Leaving Vigo

 Hello!

 My semester in Vigo was sadly at an end. My mother had been staying with me on campus for a few days and would return to the UK with me. Although I was used to travelling on my own, and was fine with it, I was happy to have her with me.

 Our taxi arrived and we said goodbye to the staff at my accommodation. It was a strange day - dry but very overcast. The green Galician countryside and a grey sky surrounded us as we headed to a hotel near Vigo Airport.

 We arrived at the small hotel and checked in, before going for a wander. It was a very rural area, and the first place we found selling food was a petrol station shop. We bought some snacks.

 On the way back I glimpsed an horreo and pointed it out to my Mam. Seeing the traditional granary, one of the icons of Galicia, was a nice touch to my final day there.

 Back at the hotel, I played the game Undertale on my (now happily working) laptop and finally beat Mettaton, the feisty robot. It sounds a bit of a frivolous thing to mention, but the music and effects form a big part of my memory of that day, and they added to how surreal it all felt.

 We went down to the dining room and had toasties for dinner. The dessert menu looked exciting so my Mam tried out apple cake, and I chose cheesecake. They were delicious.

 I ordered hot chocolate and got a chunky sachet of powder and some really frothy warm milk to mix it into, as well as some cake to enjoy with it. The result was a lovely and extremely sweet end to the meal.

 We went to bed, and I fell asleep in Galicia for the last time - the last that year, at least. In the morning, our taxi - the same one as yesterday - took us to the airport. There, we saw one of my fellow Vigo Uni students. It turned out she would be on our flight, and we waited together and chatted.

 We flew to Edinburgh Airport without incident. We collected luggage, took a shuttle bus into the city and then endured possibly the hardest part of the trip - lugging my huge suitcases from the bus to the train station. However, we reached our train and were able to relax.

 I dedicated much of my time on the train to attempting to beat Asgore, the goat king, in Undertale - again, it is silly, but is what comes to mind when I remember that journey. I didn't beat him, in the end, until a while after I had got home, but his catchy battle tune stuck well and truly in my head.

 Finally, we arrived home. It took a while to adjust to not being in Vigo anymore: not waking in the mountains and walking to Uni through foxgloves and blossoms; not eating frozen yogurt by the sea or buying wacky chocolate bars from Alcampo.

 Of course, there is plenty to do in Manchester, and I am living a fulfilling life. However, Vigo and Galicia will always feel like another home, and somewhere I can hopefully return to.

 If you are embarking on a summer, semester or year abroad, then good luck - hopefully you will have a very special experience. If you are considering Vigo, I recommend it with all my heart.

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Return to Avignon

 Hello!

 I had a lovely Christmas at home. The time came, however, to return for my final stretch in Avignon. The journey was uneventful - I went via Marseilles again - and I reinstalled myself in my studio apartment.

 I had little time before moving on to Spain for the next part of my adventure, so I tried to cherish every day. I didn't have much left to do at Uni - I just had to pop in and out for a few things. I spent the rest of my time studying, practising my French, seeing friends and just wandering around.

 I visited the Palais des Papes, the Rue de la République, the Rhône. I bought some last souvenirs - postcards, lavender bags, magnets - and said goodbye to all these places that I had come to love.

 The Epiphany is a big deal in France, with families sharing a kings' cake and searching for the tiny figurine hidden inside. As many of my friends had already left France, I decided not to buy or make a big cake and instead I bought a small version for myself.

 It was tasty, and the little mouse - if that's what he is? - is cute and still sits on my shelf. Of course, I got to wear the paper crown for finding him!

 I also smiled at the attempt at hilarious international marketing that is Frenchips - supposed to sound like both "French chips" and "friendships", I'm guessing. Hey, they tasted pretty good!

 One lovely and unexpected thing happened before I left. I walked in the direction of my favourite pizza place and then just kept walking, interested to see where I would end up. This was extra-muros - outside the city walls - and the roads seemed to stretch away forever.

 It was peaceful and open and that walk alone would have been a nice experience. At the end of it, though, was something amazing.

 I was walking by a major road when I heard a frantic, non-stop squeaking. It seemed to be coming from the line of trees on a road island, so I crossed over to it. Standing below the trees, I was surrounded by an orchestra of noise. It was so loud, and there were clearly many, many creatures contributing to it.

 At first I thought it must be bats, but then small swarms started leaving the trees and swirling across the moon - a breathtaking sight - before returning to their roost. In the moonlight, I could see they were birds. I made a few videos of them.

 It was magical. It felt like a miracle of nature, right in the middle of a busy road on the edge of a town. If I closed my eyes I could be deep in a cave, with birds or bats flying all around me.  It reminded me of the scene with the flying keys in Harry Potter - who knows, maybe they used birdsong as the background noise for that.

 I walked back to my apartment feeling blessed to have witnessed and heard something so incredible. As I walked past shops, and people going about their business, it struck me that I felt the world should have changed somehow after I encountered such wonder - but no, it was just an ordinary night. Wonder happens all the time, and life just goes on.

 I did my last few chores - got my final Erasmus form signed off, returned my last book to the library. I enjoyed my favourite treats from Casino - my local food shop - one last time: cheese and tomato half-moons (pasta) with peanut butter (it sounds weird but I love it!) followed by chocolate merveilleux - gorgeous desserts made of chocolate, meringue and cream.

 I had one last conversation evening at Cami-Li, my lovely local English-French bookshop.

 I had a final hot chocolate and said my goodbyes to my friends there.

 Then it was time to leave.

 Due to the timings of everything, my last night would actually be spent in a different room within my building, so I had to move all my stuff out of my apartment and up a few floors. On the plus side, my new room had a TV. So I was able to watch "N'oubliez pas les paroles!" ("Don't Forget the Lyrics!") as I prepared for the journey to Spain.

 Annoyingly, on one of my last days I had fallen down the stairs in my residence and damaged my ankle. Great! The journey ahead of me would be long and complicated and the last thing I needed was to be limping. But it happened, and I would have to manage.

 I'll tell you all about that journey - which had six different parts and in which I was allowed no margin of error whatsoever - in my next post. It was stressful in the extreme, but memorable, and it took me to Vigo, where plenty of exciting times awaited me.

 Thanks for sharing my adventures in Avignon and Provence. Time to set out for Galicia!

 Liz x

Farewell, Salamanca

 ¡Hola!

 After a hot but enjoyable summer in Salamanca, the time to return to Manchester was approaching. I had completed two Spanish language courses as well as units in Spanish art, history, literature, economy and society. I received a "sobresaliente" - the highest mark - in every one, which was wonderful. I felt I had learnt a lot and made good friends from all over the world.

 I now knew Salamanca very well and had visited Madrid, Toledo, Ávila, Segovia, La Granja Palace, León and Zamora.

 I had seen terrapins snoozing in a train station and storks nesting in towers; a huge blue moon and the alleged Holy Grail.

 I had eaten some amazing things and amassed a collection of recipes to bring home with me. I had done a lot of art and had two big sketchpads to somehow fit in my case.

 On our penultimate night I went with some of my coursemates to karaoke in an Irish bar. It was quite good fun but got very rowdy and I escaped shortly before midnight, leaving the rest going strong. As I walked through Salamanca, bright with lanterns and floodlit buildings, I reflected happily on my Spanish summer.

 The next day passed quickly and soon it was the final evening. I packed as much as I could and had one last meal with the crew from my residence. I got an early night and awoke to my final morning in Salamanca. 

 At school we were presented with our certificates. Lessons were fairly laid-back; in our literature class we all chilled on the steps of the school, which is in the Plaza Anaya, next to the Cathedral. We watched tourists stroll past as we chatted and took group photos. It was lovely to be outside on such a hot morning.

 After class I had a couple of hours before I had to catch the long-distance bus to Madrid for my flight. I wandered down the Rua Mayor and bought some last-minute presents and souvenirs. I had a scrappy lunch as I didn't want to eat a lot before travelling.

 Finally I returned to my room and packed - it was a struggle making everything fit between my trunk and backpack but I managed it in the end. Then I met up with Caitlin, a friend from the residence who would be on my flight, and we handed in our keys and hopped into the taxi that the ladies at the residence had called. 

 We whizzed to the bus station - it really wasn't far, but carrying all our bags there would have been impossible. So far, so good. Then things got more complicated as the signs on the bus bays were not clear at all and we weren't totally sure which one was ours - it really didn't help that there were two buses next to each other both destined for Madrid. 

 We ended up trying to get on the wrong bus and luckily the driver told us to get the one at the next bay. It was so confusing! They really need to sort out their signage. Once we were on the bus we could sink back into the comfy leather seats and enjoy the golden fields and green forests and grey mountains flashing by us.

 We arrived at the airport and Caitlin and I navigated our way to the check-in and through security. On the other side we met an Irish friend of Caitlin's and relaxed for a bit in a café. Caitlin and I then found our terminal, boarded our plane and soared off towards Liverpool. Like the plane journey out, the plane journey home was uneventful. I had finished all my books so just read the in-flight magazine and listened to music. 

 I remembered waiting nervously outside Madrid Barajas Airport when I first arrived, unsure what was to happen as I hadn't been able to take the bus I had wanted to. Of course, it all turned out fine and I had an amazing few months in Salamanca.

 At Liverpool Airport I said goodbye to Caitlin, was reunited with my family and was soon on my way home. I'm now back at Uni and definitely benefitting from all I learnt in Salamanca. I can feel the improvement in my spoken Spanish, and my increased knowledge of Hispanic art and literature has already come in very handy.

 I've joined a Spanish reading group and am helping out at a primary school Spanish club. I'm determined to keep Spanish culture in my life. I may even begin writing a book set in Salamanca, the way I have for Montpellier, Manchester and Perpignan.

 I hope you've enjoyed following my year abroad adventures. This isn't the end of this blog: I still have bits and pieces from France to post; some food photos and more film reviews. So, watch this space! And make sure you check out my articles on Third Year Abroad!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

 PS Just seen that this is my 100th post on this blog! Wow! What a journey it's been, in every possible way! I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it, taking photos and film and spreading the French and Spanish love.

 Here's to many more blog posts and much more globetrotting!