"The Spanish Influenza strikes again"

Day 24
On Friday, we packed our bags and hit the road to make our first group trip to northern Spain! On the way up to Santander, we stopped for a few hours in Burgos to visit what some spaniards consider the most beautiful cathedral in Spain. The cathedral was very beautiful - as they all are - but I hesitate to pick a favorite because they're all so outstanding to me. Overall, the cathedrals have many similarities: soaring ceilings, elaborate altars, beautiful stained glass, an aura of solemnity and peace. But at the same time, each cathedral has its own personality. While they all serve the same purpose, no cathedral is exactly similar to another. I think we may have one or two cathedrals left to visit on our trip and I look forward to them because each time, it's a brand new experience for me. And you'll never see cathedrals like these in the States so you really have to soak it all in while you're there. After the cathedral and another great café con leche, we got back on the bus and made our way to Santander. Santander is a small beach town on the northern coast, similar to San Sebastián but a little more industrial. From the beach, you could always see a barge or a ship in the near distance. But the industrial influence doesn't dominate in any way, it's more of a slight presence that only adds to the personality of Santander. Before we left Madrid, our humorous trip director told us that we were staying in a camp ground about a mile away from the beach. So we all had lowered expectations and were shocked when our bus stops in front of a hotel directly on the beach in Santander. Oh Baylor, how you spoil us! Even better, my roommate and I get up to our room and what do you know, we have a beachfront view. It was an amazing surprise! I still can't believe how fortunate we've been this entire trip; this hotel was an over the top treat! We had a great dinner which for most of us was a pick-a-random-item-on-the-menu-because-I-have-no-idea-what-any-of-this-means game. I got lucky and picked some sort of beans and meat dish that was very rich and tasty. After dinner and a walk on the chilly beach (I would come to regret that...) we went back to the hotel to hang out and relax after a long, busy travel day. I should add at this point that nearly everybody was coming down with sore throats/cold-like symptoms but I had held it off all week. Then my throat started hurting...

Day 25
On Saturday, I woke up with a pretty bad sore throat and I felt a little achy. After eating breakfast, I went back upstairs to rest and was dismayed to find that I still felt sick after my nap. So I bit the bullet and accepted that I would have to pass on this great beach day to recuperate and get better. I'm pretty sure that in that 24 hour period between Saturday morning and Sunday morning, I slept a good 21 hours haha. I don't know how I did it but I definitely needed it! Our trip has been so go-go-go that my body had to tell me to stop! So on Saturday I fought the Spanish influenza (and won, don't worry I'm fine now!) and reenergized for my last week in Spain.

Day 26
On Sunday, we said adios to Santander in the morning and drove directly east to Bilbao to visit the Guggenheim, a modern/contemporary art museum. You might recognize the name from the New York museum. I promise there's one in Spain too, we didn't teleport to NYC for the day. Some of the art was really interesting and thought-provoking. I will concede that not all modern art is crazy and nonsensical. But some definitely is! Maybe it just went right over my head but there were a lot of pieces I did not understand or enjoy. It was an experience to say the least. We ended our stop in Bilbao with a picture in front of the giant, 20 foot puppy made of flowers and a delicious lunch. Bilbao is known for its gastronomical delights and I was glad we were able to enjoy some of the food that characterizes this small port town on the northern coast. After Bilbao we got back on the bus to regress back to Madrid. It was quite a long bus ride - we left Santander at 9:00 and got in to Madrid at 8:30, oof - but we don't have any more super long rides left so I won't complain. On Tuesday, we'll take our last trip up to Salamanca and Ávila. I can't believe that we have less than a week left! Our time has flown by so fast. So many things I need to squeeze in with so little time! I better get hopping!

Carrie