Well, it feels like the end came suddenly and unexpectedly, even though I had almost an entire week after my finals and before the end of the program to enjoy Toledo and mentally prepare myself. I spent as much time as possible hanging out with friends (when they weren't still studying for finals), and enjoying beautiful Toledo. I hiked up to the "mountain" across the river 3 times in one week, the last time with a huge group of people to celebrate one of our last days and to watch a non-existent cloudy sunset. I finally got my own picture of Toledo, and while it's not quite as professional-looking as the one heading my blog, it's set as my background and now I can look at it and cry whenever I want.
I thought saying goodbye to everyone would be the hardest part, but it turns out saying goodbye to Toledo was harder. It was tough saying goodbye to friends from Notre Dame and Puerto Rico, but it was easier to say goodbye to Minnesota friends, knowing that I will see them again back at school! It was also different for me, knowing that I wasn't going home right away but rather staying in Europe for a while. After everyone left, I had another day and a half in Toledo to show my mom around before we left for our travels.
Since I had already said my goodbyes, I figured the next day and a half would be a nice, relaxed, fun time, showing my mom around Toledo. False. I did not expect to tear up every time I saw something that sparked a memory from this semester... which was pretty much everywhere. Who knew that it would be harder to be in Toledo without everyone than actually saying goodbye to them!! My only hope is that I was still able to give my mom a decent tour of my dear little Toledo, while I was barely holding myself together! Sorry Mama!
On Friday we woke up in Toledo and went to bed in Barcelona, with a quick stop in Madrid in between! (And I finally got to go to the Prado museum!) Now that my time in Toledo is over, the epilogue begins: Barcelona, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice and Milan with my mother, then Naples and a few more southern cities in Italy with Paige! USA: I'll see you on January 4th.
Adios Toledo!
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| Toledo from the mountain! |
Since I had already said my goodbyes, I figured the next day and a half would be a nice, relaxed, fun time, showing my mom around Toledo. False. I did not expect to tear up every time I saw something that sparked a memory from this semester... which was pretty much everywhere. Who knew that it would be harder to be in Toledo without everyone than actually saying goodbye to them!! My only hope is that I was still able to give my mom a decent tour of my dear little Toledo, while I was barely holding myself together! Sorry Mama!
On Friday we woke up in Toledo and went to bed in Barcelona, with a quick stop in Madrid in between! (And I finally got to go to the Prado museum!) Now that my time in Toledo is over, the epilogue begins: Barcelona, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice and Milan with my mother, then Naples and a few more southern cities in Italy with Paige! USA: I'll see you on January 4th.
Adios Toledo!
Bologna? Bologna, italy??? not faux-italian sandwich meat? you mean the pilgrim travlers have turned into CONVERTS?!?
ReplyDeleteYAHOO!!! hip hip HOORAY! buon appetito. :)
ciao. xo the knowing aunt