Top 10...plus a few.

So tomorrow, actually 4 hours from now, I'm going back to the US. I know, I haven't written about Madrid, don't worry, it is in the works. So I thought I'd make a list of all the things I loved/hated/remember about Europe, in no particular order.

1. The food (of course). I tried everything, I hated almost nothing and was inspired by it all.
2. Analise Spacucello and Holly Lynch. I don't even know where to begin. Our times together...amazing.
3. Living with Sylvia. I'm really glad there is someone around to back up my crazy stories. And she was a great room mate.
4. Sharing food with Craig. I got to try twice as much and he didn't even give me one disease!
5. Dancing with Jessica, Michelle, and Kate. Ya'll are a good time.
6. Staying with Isabelle. I haven't known anyone in my life longer and I love that we still act the same around each other even though we haven't been around each other in over a year. Please come to Houston to spoon with me. Oh, and her family is pretty amazing as well.
7. La Senora (in Barcelona). While she was a sweet lady, I have been inspired to clean everything with bleach and potty train my dogs to go outside.
8. John C. Wilcox, Jordi, Silvia, and Marianna. This trip would not have been the same without them. I saw the city in a way I never would have been able to, and they rock, duh.
9. The art. I feel so much more cultured. Isabelle and I were at the Prado and I recognized a Velásquez across the room. I was pretty proud. Now, ask me about stuff we saw at the MNAC and I can only think of the lady laying on the couch in the bright pink pants...
10. The beaches. Usually I get really antsy and hot, but the beaches here have been truly amazing, I could lay on them for hours. They have perhaps ruined Galveston for me. Okay, Galveston ruined itself.
11. Living without the luxuries I'm used to. While I missed certain things (AIR CONDITIONING, dryers, cake mix, and free water at restaurants), I'm in freaking Europe, who cares?
12. I have a new appreciation for traveling light.
13. Nothing fixes a sangria hangover like some Hot Doks.
14. Paying in Euros. While the money is prettier, the exchange rate is not.
15. My newly acquired Spanish language. Sometimes it helped me a lot (I have all sorts of new, wonderful ways to drop the f-bomb), and sometimes it was my arch-nemesis (I recall missing a train because I couldn't understand what was going on. Cool).
16. Scotch...and wine...and gin...and mojitos...and vodka gimlets...and beer...and sangria...and being of legal age and not having to sneak around.
17. Animal Balls and Boy Scouts.
18. Talking to strangers everywhere, especially the train. On the train, they are stuck with you for hours and are forced to be polite and listen. And look at your pictures.
19. Not getting anything stolen from me. Well, my sunglasses are no where to be found but that is the only casualty.
20. Hygiene. I have a completely different approach that the US might not be ready for.
21. 5A. When you are 7 hours away from home, after a few drinks, 5A is a wonderful time to call your parents. Ask them, they'll tell you how much they loved hearing from me then.
22. Yulie. Seriously? How does anyone put up with a dog whose restroom is behind the couch and begs for food by barking and jumping?
23. The Eiffel Tower. I really was blown away.
24. My new euro style. Which is the same as before: sweatpants and a t-shirt and flip flops. But this time with a scarf.
25. The smells. Barcelona smells like potty. Nice smells like ocean. Paris smells like love. And Madrid smells like something I can't quite put my finger on.
26. Creepy religious stuff. Seriously, it is everywhere and I love every bit of it.
27. Waking up with new bug bites. Mosquitoes? Bed bugs? Who knows?
28. Having more than 50 pictures that have to be filed in the inappropriate folder that will be kept under lock, key, and password.
29. Carbs. It is amazing to be in a place that embraces and eats carbs like it's their job.
30. Fending for myself. Sometimes, I've had to fend for myself. Which is good and bad, mostly good.

I don't know if I've ever laughed harder in a period of two months or been more awestruck in my life. The people I have met on this trip have changed my life. This has been an amazing experience.

On a sadder note, as I was packing, I found out that my friend Harmony passed away yesterday. She was an amazing girl and one of the sweetest people I know and forgetting her will be impossible but loving her was easy.

I will now try and sleep for like, an hour (literally) before I have to wake up at 4:15A to take 4 planes between now (2:19A Madrid time, 7:19P Central Time) and 2:50P central time on Friday. Hopefully I will not encounter the motion sickness I enjoyed on the way here.

Au revoir and Hasta Luego!