The Ups and Downs

Hello my beautiful, avid readers! What shall I inform of you first? My Spanish is still muy mal. Oh woe is me! Will I ever get the hang of this language? I swear my tongue works against me as it refuses to make the sounds needed of it.

I have also been quite ill with homesickness. Such a sad sickness really. It often involves teary eyes and a sadden soul. Now, it is not that I don't love Madrid. I think it is a lovely city, and I am enjoying my adventures out into it. It doesn't prevent that longing for my own niche I've made some 6,000 miles away. I am filled with a longing for the loved ones that are back home (that are eagerly awaiting for my return). I miss my family, my friends, and of course mi amor (Estabon!). I know it is not an uncommon thing to be homesick, and everyone tells me that it will pass. However, I think that I will constantly miss my loved ones. I may have the travel bug buried inside me, but I am still quite a homebody as well. I will enjoy my time here, but I will also be counting down the days until my feet touch California once more.

Well, shall we move on to less depressing topics?

Today I ventured out into Aranjuez with a wonderful girl named Sophie. She is another au pair here, but she is from Ireland (the lucky lass!). We took the train which was a great experience in itself. I love train rides and this was my first here! We got off on the wrong stop, but that is what exploring is about right? Making wrong turns here and there, but finding things you never thought of before. We waited for the next train and jumped on once more. Three stops later we were at our destination! It is a beautiful place about 40 minutes south of Madrid. Do not fret! I will attach pictures below. So demanding...

Anywho! We got a late start and arrived there maybe past 5pm or so. Our first priority was to find food as we were both starved. Finding food was quite the challenge. Everywhere was closed! Hours here are so different than the US. We finally found a place, but the kitchen was closed for another 15-20 minutes. So, we ordered some cold cokes and they gave us some chips.  Oh, another thing that is different here than back home is that refills on drinks cost money. Which is terrible for me because when I get hot I gulp down my drink. Which I did today... It is a strange thing to miss about home, but I miss my refills! When I return I shall be like Thor and shout "ANOTHER" every time my drink is finished. Okay, back on track! We got our food and fed our tummies. Once our tummies were quite happy we went to explore the Royal Palace and the beautiful gardens. It really was quite beautiful. I think it is my favorite place so far here in Spain. I could spend hours there. Before it got too late we jumped back on the train and headed back to Madrid.

I suppose that is all for now. Next weekend I am going out with Sophie again, but this time to hang out by a lake. That will be fantastic considering it is so hot here I am pretty sure I am going to just melt into a puddle.