While my aunts were in San Sebastián, my dear friend Allison was making her way through Spain. She is studying in Galway, Ireland, but was passing through Madrid and then headed to Barcelona for her birthday. She had invited me to Barcelona, but I couldn’t make it because it conflicted with my final USC trip to Extremadura (more on that trip in an upcoming post).
Knowing time was not in our favor, we were still able to get together twice in two days. We first met up at Namit Gastrobar, my favorite local joint by school. We grabbed a quick cup of coffee between my fieldtrip to the Hernan Cortés exhibition and theatre class.
The next day I had more time to spend with Allison. In between my classes I met up with her and her friend from home, Nica, a Berkeley student who was also studying in Madrid. The three of us revelled in the warmth of that April afternoon and rowed boats in Retiro! It was my first time and it was great. For about 6 euros, the three of us paddled around the lake.
As quickly as she arrived, I had to leave. Though it was probably my shortest friend visit, it was great. I love how everyone makes an effort to see friends abroad if even for just a few hours! Is that how people are at home? If I had an out-of-town friend in the LA area for such a short amount, would I work around my schedule to go see her? I sure hope my answer would be yes! And after having these experiences, I’m even more certain I’ll do that in the future.
¿Dónde Está el Baño? 