jbrands, a grey v-neck, and my sam edelman gladiators. ay de mi.
i'm sitting in a cafe/market, 'vips' if you will, staring at a refrigerator filled with soda bottles dressed in potato chip bags and little packaged triangle sandwiches, among other entertainment.
kelsey and i finally found somewhere with internet that wasn't 15euro... actually, i hardly believed the tiny "wifi-gratis" sign on the door.
so my adventure began what honestly seems like weeks ago, on friday. of course it was raining because it's always raining on days like that, days that you know you're going to be sad anyway. i can't tell if i appreciate the sun not shining and mocking my sadness, or if i wish it would be there to brighten things up. either way, it was equal parts sad and rain. all the way to the airport.
when i got there i had a minor luggage crisis, having to stuff what i could into my backpack and check my fully-packed-and-prepared-for-anything intended carry-on. so instead of having enough clothing for 5 days, all of my bathroom things, a pillow and blanket and ted, 3 books, earplugs, and an eyemask, i pretty much had nothing but my laptop, cameras, and travelguide.
i was rushed into a goodbye that mirrored nothing of the one planned in my head. i cried all the way through security, and waved goodbye to robby and my dad between the crowds of people. i walked down an escalator and it hit me that i was alone. my plane didn't leave for another 3 hours and i wouldn't be back for another four months and i was alone.
i pulled myself together as best as i could and found a shuttle to my gate, figuring i'd check it out and get something to eat. i was craving a cobb salad, something i think i'll always crave before i get on a plane because of the first time i ever flew.
on the shuttle i rechecked my stuffed bag to see what i'd managed to bring along for my 7 hour flight. as we rounded the terminals i saw something that made me ignore all of the millions of thoughts running through my head....
the entourage virgin airplane.
!!!
i scribbled "d79" on my hand and as my shuttle arrived at my destination, i got off and did what any other level-headed 21-year old girl about to spend a semester abroad would do. i jumped back on another shuttle and headed to gate d79 to find adrian grenier.
i raced through the airport, which by the way, is really long. really, really long. and d79 is at the very end. and my backpack was giving me swack. (if you get that, i know you're laughing.)
i finally made it to the gate just in time to see the plane outside and the boarding door closing. there were two airport workers and two other people standing there talking excitedly, taking pictures out the window. i'd missed him by about 1 minute.
defeated, i began the even longer walk back to find my gate. i got a $10 'cobb' salad that was terrible, and a $6 bud light that made me feel american. and boarded my plane for what ended up being the most uncomfortable plane ride of my life.
conveniently, there was a beast man snoring behind me the entire way. i was sandwiched in the middle of a large man and a very nice older woman. i slept not at all. i watched a jude law movie and thought all of my thoughts in a british accent until i landed in london at 7am.
i raced to catch my next flight just in time. i slept the 2 hours to madrid.
i met up with some other girls from my program in the madrid airport, and together we got incredible lost, only managed to find half of our luggage, were somehow dumbfounded that everyone was speaking spanish, were abandoned by our program directors, and mostly just laughed at the whole situation.
when we finally arrived at the hotel, i met my other roomies who i love. we checked in, had a meeting, and went out into the city to find some dinner. when we got back to the hotel to get ready, i realized how incredibly lost i was without all of my luggage. livia and i went out so i could by some shampoo, and we added in a 2.90euro bottle of white wine.
after getting ready, finishing the wine and a few more at the hotel bar, we met up with some other friends and hailed a cab to an 8-story club in the center of the city- El Kapital. it was wild. we got to know each other, laughed, danced, and took in the night.
by 5am we were back at out hotel and i realized that on top of the non-sleep from the plane, i had 2 hours before we had to be awake for our trip to el escondrial. yikes.
alas, we made it. and it was lovely. the trip, the town, and the nap on the bus there and back.
