Making a List, Checking it Twice

It's hard to believe that I have less than two weeks left in my study abroad stint! Along the way I've been writing down various memories, meals, and pet peeves -- are you surprised at all that I have millions of mini lists?! Anyway, here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order):

Top 6 Favorite Neighborhoods:

1. Malasaña - Madrid

2. Barri Gòtic - Barcelona

3. Red Light District - Amsterdam

4. Charlottenburg - Berlin

5. Le Marais - Paris

6. Santa Croce - Venice

Top 5 Favorite Restaurants:

1. La Bodeguita del Medio -Prague

2. Pan de Lujo - Madrid

3. Restaurante Branka - San Sebastian

4. Le Petite Chaise - Paris

5. La Giostra - Florence

Top 4 Favorite Sites:

1. Centre Pompidou - Paris

2. Palazzo Grassi - Venice

3. Guggenheim - Bilbao

4. Sagrada Familia - Barcelona

Top 3 Favorite Pastries/Desserts:

1. Chocolate palmeras from Lhardy - Madrid

2. Gelatto at Giolitti - Rome

3. Stroopwaffels - Amsterdam

Top 2 Most Frustrating Moments

1. Cancelled flight to Berlin

2. Traveling to customs in Madrid to pick up a package...

Best View

1. Torre de Mangia - Siena

And... in a moment of frustration and hostility I jotted down the following list of what I will miss least about Madrid:

- Restaurants without continuous service

- Paper thin napkins that don't absorb anything

- Paying for bread (and bottled water) in restaurants

- My 45 minute commute to school

- The weak U.S. dollar

- Smokers smoking everywhere

- Old ladies linking arms while walking down the street (and blocking the whole sidewalk)

- T-shirts with nonsense or mistranslated English sayings (ex: Detroit Dodgers?!)

- Pickpockets on the Metro

I thought I'd post this now so as not to end on a negative note. Rest assured, the aspects of Madrid that I will miss infinitely outweigh the insignificant things that irritate me!