End of Season Recap: Vote for your favorite photo!

Hi All!

Continuing on with the End of Season Recap, I have finally found time to go through all of my photos. You know what that means...

Miguel de Madrid's Top 15 photos!

After going through the nearly 7000 (yes, seven thousand!) photos I've collected from myself and a variety of friends, I have compiled my top 15 photo list. The list is, of course, not exhaustive. I had to remove some of my favorite photos to reach my top 15. 

My main criteria was selecting photos that immediately stood out to me. Ones that you had to look at for more than a few seconds to really appreciate. 

Once you look through the list, VOTE! Below is a poll to record your favorite photo.

Another note: all photos are 'as is' and unedited. I'm just that good of a photographer!

Though the city itself has been completely rebuilt, the Warsaw Old Town displays vibrant colors highlighted by a nearly perfect sky.

Old Town, Warsaw

Nearly 100,000 football fans watching the greatest rivalry match in the world: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona. Under the lights at the massive Santiago Bernabeau Stadium.

Santiago Bernabeau Stadium

Thinking on a park bench in Madrid. 

Park in Madrid

My favorite candid photo of the trip. The girl went up and gave money to the accordion player, who smiled as he continued playing. Just a simple photo of humans being human. 

Girl and street performer in Warsaw

 Brilliantly displayed lights for the late night partying in Valencia for Las Fallas. 

Las Fallas, Valencia 

 I can argue some of the artistic points of bull fighting. Here, the matador stares down the bull knowing a false move could provoke a raging attack.

Bull Fight, Las Ventas

 Plaza de Espana of Sevilla with a rainbow fountain. Too easy.

Fountain at Plaza de Espana, Sevilla

 La Concha beach of San Sebastian on another perfect day. The best beach in all of Spain, I believe. 

La Concha beach, San Sebastian

 A full profile of picturesque Toledo. 

Toledo

By far the best Plaza Mayor in Spain, the evening was the best time to enjoy the magnificent plaza adorned in golden lights.  

Plaza Mayor of Salamanca at night

 Though a picture from inside the Sistine Chapel would also work (though not allowed), the 'never ending' Map Room is nearly too well decorated to ignore. 

Vatican Map Room, Rome

 At a clearer time of day, the 'peaked' cathedral of Segovia is complemented by the mountains.

Segovia

 Call me a sucker for symetry, but the Arc de Triomf of Barcelona offers just that along it's main promenade. 

Arc de Triomf, Barcelona

Double exposure showing ghostly people walking around the orb filled Globe of Science at CERN. 

Globe of Science, CERN

 A perfect day at the beach has this traveler contemplating his time in Ibiza. 

Ibiza

polls

End of Season Recap: MdeM Best of Europe!

Hi All!

I have been terrible updating the blog and uploading photos.

I promise to change that soon!

Anyway, here is a quick post.

Looking back over my trip, I think I got the most out of my time in each country.

Especially with the food...

Think about it.

I had:

Tapas in Spain

Gelato in Italy

Chocolate in Switzerland

Crepes in France

Perogies in Poland

Schnitzel in Austria

And... :-)

Local beverages in Ibiza

End of Season Recap: MdeM Final Statistics!

Hi All!

Now back in the United States, I'm not quite done yet. It's time to remember and reflect on everything that happened in Spain.
So expect some activity before I finally shut 'er down.

Let's get started!

First, some end of season statistics!

This blog is nothing without dedicated readers, so here is what you did...

Pageviews: 2000 (Thank you!)

Top 10 viewership by country:

USA: 1251
Spain: 365
Germany: 81
Russia: 63
Brazil: 53
UK: 39
Austria: 22
France: 19
Slovenia: 19
Poland: 18

Top 5 most viewed posts:

1: "You Can't Tell God to Delay the Sunset" in Barcelona
2: "I just call them pointy head guys" in Sevilla
3: "This is where Cristiano Ronaldo uses the toilet" at El Santiago Bernabeau Stadium, Madrid
4: "Todo el Mundo" in Ibiza
5: My Last Day

User browser breakdown:

Firefox: 36%
Chrome: 22%
IE: 16%

Operating system breakdown:

Windows: 66%
iPhone: 14%
Mac: 9%

By far the best keywords that directed to my blog:

"Recipes for Madrid hot dogs"

Once again, THANK YOU to all of the readers over the course of my journey!

From the archive: picture of Sol at night

Good Bye Madrid

The sun sets on an amazing adventure.

Only to rise again for the start of a new one.

My Last Day

This is it. My last day in Spain.

I have packed the majority of my items and only a few more remain to be collected.
I have finished all of my exams and now wait for grades.

Today will be a long day. Every second will slow down, though still take not long enough.

My hand is forced; I need to return for the start of my new job.
However, I would give a lot for one or two additional days here.
Can't change that now.

Madrid has exceeded my expectations. The places I've been. The events I've had. The people I've met.

I appreciate the people the most.
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to celebrate my birthday with a large group of my best friends. It will be remembered as one of my best birthdays ever.

My last day will not go perfectly. Many of my friends are busy, have exams, traveling, returning from traveling, or live far distances from me.
Those are the problems you have from meeting so many people!
I can't fault them for not being able to see me all at once. That is impossible.
I can only appreciate that when I wanted to see them, they were there.

I close a page on one adventure only to start another. Soon, I start my summer job in a new city very far from home. I only know one person (my roommate I've never met), one place (the apartment I've never visited), and one job (for a company I've never worked for).
Much like Madrid, I will be caught in a whirl wind at the start of a new adventure.

And that's a good thing. Adventure should never end. Never feel restricted by what is around you.

The only thing I know now is the next year of my life. After that, anything can happen.

To everyone I have met here, thank you.

I can only look forward to the future.

...and the best is yet to come.