Day 1-2
Travel from NYC to Moscow (yes, our connecting flight is in Moscow) to Madrid! We compromised quality here in exchange for $720 round-trip tickets. I’ll give you a full report regarding our experiences with Aeroflot (the Russian airline) upon our return.

Day 3-5
Madrid

Day 6-9
Exploring Portugal! Starting in Lisbon, then heading to Sintra, and then camping along the Portuguese Coast as we make our way south.

Day 10-15
Gibralter, Tarifa, then a ferry to Tangier, Morocco! Exploring Rabat for a day, then heading to Marakech as a launching point for our 3-day tour of the Sahara! Deserts are by far and away my favorite landscapes. Having seen a great amount of the American Southwest and the Negev, I can’t wait to add this most famous desert of all deserts to my list!

Day 16-19
Andalusia! Traveling through Cordoba, Granada, and then to the coastal port town of Cartagena. I am so excited to see the Moorish-influenced architecture and culture and the Desierto de Tabernas (again, my thing for deserts!) of this southern region of Spain.

Day 20-22
Barcelona

Day 23-26
Time for some more nature! Canyoning in the Sierra de Guara and then hiking in the Pyrenees. Four days of some action-packed outdoor adventuring.

Day 27-30
We planned our trip around the San Fermin celebration/festival in Pamplona. This is where the famous “Running of the Bulls” happens every year! Despite having an immense fear of getting gored (which any rational human should have), I am proud (okay, crazy) to announce that we WILL be running with the bulls! I even purchased some trail running shoes in place of my hiking boots to bring for this trip specifically for this reason. Wish us luck! (We’ll need it).

Day 31-34
Bilbao BBK Live! I LOVE LOVE LOVE music festivals (minus the toolish LAX-bros they always seem to attract) and am SO PUMPED to see some of my favorite bands (Alt-J, Muse, anyone?) and experience a European music festival for the first time.

Day 35
Driving through the northern region of Asturias. While bartending, a customer from Asturias told me that if I went anywhere in Asturias, that I had to go to the Playa del Silencio. We’re taking her word for it and incorporating it into the trip.

Day 36-38
Back to Madrid for a day before our long journey back home. I’m sure we’ll be exhausted by this point, but it will certainly be bittersweet coming back to the real world.