Munich to Madrid

Hello hello!

So it’s been a bit of a whirlwind. My last day in Germany was pretty chill, mostly me packing. And then Tanja, baby, and I snuck out for a few hours to meet her parents at a lake. We picnicked and swam, enjoying the sun. 

Across the lake was a monastery where the monks make beer! Apparently that’s not an uncommon thing in Germany and you have specialty monk brews. And as contradictory as it seems, just wait until you hear what I learned next. The whole reason the monks learned to brew beer was because they were fasting and so they created a hearty, high calorie beer to fast on! Can you imagine if I did Ramadan and was like oh sorry I can’t eat, but I can drink beer! I could not stop laughing. 

This was the definite calm before the storm as when I got home, I received some unfortunate news that both my host mom and Rita are unable to see me in Spain. Which induced a bit of a panic because it was the night before I was leaving for Spain and now it meant I had nothing planned and hotels and bus tickets to cancel. Thankfully Tanja and mom were total champs helping me figure out what to do and whether or not to actually go to Spain. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to change my flight to get home sooner, I decided that I will finish this trip solo. I’m taking Monday as a day of rest in the hotel and then I’ll be back on the road tomorrow! The new plan is to stay in Madrid for one day before catching the bus to Salamanca, which is still my favorite city in all of Spain. My goal for tomorrow is to see the Prado Museum in one day, a feat I’m told is impossible, but that sure won’t stop me from trying! 

Sending love, 

Carolyn