Baby It's Cold Outside...

So this week it officially feels like winter is here. IT'S FREEZING!!!!
This morning before leaving the house the weather forecast said it was 35 degrees and that it felt like 28. Awesome. This may not seem like much to some of you, but to me it is damn cold and definitely not what I'm accustomed to, having spent my whole life in coastal locations.

Speaking of coastal locations... a few weeks ago I went on a fun little 4-day euro trip to Italy, France, and the Basque Country in Northern Spain. Specifically, we visited Milan in Italy, Nice and Bordeaux in France, and San Sebastian in Spain. Now, all 4 of the cities had a certain charm or beauty to offer, but by far my favorite cities were Nice and San Sebastian. Why you ask? Because they have beaches!!! I guess I didn't realize how much I love and miss the ocean until I was once again in front of the water. Madrid is totally land-locked, and that is the one bummer about living in this spectacular city. San Sebastian has beautiful beaches and great surf, so clearly it reminded me of the beaches in Carmel. And the beach in Nice reminded me of when I used to vacation at our beach house in San Juan, Alicante. Seeing the water filled me with joy, and I actually got teary eyed. Is that crazy?? I just love the ocean... it can be calm and serene yet powerful and destructive. It is mysterious yet comforting. It is endless and humbling. I love it.
So yeah, after seeing San Sebastian I have added a new goal to my list of things I hope to accomplish. I want to live in San Sebastian. Maybe not forever, but I wouldn't mind living there for a while, or buying a summer home there. Yes, it's that great. And imagine how cool you would be to be able to say "Oh me? For my vacation I'm going to spend a few weeks with my friend in San Sebastian"??? It's got a perfect combination of super green mountains, beautiful beaches, awesome people, and lovely architecture. To me, a perfect little paradise. Check out my pics and tell me if I'm wrong :)

Anyway, back to the original topic at hand... me freezing my bum off. So the school I teach at isn't in Madrid capital, but rather it's a little town on the outskirts of Madrid, called Colmenarejo. It is north west of Madrid and happens to be in the Sierra. Given that it's in the country, a higher elevation, and surrounded by other mountains, the odds are fairly good that we will get snow at some point this winter!!! AHHHHH!!!! I can't wait! I know I complained about being cold, but I am willing to withstand a little cold if it means getting to play with snow! I'm telling you, the first time it snows on us my inner child is going to come out :) I asked some coworkers if it often snows in Colmenarejo and they said yes. Yes! In fact, today the mountains in the distance where already blanketed in snow. Good sign, I hope.

Of course, with winter comes one other thing.... CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS! I am very excited to see the city lit up with x-mas lights and decorated to perfection every where you go. I noticed this last weekend that they've already started putting up lights and giant x-mas figures all over the city. Sure it's cheesy, but I definitely plan on taking pics of all the pretty decorations I see. This winter is going to feel like a true winter.... snow, beautiful lit up streets, the city bustling with people bundled up in warm elegant coats (yes, I've seen quite a few older ladies bust out their minks), street vendors selling roasted chestnuts that send out the most delicious of smells as you walk by, store windows with beautiful red and sparkly displays, and rosey cheeked children running about eagerly anticipating the holidays. Yep, that is the picture I have in my head of a true winter and something tells me that this year Madrid is not going to disappoint.