¿Is This a Spanish Keyboard or What?

I used to hate Spain, and for terrible reasons. My first journy abroad led me to Italy with a group of high school friends, most of whom had taken a similar trip to Spain the year before. Naturally this resulted in a lot of,

¨Oh my God, that´s just like the statue we saw in Spain!¨
¨¿Hey speaking of restaurants, remember that fifty course meal we had in Spain?¨
¨Lets talk about the bullfight we saw in Spain.¨
¨This street is dirty. It would never be this dirty in Spain.¨
¨I love Spain.¨

This sort of banter was frustrating as it often led to unfair comparisons and resulted in a lot of discussion about a place that only some of us had been to rather than enjoyment of what was in front of our faces. Instead of taking things out on my friends (I hate you guys by the way), I took it out on the country itself. After making so many Spanish friends this year in Trieste, I have been anxiously awaiting a chance to put those feelings to bed, and ¿Guess what?

I love Spain.

Barcelona is unique and includes everything a city should offer. The wide streets allowed me to breathe again, the sights lived up to the hype, and the beach was full of characters, providing for superb people watching.

Valencia had an unprecidented mix of ancient and modern neighborhoods. We ate dinner at eleven and hit the clubs at four or five, and best yet, I got to hang out with Spaniards on their own turf.

I´m here in Granada where the sun is shining and the Tapas are plentiful. Pictures and detailed stories will arrive when I return to Trieste on the 18th of April, so see you then.