“There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go.”

Our final days in Barcelona have arrived. Where to start, what to say…there are no words. This experience has transformed me in everyway I could have possibly wished for. What a blessing it has been to live in such an enchanting city. I have seen the most astonishing places. I have had my breath taken away more than once, have stood atop a cliff in Portugal, learned how to salsa dance in Spain, stayed up to watch the sun rise three days in a row, walked through the Roman forum, told stories with old Irish men in Connemara, and memorized the words to every Shakira song (well, kinda).

My advice to you - whoever you may be that is reading this - is to seize every opportunity.  To see the world and let it change you. There is so much to see and not enough time to see it.  Do it while you can.  Start to say “yes” to more and “no” to less. Learn from other cultures and see life from a perspective other than your own. Open your eyes to the beauty that is in this world; to the beauty that exists in places you would have never found it before.

And with bittersweet feelings I say goodbye to my roommates (and adopted roommates), some of the most incredible young women I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, women that will forever remain friends close to my heart, though scattered across the states. You have taught me invaluable lessons, ones that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.  You’ve taught me to live with passion , to be fearless and embrace new opportunities, to have patience and compassion in those unfavorable situations, and to not take life too seriously. Never in my life have I laughed so much as I have in these past months spent with you.  And never have I said such a hard goodbye.

Never have I danced so much, talked Spanish so much, traveled so much, or not cared about anything else but this moment so much. I will miss you ladies (my future bridesmaids- you know who you are!) and I will miss you, Barcelona. Thanks for showing me a grand time.

Why must all good things come to an end?

Erin Go Bragh!

Just had the most amazing trip to the homeland of the Major family, the Emerald Isle! Never have I seen so much green.  Everything seemed to be “alive” and flourishing. Green on top of green on top of more green. The rolling hills, bahhh-ing sheep, and rugged, glorious coastline combined with the friendliest people you will ever meet bumped this place up to #1 on my “favorite places in Europe” list.

I went on a whim with my roommate Jourdan. We’re used to traveling light now, and you kind of have to with the cheap airlines here that like to rip you off on your luggage. So we managed to survive a weekend with only one backpack and our cameras of course.

Our first night was spent in Dublin. Everyone I’ve talked to didn’t really like Dublin but we managed to have a great time. We had Irish stew, Bailey’s cheesecake and a pint of Guiness (of course) at the oldest pub in Ireland, the Brazen Head. Afterwards we went to the Porterhouse, a micro-brewery  in the Temple Bar area with all sorts of good beer. Our favorites: the Galway Hooker and Früli , which literally tasted like a strawberry smoothie (that could be dangerous…)

The rest of our time was spent in Clifden, a small town of about 1,000 people in Connemara. We made a pit stop in Galway along the way, another beautiful city with lots of character. Our goal was to relax all weekend and that’s exactly what we did! That, and ate good Irish food of course….you always have to test out the local cuisine.

The B&B we stayed at was quite the experience. An adorable hilltop house called “Buttermilk Lodge” that served an amazing breakfast and had beautiful views of the town. The owners had their own farm a few kilometers away so we drove with them to check on their baby lambs that were born the previous day- probably the cutest things I’ve ever seen! But then I started feeling guilty for eating my lamb stew the previous night, oops…. We also got a chance to meet their Connemara ponies that the owner, Cathriona, likes to train for pony shows. Wish we could have rode them!

Going to the local pub and listening to all the neighbors talking about their small-town gossip and dancing in the traditional Irish way to a band of accordion- and guitar-players was the best experience. The people are just too sweet and were all so genuinely content with life. Even our cab driver drove us around the entire region of Connemara to show us his house, his family’s houses (parents, cousins, brothers, sisters, and all) and the Twelve Bens mountain range at virtually no charge. What wonderful people, I can’t wait to go back one day! My Mom says we can open a B&B just like the one we stayed at….hmm that’s an idea. 

European women don’t get fat.

Ever heard of the book “French women don’t get fat”? Well I think this is true for most women around Europe. Aside from the fact that most women in Spain (and Mediterranean people in general) are naturally very petite, they are also thin for a reason.

Case in point: the American breakfast. 

This is what we’re all used to right? At least when we go out to breakfast, we’re more likely to order this, the Grand Slam breakfast, than this….

The Spanish Breakfast. 

A traditional breakfast of cafe con leche and a tostada with tomato. What an unsubstantial breakfast right? Well this is how they eat here people! 

Case in point #2: Portion size. If we go out to a restaurant in the states and order, oh I don’t know…spaghetti and meatballs, we normally expect a giant bowl of it. Not to mention some garlic bread and caesar salad on the side, right? The sizes here are literally (in the true sense of it) one portion. Perfect for a small meal. Just enough to get you full, but not fat. And don’t even think about asking for a to-go box…I’m pretty sure they don’t exist. 

Case in point #3: They actually WALK places. Weird huh? It’s going to be so strange to go home and have a car in my garage. I forgot how easy it is just get in the car and go wherever my heart pleases. Here, people walk. They walk to pick up their kids from school, to the post office, to the gym, etc. Come here for a week and see how your feet are doing. It took me about a month to get over the initial foot cramps I was getting every night after a long day of walking everywhere. Now, I love it! Who knows, maybe I’ll sell my car when I get home….that’s doubtful though.

This has been a lesson on how not to be fat, brought to you by the people of Spain.