Let's Just Walk.

I feel like my feet are literally going to fall off.  I remember first getting to London and walking everywhere just because I could.  I still walk everywhere, but once I hit the main tourist spots in the beginning, I never really went back.  However, this week my friend Hannah was in London.  She had a free day so I took her everywhere!  In total we walked over ten miles... Crazy right?!  I also happened to visit Madrid this weekend!  I walked over twenty-two miles and didn't take one form of public transit (aside from getting to and from the airport).  Needless to say I am exhausted, and I'm pretty sure I lost like ten pounds.

The first night I saw Hannah I took her to Nandos!  Nandos is a Portuguese chicken restaurant that is delicious.  It's a chain across the UK, but it is also expanding it's horizons in Chicago this Summer!  I WILL be visiting.  The next day, I took Hannah and my new friend Nora everywhere I could think of in London.  Buckingham Palace, Camden Market, Notting Hill, Primrose Hill, Harrods, Soho, and the Shard are just a few places we visited on that busy Tuesday!  I got to pretend to be a tour guide and show them my favorite spots.  It was a lot of fun to say, "Oh, and this place has the best view compared to there," and what not.  I have favorite spots.  Sorry, I'm just freaking out a little.

This past Thursday I took off for Madrid, Spain!  I'm still not over the fact that I've been traveling to different countries just for weekend trips.  I absolutely love the location of London!  I left around 2:30pm and arrived around 7pm.  If you can't tell from the pictures, I'm a little obsessed with Kate Spade.  I went with a few of my friends and thankfully one of them knew Spanish!  The first night was spent getting lost trying to find our airbnb, eating tapas, and relaxing.  All in all, it was a great first day in Madrid!

The second day in Madrid is where all of the walking comes into play.  The day began with a nice stroll through Retiro Park.  I got to admire the beautiful buildings, take a deep breath of fresh air, and enjoy the sun.  There is a building called the Crystal Palace in the park that I just had to go to!  The whole place is made of glass, and it was just so gorgeous!  I also got to eat churros con chocolate and paella today!  Both were so so good.  The chocolate came in this huge cup, and the churros just melted in my mouth.  As for the paella...  It was devoured.  My friends and I waited an hour and a half just to eat the paella at this restaurant called Alhombre.  It was well worth the wait, and I'm pretty sure our waitress gave us a whole baguette while we were waiting!  In between the eating, we saw pretty much every famous landmark, explored little alleys, and of course took a siesta.  We couldn't miss an opportunity to partake in a cultural activity.

Saturday I walked more than Friday; I think in total it was about 10.7 miles.  All of the walking was so worth it though because I not only got a good workout, but I also got to see the city too!  On Saturday my friends and I decided to go look at more big monuments in Madrid, then we decided to go to the zoo.  We got calamari sandwiches (which were quite interesting), enjoyed walking around a market, saw famous landmarks, and then started walking in a really really big park.  After walking almost seven miles, we looked up how close the zoo was.  Only about an hour walk or so... AN HOUR.  That being said, we pulled out plan B.  We ended up renting a little boat in Retiro Park and rowed it for awhile.  It was so much fun, and that was probably the most fun I had all weekend!  Saturday was a busy one, but it exceeded expectations and made one tired Janae.

I loved this past week.  Whether I was exploring London a little more with a good friend or walking through unknown streets in Madrid, it was a week I will remember for years to come.  I love getting to travel and see the world, but it really just makes me grateful for what I have in America.  I'm so thankful for my family, my friends back home, and simply the life I live in Wisconsin.  Every comment, letter, message, and call I receive just makes my day, and truly makes me wish everyone could have this experience.  So thank you all so much for all of the love because I wouldn't be here without your support.  These next couple weeks start one crazy month, but I've been trying to finish up all of my school work before I start seeing people from home.  Yes.  I am in school still.  I'm so excited to share more stories and adventures that will be coming shortly, so stay tuned!