Over the past week I have been traveling with my parents through Lisbon and Portugal. We started in Salamanca seeing the cathedral, university, Rio Duero, and Plaza Mayor and then spent 2 days in Madrid, where we toured the Prado, saw a bull fight (quite the experience), ate lunch in the market, went to the Madrid cathedral, and even got to see LuLu and Bella for dinner. Being the foodie that I am, I loved the market, where you could pick and choose from tons of different food carts all with delicious little tasters of their specialties. Seeing LuLu and Bella was also quite a treat. For those of you who don’t know, LuLu is the German exchange student that lived with my family for a year during highschool and quickly became a sister to me. Bella is her twin sister and was studying is currently interning in Madrid, which is why LuLu came to visit her. It all just worked out so perfectly, the 5 of us happening to be in Madrid at the same time, which is why I know it was a God orchestrated gathering. Coincidences like that are really just God showing off his handy works in my opinion. We have now gotten to see LuLu once at least every 2 years; a testament to how once someone touches your life that way, they never really leave.
After Madrid the Mohring-Bragga crew headed to Portugal, where Rick’s grandparents were born. Interesting fact: Braga is actually a town in Portugal, but when his grandparents came to the US they added an extra “g” to make the name sound more American. Other interesting fact: braga means underwear in Spanish… do with that what you will. In Lisbon, Portugal we visited the St. George Castle, Monastery of Saint Geronimo, Belem tower, various squares, parks, and monuments, and the famous pasteleria which sells the typical Portuguese desert pastry. We then took a side trip to Sintra, a beautiful town 45 minutes outside of Lisbon, definitely a gem off the beaten path and likely one of my favorite stops of the trip. In the minimal time we had there we saw the Palacio Naional da Pena and the Castelo dos Mouros. After Lisbon it was off to Andalucía, in the south of Spain, where we spent a day each in Cordoba, Seville, and Granada. I had already visited these towns, so a couple hours each afternoon was spent with me taking much needed naps while my parents visited sights I had already seen. We were able to add at least one new sight for me in each place which was great. In Cordoba we toured through the Festival of Patios, a yearly celebration where locals compete in how elaborately they can decorate their patios with flowers; quite the photographic experience. We also visited the Alcazar, a palace and surrounding gardens from the days of Ferdinand and Isabel where the conquest of Granada was planned. In Seville we visited the Plaza de España and Maria Luisa Park, and also enjoyed a nice walk along the river at night. In Granada we spent a whole day at Alhambra (a revisit for me) touring the Palacio de Carlos V, Palacios Nazaries, and the Moorish fortress Alcazaba.
In Granada I experienced a bit of an emotional breakdown. Don’t get me wrong, traveling around with my parents was great, but I just really wanted to be home. Throughout our 10 days of travel I slept on a train, lived out of a suitcase, slept in 5 different pull out beds (which pale in comparison to the heavenly cloud I sleep on at home), had to adjust to being back under parental control, and realized I was coming back into a family dynamic which had changed a lot in the 4 months I way away. All together it was a lot to take emotionally, add that to both parents being on edge (rick due to getting his wallet stolen the first day and mom due to being sick) and it was what they call somewhat of a disaster. Luckily, after one tearful night, we all seemed to be back on track (for the most part) and were able to make it through the trip without any permanent damage. When telling people we made it 11 days together staying in the same hotel room, they say we should be sainted, and I quite agree.
After our 3 day tour through Andalucia it was back to Madrid for a day where we enjoyed a leisurely walk through the city and visited Retiro Park. In Retiro Park we saw the Palacio de Velazquez, the Palacio de Cristal and took a row boat around the famous lake there. It was the perfect way to say goodbye. Then next morning, we somehow managed to get our lifetime’s worth of suitcases to the airport and make it on the planes. My parents flew a different airline than I did (so they could use miles) and therefore would make it home about 6 hours before I would. Wait a minute… who has been gone for 4 months? I would have found this unfair if it weren’t for the fact that my parents each checked one of my bags, so I figure we could call it even.
During my 10 hour layover in DC, my friend John picked me up and we went to dinner. My first meal back in the states… Chick-fil-a, and it has never tasted so good! After an hour long car dance party John took me back to the airport where I rushed to my gate only to find out I had a 3 hour delay and would not be taking off until midnight. I patiently waited in the airport and made myself comfortable while I watched hundreds of very mad customers yelling at United workers because their flights had also been delayed or worse, cancelled. When I finally made it to Richmond, I waited at the luggage carousel until it was turned off, consequently without my bag on it. I then walked over to the United luggage office where I found my bag sitting behind a locked glass door. I figured this was like my final test to see if I could make it. Turns out I didn’t pass. After asking one of the Delta workers nearby how I could get my bag he said the guys would be down in “just a second.” About 30 minutes later, as I was choking back tears and having visions of throwing my carry-on bag through the glass to get to my luggage, the United worker leisurely makes his way to the office. He then has the audacity to ask me in the rudest voice I have ever heard “is there something I can do for you,” as if my presence is inconveniencing him. I said “there most certainly is sir,” trying with all my might not to leap across the luggage and attack him, “my bag is over there and I would like it.” Around 1:30am I made it to the car, and amazingly no one died. I consider this a victory :)
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