Trip to Spain

     There are many beautiful places in the world that are worth seeing at least once in a lifetime. I am one of many people that love to travel and appreciate the beauty of nature, history and time. It is fascinating to explore new places, cultures and  monuments. I haven’t been in every country, but from those I have visited I enjoy Spain the most. I went last summer and had the chance to travel around a bit. To my amazement the people living there seem to have no worries and no sense of time, which I admire. Living in a busy Chicago I run around doing ten things at a time and not having the time to stop and appreciate what is around me. My experience in Spain taught me how to slow down, not worry so much about every little thing and just take it easy. Going back to the beginning of my trip, I went to visit my sister in Madrid, who showed me the city inside and out. We visited most the famous museum El Prado, where we admired the works of famous artists such as “Las Meninas” by Velazquez, paintings by Francisco de Goya, Greco and many more. Of course we couldn´t miss ever so famous painting “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso in the museum of Reina Sofia. Apart from the museums, there are a lot of beautiful and unique buildings and monuments all over the city. Starting by the magnificent and enormous park of Retiro with the arch of “puerta de Alcala” right in front of it, the main street is just filled with stores, restaurants and tapas bars, all of them of course place to sit outside and enjoy the mediterranean sun. Going down the street Alcala there is “plaza de Cibeles” where all the tourist stop and stare with amazement at the buildings and the architecture. All of it beautifully illuminated at night makes everyone sigh and smile. Continuing on the same street, which now splits into two, you find yourself on Gran Via. The street that celebrates a hundred year anniversary this year and is always full of tourists due to the famous shops and original architecture. Another sites that I will never forget is “la puerta de Sol”, “Plaza Mayor” and of course the arena where the bull fighting takes place in “Las Ventas”.  I enjoyed being in Madrid not only because of its historical sculptures and museums, but also because of the energy that the citizens put out. Walking down the streets, day or night you see many amicable people smiling and enjoying their lives. They know how to live life to the fullest and that stressing out about little things isn’t important. I love the Spanish culture, the language, the way of being and knowing that family and friends come first. In our busy life in the Untied States we sometimes forget that, we are to tiered to socialize, to meet with the ones we love and care about. The trip to Spain wasn’t only exciting because it was a great vacation and I got to see lots of beautiful places, but because I learned a lot from watching other peoples way of being. After exploring Madrid we visited Toledo, Alicante and Barcelona. Each city had their own beautiful attractions, but the one that I will never forget is the  Magic Fountain of Montjuic in Barcelona. At night time they have an amazing light show that bring a lot of locals and tourists together. it’s a spectacular event that takes your breath away and brings tears to your eyes. Seeing all the people gathering around, mingling, hugging and being so friendly brought joy to my heart. The water, lights and music put together made a great impression on me as well as everyone around. This magnificent event brings people close, makes them stop, think about life and open up their heart to the world. That place has such a great energy that anyone who experiences it feels like a brand new person. If I ever lived in Barcelona that would be the place I would go to anytime I felt sad, because it’s so magical and special that brings tears to your eyes, tears of joy of course. I would love to travel around and see more of beautiful and inspiring places like this one and hopeful each culture can teach me new way of being so that I can become a better person.