My next stop after Dublin was to visit my friend in Madrid. I actually met her in a store called Pound Stretcher in England. It was about a week before our courses started and we've been friends ever since.

Her family was kind enough to let me stay in their home for a couple of days. I was there very briefly so we spent the majority of our days out walking and sightseeing. I had told my friend I wouldn't mind having a casual visit that was very slow and relaxed.

To my surprise, Spain was just as hot as New Mexico so doing slower activities was all we had interest in.

Having been in Ireland as long as I was really made me wish I could spend extended periods of time in other places as well. I like what sort of living as a local does for my character and they way it helps form a better and solidified opinion of a place.