In March I chaperoned a study abroad trip to Spain with my school. We visited 7 cities in 10 days, ate extremely well, stayed in some great hotels, and saw so much that our senses were happily overwhelmed.
Before the trip I was unhappily overwhelmed.
Between work, life, and everything else in between I was a bit stressed and drained — which all left me exhausted. I was really excited about the trip that would take place over our spring break, but was also drowning in all that I had to do to on top of preparing to travel. I kept thinking how that spring break would have been a great time to get caught up on my obligations as well as some much needed sleep. But there was no turning back, I was off to Spain with 28 students and 3 of my colleagues.
There is nothing like traveling, busy traveling with other humans you're responsible for, to help you get over yourself.
From day one we were literally up from 7 am to about midnight every single day. Our days were packed with field-trips, sightseeing, eating, and exploring. Every corner we turned, every tiny cobblestone street we strolled, and every single market we perused blew me away. From ancient ruins to freshly painted street art; historic facades to contemporary hotel rooms; busy streets to quiet quaint little towns we were in awe at every single thing we encountered.
And the food. Maaannn, the food. I will have to save that for another post — but basically, I ate and ate, and ate and ate...
There was no time to complain, no time to be tired, no time think about anything else than what you were doing in that very moment. You had to be in the moment or you would miss everything — so thinking about grading, advising, blog posts, moving into a new home or freelance projects was not an option.
That kind of trip, that experience, left me so incredibly happy. I came back refreshed and ready to travel again. I love Spain.
I shared a few photos before, but now that my summer break has kicked-off (the benefits of teaching!!) I can now sort through and organize all the photographs I've taken. Which is really great because some parts of the trip have started to blur into a blob of joy. Sorting through the photos has given me a chance to relive the little details of a trip I will never forget.
To start I'd like to share the typography I saw throughout the many cities we visited. Being a visual communications designer I was intrigued by the shop signage and also the chalkboard menus for restaurants.
The menus are great reminders of the fabulous food I ate throughout the trip: paella, oxtail, and tapas. I love handwritten type so seeing the variations in different colors on chalkboard-black sparked my interest.
I also appreciate the oldstyle storefront signage I saw in the little alley ways and tiny towns.
There's something so special about the way shop owners highlight the names of their shops and restuarants.
I loved seeing how they used similar type but in very different ways.
More photos to come soon!
What about you, did you take a trip that blew you away? Do share?
