Well, boys and girls, I made it to Europe.

After my supposedly 30 minute drive to the airport took over an hour and a half, I finally was able to catch my flight from Seattle to Amsterdam, sleep a little in the airport, and then hop on my plane to Madrid.

I’ll admit that I was a little nervous about missing my first flight, but all went smoothly once my travel partner, Paulo, and I actually got to SEATAC Airport. Check-in was quick; security was a breeze; I even got a seat change from a middle seat to an aisle seat in the exit row. Considering my lanky 6'3" frame, I was pretty stoked on that. Plus, when I was walking down the plane to my seat, I couldn’t help but notice the two attractive girls sitting directly behind me.

At that point, I didn’t have much to complain about.

Aside from not sleeping a wink on the plane — something I have yet to do in my life — the plane ride was great. I was able to watch a few movies that I’d been trying to see like Get Hard and Jupiter Ascending. Man, I forgot how damn funny Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart can be, especially when they complement each other so well. Plus, since it was an international flight, I was given meals throughout the flight. I made sure to do some food-trading with the girls behind me, as well as some nice conversation here and there. We even shared a glass of wine.

All in all, the first phase of my journey abroad went quite well.

Once we landed in Amsterdam, Paulo and I made sure to find the gate for our next flight before anything else. But, since we had about four hours before our flight actually left, we had time to do some of the things that we really needed to do: eat, sleep, and stretch. Oh, and let our families know that we landed safely, of course.

After a solid couple hours of rest, we each grabbed a sandwich and made our way onto the plane. I wasn’t quite as lucky with my seating arrangement as the first flight, but a middle seat isn’t that bad as long as the people surrounding you aren’t awful. On my left was a man who slept for the majority of the trip and on my right was the father of a nice Spanish family. There was a screaming baby a few rows in front of me, but I expect that on almost any flight and that was really the only bad part of the flight.

Once we landed, we claimed our luggage and met up with Paulo’s great aunt and uncle. They lived in Madrid and were gracious enough to take us in for the few days we were in the city.

They drove us to their home — a four-bedroom apartment in the north part of the city with a view and plenty of air conditioning, a crucial aspect of being in Madrid during the summer. They fed us dinner, asked us what we wanted to do for the two days we’d be there, and let us sleep.

And oh boy, did I ever sleep.

After only getting two hours of sleep in almost two days, I slept for about 13 hours, waking up around 10 am with hardly any jet lag. Toughing it out and staying awake until the appropriate time to sleep proved to be a solid method of avoiding jet lag. Paulo, my unfortunate compañero, slept on both flights and is still recovering from the change in time zones.

Once we both were awake, we drove around the city and toured around various landmarks such as el Palacio Royale, el Museo Prado (my personal favorite), and various plazas. Of course, we made sure to dine out at each meal to fully take in the Spanish experience. After a day full of sightseeing, it was time to rest again. The next day had plenty in store for us, as we planned to drive to Toledo, the old imperial capital of Spain.

I woke up further refreshed, feeling practically normal, but I wish I could say the same for Paulo, who slept for only five hours and was still adjusting to the time difference. We set off on the road at around 11 am and it was already in the 30s (Celsius, that is — somewhere in the 90s Fahrenheit). Along the way, Paulo’s great uncle told us various tales about the city, in Spanish of course. They were fascinating and I couldn’t wait to see a place with so much history in person.

Once we finally arrived at the city, I felt like I had traveled back in time. Most of the buildings looked as if they hadn’t changed since the 1500s, and that’s because most of them hadn’t.

Before Madrid was named the capital of Spain, Toledo was the capital city. Built on a hill and surrounded by a river, it was perfect place to defend from invaders. As we walked into the depths of the city, the spire of a giant cathedral, el Catedral de Toledo, loomed before us. I’m not religious at all, but damn, this place was impressive. It took five minutes to walk from one side to the other for God’s sake!

After checking out the cathedral, eating plenty of tapas, and seeing a couple other historical aspects of Toledo, it was time to head back to Madrid for the night.

Since we hadn’t paid a visit there before, Paulo’s family took us to La Plaza Mayor, the main plaza in Madrid. There, we at El Museo del Jamón (which is actually a restaurant) and walked around the city a bit more.

Once the evening festivities were over, we returned to the apartment, only to pack away our things, rest up for the night, and wake up early to catch a bus to San Sebastián in the north part of Spain.

That is where I’m currently writing this post. On the bus, that is. Although the trip should take about six hours in total, it’s nice to have some time to write a little about my adventures, read a little, and mentally prepare myself for the next phase in my journey.

San Sebastián should be an amazing time.

I will be there for about four weeks as a part of a study abroad program with my university that focuses on Spanish food and culture.

Sounds awful, right?

Just kidding.

After seeing pictures of the city and hearing about it from various people, it sounds like paradise. The city has a mile-long sandy beach in the shape of a crescent moon with an island in the middle of the bay. The city is known for having a delicious tradition of fine dining and festivities and I couldn’t be more excited to validate what I’ve heard. By the end of the program, I hope to have made a few new friends, experienced various types of food, and done some exciting things that will make for good stories.

I’ll try to keep posting throughout my trip, but I will also be out enjoying what the city has to offer and may not have the time to write it all down. I figured I’d at least record what I’ve done so far, especially considering that I have a total of six hours on this bus to do so.

Well, wish me luck!

¡Hasta luego!

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