It’s actually quite cool how this trip happened. Let me get you up to speed:
-girl leaves boyfriend for Spain
-boyfriend promises to come to Spain for special Galicia trip
-girl and boy break up
-girl is sad about Galicia trip being canceled (not about break up)
-girl laments to friends over wine
-friends come up with new Galicia trip: same itinerary, better company
-girl is luckiest person EVA

My plan B was to have Marina fly over from NYC and us romp around Granada and Sevilla for a bit. Lana informed me countless times that that would be a fool’s move. No one goes to the south in the summer. I resisted for a bit until she presented me with a kick ass Galicia/Portugal itinerary. What can I say? She had me at Albariño…

Well the beginning of this adventure in wonderland was already effed up by yours truly. Marina tells me she is leaving NYC on Friday, which for some reason stuck in my head as the day to buy our bus tickets to Galicia. Forget the fact that I am a frequent trans-Atlantic flyer. I should have known better. So Lana carried on the night before, I had to eat the 60 euro cost and get us tickets for Saturday afternoon, when she actually arrived. Transportation fail.

I leave my flat at 8AM on Saturday to scoop Marina at the airport. This is what the streets of Madrid look like at 8AM.

sleepy little town

I just had to chuckle. Definitely a night city. Which is why I love her so.

Marina and I get the bare essentials for the arduous journey – wine and hot croquetas. At the bus station, we settle into our seats and promptly open the first of three bottles before we’ve pulled out of the terminal.

see?

If you’re interested in a good Spanish rose – this one is delish.

Brills. What’s even more brills is that we sat right behind the driver (sit down, bus driver!), talking loudly the entire time (typical Americans) and he didn’t tell us until we got off the bus that you aren’t allowed to drink on buses, and for the future, not to do that or we’ll get a ticket. What a swell guy that he let us drink for 8 hours, and carry on in our merriment.

Marina doesn’t travel anywhere without an economy size supply of Xanax. Now, I’m no drug pusher. In fact, I stay away from Western medicine as a general rule of thumb, being part witch and all. But let me say this:

Xanax + wine = the best sleep you will ever have on an uncomfortable bus seat.

I’m a believer. I’ve converted. But only for bus trips. And planes. Maybe boats too. Now, how do I get my hands on some Xanax when I don’t have health insurance? Therein lies my conundrum.