Vacation Recap Part II: Alicante and IASE Conference
After wiping our eyes, I was finally introduced to our chauffer Lola’s brother Edu, who generously played driver for us the entire time we were in town. THAT guy has got it together! He is 23 and about to spend a year studying in Paris to finish up his degree in Engineering. On top of that, he is funny and smart, and a heck of a watch dog when people start getting crazy (like crappy cab drivers in Paris…more on that later). He rocks! (Hi Edu!!) 
So, we got home, and I toured the house, and met Mamá who is completely wonderful and Dad (Rafa) who is really, really, really smart and considerate. 
They are super sweet people for letting me stay with them (and later, Daron too!) and they have a beautiful home. Before I passed out from exhaustion, Mamá presented me with a present, a beautiful Spanish fan. After a quick lesson on how to flick it open and closed like a pro, I was ready to crash. Lola and I were catching a train in the morning to the Mediterranean coast and the city of Alicante.
In the morning, we got on the train, and I have to admit, it was completely awesome! It was a great temperature, roomier than a plane, and the scenery was amazing. I’m so glad I had that experience. When we got there, it was time for me to head to the conference packet-pickup, and touch base with my school people.
The next few days were a mixture of work and play. In the mornings I would go to the conference to work a little bit (because my professor was the organizer of the whole shebang) and learn. In the afternoons, I would meet up with Lola and we’d go walking around Alicante to window shop, eat, or visit the beach. After 2 days, I think, Edu and Rafa (the other Rafa, Lola’s amazingly smart and funny boyfriend) drove down and spent the last 2 days in Alicante too. Their hotel was just up the street from us, and it was nice to have some men folk around to protect us delicate-female-type-flowers. hehe.
Highlights of Alicante include:
- the first of 3 Nutella crepes that I ate while I was in Europe,
- a PERFECT day at the beautiful (boobie covered) beach,
- seafood paella,
- discovering lemon KAS (best soda ever),
- falling in love with Spanish café con leche,
- sunrise over breakfast on conference days,
- the adorable streets in Alicante (once you get far enough away from the touristy part),
- and my first conference presentation!
To briefly mention my presentation, I’ll say that it went really well, I think. I had a relatively big turn out for the numbers there, and I got lots of positive feedback! It was an amazing experience, and I’m sure I’ll present more in the future. For what it’s worth, I think that the “RCC” is more suited for classroom teachers’ development, but it went well anyway. On top of that, I got to spend a lot of time with my mentors (doc students that are also TA’s in some of my classes)… those girls are amazing. I learned so much from them. Maybe one day soon, I’ll feel like a peer, and not their dumb student. haha.
At the last minute, we decided that we’d get a refund on our return train ticket and go back to Madrid with the boys via car! It was a great ride back, and I had my first taste of Spanish tortilla (which has nothing to do with flour or corn) at a GAS STATION cafe but eventually became my favorite Spanish food.
Back at home, we have come time to kill in Madrid before hubs shows up, so we need to find a way to keep ourselves busy!
Up Next- Part 3: Madrid before and after hubster’s arrival!
If you missed part 1 of my Vacation Recap, you can read it all here.
Well, I’m back!! Daron and I have partially recovered from our 17+ hours of transit time from yesterday. It was a really, really, really long flight home. I’m so glad to be home, but I have to tell you that I miss Madrid so much, and the family I met there.
I have no idea how many blog posts it will take for me to get it all out, but I’ll try to be clear and mention all of the good parts in turn.
I have 1,168 photos from the trip and when I tried to trim it down to “highlights” I only got it down to 298!! HA! Anyway, that means that there are a crap ton of photos, which I will gladly link to, but there are a lot to wade through.
So, I guess I’ll begin at the beginning.
Part 1: Crossing the Pond and the Hug of a Lifetime.
I was so excited on departure day, that I am positive my husband considered dropping me off at the airport 5 hours early just to be rid of me. I was anxious to be traveling alone, but the staff @ lufthansa was really nice. My seatmate was a very kind, but very severe Finnish man, who reminded me of one of the bad guys from Indiana Jones. When I took my seat with my massive backpack, he offered to put it in the overhead bin for me. When I refused (as all of my junk was in there) and told him I’d keep it under my seat, he chuckled and said he’d be happy to move it for me when I got tired of having my knees in my chest after 6 hours. (I should note that this very comment prevented me from asking him to move it for me when I got tired of having my knees in my chest after 6 hours.) I didn’t get much sleep, though I tried… At one point, I woke, and kept smelling something funny. It took me about an hour to figure out that it was the gaping mouth of the Lars on my right. Ugh. The food wasn’t anything to write home about on this flight, but was certainly appreciated. Entertainment while on board was pretty okay, I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic, Duplicity, and I Love You, Man 
The layover was a BEATING. I arrived about 8.5 hours before my connecting flight was to take off, so when I asked a lady how I was supposed to go about getting my boarding pass, she either misunderstood, or thought I looked gullible, because she told me just to “Exit”… I took that to mean that I needed to fully exit the airport and re enter so that I could go to the ticket counter again. (which it turns out I DEFINITELY did not need to do) this process ended up taking almost a full hour, because the Frankfurt airport is a REALLY big travel hub. When I got to the passport counter, the German passport control was a really big and intimidating guy. I swear he looked at me for, like 3 minutes, up and down at my passport picture. It made me nervous! I swear I started sweating and my face got red, like I was guilty! Anyway, after about a thousand minutes, he slammed his stamp against my passport without looking down and said, “Velcome to Germany”… hehe. It was pretty funny.
In the airport, I had a LONG time to kill, which I filled with mulling around the duty free shops, hunting for an ATM, playing on my DSi (Daron’s graduation present for me!!), and having a skype convo with Daron once he finely got up! The flight into Madrid went pretty fast, but when we started our decent, I started to lose it. I was looking down on the Madrid area, and hoping my new traveling companion (that suspiciously enough, I can NOT for the life of me remember ANYTHING about… creepy) wouldn’t notice the tears starting to well in my eyes. The close we got to the ground, the more I had to fight them back. The anticipation, the uncertainty, the anxiety… it just kept building.
The wait for my luggage almost unbearable… I finally grabbed my bag from the belt frantically, and ran for the exit door. I couldn’t keep my tears from falling at this point, and my breathing was strained… on the verge of hyperventilation. Was she there? Did she find the right gate? Was there an accident that might keep her from being there on time? Does my hair look okay? I should have stopped to pee. What if she doesn’t like me… What if i don’t recognize her…
The faces at the curb were all strange and new. Signs beckoned for “Smiths” and “Lopez”, and people on tiptoes pressed against the railings, looking for those who had traveled to see them. Shirts were rubbed flat, taxis were being hailed, and people were struggling with the almost-too-full suitcases they tugged behind them. And then, above the sea of strange faces, one that I knew and love… one with eyes, full of tears like mine, one of my beautiful Lola, waiting, just like me, to hug the sister she’s never touched.
We couldn’t get to each other fast enough, and yes, we were those crazy people in the airport who are hugging and crying in front of everyone. I knew she was tall, but I still smiled as I looked up at her. I know her voice, but her laugh was so light and joyful, it took me by surprise… I already memorized the shape of her glasses, and the brown of her hair, but I could never have imagined the warmth of her hugs. My sister, my friend, my lola. 
Up next, Alicante and the IASE Conference!
travel tips (+ travel freebies!)
While I don’t claim to be a travel goddess, I think that my completely ridiculous tendency to plan and research everything has helped me track down some pretty sweet travel tips and goodies for the woman on the go (and around the world)! Chicks have specific travel needs… and they are very different than that of our male counterparts. Here are some of the things that I’m using on my trip…
1. The HATBUS daily wardrobe figure-outer.
I made this up, because I’m crazy. I just jot a little stick figure, and the word HATBUS on a little note pad and it helps me plan what I’m going to wear (and what to pack) for everyday!
Hair, Accessories, Top, Bottom, Undies, and Shoes
2. Lined Trip Notes.
I made these, because I LOVE writing out lists. This is the perfect note paper for writing down your list of things to do, to buy, and to pack for your trip. For me, I liked the free form way that the categories are divided, because my notes are often misshapen and random. I just print out a page or two of these and use them to collect my thoughts for the trip in one place. (and NOT on a million post-its.
Click below to download the PDF!
(please comment if taking. )
3. My perfect Itinerary worksheet
I like to have an itinerary… and I like it to be detailed. I want to be able to write down things, in the order that they happen, as well as jot any pertinent information regarding that activity in one place. For that, I use this 2-day per page itinerary format. I like that it folds, long ways, and that I can see 2 days at one time. It lets me track things by the hour, which helps keep me organized. For me, it is the perfect itinerary planning worksheet. I type what I know in the Excel Document, print it out, and update other information, as it develops in pencil.
Click below to download the XLS!
(please comment if taking. )
4. Great travel snacks
I REFUSE to blow my vacation money on airport food and fast food that is bad for me. I LOVE junk food. But with a little planning, I can leave my (8 hour!) layover with a clear concience. I want to eat like a queen while I’m on vacation, but not in the airport. So, I will be bringing some really great snacks.
- Fruit
- Peanut Butter packets (I found mine at Sprouts)
- Home Made Muffins (I’m making zuchinni and something else… I haven’t decided yet. )
- Home Made TRAIL MIX! – For way cheaper (And healthier), I went to the bulk bins at the whole food store (Again, I went to sprouts) and put together my own trail mix including: raw almonds, dried apple rings, dried apricots, dried raisins, peanuts, roasted peas, sunflower seeds, annie’s cheddar bunnies, and peanut butter puffins. It isn’t SPOT on the recommended daily break down of proteins and fats, but it is pretty close, and I will be eating it as a full meal:
I suppose that is all… (I can’t think of a 5th one! GAH! that makes me crazy. haha.)
I hope that these tips help you in your travels… Have a great day!
I’ve FINISHED!
Well, last week, I finished my internship, and a day later, I finished my last paper so that means I am DONE with grad school!! YAY! I have to admit that I love, LOVE what I studied, and I will miss the learning. I will not miss the papers, notebooks, or the APA… I hope that the crew up at school keeps me around. I know I’d love to help out at conferences and continue to make presentations.
So, in August, I’ll graduate with my Masters of Education in Special Education with my emphasis on transition services for adolescents with emotional/behavioral disorders. I’ll also have my behavior specialist certificate and my transition specialist certificate! SHINY!
So, the good news is that now, I get to focus on SPAIN!!
I leave at the end of the week, and won’t return until about the end of the month, so the blog is sure to get dusty. I’ll be writing some blogs while I’m there, perhaps… or maybe on the plane back. But for now, I pack.
I’m sure I’ll pop in a couple more times before I fly out, because I promised you guys a rundown on the illustrious Lola…
I’m pretty much on cloud nine now, because I’m done with school and about to embark on this amazing journey, so Adios for today!
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