Mi vida en Granada: The one where I surprise the boy and go to Paris!

As the days go by in Granada, I have realized that it is very difficult to keep up with my blog! For some reason I never have time to post a new entry, I'll have to work on that.

Anyway, after I traveled to London, what seems like forever ago, I flew home to Chicago on tuesday (Feb 11) to surprise the boy, Clayton, for Valentines day and our one year anniversary. It took a lot of planning to pull it off without giving anything away, and I had to enlist the help of his roommate. I arrived in Chicago around noon and my mom picked me up and we were shortly on our way to Champaign! Seeing the boy for the first time was unreal, I was shaking and tears came to my eyes, I couldn't believe I actually pulled it off and we were together. Thankfully, he was very surprised and had a similar reaction. 41 days is too long to go without seeing each other but the days apart have taught me to appreciate everyday that we have together and the distance has made our relationship stronger. In 21 days from today, the boy will be coming to Granada for spring break and I couldn't be more excited to show him around!

I stayed in Champaign from tuesday night-friday morning and it was wonderful being able to see everyone again. I couldn't have been happier when my roommates answered the door and attacked me with hugs and tears of happiness; it felt like I never left. It was great to be able to have American food again, I made sure to go to all of my favorite places and have an iced coffee everyday, that was the first thing I got when I stepped foot onto American soil, classic me! On Friday, Clayton and I drove up to Chicago to spend the night at my house so he could drive me to O'Hare on Saturday. Friday was both Valentine's day and our 1 year anniversary so we went out to dinner at Weber Grill near Oak Brook. I highly recommend the restaurant, it is a tad expensive but the atmosphere was great and the food was awesome (best chicken I have ever eaten) ! It was nice just to be able to spend all day together instead of celebrating via facetime. I was very sad to leave on Saturday as it felt just as I had settled back into my old routine, I had to go back to Spain. I'm sure it was quite the spectacle as I cried in the middle of O'Hare airport saying goodbye to the boy, but I'll spare you the sob story and move on to my trip to Paris.

I returned back to Granada after a long 10 days and on thursday (Feb 20) left for Paris! Sam, Danielle, Erica, Monika and I took a 5 hour bus (probably the nicest bus I will ever be on) from Granada to Madrid to meet Hannah who is studying in Bilbao. However, traveling through the night really sucks so I don't recommend doing that. We got to Madrid airport around 1:30am and our flight left at 6:30am. Sleeping was practically impossible and finding 5 hours to kill in the airport was rough. Once we got to Paris though, the sleep deprivation was definitely worth it. On Friday, we went up to the top floor of the Eiffel Tower and the view was incredible. In my opinion, the tower at night when it is all lit up is much nicer to see than during the day! We also saw the arc de triumphe and walked around the main shopping area.

Saturday was our biggest day in Paris, and my favorite. We grabbed McDonald's for breakfast (the McGriddles in Paris are seriously the best) and started the day at the Louvre. I wish we had more time in Paris because I could have spent all day at the Louvre, there was so much to see! Of course The Mona Lisa was at the top of our list. After the Louvre, we went to Pont des Artes or the love lock bridge and we all bought a locks to add to it. One side of my lock was dedicated to the boy of course, and the other side to my parents for giving me this wonderful opportunity. Later, we walked to Notre Dame and then to do a little shopping. I have wanted a long champ bag ever since I got here and see 1 in 3 girls with them and what better place to buy one than in Paris where they originated! I can't wait to use it when it gets a little warmer out (: We ate a linner (lunch/dinner) at a really good burger place and then went out at night.

Sunday we walked through some flea markets and had one last good meal before we began our many hours of traveling back to Granada. In my opinion, the food in Paris is just okay and the only two things that really stood out were the nutella and banana crepes and the macaroons! I liked the crepes better than the Macaroons so if you're going to Paris definitely try them! Our flight from Paris landed in Madrid at around 8:00pm and our bus didn't leave until 1:30am which was rough and it was a miracle I made it to all of my classes, especially my 9:00am, after getting to my apartment in Granada at 7:00am. Even though the traveling was long and exhausting, Paris was amazing and I am so glad I was able to see it, I really wish we had more time there. I am also glad that I was able to spend this weekend in Granada relaxing because sometimes I feel like a traveling nomad constantly on buses and planes. Next weekend, I will be going to Barcelona and I can't wait to explore the city! Here are some pictures from my adventure back to the states and to Paris: