Get Ready Spain and Portugal – I’m Coming!

It’s official – I’m going to Spain and Portugal in a late February/early March. It’s days like today that I LOVE my job.

The current plan is Barcelona, Malaga, Seville, and Madrid over the span of a week and a half and then one week in Lisbon. I have many work things to do while I’m there so free time will be limited, but if anyone has any suggestions on what to see or do, places to eat, places to drink (very important), hidden gems, etc in any of these locations please let me know so I can add them to my list.

This will also be the first time in over ten years that I’ve traveled to Europe and not gone to France. For the past decade, every time I’ve traveled across the pond it was with the purpose of going to France and all other trips to fabulous places happened off of that. Now, I’m going solely for Spain and Portugal and it feels a bit strange. Wonderful strange, but strange all the same. I admittedly have visions of magically being able to afford a flight to Lyon or Paris for a day or two to see some of my favorite people but I’m betting that’s not going to happen. But you never know, sometimes Easy Jet can make spontaneity a possibility. God bless Europe.

Either way, Spain and Portugal sound like a perfect escape from New York, even if it is for work, and I am thrilled to get planning (can you tell I’m a Virgo?). I also better start brushing up on my high school Spanish and get an English Portuguese dictionary so I don’t walk around for two weeks with a sad, confused look on my face. Part of my time in Portugal will actually be committed to taking beginner Portuguese classes, so that should also be fun and a great way to get my bearings and enjoy my time there.

So thanks Santa (read awesome boss man). Sometimes the best presents come in packages to big and fabulous to fit under the Christmas tree.

Spain and Portugal are Calling My Name

It’s that time of year again. Time to choose where I’m going next so I can expand my knowledge on fabulous locations and sell them to our clients.

Life is hard.

After creating a very official spreadsheet, with numbers and everything, I put in the request with my boss to go to Spain and Portugal in late February/early March. The goal is to do a tour of Spain – ideally Barcelona, Granada, Malaga, Seville, and Madrid, and then spend one week in Portugal learning Portuguese in Lisbon and participating in varying activities and excursions to get to know the city and the culture.  Not a bad trip right?

I’ve never been to Portugal so the possibility of going there is quite exciting and, while I’ve been to Spain, the last time I went I was about 14 years old and it was just a day trip to San Sebastian (so much amazing food). And the time before that I was only 7 and we were camping on the Spanish coast. At that point all I could comprehend was that the beaches were gorgeous and the people were friendlier than the French. Serious seven year old priorities. So it’s definitely time to go back to Spain as a grown up and actually appreciate it and have something more constructive to say about it as a country.

Sadly,  my boss hasn’t approved the trip yet. It’s highly unlikely he won’t approve the trip, and worst case scenario he’ll push for me to go somewhere in South America (oh woe is me), but I need to know now. Right. Now. To him, it can wait – it’s going to cost him money and it’s a few months away. What’s the rush in planning? But for me, it’s very important that I know I can go so I can start planning and getting excited. It’s currently taking all my self control to not look up train prices, to not stalk the plane fares on Orbitz, to not figure out all the things I get to see and do. It’s killing me!

Le sigh…say some travel prayers that I get the green light. Regardless there will be a trip in February or March so things are looking up. Now I just need to figure out how to purchase a computer between now and then so I can write while I’m away.

This is when it would be really helpful if Santa was real.