims they’re both Spanish… We also had a kind of almond butter fudge thing for dessert. Me gustaba