missionaryMAC

You've seen them.  The reel* where one friend is hunched over a computer, crafting a minute-by-minute itinerary, while the other opens PayPal and sips a glass of wine.  The reel about that one friend who thinks everything is walking distance...[20,000 steps later]... The reel about how you talk about buying plane tickets like most of your friends the same age talk about buying diapers.  Ashley & I brought these and more to life by staying on in Spain for six nights post- conference . The first three, we'd spend in Madrid. It hit me that Spain, and Madrid in particular, was my first international experience way back during my junior year of high school, hence perhaps my love affair with the entire country. Perhaps that's also why I didn't feel a need to see and do ALL the things: I've done them before. Granted, I could still easily spend a week at the Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sofía - each - but in this case I was happy to wander and check out quirky Insta...

And much as I looooooved Portugal , the feeling was mutual.  I couldn't wait to arrive [in Madrid for the Volunteer Coordinators' Conference], either. Annual in-person time with this workgroup is a gift. We brainstorm with the best of them and fiercely pursue excellence when it comes to equipping our volunteers, keeping them safe, and converting them into long-term advocates, but we also laugh A LOT.  We came together from (L to R): St. Louis, PR, the Czech Republic, the DR, Kenya, and St. Louis again. Our photographer was a Coordinator alum also from the Czech Republic; not pictured are additional representatives from the DR and Kenya. Three of those pictured had gotten to Madrid Monday morning and were struggling to communicate with the sweet sisters who hosted us at a Catholic retreat center in the Canillas neighborhood. I'm told the title sentiment was uttered often, and sure enough, Migdalia and I were besties as soon as I showed up around 6:30 pm. One of the immediate...

I need both hands to count the number of people in my extended circle who have been to Portugal in the past few years - and adored it. I wanted to go during my study abroad semester in Spain, but despite the proximity, I never made it. When I learned I'd be attending a work conference in Madrid last month, then, I was bound and determined to make it happen. I landed in Lisbon on a Thursday morning and for 4 1/2 days, fully embraced vacation mode in country #25. Solo, I might add. For the record, I, too, adored it.  (I'll tell you everything - about Portugal, the conference, and my post-conference vacation in Spain - if you have about 5 hours; otherwise, the following photos were carefully selected to convey the story of my time in Portugal as concisely as I could.) This is mostly how I'll remember Portugal. Should I just stop now, or keep going?  I mastered public transportation (buses, trams, and the metro) in both Lisbon and Porto, starting with the ride from the Lisbon a...