Playing Catch Up: April Updates

Relevant words & a reminder to sigue adelante

Happy spring, everyone! I don't know about you, but so far this season has flown by. These past couple of months have been filled with nonstop travel, chaotic days at work, wine nights with friends, exploring Spain extensively, and enjoying Madrid on a tight budget. Balancing teaching, blogging, travel and friend-time has been a bit of a challenge lately, but I'm working on catching up, getting organized and reprioritizing. 

Coming Soon

I've got so many backlogged posts and stories to share with you, especially about my spring break trip to the Canary Islands! My good friend Amy of Restless Fork and I had a magical time exploring Tenerife and Gran Canaria (and tasting our way through the islands, of course). Between Puerto de la Cruz, Costa Adeje and Las Palmas, I fell irreversibly in love with the Canaries - and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

But that's not all! Tomorrow I leave for Santiago de Compostela, a lush hidden gem in the north of Spain. This stunning city in Galicia has been calling my name for quite some time now, and I can't wait to have my friend Trevor of A Texan in Spain show me around. Stories to come soon!

I'm currently working on a guide to Eating Gluten-Free in Madrid, which I'm excited to share once I wrap up my "research". (Man, taste testing is such a chore... right?!) In the meantime, I may have to sprinkle another post or two about Barcelona in the mix. That city has seriously gotten under my skin!

Black sand beaches in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife

So what's the plan for next year?

As some of you may remember from my quarter life crisis post, I couldn't decide whether to stay in Spain or go back home to the USA next year. Unfortunately, not much has changed since then. My heart still wants to stay in Madrid, but my brain is still telling me to go back home.

So, I'm leaving it up for the fates to decide. Out of the three teaching programs I've applied to in Madrid, at this point I'm only banking on one of them. If that program excepts me, I will stay in Spain for another year. If I'm rejected from the program, I'll move back to Seattle and figure out the next steps. (Which would probably entail grad school, a potential move to California, and lots of Chardonnay to cope with the inevitable Spain withdrawals.)

So, we'll see what the universe has in store! Since it's about a 50/50 chance either way, I'm trying to have an open mind and be content with both options. Advancing my career and reuniting with Kitty Purry, Whole Foods and my teal KitchenAid wouldn't be all too terrible, but the mere thought of leaving Madrid tears me up inside.

Time to take advantage of balcony picnic season in Madrid!

Adventures Ahead

A few days after I get back from Santiago de Compostela, I'll be headed to TBEX - Europe's largest travel blogging conference! This year TBEX is being held in Costa Brava, Spain - just a hop, skip and a jump away from Barcelona. Since it's so close to Madrid this year, I figured "why not?" and signed up on a whim.

Although my blog isn't big enough to compete with the mega-successful travel bloggers who regularly attend these conferences, I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to grow my blog and make new blogger friends! And thankfully, I'll have my dear friend Erica of The One with Wanderlust by my side to calm my anxieties! Seasoned veterans, have you got any advice for us first-timers?

Following TBEX, my dad is finally coming to visit Madrid (hooray!), followed by one of my old sorority sisters. After that I'll be headed to Oviedo in northern Spain, and then Copenhagen. My mom is coming to visit again at the end of June, so after school lets out we'll be venturing to Granada and Mallorca!

Between those confirmed trips, I'd like to squeeze in a beach weekend in Cádiz, eat my way through San Sebastián, and make the most out of life in Madrid. My "Madrid Bucket List" is still a mile long, and there's about a thousand restaurants and rooftop bars I'm still dying to try out.

So much to explore, so little time!

Stay Tuned!

Whether next year keeps me here in Madrid or brings me back home to the States, good things are a brewing on this here blog. You can follow along in real time on Instagram, or on my recently inaugurated Facebook page. (It's about time I finally caved!)

So what's new with you? Any updates?

In the future, is there anything you'd like to see more of on this blog?