Basque Country and Beyond: My ABC's

I got tagged by Kaley, so now I'm sharing my ABCs of travel with you! Please, enjoy.

A: Age you went on your first international trip: I think I was 14 when I went to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico with my church. I had just finished Spanish II, and I was so excited to practice my Spanish. I think that's what made me want to keep going with Spanish.

B: Best (foreign) beer you’ve had and where: The first beer I ever liked was a Belgian beer, so the best beer I've had was in Brugge, Belgium. I think I tried at least 15 different kinds when I was there, but the top were the blonde I tried at De Halve Maan brewery and any lambic beers. Mmmm, cherry.

C: Cuisine (favorite): Everywhere I go, I find a food that I become obsessed with and then just search obsessively for it. In Spain, it's tortilla. In Morocco, harira. In the Czech Republic, those dumplings.

D: Destinations, favorite, least favorite and why: My favorite would be Brugge, Belgium, because it looks like a fairytale and has delicious food and beer, or Salzburg, Austria, because of it's beautiful countryside. And the Sound of Music was filmed there, which I love. My least favorite, surprisingly, is Brussels, Belgium. I thought it was dirty, and nothing really impressed me.

E: Event you experienced abroad that made you say “wow”: The Goose Festival in Lekeitio was insane. I love small pueblo festivals, and ones where they hang on a dead goose really capture my attention.

F: Favorite mode of transportation: Not busses. Probably trains. I still haven't taken the AVE. Need to get on that.

G: Greatest feeling while traveling: The feeling you get when you think about the history a place has. I'm a nerd, and I always try to imagine the people that lived in Versailles in the 1700s, or the priests that walked through the monestary in Uclés in the 1600s.

H: Hottest place you’ve traveled to: Probably Mexico. Although when I was in Florence this summer, it was pretty stinkin' hot.

I: Incredible service you’ve experienced and where: Right before Matt and I went to Spain, we went to the Olive Garden with Matt's grandma. The server was a really nice guy named Reggie. Before we left, he gave us his card and wrote, "Enjoy Spain! Go Packers!". I still have it in my wallet.

J: Journey that took the longest: Probably when I went with my friend Emma to Gulf Shores, Alabama, for spring break junior year of high school. I think it took almost a day by car.

K: Keepsake from your travels: I don't collect anything specific, but I like to save little things like receipts and cards from restaurants, etc, and put them in a little travel journal.

L: Let-down sight, why and where: I have to agree with Kaley and say Madrid. I'm just not that impressed.

M: Moment where you fell in love with travel: I've always loved travel, but when I studied abroad in Valladolid, Spain my junior year at University, I knew I wasn't going to be content with just going home and staying home.

N: Nicest hotel you’ve stayed in: I don't remember the name, but the hotel we stayed in when traveling with Matt's parents in Prague. All the hotels we stayed at were really nice, but that one was amazing. I never slept better, and I got slippers.

O: Obsession—what are you obsessed with taking pictures of while traveling?: I like taking pictures of things that are broken-buildings, bicycles, things like that.

P: Passport stamps, how many and from where? Thanks European Union, for NOT stamping my passport. Jerks. Probably about a million from Spain, Canada, Mexico, Paris, Morocco, Panamá...I think that's it.

Q: Quirkiest attraction you’ve visited and where: The Dental Health Museum, in St. Louis, Missouri. My family went to St. Louis when I was probably 8 or 9. What I remember the most is you sat inside a huge circle of teeth to watch a film about dental health, and when they talked about a specific tooth, it would light up. It was really bizarre, but hey, I still remember it.

R: Recommended sight, event or experience: Mountain climbing excursion in Marrakech, Morocco. If I would have known how scary it was going to be before I went, I probably wouldn't have done it. But once I was there, and had finished scaling the 30 foot waterfall with no harness or anything, I felt pretty proud of myself.

S: Splurge; something you have no problem forking over money for while traveling: Food. Always food. Cochinillo in Segovia, pintxos in Donostia...I will usually pay anything to eat good food.

T: Touristy thing you’ve done: We went on a carriage ride in Vienna, Austria. It was really fun, and we got to see the whole city.

U: Unforgettable travel memory: My first time in Europe in general. I admit, I've become a bit jaded in my travels, but the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower/Colosseum/Acropolis, I was totally and completely in awe.

V: Visas, how many and for where? I have 2, both from Spain. One from studying abroad in 2008, and the other one from now, being a teaching assistant in Bilbao.

W: Wine, best glass of wine while traveling and where? Viña Xetar, a delicious white wine from Castilla la Mancha, and anything red from La Rioja. Spanish wine ftw.

X: eXcellent view and from where?: There's been a lot. The view overlooking the countryside of Castilla la Mancha from Uclés is amazing. Also, Giardino di Boboli in Florence has an amazing view of the city.

Y: Years spent traveling?: A lot. But if you're looking for continuity, I would say probably around 16 months, and still going strong.

Z: Zealous sports fans and where?: Spanish soccer in general is crazy, but in Bilbao, it's also really political. Regardless of political preference, most people in País Vasco bleed Athletic Bilbao, so it's something that brings them together. Also, the youth use the games as a platform to express their political ideas, so it can get a little crazy!