I embarked on my journey to Spain and Morocco during my Spring Break in March of 2014.

Here's how it went...

Buenos Dias! I returned from my trip to Spain, Madrid a little over two weeks ago. It felt like I woke up from a dream. In five nights I was able to pack festivities from free museum admissions (Mondays-Saturdays after 6pm) at Reina Sofia to eating light snacks of tapas at Mercado de San Miguel.

I arrived to a warm Spain morning to Nikki’s front door located at the heart of downtown Spain, Calle Pizzaro also known as the gay district of Chueca. All around I see beautiful European architecture - apartments with mini balconies and double windows covered in vibrant pink, yellow, and green paint. The sun kissed across my face was the refresher I needed after buried in the long winter of DC.

We walked around Gran Via to check out the buzzling city shops, and walked across many quaint cafes. The aura of the town was relaxing, and you can feel that everyone was enjoying life. Its easy to get caught up in the fast-paced American life. The sitting down and chat over cafe con leche (to later find out I am a fan of cafe bonbon aka coffee with a lot of condense milk. If you aren’t like me, and actually like coffee stir clear) was the perfect remedy.

After our cafe we went and walked over to see more of the city, and passed by Palace de Madrid, and this was when I was confronted by the death of my SD card. Perhaps this was the universe's way of telling me to capture and enjoy my moments organically. I survived in capturing some of my moments using my Iphone.

Of course in every European city, low and behold some majestic cathedral. Mainly in Spain there was more than an average number of Cathedrals, as a predominantly Catholic community. As a non-practicing Catholic I can still appreciate, and will always be impressed by the ceiling and window embellishments of Catholic cathedrals.

Onwards to our next journey towards Mercado de San Miguel for a lunch stop. I loved Mercado de San Miguel. Mercado is Espana for market. In my four days I probably went here three times, and still would not mind going to try the different patisseries and tapas.

The next few days followed the same pattern of seeing different sites/ attractions with eating and drinking in between. It was extra special on the third day when a good friend from college Elaine joined us. The museums I visited were Museo De Reina Sofia, Museo de Historia de Madrid, and Museo Nacional Del Prado.

One of my favorite parks after a long stroll through the city, and rest was Parc Buen Retiro. It is one of the largest parks located in the city of Madrid. They have a nice sculptured fountain, and you can ride a paddle boat for a cheap cost. I opted out for that, and opted in for a classic stroll through the park.

From Spain, we flew a short 2 hour flights flying with a budget airline, Ryanair to Morocco, Marrakesh costing a total of approx. $267 round-trip all-inclusive of taxes, and fees.

Five Days in Espana, Madrid

Three Days in Morocco, Marrakech and Essaouira

Seventeen Days in South Africa, Cape Town