I finally saw Wicked tonight at the Victoria Apollo Theater in London! Another item crossed off of my bucket list.

I am about to run out of minutes on my timed internet session, so I can’t write much, but these two months have been an amazing journey of self-discovery. I might elaborate more on this later…in my journal. My eyes only!

Well, goodbye Europe. it’s been great.

Hello California!

I am delighted to report that today’s weather in London was perfectly sunny with no rain in sight, though I still carried an umbrella around with me just in case. Toured old London today - Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, just to name a few. Then finished the day off with some very delicious burgers at a local pub in Piccadilly Circus (fyi, squares/plazas/centers are called circuses) and the Absolut Ice Bar, which is a bar completely constructed out of ice and inspired by the Ice Hotel in Sweden.

Tomorrow, I am hoping to score some discounted tickets to Wicked because that would be the ideal way to end my European adventure!

with Tower Bridge, NOT London. The London Bridge is actually quite disappointing.

at the Ice Bar. I got to wear an eskimo suit!

Despite constant rain and the fact that I am freezing my butt off, I am enamored with London’s vibe. If I had to pick a metropolitan city to live in for a year, this would be it.

can i have your number? typical london telephone booth. so hard to track down a clean one. i’m going to try again tomorrow.

on my way to Hogwarts!!!

I don’t want to leave Paris! J’adore Paris!!!

the Lourve entrance

Eiffel Tower, duh.

Cala Bassa Beach, Ibiza
Soft sand and clear blue waters. I am definitely not complaining. 

I am absolutely enjoying the vibe in Ibiza right now. Not only am I catching up on much-needed sleep and beach time, but I am loving the fact that I don’t have to worry about real life or other responsibilities right now. This is definitely a good buffer time between Madrid and all the running-around-the-city things I’ll have to do in Paris and London.

No pictures currently, but I will post some soon!

Here I am, 51 days later, almost done packing up all the stuff that I’ve brought and bought. In the last two days since the end of my final, I tried to squeeze in as much  “Madrid” time as I can because I didn’t really get to during the program. I was always either A) in class B) siesta-ing C) off to some European city.

I managed to:

-Round 2 of the Prado: This time, I was able to browse the museum at my own pace and look at the paintings that I wanted to see. Goya, Raphael, El Greco, Fra Angelico, just to name a few.

-Madrileno Food: 2 Failed Attempts. I think I was never meant to try gallinejas, entresijos, or callos a la madrilena aka fried lamb and spicy tripe soup. Appetizing, isn’t it? 

-Orange Cafe: last visit to this place last night, along with everyone in EAP.

-Menu del Dia: I’m going to miss this idea, though I have to admit that it’s too much food.

-Durum Kebab: Shaved chicken and lamb meat rolled in a tortilla-like bread. Spanish burrito? Either way, it was delicious!

-Tour Guide: Some friends were in town, so I gave them a tour of Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Gran Via, and Palacio Real. I think I’ve decided to change my occupation to tour guide. Just kidding.

This time tomorrow, I will be sleeping on a beach. Ok, maybe not at 11:57 pm, but you get the idea. I’m off to Ibiza tomorrow!

Ibiza -> Paris -> London = 11 days.

It’s finally August. While I’m sweating in the sweltering heat of a Madrid summer with a blank piece of paper in front of me that is going to be filled with my last composition for Spanish 34 (aka procrastination), the month I have been waiting for is finally here. When I think of the month of August, many words come to mind: madrid, goodbyes, traveling, ibiza, paris, london, relaxation, exploration, two homes, reunions, happiness. The next 17 days is going to be exciting.

Yesterday, Mary Ann and I finally went to Retiro Park to look at the Crystal Palace. It was more of a greenhouse than a real palace. In fact, its original purpose was to store exotic plans from all over the world. Some kid fell in a trough of water that was part of the art exhibit inside. Poor kid.

Today, visited El Rastro for the last time for souvenirs.

Last weekend in Madrid was time well-spent. I got to relax and explore, exactly what I needed before my adventure.

Now on to that composition and editing that paper…

The Crystal Palace. Pretty isn’t it?

Before heading off to Club Joy with the rest of EAP crew last night, Karen and I had a grand adventure through the streets of Sol, starting with dinner at El Tigre, then free drinks, and then “waltzing” (or at least pretending we knew how to) along to music played by two violinists.

Today, I did some souvenir shopping and raided the Asian grocery store that I saw on my way to the Chinese restaurant, as documented in the previous entry.

I also had a pleasant and happy dream during my siesta today, and it increased my excitement to go home. Eek. Sorry folks, that’s all the details I can give.

7 more days in Madrid.
18 days until I leave Europe.
18.5 days until my parents whisk me off to a Chinese restaurant after I land in LAX. My taste buds can hardly wait.

My Loot: A Very ASIAN Meal