No es ‘Adios’ sino ‘Hasta luego’

Kristin and I with our host mom, Cristina. Love her!!

Oh, the adventures of returning back to the USA! Why, you might ask? As I type, I am currently at my aunt & uncle’s home in Charlotte, NC, because flight #4 of 4 on my journey home to New Orleans was cancelled yesterday evening. Luckily I have relatives here who could rescue me from the airport (forever grateful!). This 25 hour return home journey has just turned more into 40 hours!

I started this post on plane # 3 of 4 on my journey back home. Right now it still feels a bit surreal to be back in America. Let’s just say that my journey though customs was a bit of a Spanglish mess (used words like gracias and hola a lot more than necessary!). :p I’m already missing Spain, but I know that now is the right time to come back. I accomplished what I meant to do in Spain, and that’s the best I could ask for! If my 30 hour conversation with my cab driver yesterday or my 4 hour conversation with a new Spanish friend in the Madrid airport aren’t indications that I’ve achieved fluency, then I don’t know what is! I’ve updated my More from la Vida en Sevilla gallery with some photos of my last days in Spain.

So this morning I’v embarked the journey of returning to some of American ways. I’ve been thinking about what to say in this post for awhile, and I’ve compiled a list of some of the things I know I’ll miss most about Sevilla but also what I’m grateful to return home to:

P is for….

This week, ‘P’ is for Paris, Puente, and Peluquería:

PARIS

On the 2nd platform of the Eiffel Tower

Last weekend, I traveled with Kristin & Joe to Paris! Upon landing we quickly learned that we know very little French, perhaps aside from Parlez-vous anglais? and my limited French number knowledge of “une, deux, trois.” I’ll be forever grateful to my friend Sam for letting us stay in her apartment near the Eiffel Tower and for showing us a great time!

So where did we go? Better question: where did we NOT go? We visited the Louvre, climbed to the second platform of the Eiffel Tower, watched the sunset from the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur in Montmartre, passed through the Jewish quarter for some excellent falafel, and more! The Parisian food was definitely a highlight of the weekend, including multiple crepes, a fancy lunch at Le Petit Vatel, numerous types of cheeses (camembert, brie, emmental, …), french onion soup, and escargot. Check out more highlights/photos from the trip HERE.