Blogette: Stream of Consciousness upon Returning

We drove into Jacksonville on Sunday night, July 19. It had been more than eleven weeks since we left home on our grand (academically-driven) adventure. During those weeks, we went to Northern Virginia, New York, Germany (Frankfurt, Cologne and Aachen), France (Paris) and Spain (Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, Trujillo, Guadalupe, Cordoba, Rota, Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Arcos de la Frontera and Tarifa). We traveled by plane, train, ferry, rental car and taxi, and explored everywhere on foot.

We're back home now ... happy and sad, invigorated and exhausted, richer and poorer.

Here are a few random thoughts:

1. Spain! What a gorgeous, marvelous, evocative country!
2. Spain! The skies are so blue! No clouds at all, just blue skies.
3. Spain! Flowers, history, architecture, religion! I could live there for the rest of my life.
4. Except ... (and I wince as I admit this) ... I did not fall in love with the people.
5. Spaniards (with many exceptions, and we only visited the cities/towns listed above) are not particularly warm.
6. The Spaniards we met generally did not smile.
7. Or relate to us with a happy attitude.
8. That part of our trip was difficult.
9. The exchange rate was horrible and everything was expensive ... after eleven weeks, MasterCard and American Express love us.
10. They love us because they know we will have a mutual relationship for some months to come.
11. Sigh.
12. My Spanish did not improve one iota. Andalucian Spanish is unique ... and uniquely difficult.
13. In addition to the warp speed and particularized pronunciation of the local language, see 5-7 above.
14. I also wince as I admit that I did not love Spanish cuisine.
15. The wine was cheap ... a good thing. Water was expensive ... a bad thing.
16. Tapas ... good occasionally, but not every night.
17. Pork, pork, pork, pork, pork, pork, pork. Pork.
18. Pork.
19. Also octopus and squid.
20. I loved working in the archive. Handling actual documents dated from the 1540s and 1560s was so thrilling to me, I practically cried. I knew I was holding a precious treasure in my hands every day.
21. Every morning as I walked to the archive, I walked past the incredible gothic cathedral; past beautiful horses lined up to pull tourists in elaborate carriages; past hundreds of flying swallows which swooped and cawed overhead.
22. I got to see Corpus Christi in Sevilla from beginning to end, and I will never, ever forget it.
23. I met a Franciscan friar and a Franciscan nun ... which thrilled me.
24. I saw two mind-blowing flamenco performances.
25. Bullfights ... a very complex subject. I hated it; I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
26. I saw the coast of Africa!!
27. The patient and good-humored people traveling on space-A were soberingly inspirational. I have so much ... I should never complain about anything as long as I live.

I am so thankful for this unforgettable summer. Ten years ago if anyone had told me that I would be poised to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in History after having spent the summer living in Sevilla, Spain, and preparing to begin an M.A. in the fall, I would never have believed it. But ... here I am. My cap and gown are hanging in the doorway and gold honor cords, signifying summa cum laude, are draped over my bulletin board awaiting my graduation ceremony on July 31.

I think I may be the luckiest woman in the world.