Week 6: Sunshine, Spain, and Souvenirs

I am so sorry that I have not been posting on my normal schedule! I tried to post on Thursday, but my laptop wouldn’t connect to the Copenhagen airport wifi! I also was going to try to get this post out on Sunday night, but there was so much to do and see in Barcelona that I simply could not tear myself away from the Spanish sunshine to write on my laptop indoors. Up until Thursday, last week was pretty low key because I wanted to get ahead on all my schoolwork and pack, so I could fully enjoy myself all weekend. I left on Thursday after class for Spain. Don’t worry, I am planning on writing an extensive Barcelona post later this week. This weekend was EXTREMELY fun! I took Spanish from middle school to high school, and I always fantasized about the pictures in my textbooks of the beauty, sunshine, history, and rich culture of Spain. It did not disappoint. I am so thankful to have had three full days in Spain, a new country that I will definitely be making a return to sometime later in life!

Something that excites me: I’m starting to feel a little repetitive here, and I am really sorry about that. However, if you know me, you know how excited I am at the fact that my parents come in 3 DAYS! I have a detailed itinerary of what we are going to do in Copenhagen, and my mom has been planning Munich, Germany, and London, England, but honestly I think I would be completely content sitting in a room all weekend catching up with them! Getting to share in the beauty of Europe is just a HUGE added bonus.

Something I am thankful for: Seeing Spain made me so thankful for the ability to travel. There have been so many times this semester where I have just sat back and thought, “Wow, this is such a surreal experience. Not many people get to do this.” I can honestly say that I don’t think there are many moments that I take for granted here.

Something I miss: This is a funny “something I miss,” that is so characteristically Abby that many people will probably not understand. I was trying to relax a lot last week, so I was really well rested for Spain. I am an AVID HGTV viewer at home, and I am obsessed with the show Fixer Upper (why is season 5 the last season? Still crying). I really have not been getting my HGTV fix here in Copenhagen. I tried to stream it online, but it doesn’t work. I mean if this is my biggest problem, I think I am living a pretty tremendous life, so I’m okay with it. My whole family just better know that on May 13^th the TV is mine for a long, long Fixer Upper marathon.

Something I can’t get enough of: The Spanish sunshine. My friend Sydney (who is studying in Barca) said that we literally picked the perfect weekend because it had been cloudy there the past few weeks. The weather gods definitely knew that we were making the trek from Scandinavia because the sun didn’t stop shining all weekend. I took FULL advantage of this. My face was actually slightly pink the other day. So much vitamin D. So much happiness.

Something I bought: I don’t think I have shared yet that in every country I go to, I am buying a Christmas tree ornament as a souvenir (thank you to my best friend, Hannah, at home for the idea). I bought my Barcelona ornament this weekend! My Christmas tree will now forever remind me of the beautiful experiences of this wonderful semester.

I don’t want to share any photos from Spain because they will all be featured in my post for Thursday! I apologize for the lack of pictures, but here are a few moments from another fabulous week in Copenhagen. Also! I know I mentioned the taco dinner in my last post, and I wanted to update on that. It was a huge success. No one got salmonella, and we all finished Sunday dinner with fully, happy bellies.

This is a shot of Stroget; the longest shopping street in Copenhagen!