A/N: This chapter is mostly filler and fluff.
Italicized paragraphs indicate information I pulled straight off a website.
Italicized sentences indicate that it's a translation from Spanish.
The places named are actual places; Google them for more information. :)
One final note: This is not the most exciting of chapters and I almost left it out and just time-jumped right back to Lesbos but I thought that might be a little jarring. So. Here's this.
xoxoxoxoxo
Chapter 21 – Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona
Their flight landed around nine-thirty a.m. and they were at the hotel and checked in by eleven. They had a nicely appointed room and took advantage of the large queen sized bed immediately to catch up on the sleep they hadn't had the night before.
When they woke up at two, they showered and went downstairs to the hotel's restaurant to eat.
They had four days in Lisbon, a week in Madrid, and five days in Barcelona before they went back to Lesbos for the Women's Festival.
Brittany was, for the most part, back to being Brittany. The were moments when Santana caught her staring into space looking sad and there was the occasional nightmare but, overall, her bubbly blonde was back to her normal, positive self. Santana was grateful that, while it hadn't been easy, it hadn't taken very long to break past the insecurities that douche had left behind. Maybe it was because Brittany was, generally, secure in herself and who she was. Maybe it was because she was secure in Santana's love for her. Whatever it was, Santana was grateful.
In Lisbon, they decided to do something a little different; instead of running around trying to see everything, they each chose something they wanted to do or see and they did those things. No googling, no "must see" lists; just two girls looking for things to do.
Brittany wanted to take Tram 28 which gave them a bit of tour of interesting things; they took it to the terminus at Alfama then walked back down to explore the neighborhood.
Santana saw a brochure for a sunset and wine sailing tour. It was relaxing and romantic and they loved every minute of the two hours they spent on the water.
Because they only had four days, they spent most of them just exploring the city. They agreed that they'd like to, some day, return to Lisbon; four days just wasn't enough time to see all there was to see.
Xoxoxoxoxo
Their flight to Madrid got in just after noon. They checked into their hotel and spent the rest of the day at the Museo de Prado, knowing they'd be back the next day; half a day just wasn't enough time to cover the two buildings and eight thousand pieces of art.
The majority of the week, they spent visiting the places they most wanted to see, not necessarily the "recommended" must see.
Retiro Park, where they took a romantic boat ride on the lake and Brittany couldn't stop taking pictures of the beautiful scenery and the two Palacios, was high on their list of "best of" Madrid.
They wandered a little but spent a lot of time in museums and at national monuments like the Puerta de Alcala, which was the inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe. Brittany took a lot of pictures and Santana had fun one night comparing the Puerta to the Arc.
The one thing they absolutely agreed upon was that they did not want to see a bullfight. Brittany couldn't stomach the thought of watching the bull be slaughtered for sport and Santana fully supported her.
They loved the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum; so many of the Old Masters, such as Manet, Renoir, Cezanne, and Van Gogh, were housed there and it was inside the Palace of Villahermosa, which lived up to its name. They also loved its "companion" museum, The Reina Sofia museum, which housed more contemporary artists such as Picasso (his Guernica could be viewed there) and Dali.
On the 3rd of September, Brittany woke up early, got dressed, and walked down to talk to the concierge. She asked for directions to the nearest jewelry store and asked about the Casa de Campo, the largest park in the city. Brittany thought it'd be awesome to spend Santana's birthday riding rides, eating amusement park food, wandering the zoo, and just having fun. The concierge recommended riding the cable car from Parque del Oeste, just across the river from Casa de Campo then walking back down through the park. She'd need to purchase tickets for the zoo and the amusement park (which she did right then). Then she made reservations at Restaurante Montaloya, one of the nicer restaurants housed with Casa de Campo.
She left to buy Santana's gift (slightly annoyed with herself for not thinking to do this earlier) and, while she was on her way back to the hotel, she picked up coffee and pastries for breakfast.
Back in the room, she was relieved to find Santana still asleep. She slipped into the bed, pulling Santana close to her and peppering her back, shoulders, and neck with kisses.
"Briiiit …"
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Santaaaanaaaa, happy birthday to you!" she sang softly.
Santana rolled over and smiled brightly at her.
"Thank you, baby."
"Come on, time to get up! Things to do." Brittany grinned.
Santana laughed. "Okay, okay."
Twenty minutes later, she was showered and dressed and the girls were sitting on the balcony eating their breakfast.
"So, I bought tickets for the Madrid Aquarium Zoo and the Casa de Campo Amusement Park for today and I made reservations for dinner at one of the restaurants at Casa de Campo so … I hope it's okay, I thought we'd spend the day there today." Brittany had been sure when making the plans but now she wasn't sure at all.
Santana laughed, "That sounds perfect, Britt," she leaned over and kissed her gently, "thank you."
Brittany beamed. "You're welcome. Um …" she pulled the box out of her pocket, "I got you this."
Santana just looked at her in sheer adoration. "Britt …"
Santana opened the box and gasped; inside was a gold heart locket. "Britt, this is beautiful. Thank you." She leaned over and kissed Brittany again.
"Open it and then read the back."
Santana lifted the necklace out of the box. She carefully opened the two sides and revealed a picture of the two of them taken in Lesbos. She smiled softly as she closed it back up and turned it over. On the back was the inscription:
S&B's European Tour 2013
"Brittany," she said in that impossibly small voice she uses only with the blonde, "it's beautiful. Thank you. Put it on me?"
Brittany nodded and helped her put it on.
"Now, let's go have some fun!"
xoxoxoxoxo
When they got back to the hotel that night, they were tired, a little footsore, but happy. Santana had spent her birthday with the love of her life and Brittany had spent the day celebrating the birth of the love of her life.
They showered and sighed happily as they fell into bed that night.
Xoxoxoxoxo
When it was time to leave Madrid for Barcelona, they both agreed they'd like to return to Madrid at some point to see some of the things they'd missed. Like some of the squares, monuments, and neighborhoods. Especially the Chueca neighborhood which is the epicenter of Madrid Pride at the beginning of July.
Xoxoxoxoxo
From Madrid they took a train to Barcelona and, once they checked into their hotel, Brittany insisted on finding the "The World Begins With Every Kiss" mural.
She was fascinated by the piece;
This romantically named mural near the Catedral de Barcelona was only meant to be a temporary exhibition. It was unveiled in 2014 for the 300th anniversary of September 11, 1714, a day known as Catalonia Day, or La Diada, which commemorates Catalan surrender in the War of Spanish Succession. The day is a tribute to the Catalan lives lost, to regional identity, and to freedom. The mural is made up of 4,000 tiles with photos printed onto them arranged into mosaics by color and density so that, from afar, the 26-foot-tall mural shows two people kissing. This kiss—a symbol of affection, empathy, and liberty—felt so poignant that the local government never took it down.
Brittany spent hours looking at the individual tiles; there was just something so compelling about the mosaic though she would be hard pressed to explain why. The inscription next to the mural sent a chill down her spine: "The sound of a kiss isn't as loud as a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer."
She pulled Santana in close for a tight hug; for some reason, the quote made her think of Brussels.
Xoxoxoxoxo
Santana wanted to see the "lizard mosaic thing" which Brittany found was actually called Park Guell and they needed to purchase tickets in advance and go at their specific allotted time.
They spent a day exploring the Tibidabo mountain fairground; the views were amazing and Brittany took breathtaking pictures from the top of the Ferris Wheel.
They spent half a day eating their way through La Boqueria, Barcelona's oldest market; it's been active since twelve17. The other half of the day was spent walking off all the food they ate.
A day was spent exploring Els Encants; a giant flea market that has been in existence since the 1300s.
They went to Barceloneta.
Toured the Picasso Museum and the MOCO Museum.
They spent a day relaxing by the pool.
"Britt?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it weird that I'm not homesick?"
Brittany smiled. "No. I'm not either." She moved over and curled up in Santana's lap on her lounger. "Because I'm home right now."
Santana smiled brightly. "Yeah." She kissed the top of Brittany's head and cuddled her close. "Yeah." She repeated softly.
Before they knew it, it was time to head back to Lesbos.