Day 72: Greetings from the Rail

I know, I know. I charged Kiwi Computer all night long so that I would be able to catch up on the blog posts from two weeks ago that I never had time to write. I fully intended to write them – really. But when I opened my computer, I realized my outlines for the days were on my blog already, and seeing as I have no internet connection on the train... I felt a bit SOL. “Perhaps,” I thought to myself, “I could just check the pictures from those days on my computer and piece together things from there?” I opened the pictures folder on my computer but immediately got distracted by tons of pre-Spain pictures I hadn't looked at in months and months and months!

And then it hit me.

I <3 my life. :)

I've been so worried about leaving Spain that I forgot that my life was awesome before I got here and will be awesome after I leave, too.

I opened the folder from Las Vegas and giggled at the weird videos the Brazilian took of me when I didn't know I was being recorded. I looked at all of the pics of us dressed up in casinos, out to dinner, at the pool, hang'n in our uber chic hotel room... and damn.

I opened the folder from San Diego and looked around me on the train to make sure nobody was looking at the pics of us passed out in bed, pics of us posing in our panda gear next to the real panda bears in the zoo, pics of me on my 22^nd birthday getting damn tipsy and making strange faces at a bird while eating a discounted cinnamon roll... and damn.

I didn't even open the folder from Brazil – that would have taken the whole train ride to go through those 600 pics!!!

And now I'm sitting here, on a train to Madrid, coming back from Barcelona where I took a cruise to Italy and back... and damn.

It didn't hit me until this moment just how much I've traveled in the past year and how ridiculously grateful (… and a little guilty...? Should a girl's life be allowed to be this jet-set at the age of 22? I mean, I know it's my life dream to travel all over... but I can't believe I have. I don't feel like I earned it... but I think I did? I'm not sure.) that makes me feel.

Las Vegas → Boston → Portland → Belo Horizonte, Brazil → Fortaleza, Brazil → Denver → San Diego → Denver Road Trip → Madrid, Spain → Asturias, Spain → Valencia, Spain → Barcelona, Spain → Florence, Italy → Rome, Italy → Naples, Italy → Palma Mallorca, Spain (this coming weekend) → Malaga, Spain → ???

Every time a trip would come to an end I'd get upset and worried that things could never be as wonderful as they were up until that point and from there on it would all be downhill. Boy have I been wrong!! After 18 trips in about a year I think it's time I learn that the end of one journey is the beginning of another, and that I never lose people I truly adore so worrying about it is wasted energy that could be better focused on enjoying the journey I'm currently on! <3

Jeeze – I always think of Lincoln riding the train in the Civil War en route to Gettysburg and how he wrote the entire Gettysburg Address on that train ride and figure that this little zone should be so inspiring. But the truth is, I feel so much pressure to write well while in such a perfectly picturesque jet-set enviornment that my writing style falls flat on its face. >_< BLAH.

Anyway – enough reflection silliness. The next nine days are going to be AMAZINGLY, AWESOMELY THE SHIT!!! I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooo happy I'm headed home to Madrid! <3 And hour an a half 'til I'm back in Atocha!!!! LOVE!!!

XOXO

Jet-set Cupcake