Thoughts from Portugal

As I sit in the sunny room adjacent to the kitchen of Lisbon Central Hostel, I am thinking of the conclusion to this wonderful journey-experience of mine. Of course, I haven't been able to capture it all, but I feel grateful for that being the case because it justifies a return trip sometime in the future. Right now, I'm determining the next step in my travels. To Pamplona for San Fermines (the Running of the Bulls), or straight to northern Spain for a nice afternoon whitewater rafting trip in the Pyrenees? It almost feels wrong to have the privilege to have that be my main concern right now. Traveling solo has been a rollercoaster (or montaña rusa) of emotion, at times feeling incredibly at ease and at others, nearly breaking down crying (like when I was lost in Sevilla, trying to find my hostel at 11.45 at night). It would've been great to have found a travel buddy, but I think not having one has allowed me to do a lot of reflection, which I am grateful for. Since I have been traveling, I have felt more of a desire to go home, whereas when I was in more semi-permanent living circumstance with my host family in Madrid, I didn't want to leave at all. I didn't want that to be the case, or rather, didn't want to admit that, but I have to be honest with myself. Going home is an important element in the traveling cycle. I head back to the States early Thursday morning from Madrid, landing in New York City (or Nueva York) in the early afternoon that same day. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a bit sad to leave the Iberian peninsula, my home for these past six weeks. I am certainly glad that I chose to stay within the peninsula and explore more of Spain instead of doing the standard "Eurotrip," jumping from big city to big city in different countries where only a phrasebook could help me instead of my own language capabilities. Anyway, I leave Portugal today at some point, returning to Spain. In my remaining days here, I will soak in as much as I can before my return home.
With gratefulness and love,
Lauren

be well.