¡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 :)