Exploring Toledo Together

 I think the typical Spanish schedule is messing with my sleep schedule. My mom and I had planned to meet at 8 am at Starbucks for breakfast. I got there at 8:30 am. That's not normal for me. I usually get up pretty early without a problem, but I've gotten used to going to sleep later and waking up later. 

 We headed to the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca with my friends, Ninoshka and Gleida. It was so beautiful! I learned that through the years, the purpose it had changed from a synagogue to storage, to a church, to military quarters, and now to a monument. 

 Isn't my mama the cutest? She got this backpack at a nearby store. The material is authentic leather! For real! And the prices for leather products here in Spain are insanely low! It's awesome. 

 Then, we had lunch at the fundacion, did laundry, and took a nap! 

 After a small nap, we walked around a bit and got tapas at a place called Nuevo Almacen. It wasn't the best, but it was pretty good!

 My awesome friend from Toledo, Álvaro (If you're reading this, hola!), came to the spot my mom and I walked to by the Tagus river to meet us and walk with us. We walked and talked lots. It was fun. Then, my mom and I went to sleep because we had a long day ahead of us. 

 Kthnxbai!

So, Maybe I'd Make a Good Tour Guide...

 On Friday morning, we met for breakfast and got tortilla de patatas at a nearby cafeteria. We got a pass for 10 euros for 7 monuments in Toledo, including a mosque, a synagogue, and a monastery. We went to the mosque first, called La Mezquita de Cristo de La Luz. It was so neat! The original mosque with the addition of the church was obvious because of the Arabic influence and the display of Jesus on the cross. 

 I've never thought I am too good at history. But, living in Toledo, I've been able to understand the history of this ancient city. So, as I showed my mom around, I was a tour guide for a day, telling the history behind the architecture, statues, and buildings. It was kinda fun. 

 My mama is amazing! She brought me some pumpkin spice granola bars!! It's what I've been missing from my life this fall!!

 After a quick tour of the Fundacion, meeting my roommates, and eating lunch, my mom went to a wine tasting, at which I nibbled on some cheese. It was also a tiny museum, so we learned a little bit about Manchego cheese! 

 This is the wine she tasted. The label is pretty! 

 A pretty coffee she got later at a place called Santo Café!

 For the rest of the day, we walked around and looked around in some stores before getting dinner. 

 I was super excited because I found an adapter where I can charge my phone AND use my earphones at the same time. Amazing, right? Now, I don't have to bother my roommates with the French music I listen to before I go to sleep while charging my phone!

 We got some delicious baked codfish for dinner and called it a day!

 It was super fun showing my mom the little and big things I love about this city. 

 Kthnxbai! 

Estoy en Madrid con mi mama

 I spent the day in Madrid with my mom last week! Yes, you read that right, my mom came to Spain! I woke up at three in the morning, took a bus at four, took the metro to the airport, and waited for her to arrive. It was crazy at first because her flight was delayed by five hours and then we couldn't find each other. But, after we found a cute coffee shop, it was good! 

 We also found this cute place that had some good lemonade, sangria, coffee, pastries, and a cool patio outside. 

 She only brought a backpack to hold everything she needs for nine days, so it was huge and heavy. We took turns wearing it and called it the "baby". 

 This is one of the universities in Madrid, University Carlos III de Madrid. 

 I love the fall colors coming through! I don't see as much in Toledo.

 After walking around a bit, we went to the Reina Sofia Museum, a museum of 20th century art from Spain. We saw a lot of art by Picasso and Juan Miro. It was cool, but my favorite is still the Prado Museum. 

 After that, we got tapas at a nearby restaurant that had tapas from the Basque country, an area of Spain in the northeast. Mama was amazed because, well... tapas are awesome! The food we ate and is not pictured was goat cheese with tomato on top of bread. It was delicious!

 We were really tired from walking around, so we started in the direction to the bus station to go to Toledo. 

 Her hostel is pretty awesome! It's not amazing, but it's as cool as a hostel can get! There is a terrace with an awesome view of Toledo and a shared kitchen! 

 After a long day in Madrid with my mom, we both decided to get ready for bed and sleep! I'm so glad my mama is here with me. It's such a blessing. 

 Kthnxbai!