Day Fifty Four: Cafes and Travel Days

This morning I had time for a leisurely breakfast before heading to the airport. I stopped at a vegan cafe that was very trendy and cozy, but I heard they had good breakfast bowls so that’s where I picked. I had another delicious açaí bowl, but this time I could pick the toppings so I chose blueberries, raspberries, coconut, granola, and peanut butter. I also got a matcha latte. Breakfast is really one of my favorite parts of these trips. I love a good, yummy breakfast in a cool place. Since I had enough time to kill, I decided to go to another place I’d seen online because it was right across the street. They had a ton of great reviews on their coffee, so I walked in and asked what the barista recommended. He said a cappuccino, so I got one and drank it at a bar seat facing the street. It was gorgeous and so picturesque that it made me dream about what it’d be like to be a local at that cafe. It had that small town, homey vibe as the barista leaned over the bar to talk to one of his customers. After breakfast my day got a lot less exciting and a lot more annoying. I took the metro to the airport and I think I paid for more than I needed, but it didn’t really bother me as long as I was still going to get to the airport. I’m glad I had enough time to move slowly and not stress while traveling today because I woke up with a headache that didn’t go away until after the flight. Navigating the airport was fine, I got a decent lunch before the four hour flight. Ideally, my seat was a good one this time. At the front of the plane, aisle seat. But I was sitting by two high-maintenance, low-patience men who got on my nerves, and it was a full flight so flight attendants and passengers were constantly standing or grazing me when they passed. It was still only mildly annoying though, so no big deal. Getting from Madrid Airport to the main train station to catch my train home was also slightly annoying, but that one was on me. I bought the wrong ticket to get to the station so I just had to buy another one, but the second one was way more convenient and I booked a train that was late enough so I wouldn’t have to stress or rush, which I’m glad about. I learned more about how to navigate the airport and get home which is perfect because I’ll be doing it a lot! I realized today that I only have about two days at home before I leave for the next trip to France. It’s good because all the traveling is what really excites me and makes me feel happy. If I stay too much in one place I start to think of wanting to be home, especially when I was at the Madrid Airport today. I imagined leaving from there to go to Dallas and it made my chest feel full of emotions. I don’t want to waste my time here with the mindset of wanting home though, because I know if I was home I would regret not living it up while I’m here. I do love all this traveling but I’m excited to get back to Salamanca and rest for a couple days. Sweden was the trip of a lifetime; I’m still in complete awe of that concert last night. Here’s to many more amazing memories in the short time I’ve got left here!

//After I got off the train to Salamanca, I stepped out and surprisingly everything felt familiar. It was actually that kind of “home” feeling where it just feels normal. That’s new, because last time when I came back it felt weird that I wasn’t home home and it threw me off. But this time I saw the tapas, the cafes, and the streets and I felt a casual, non-romantic sense of home as I found my way back without a GPS. It was nice.