First Weekend!

My first full weekend in Spain was a complete success :) Two of the girls and I went to Toledo (pronounced Toe-Lay-Doe for all you Americans out there haha) yesterday. IT WAS GORGEOUS!! I was so proud of us for figuring out the Renfe (train) and getting ourselves from Avila to Toledo. We left the Residencia at 6:15ish AM and we hopped on the 6:50 train to Chamartin in Madrid. Then we bought tickets to Atocha (also in Madrid, just a bigger station with more destinations), and from Atocha we were able to catch a train to Toledo. We were in Toledo by 11 AM and we were super happy with ourselves! haha While we were waiting in Atocha, though, we stopped for breakfast. It was arguably the best breakfast I have ever had: Chocolate Crepes and Cafe con Leche!!! I mean, you can't get much better than that. 

Once we got to Toledo, we saw a bunch of tour guide-type excursions, but we opted to just explore by ourselves. I'm really glad we did! The architecture in the city is absolutely stunning. I couldn't believe some of the buildings we saw! And the little alleys with apartments? So cute. We felt like we were in a movie! 

There was so much to see and do and we walked for hours just staring! We went into a lot of different shops--some more "touristy" than others--and had a blast just walking around and talking. I really feel like I got to know the girls better and I'm glad we decided to go together. :) 

One shop that we went into was small but looked fancy from the outside. There was a little old man and a woman (his daughter maybe?) who owned the shop. They were incredibly kind. Everything in the shop was handmade by them--and there was a lot of stuff! It was all super gorgeous. There was everything: jewelry, swords, hand mirrors, credit card holders, pottery, and more! The man and woman walked around the store with us, telling us what each piece was made out of; they were just so nice! I would post a picture of what I bought, but it's a gift for my mom. :) After we paid, though, the old man told us to wait a moment. He went  

towards the back of the store and picked out three post cards, one for each of us! And he gave them to us as gifts. He gave us each a different one and told us what the picture was. It was literally the sweetest part of my day--it made my day! 

Side note: we found a McDonalds, and I'm happy to report that even in Europe, McDonalds still has the best soda ever. Even though the Diet Coke doesn't really taste like Diet Coke, it was still the best I've had!! ha! 
This week is a short week because of Semana Santa (Easter Week, essentially). We go to school until Wednesday. Then, on Friday, one of the girls and I will be flying to Rome!! Needless to say, we are extremely excited about our upcoming trip! 

I'm going to get myself ready for the day and then head out to do some exploring of Avila by myself. I think some "me time" is in order. I'm hoping to find a little cafe to have breakfast and then do some grocery shopping. Adios!