three cities // three weekends
three cities // three weekends
Hello babes!
It has been a little while. Time flies, but when does it not? Recently it has been hard to sit down and write about the past couple of events. It seemed as if every time I sat down to write I was getting ready for the next trip or resting from the last one. So, quick download. My friends and I hit Florence for four days mid February. We had our mid semester vacation from school the following week so we decided to spend it in Madrid. That Friday we left for Budapest, spent four days there and returned Monday night. We had school when we got back and we tried our best to go to the three days we were in Madrid because we had a flight Thursday to Barcelona for AbroadFest. Lydia flew early Sunday morning and Elizabeth and I returned Sunday night by train.
My body rather hated me, and I lost most of my voice by the time our weekend in Barcelona was finished. It came back though... but as far as the rest of me, I was exhausted but not the kind sleep fixes. It was a mental exhaustion. The traveling had been a bit whirlwind, and even though each experience was unique in its own... the days began to blend.
I have done some short write ups of each city, what stood out to me, what I loved about them, and I included some pictures of each. I took film in Florence and Budapest, they are getting developed now but I will post them when they are done!
Florence:
oh where do I start... It was my second time visiting florence but once is never enough, not when it is florence. My friend has a house in Tuscany so we stayed there, it is a twenty five minutes drive from Florence. Every day we drove into the city and explored, did the touristy things and what ever else called to us. Florence as you can imagine has amazing food and as a result I genuinely think I ate my body weight in cheese and pasta. It is one of those cities that exceeds your expectations, it is exactly as you would imagine it, every side street looking like it belongs in a movie. The second night we went out to celebrate my friend Lydia's 19th birthday. It was one for the books surely.
Budapest:
What initially started off as an elaborate plan to visit some of the cities of Eastern Europe was soon scratched. That is one thing i've learned from studying abroad, no matter how far in advance you try to plan, last minute things always have a tendency of changing. You learn just to go with it. So instead of hitting three different cities we choose one- Budapest.
Budapest was very different from the other cities I have visited, it was rich in history in a Eastern European way, you could see it in everything. The city's story hung in the colorless architecture in an oddly charming way. I kept finding myself taking photos of cracked buildings, and cute rustic shops. We walked around practically all-day every-day, visiting all the landmark spots, viewpoints, and best restaurants. Budapest also has a bar scene unlike anything else. They are pub ruin bars, aesthetically pleasing, crazy-decorated, ruins. The dimly lit venues surely know how to make an impression.
Barcelona- AbroadFest:
It was not my first time to Barcelona but it was my first music festival. My three friends and I heard about this music festival early into the first few weeks of our second semester in Madrid. As the hype grew around this event we undeniably knew we "had" to go. We booked our tickets in advance and a friend hooked us up with a price deal on the tickets.
Ahead of time I knew I was signing up for a weekend of no sleep. The layout of the artists each night/day started late and ended early... in the morning. Usually I only bring my carry-on bag for all my trips but this weekend called for a lil more. I packed a large suit case with any clothes that I thought I could mix and create looks with. This trip was different than the normal ones, and I was ok with being a little extra. It was insane, I got to see Louis The Child, Slushii, Chris Lake, K?D, and more artists.
Instead of flying home I decided to join my friend and take the train back to Madrid. The view was incredible. As tired as I was I couldn't sleep, I was too consumed with the view of the rolling hills of green and tan. I went on my phone and clicked on a podcast from two of my favorite Instagram girls, Allie Michelle and Raquelle Mantra. They have a podcast where they simply breathe light into their listeners and chat about a ton of sick topics regarding astrology, crystals, meditation, dimensional realities and so much more. If you ever have some free time or are simply curious but don't want to go through the process of finding a book and reading it. Check their podcast out! It is called Your Own Magic.
Check out their podcast by clicking on the link below!
My stay in Madrid is shortly coming to an end and as I reflect on all the crazy experiences I have had here it's sad, but one can never live in the past. As I make my final arrangements for my arrival home I am looking back admiring all of the amazing people I have met and the places I have seen. I will definitely be posting soon, but until then...
XOXO,
Lauren.
