Bye Switzerland, Hello Spain!

 Indian-Swiss-Chinese Place

(7/25) After leaving Lucerne and taking a train up to Zurich, my Mom and sister sadly had to say farewell to Switzerland and head back to good old America. On our last night together, we walked to a Chinese restaurant near our hotel. It was run by an English-speaking Indian family, and they were cheering for France on the Olympics on TV. Talk about multicultural! (7/26) The following morning, we all went to the airport together. We planned it to be the same day, except Mare and Rachel were headed to New York and I was headed to Mallorca (then on to Valencia). I didn’t cry when I said goodbye to them at security, but once they were gone and I spent the rest of the day alone in airports and on planes, I started getting a bit emotional. To pass the time on a long travel day, I read an entire novel and ate chocolate. On a positive note, the flight from Zurich to Mallorca took us over the Alps, and I could see Mont Blanc in France from my seat: it was amazing!

View from the Airplane!

Downtown Central Valencia

Once I arrived in Valencia and went through customs, I took my luggage, exchanged francs for euros, and hailed a taxi. The cab driver drove me towards the center of the town, and we were chatting about a few things in Spanish. The immersion had begun! Driving towards the city was like going back in time for me. I studied abroad in Valencia in the summer of 2007, and so now, almost exactly 5 years later- I was retracing my steps. The driver let me off across the street from the Plaza de Torros, the bullfighting arena, which is right in the lively city center. I was really happy and excited to finally be back in Spain, and it helped that my hotel, Sorolla Centro, had Wi-Fi, A/C and a nice balcony overlooking the busy pedestrian-only streets. My first night there, I knew I had made the right choice in coming back to this city because the musician on the street started playing one of my favorite Spanish songs J! Despite all of the excitement, I was feeling a bit anxious, and had no appetite. 

(7/27) The next day, I was all on my own. I have traveled a lot in my life so far, but I’ve never had to be 100% alone in a foreign country before. I felt incredibly homesick that first day, and so after I got some crying out to my poor Dad via Skype, and talked myself through my plan for the next few months, I felt better and explored the nearby streets a bit on my own. I found a delicious Thai food restaurant and began feeling very excited about being back in this city I love so much! It’s a strange thing, but homesickness really is something that begins in your mind but actually makes you feel physically sick. It was really bad that whole first week for some reason, but now (at the time I’m writing) it is completely gone- Thank the Lord!

Valencia Nord Train Station

7/28- I slept in late and then checked out of my “treat yourself” hotel and into a cheaper hostel that was literally across the street. The Hotel Europa- it’s affordable, I stayed there 5 years ago, but it’s a bit cramped. Since I had 2 hours to kill before my friends Christina and Greaham would arrive into Valencia, what did I do? Of course, I ate! Finally, at 3:15 PM, I walked across the street to the Valencia Nord train station. I waited for about 30 minutes, but saw no sign of their train arriving from Geneva, Switzerland. I began to get nervous because my cell phone has no reception in Spain, and so I literally had no way of getting in touch with them to find out if their train had been delayed. During this panicked moment, I saw a new train pull into the platform, and then I saw a very tall guy with reddish hair- it was easy to spot Greaham in a Spanish crowd! I was so happy to see them and end my “seclusion”! Since they had been on an overnight train, they were ready to shower, freshen up, and have a relaxing night in Spain.

Matador Statue

Once we were ready to go, we walked around the part of the city near our hostel. Greaham and Christina liked how different the architecture is from the rest of Europe, and it is true. That’s one thing I love about Valencia, and Spain in general. It’s very unique and definitely has its own style. The city of Valencia in particular is a beautiful mix of a modern/urban city, combined with the slightly Arabic influenced architecture contrasting with the hundreds-year-old cathedrals and plazas. To get their welcome to Spain done right, we ate dinner on the busy street filled with live music. We shared a pitcher of sangria and toasted the beginning of a great “vacation within a vacation”!

Christina loves Sangria!