¡ViVA ESPAÑA!

after mom left, i spent a lot of time relaxing by the pool - a really nice break from my sort of hectic summer of schoolwork and travel.

here are some of the highlights of my month in pictures:

we went to Carmona, a little town on top of a mountain, for lunch one day....

took a day trip to Córdoba...



-------------------------->
inside the Mezquita, my absolute favorite religious structure in Europe

i became a serious beach bum...



<--- one of the beaches in Chipiona

and was completely spoiled by my aunt's cooking.




mussels in coconut curry, yum!---->

i spent a weekend in Portugal....




<---where Ryan and i had the beach to ourselves

AND we stopped in Huelva, where we got to climb around on life-size replicas of the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María!!

of course i had to go back to Cadiz...





so my aunt, my cousin and i made the trip.

we all braved the heat and visited Italica, a Roman city just outside of Seville...

and on my last night, we went to Zahara for some light exploration and tintos.


<---we climbed all the way to the top of the castle!











my time spent in Spain was unforgettable. this whole summer was a crazy whirlwind of good times and great experiences with really wonderful people. whether i was sipping a cold drink or sweating my butt off under the Spanish sun, i truly enjoyed every moment of it.


special thanks to the O'Reilly family for all of their love and generosity - xoxo


i'm already planning my next adventure :)

Mom's time in Spain...

alright, it may not be the hour by hour, day by day details that my readers (parents) have grown accustomed to, but i wanted to finish off the summer...

mom and i spent our first weekend in Spain at the beach in Nerja.

we swam in the Mediterranean Sea, ate pallea and drank tintos.

<--mom and the O'Reilly family on Balcon de Europa

it was a great introduction into the warmer climate :)

we spent the next few days relaxing in a blue house in Morón de la Frontera :)

it was so great to spend time with my aunt, uncle, and cousins.

over the next few days, we drank sangria at the Venta, met some of my aunt's friends and watched the World Cup games.

we took a day trip to Seville---->

<----and a trip to Jerez, where we toured the Bodegas Tio Pepe.

it was my first time to visit Jerez, but we definitely need to go back. next time we'll see the horses!

luckily, mom and i got to Andalucía just in time to see the last of the sunflowers this season.

mom had a great two weeks in Europe, but unfortunately she had to go back to work.

she headed home and i spent the rest of my summer with the O'Reillys in Spain...