Resolution Fail

Yes, I know. I know I promised a post a week. And some of you even told me, "don't be too ambitious, Cate. Set achievable goals..." to which I scoffed in my then-state of newfound enthusiasm. What else can I say now but that you told me so. You did. Moving on to more important things such as...

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! And what a happy new year it has been so far, preceded by a lovely close to the old one... It's amazing how much can happen in just over a month! Here's what's transpired since my last post:

•  The adventures of La comuna hippie continued throughout the December puente. Several dinners and meet-ups, the most significant of which was a weekend trip to one very generous hippie's family casa rural (that's country house, for those of you who don't know). We played games, ate, read, lounged, talked, sang, dance, drew, ate some more (a LOT more) and generally made merry. The weekend also saw the addition of two more to the group (Bienvenidas a Clara y Elvi!). I could not have spent my birthday weekend any better and I thank each and every one of the hippies who were there both physically and in spirit :) 
• One more week of school after my birthday and LOTs of packing and cleaning led to a 9:45am Saturday morning departure by bus for Madrid.
• Arrived in Madrid around 1pm... And my flight out wasn't until 8pm. I finished a letter in a café like the true European-- or at least the Parisian writer type that most likely ceased to exist in the 1920s (reincarnation?)
• Caught my plane from T4 and noted that all the flight attendants were not only male, but unusually attractive. And then I fell asleep. Woke up as I was landing in Rome around 10pm.
• With my flight from Rome not leaving until 11am the following morning, I had some time to kill. I didn't sleep. At all. Instead I opted for the 24hr café inside the airport. And luckily, about 4 hours into my stay (and at a point where nothing could hold my attention more than 2 minutes), I met a friend. A Greek friend who will make an appearance later in my story bullet points. He and I chatted, drank coffee, did card tricks, folded paper cranes (not kidding)... all of a sudden it was 9am and time for his flight. Hasta luego, Grecia! (No really... we did meet luego).
• Then, not 2 but more like 3 hours later, my flight from Rome took off. Perhaps you may have noticed, that's an hour late. Normally, I wouldn't have minded... and it did give me a chance to spend so money in the duty free shop (mmm, limoncello and Italian vino), but since I only had a 1hr25min layover in Boston to begin with-- to pass customs, recheck my bags, and go through security... losing an hour kind of worried me. Good thing the seat next to me on the plane was empty so I could relax and put myself at ease ;)
• No problems making my connection (yay!) and I made it home okay. My suitcase, however, did not. At least not on my plane. It was delivered to the house at 3am or so (sorry, Mom!). My first meal back in the U.S.: Mexican! And it was delicious.

So I finally made it back to the U.S., but now you probably want a break from reading, and so do I from writing... So stay tuned to see what happened next!!! (cue dramatic, suspenseful music). 

 Sidenote- I'm starting to realize just how rich travel can make a person (as if I didn't already know)... but really, a 48 hour trip back to the States has become an experience that is chock-full of sights, sounds, and stories that I will remember for quite some time. Love it. 

Besos!