The Alexis Angle – Spain

Wow, we did it, this is our final stop on gap year. Country number eleven, overall stop number thirteen, and then we’ll be back home. I think this place was a great spot to end, because we’re all ready to go home, but none of us are dying to get out of here (like we would be if we had finished in The Philippines). These are the most memorable things from our last stop on gap year:

The Beach (and how I was scarred for the rest of my life)

So before we came here, my parents warned us that some of the women at the Barcelona beaches go topless. I was baffled when I heard this because, WHAT? They do what now? It turns out though, that not only do we see topless women, but I got a full glimpse of a naked old man strolling across the beach as we walked by. It. Was. Traumatizing. Me and my friend now have a running joke about how happy I’ll be to go back to a pool where everyone is wearing something.

The Pigeons

I hate the pigeons here. They are the worst. To start, they are everywhere and they don’t seem to understand the concept of personal space. I have, many times, had to duck to avoid getting my head blown off from a pigeon that decided to dive bomb me. If I hated them before, I hate them even more now when a pigeon freaking pooped on my arm! It was, the most, DISGUSTING THING in the world. Now every time I walk past a pigeon, I tell it I hate it.

Las Fritas

These are absolutely delicious. Basically, they’re french fries that are put in a cone-shaped container and then covered in toppings of your choice. I saw these the first day we got here and it was love at first sight. I badgered my parents consistently until they finally relented and let us get them. I got them covered in the Las Fritas sauce and melted cheese and it was the best french fries I have ever eaten. I’m probably going to go back to Colorado and bribe McDonalds into starting a Las Fritas menu.

Our Stairs

When we left Portugal, I thought we left all hill-climbing behind. I remember the first few days we were here, I marveled constantly at the flat ground and easy-walking. Well, I was wrong. To get to our condo, which is supposed to be on the fourth floor, we climb up five flights of stairs. These aren’t easy flights either, they are long, and tiring, and suck to climb every single time.

The Spanish Language (and why I wasn’t cut out for it)

The moment we got to Spain I knew I had made a rookie mistake: thinking that my conversation with locals would be just as simple as calling Lily on Duolingo. What I learned from my time in Spain is that Lily seriously needs to step up her game and learn some Spanish because I was not learning Spanish. If I told you all every single time I stared wide-eyed at someone who spoke to me in the tiniest Spanish and then laughed awkwardly as my brain short-wired . . . this blog post would never end. Instead, just ask me to tell you in person in full detail and I will happily re-live my embarrassment with you.

Overall, Spain has been a great spot to end our year of adventure. I am SO grateful to have been able to do this year and I constantly tell my parents that this was the best year of my life. If I could re-do this year knowing everything that would happen, I wouldn’t change a single thing. Home here we come!