Eurotrip 10!

Hello Y'all,

I thought I would give a quick update before I head off tomorrow for my spring break trip. Last weekend I stayed in Salamanca for the first time in a while. On saturday a bunch of us got together to do a scavenger hunt of sorts. We had a BLAST. There were 3 teams, each having a list of tasks that were worth a certain amount of points. Some of the more humorous tasks included:

-Ordering Paella at McDonalds

-Using the sentence "Estoy emarazada" in a conversation with a Spaniard (Commonly mistaken for meaning "I'm embarrassed", it actually means "I'm pregnant"

-Asking someone in the Plaza Mayor where the Plaza Mayor is

-Having a 3-minute arobics class in H&M (clothing store)

-Singing "It's Raining Men" in Zara Home

-Talking to a restaurant manager and saying that you quit

-Eating a whole lemon

-Putting 13 tissues in your mouth

-Opening an umbrella in Stradavarius (a clothing store)

We captured all of these tasks via pictures/videos which turned out to be very entertaining. Overall it was a great time, and a really good chance to go out and explore Salamanca by doing crazy things.

On Sunday we traveled to Segovia, which is a small city of about 50,000 north of Madrid. Its main attraction is it's Roman Acueduct, which is is one of the most significant and well-preserved Roman monuments in the Iberian Peninsula. It dates back to the 1st century. Segovia is also home to a castle with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. It was a quick day trip, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

And finally, after weeks and weeks of booking flights, bookings hostels, doing research, spending lots of money, and creating a well-organized itinerary, my spring break trip is finally happening. Tomorrow I will be leaving for a 16-day trip across Europe. My friend Bruce will acompany me until Prague, where we will then depart ways until meeting up again in Malaga. Here are my stops:

Valencia, Spain: During which the city is hosting one of the biggest fiestas of the year, Las Fallas. The fiesta is a week-long party full of fireworks, music, festive bonfires, and all-night partying. 9.75 million euros are spent on the "fallas", which are gigantic (some 15m high) sculptures of paper mache on wood which are set on fire on the last day. Sounds fun, right?

Paris, France: I don't think this needs explaining.

Prague, Czech Republic: I've heard very good things, although I don't know what we're going to do there :)

Krakow, Poland/ Auschwitz: Krakow is the second largest city located in the south part of
Poland, containing a lot of history, art, and culture. It also contains a lot of history regarding Polish Jews and the Holocaust. The Auschwitz internment camp is just a short bus ride, and the Jewish Quarter is one of the more popular places to visit in the city.

Budapest, Hungary: Known to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest is the capital and largest city in Hungary situated on the Danube river. It is known to be a city of relaxation, as it hosts over 80 geothermal springs, and has an endless amount of cultural attractions.

Malaga, Spain: Do I need to say more than, 75 degrees, and the beach of southern Spain? No. But I will anyway. Malaga is on the southern tip of Spain, and is one of the best cities to witness Spain's "Semana Santa", which takes place on the week before Easter. Every day there are religious processions and events that fill the streets with people. Oh, and did I mention there's a beach?

Salamanca, Spain: Back home for Easter Sunday.

So...here I go!


Nick