Ávila & Segovia Daytrip

10/22 Today we got an early start, and after our usual donuts at the place next door, we walked about twenty minutes from our hostel to the tour office for Juliá Travel. We had booked our daytrip tickets in advance through the website Viator, and everything went smoothly. We got on the big shuttle bus, and started our drive from Madrid to the small central Spanish city of Ávila. Growing up Catholic, I immediately identified the city name with St. Teresa of Ávila, and that was all I knew about it. Our tour guide, Nuria, gave us a lot more information though. The three of us were nodding off to sleep periodically during the drive, but once we arrived to the medieval hilltop city surrounded by a stone wall, we woke up! It was a bit chilly, and the first thing we did was begin our walking tour. We stopped by the Cathedral of Ávila, and headed in. Inside the church there was a decorative tomb for three Spanish children who were crucified by the Romans in the 12th century, and for whom the church is named after. That's
probably the main thing I remember- pretty gruesome story! We also got to see a statue of the famous saint, and then visited the quaint and small “Plaza Mayor” of the city. The highlight of the city was seeing the childhood home of Santa Teresa, which has since been built over and is now (of course) a church. My Mom is a big fan of the lives of Catholic saints so I made sure to take plenty of photos to appease her! The museum in the church had some of her bones there, and there was a crazy huge mob of people around them.

The Cathedral of Ávila

The birthplace of Saint Teresa

After our morning tour of Ávila, we headed back to the bus and onward to our next destination! About 1.5 hours later, we arrived in the beautiful Segovia!Iconic for its Roman aqueducts, I instantly loved it. It's so classic and beautiful- I definitely want to go back again. When our group was first dropped off we were given 1.5 hours of free time. Liz, Julia and I got a quick lunch at Burger King (don’t judge us, it was the cheapest and quickest thing available), and then spent time exploring the tiny city on our own, taking plenty of photos with the famous aqueducts. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve always viewed the towering structures as symbols of Spain, but seeing it in real life was so cool for me!

The real Cinderella's Castle

Once we had our fill of photos, we met up with Nuria and our group again and headed over to the fairytale stone castle settled on the hilltop, the Alcázar of Segovia. Rising out on a rocky crag near the Guadarrama mountains, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain, and is the one that Disney's Cinderella castle is modeled after! We first went into the palace's cathedral, and saw the gorgeous stained glass. I was embarrassed because members in our group were being really loud, and locals were actually there trying to pray. Luckily we left, and then we got to see the inner courtyards of the castle. We saw the throne-rooms for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel, and we also got to see some legitimate knights in shining armor in the Armory! We explored the gardens and a few more fancy, ornate, medieval-style rooms, and then sadly it was time to go. We had a nice long drive back to Madrid, during which I listened to all the Spanish songs on my iPod with Julia. We freshened up in our hostel, and then we walked around the Plaza de España. We got some delicious tapas for dinner afterwards in the artsy La Latina District of Madrid. I will never get tired of eating bravas.

The Alcazar de Segovia

The Armory inside the Castle

Later that night, back at the hostel, we suffered a terrible travel mishap! In hindsight, it was hilarious, but at the time it was crazy. Somehow, one of hair straighteners blew a fuse for the entire floor of the hostel. Before we knew it, there was smoke, burning plastic, and a blown converter. I later tried my converter in the same plug for some stupid reason, and it was promptly destroyed. All the power on the floor went out, but no workers were there to help. Finally someone showed up and turned on the lights, but unsure of what to do with the melting plugs and burning plastic, we threw it out the window into some courtyard, and then opened every window in the hallway. No idea how or why this happened, all I can guess is that it was a problem with the different voltages. I wish we had a video of this whole ordeal, it was definitely pretty hysterical, and we went to bed that night to the aroma of melted plastic.

Julia and Liz love Madrid!

Julia & Liz Experience Old Valencia

10/14 For the first full day in Valencia for my American friends, we definitely made it count. We got up early, 

Enjoying some horchata in the morning

had some breakfast in the piso, and took the bus over to the old part of the city. In case I haven’t already mentioned it enough- I LOVE OLD VALENCIA. It has beautiful, unique architecture, an interesting history, and a great authentic vibe. I can’t seem to get sick of it. I hope my friends felt the same.  So, just like the “walking tour” I have given in the past for John and Olivia, we started out at the famous horchata restaurant in Plaza de La Reina. The girls loved their drink, and I’ll be sad to go back to America and not be able to have it anymore! Next we walked down the plaza to the cathedral.  I hadn’t paid to go inside it since I visited here in 2007, and when the girls said they were interested in touring it, I gladly agreed. The only problem? It was a Sunday morning in Spain: Mass was going on. We ended up walking around the areas near the cathedral, and admiring it from the outside. There are still plenty of beautiful sights to see. We ended up sneaking in a side door and listened in for a bit of the Spanish mass. When it ended, we went back around to the front and paid our 5 euros for the entry ticket and the audio tour. We walked around and faithfully hit up all the numbered points of interest, learning all the history of the Catedral de Valencia. The most unique things are the dehydrated arm of Saint Vincent (it’s weird looking), and the fact that the Vatican approved “cup-most-likely-to-actually-be-THE-holy-grail” is in there too. Once we were done touring the interior, we climbed the treacherous 300ish steps up the narrow , winding church tower to the top- called El Miguelete/ El Micalet (in Valenciano). From there we got to enjoy my favorite view in the city. I realized this would probably be the last time I’d make this climb for quite a while, and it made me sad and nostalgic. That was my 5^th time going up there, and I will certainly miss it. After we dealt with wearing skirts in the wind and took all our photos, we headed back down to the plaza.

View of Valencia from the Cathedral

We had a typical Spanish lunch consisting of various bocadillos in the Plaza de La Virgen, and Liz and Julia got to enjoy the great atmosphere of the GORGEOUS surroundings. I just really love that plaza. It’s definitely my favorite in all of Europe (can you tell I’m feeling nostalgic?) Next up, we walked around the city some more, and just explored the surrounding areas. I had intended for us to go inside the Torres de Serranos, but since it was a Sunday, they were closed. Sadly, we just had to admire them from the outside. That did not stop us from taking photos though! We did some souvenir shopping, and then walked around by the Plaza de Torros. At that point, we realized how tired we were. Walking around the glamorous streets of a European city can definitely take its toll! We ended up getting some frozen yogurt at “Toppings” and listened to some live music.

Julia, Myself & Liz on the Miguelete

Liz & Julia in front of Torres de Serranos

After that, we took the metro back to my apartment. We freshened up, and relaxed for a little bit. Around 6 (very early for a Spanish dinner!), we walked the twenty minutes towards Whitney and Raúl’s apartment. She had made una reserva for us to all have dinner together at a cool place right by her building. This was a special occasion because- SADLY- it was the last time I would get to hang out with them in Spain. They

The Farewell Dinner- I miss you guys!

were heading to visit Whitney’s family in America the next week, and I would be out of town. I was glad my friends got to meet her, and we got to enjoy some delicious sangria. I don’t recall exactly what we ate, but I know that we ate a lot and that it was delicious. Also, it was a little different than the typical “Spanish food” that you find everywhere, so I was happy to mix it up. Raúl got to practice his English a little bit, and when Whitney left to use the restroom he talked more than I had ever heard him! When she came back, she didn’t believe us that he had been speaking so much and in good English- guess he is just shy in front of his novia Americana J After dinner, we took some farewell photos, and then I teared up a bit. It was an emotional day I guess. They have been involved in my life in Spain from the start, and I will truly miss getting to spend time with them. Whitney was the best Spanish teacher I ever had L , not to mention she had become a very close friend. It made me sad to realize this chapter in my life was coming to a close. On cue, it started raining pretty hard. Raúl so kindly drove us back to my piso, and I said adios to some great friends. The three of us girls spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the apartment- we were having some plumbing issues, and a hilarious story ensued- ask me if you’re ever curious! 

Enjoying the love from Whitney & Raul

American Friends Arrive to Valencia!

Our mass amount of tapas at Taberna de Jaen

10/13 The long awaited moment of my American friends flying over to visit me had finally arrived! I left the empty apartment with what I thought was enough time to meet the girls at the airport right when they got off the plane. I kind of forgot how my metro stop only has a train that goes to the airport every 25 minutes, and I missed the first one by about 30 seconds. Even though I was a little late, everything still went smoothly. I ran up to the girls in the subway section of the airport and gave big hugs to Liz and Julia. The first thing they said to me was that I looked tan and like I had lost weight. Never a bad thing to hear! After the brief struggles of buying metro tickets before the train leaves, we navigated their big roll suitcases on the metro, towards my “Facultats” stop. We wheeled their bags over the cobblestone streets (making quite the nose) and after three trips up in our super tiny apartment elevator, the three of us and the luggage made it safely into the piso. Surprisingly, the girls weren’t too tired or jet-lagged, and so wanted to squeeze in all we could on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. Our first stop? Food of course! I decided to take them over to Taberna de Jaen (the notorious location where Bárbara dressed up like a bull, remember?) I was so excited to introduce them to their first tapas that I went a little overboard and we ended up ordering an obscene amount of food. I think we got strips of ham, a cheese plate, calamari, two servings of bravas, bocadillos for each person, olives, and a pitcher of sangria. Amazingly, we downed most of it! It was surreal to me though, having these friends from Kentucky suddenly transported into my own personal little world in Valencia. It was a strange feeling seeing them there.  I was so happy though to share the customs, culture, and city I love with some eager to learn friends!

Walkway that runs along what used to be the river Turia

From the restaurant, we walked up a main street, passing the soccer stadium, and headed towards the river (it’s not actually a river though, remember). We went down the steps and strolled up the old river Turia enjoying the fountains, gardens, and parks along the way. We also made a brief stop at the children's playground that is modeled after the "Gulliver's Travels" story. It is a playset made out of a huge plastic man laying down, and it looks like the kids climbing on it are the "tiny people" from the classic story. During out walk we caught up on each other’s lives, and just enjoyed the nice scenic Valencian stroll. After about 45 more minutes of walking, we arrived to the City of Arts Sciences / Ciudad de Los Artes y Las Ciencias. The girls were very impressed with it of course, but how could you not be? The architecture and overall size of the place is awesome. We explored around and took lots of photos, and then swung by the mall to get a drink and chill. At this point, clouds started rolling in. I was a little sad, but luckily we still managed to get some good CAC photos anyways.

Liz and I enjoying the fountains on our walk

City of Arts and Sciences on a cloudy afternoon

Authentic Valencian Paella- yum!

We were pretty tired at this point, so we hailed a cab and I had them drop us off at the fancy beachside hotel Las Arenas. I wanted the girls to see the Playa Marlvarrosa beach area of the city of course! We walked along the scenic beach walk and then headed down to the sand. We got to enjoy a gorgeous sunset over the ocean, and both girls dipped their toes in the Mediterranean for the first time. Around 8pm, we decided to begin the hunt for a good paella place for dinner. We strolled up and down the walk, and finally selected an Italian place called La Divina Comedia. We shared a pitcher of sangria, and the girls had their first paella valenciana (yay rabbit meat). The ocean breeze was great and it was a perfect temperature- not humid and sweaty like it is in the summer. We went shopping at the little places on the walkway, and then we sat down a bench looking out at the stars and the water, and had some quality girl talk. I wanted us to take the tranvia back to my apartment, but our feet were sore so we cabbed it back.

Julia and Liz- their first time touching the Mediterranean!

At the piso, we freshened up and changed, and headed back out. The girls wanted to check out the bar scene- but nothing too crazy (no discotecas just yet!). We headed over to the street Polo y Peyrolón and strategically walked around so that we could get free drinks and entry passes from all the promoter people. We got some sangria at a little place on the tiny street, and then we basically just bar hopped around that area. We got lots of free drinks, but didn’t get in much dancing. We stayed at this one place with really loud music for a while, and then it hit the girls that they had been awake for a really long time. The 6 hour time difference can get to you! So, around 1am we headed back to the piso, and off to sleep. Buenas noches!

Hosting a Couchsurfer!

10/1- Finally my precious roomie Bárbara was back from her trip to Santander (North of Spain), and back to hang out with me! We went and got breakfast together at the little place by our piso and caught up. I love Spanish breakfast- it’s late enough in the morning that I’m actually functioning, but I don’t have to eat boring old cereal. Instead I get pan tostada con tomate and some zumo de piña… yum!! She had to head off to work at the ISA office, and so I spent my free time cleaning our apartment from top to bottom, and rewarding myself with a siesta. That evening, the two of us ladies went out to the usual restaurant Sal y Pimienta (Salt and Pepper) for some tapas. She knows how picky I am about Spanish food, and so she obliges me by letting me pick what we get. This usually involves (of course) my beloved patatas bravas, some pan tomate, and possibly some ensaladilla rusa. Even though she wasn’t out of town for that long, I was very glad to have her back! On 10/2 I continued the mass cleaning of our little piso, and that afternoon my friend Rachel called and invited me to hang out with her near her apartment in the Valencian neighborhood of Russafa. I took the 20 minute bus ride across the river towards where she lives. I had never been there before so I was proud of myself for making it there successfully. After I met her two adorable cats, we walked around the cute artsy streets of the area. We grabbed some mini-sandwiches and cerveza at one place, and then finished up at another place where we shared more cerveza and bravas. We had some good, genuine girl talk. I definitely admire Rachel for picking up and leaving her life in Wisconsin and creating such a great “new life” here in Spain. Her confidence is definitely something I admire!

Me and my French couchsurfer Olivia!

Although we were having a grand old time, I had to cut things short because Bárbara and I were hosting our first ever “couch surfer” that night back at our piso. I had plans to meet this girl named Olivia for the first time, and get dinner with her. Now… for those of you who don’t know what Couchsurfing is, here is my brief explanation of this amazing new trend in travel: People create an account on the www.couchsurfing.org website, and receive a “location verification” that serves as a background check. You can read people's references and see photos of them if you are worried that they are sketchy or anything- but the theory with this website is you just have to let go and trust people. Basically, you can offer your “couch” to travelers visiting your location. They send you a “couch request” noting when they will be there, and if you are available, you can let them stay at your place. They stay with you for free, and you (the host) get to learn firsthand about their unique country and culture. Every situation is different, but typically you end up going out and becoming good friends with them, and if you ever “surf” in their location one day, they’ll be willing to host you. It’s a good way to meet locals and have authentic travel experiences. I had heard of this idea before, but hadn’t actually done it yet. I created my account about a month ago, and now I was going to finally host my first couchsurfer. Olivia is a 20 year old student from a small town north of Paris, France. She was on a 2 week journey throughout Spain, and she was going to couchsurf the whole way. I definitely admire her boldness and sense of adventure in doing so- not just everyone has the guts to do that alone! She met up with me at my piso, and to get to know her and talk about the city a bit, the two of us went for some tapas at Sal y Pimienta. We really hit it off right away- She speaks perfect English, and is of course fluent in French, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear how great her Spanish was too! All these multi-lingual Europeans, making us Americans look bad ;) So, that night, she stayed on our comfy couch, and had her first evening in the beautiful Valencia!

Horchata and Fartones- the traditional side dish!

Gargoyle at Lonja de La Seda

Optical Illusion at Lonja de la Seda

On 10/3, I spend the whole day with Olivia, showing her around the city and acting as an unofficial tour guide. Of course, I loved this- and I was happy to see that she actually was appreciated the fact that I knew all these nerdy historical tidbits. I love talking about the main sites of the city and its history, and having a friend to walk around, take photos, and admire it all with was a plus! We started that morning out in the city center at the Plaza de La Reina, and I began my “usual” tour of the city (the same one I gave John, for example). She climbed the Cathedral steps, we had some horchata together, and we explored the Torres de Serranos. We headed over towards the Mercado Central area together, and after doing some vegetable shopping we had lunch together at a place right outside, where we also shared a pitcher of sangria. She is very outgoing and was making conversation with all the vendors and waiters, definitely added entertainment to the day! After lunch I showed her the 15^th century Lonja de La Seda medieval silk market building. Olivia wanted to pay the 3 euros to go in, and while I had been there dozens of times I had never actually been inside, so I decided to join her. In addition to being able to see the crazy obscenely-posed gargoyles around the whole complex, we got to explore the gardens and go up inside a few of the old rooms, complete with period furniture. It honestly wasn’t that exciting, but it was cheap and it was something new to see. Plus the floor in one of the rooms had some very confusing tile work that made for fun optical illusion photos. After that, I got us a bit lost- but it ended up being a good thing. We wandered the old city wall perimeters and I finally saw the Torres de Quart that I had not seen yet. These towers are unique because they have French bullet and artillery holes in them from during the Napoleon era. So, once our long day of walking around the city wrapped up, we returned to the piso with tired feet. Olivia is a really good dancer, and so I helped her pick out one of my dresses to wear and she headed over to El Caribe (a nearby discoteca) to join in on some group salsa. I used to do the dance classes there once a week when I was studying abroad, but those days are over for me- I preferred to just relax :)

Torres de Quart- Riddled with Bullet Holes

Normal Life in Valencia

9/24 At 4am that morning, John left out little piso and headed to the airport and back to the USA. I was too tired to be sad, but I felt it later. It was so great to have him in Spain, and the visit of course went way too quickly. I spent the rest of my day editing photos and being lazy, and then once Bárbara got off work I went with her and Nathan to get some drinks at the little café on our street. We were celebrating Bárbara’s high score and the fact that she passed the dreaded TOEFL exam she had been studying so hard for the past few weeks! I had some tinto de verano, and then later we ordered Telepizza and ate it on the couch in the piso. A nice relaxing day in Valencia! The highlight of my day on 9/25 was an impromptu meet up of some friends at the park near the old river. The river Turia used to flow through the whole city, but once it flooded in the 60s it was drained. It is now a park full of running trails and gardens that follows the path that the river once did. It’s a little strange that you can sit in grass under the old medieval bridges, but it is a very fun and pretty area. People still refer to it as “the river” though- (it took me a while to realize that there actually is no river anymore). We all packed bocadillos, chips and some vino, and we sat down on a blanket in the park. It was dark by the time we were all there, but the lights from the city were good enough. It was myself, Bárbara, Nathan, Whitney, Rachel, Marissa, and a new couple I met that night named Carlos and Christie. Christie is American and met Carlos, her recent fiancé, while studying abroad in Valencia 1.5 years ago. All in all there were 5 Americans there, and only 1 doesn’t live permanently/forever in Valencia- me :( . Sadness. 

Flamenco Themed Restaurant in Valencia

So the next day 9/26 while Bárbara was at work, I walked around in the Benimaclet neighborhood of the city with Nathan. It is an older less developed part of the city, and as a result there are a lot of really cool old buildings and plazas. It makes you feel like you are really in 19^th century Spain or something. Bárbara and her family grew up in this neighborhood, so it was nice to see her childhood stomping grounds a little. We also randomly ran into her friend Vicente, small world! We stopped and had some horchata at a café, and then we made the long walk back to the piso on Calle Menendez y Pelayo. At 7 that evening, I had a Spanish tutoring lesson with Whitney at her apartment. I walked down the long street of Blasco Ibañez to her apartment, and I got in some quality Spanish knowledge! On 9/27 Nathan and I met up with Bárbara and her co-workers for lunch at Taberna Jaen near our piso. The funny thing about her co-workers is that they used to be my study abroad program advisors 5 years ago. If someone told me back then that 5 years later I would be sitting in a café having drinks with them and speaking in Spanish, I doubt I’d have believed it- oh how far I’ve come ;) After a smoke filled hour of drinks with Manuel, Sara, Raquel, and Bárbara, Nathan and I took the bus downtown to the center. We shopped around for a little bit and went to the bookshop. I got a nice coffee table book on the city’s history! We also ate lunch at a Flamenco themed restaurant that was too touristy, even for me! That evening, the three of us had drinks and bravas before they left on their 12-hour-bus to Santander, where Nathan lives. That night, I was alone in the apartment. It was a little creepy. I thought every sound was a serial killer and I slept with the lights on!

Some of the downed trees from the wind storm

9/28- To start out my weekend, I slept in super late on Friday. It was awesome. I walked around the city a bit and just people watched and explored. I did some cleaning, and then around 6pm I packed my bag and was picked up by Whitney and Raúl in his car. They drove me to their apartment, and on the way the weather took a crazy turn for the worse! I’m used to Valencia being perpetually sunny and dry, so the fact that it was thundering, rainy, and super windy was strange. I saw a car wreck, which is rare there, and several trees were starting to blow over. We parked on the street and in order to get in their apartment we had to pass through a “wind tunnel” in between 2 buildings. It was seriously intense wind! I felt like my body could have been lifted in the air- it was crazy. Once we were safely inside we got a carry out pizza from the place in their building, and then we watched a movie! This was my “slumber party” night with Whitney, and I’m glad I wasn’t alone during the storm. During the course of the night we kept looking out the window and saw more and more trees or bushes that had come down. They have a guest bedroom there so I got to stay in my own comfy bed, and all in all it was a great deal! One sad thing about the evening though is that the abandoned bird they found and have been taking care of, named Tallina, had broken its foot somehow and was basically dying…

Barbara's Note to Me on the Frame we made!

Saturday morning 9/29, we assessed the damage outside. Wind is crazy! At about 1pm Whitney and I headed out and got some tapas at a little place near her piso. She also gave me another Spanish lesson, and I must say she is a really awesome tutor! I get personalized lessons, and I really do feel like I’ve learned more from my sessions with her than I did at the Don Quijote classes. After that we just hung out, then I made the 25 minute walk back to my piso. Marissa had invited a bunch of people over to her apartment in Benifer for game-night that night. I didn’t feel like navigating the metro, so I took the slightly pricy cab to her apartment on the other side of town, and got there right at 9:30. Rachel was there too, and we were joined by Josep, Ruben, Miguel, and Pablo. We played “Uno” for a while, and then I taught them how to play a drinking game called 21. Somehow we all stayed up laughing and having an amazing time until about 5:30 am. I love how late Spaniards stay up! It just fits my life, haha. A highlight of the evening was Marissa & Josep’s dog Coco pooping on the floor because they put a diaper on her and she didn’t know how to react.  Not sure why, but it was hysterical to us at the time. Pablo drove Rachel and Ruben home, and then was nice enough to drop me off to my piso. So, after that fun-filled evening, I of course slept in crazy late on Sunday 9/30. I cleaned and did some laundry, and then around 8:30 that night Whitney came over to hang out with me since Raúl was at work and she was bored. I made us some bravas and we basically just watched tv and chatted. I went to bed around 2, and Whitney stayed on the couch until 6am when Raúl was coming home from work and could just pick her up from my place. Bárbara came in around 5am from Santander, so luckily I was never alone in the piso that weekend again!

Our little balcony in the Piso

John's Valencia Experience

Matador Kills the Bull. Ole!

The much-anticipated day had finally arrived! My boyfriend John was here in Spain! I woke up early and took the long metro ride out to the Valencia airport to pick him up. As soon as I saw him, we locked eyes, and I ran through the airport and jumped into his arms. He spun me around and it was so romantic—Just kidding, that is not how it happened at all. Actually, his luggage was lost so I found him in a long line, and helped him speak Spanish. Once that crisis was somewhat averted (no thanks to Air Europa), we took the long metro ride back towards the University district where I live. I got off the wrong exit at my stop though so he got an accidental tour of the streets near my piso. Oops. Anyways, once he dropped off his backpack and got to meet Bárbara and see our lovely piso, we were ready to begin the day and commence his Spanish tourism! First things first, we walked to a little restaurant close by called Taberna de Jaen so that John could have his first “typical Spanish meal”. Bárbara came with us, and we ate a ton of food and had a great time. Poor John, we kept forcing him to talk to our waiter in Spanish since it entertained us to see him get embarrassed. Despite this, he got to have his first paella, jamón Serrano, patatas bravas, and Valencian seafood- all in his first meal. While we were eating, our waiter (who could somehow tell we were foreigners) invited us to check out the “back room” where they keep their bullfighting souvenirs. We agreed, and before we knew what was happening we were all in costumes. John was a matador, I was a flamenco dancer, and Bárbara was a bull. Of course we took tons of silly photos acting out our roles. It was one of those unplanned, random travel moments that turned out to be hilarious and made for some awesome pictures. Maybe it played up stereotypes that tourists to Spain might have, but whatever, it was fun!

The couple at the CAC

Our next stop was the City of Arts and Sciences. I didn’t care if John was tired from his trans-atlantic flight, we were going to beat his jet-lag by not letting him stop moving until night. We walked towards the River Turia area, and got to enjoy the gardens, fountains and little riverwalk along the way to the CAC. It took us about an hour, and once we got there, we spent time wandering around and exploring the place. The architecture always makes for great photos, and I was happy for John to get to see one of the “gems” of Valencia. It was a beautiful day, a bit hot, but the lighting was perfect for my pictures. I was just so happy John was there with me, I’d been talking up the city to him for years, so I was just pumped he could finally see it all in person. Once we’d had our fill of the CAC, we started walking back towards the center. Realizing how tired we were, we gave up and took a cab to the beach area.

As everyone knows, I absolutely LOVE the beach. So I forced John to come see it with me. We started out near the Las Arenas hotel, and did a stroll in the sand. We shopped for a swimsuit for him at the little stalls on the walkway, but for some reason this did not make him want to go swimming. He’s not a big fan of sun or beaches. I guess I had anticipated this, because I wasn’t that upset about not getting to lay out and swim. So, once we walked around and saw the sights, we went to the America’s Cup Port area. This place was lively and hopping back in 2007 when it was hosting the world’s largest sailing competition, but now it’s a bit like a ghost town. All the cool buildings are still there, but a bit dingy and void of activity. The only good part about exploring the port area was that an old ship that looked like a traditional 

Spanish armada boat or pirate ship was there. It also happened to be sunset, so we got to have the beautiful views of the water at twilight. To wrap up his first day in Spain, we ate a quick dinner near my piso, and got ready to face the next day!

L'Umbracle at the City of Arts & Sciences

View of Playa Malvarosa in Valencia

Red-Beard the Pirate by his Ship

Montanejos & New Friends

Our little set-up at the beach!

8/16- Today I was invited to go with Bárbara and her parents to the beach near Port Saplaya. The main difference about this beach is that dogs are allowed- so that added a bit of fun for sure. The weather was perfect all day and we spent the entire morning, afternoon, and evening laying out and soaking up the hot August sun. I finished an entire book and got a nice tan too, can’t complain! Also Bárbara’s parents brought along all of the typical “beach supplies” that I’d been deprived of thus far like a chair, umbrella, floaties, etc. so I was pumped about that. We had a pretty decent set-up going, our own little chiringuito on the beach. Plus her Dad also made us his famous tortilla de patata for lunch, which was delicious. Despite a sand coated puppy attacking our towel, I had a great day and was excited to be welcomed as “part of the family”. Can’t complain about another awesome day swimming in the Mediterranean!  The only potential downfall of the day was that while I was swimming, I felt something bite me near my collarbone. There was just some redness, but I’m still not sure if it was a jellyfish or what.

They were everywhere!

8/17- To celebrate the fact that it was a Friday in August, today we had the perfect getaway planned! Bárbara and I were picked up that morning by Marissa and her Spanish friend named Marta. Also in the car with us was Marta’s former study-abroad roommate named Tamara. To add to the “what a small world” feeling I always get, Tamara is from Lucerne, Switzerland- where I just was last month with my mom and sister. Crazy! Anyways, we all piled into Marta’s car and began the two hour drive to the hot springs in the city of Montanejos. I know I just went there a few weeks ago, but trust me I was not upset about getting the chance to go again! All of us had been before except Marissa and Tamara, but everyone was still excited for the chance to swim in the extremely refreshing natural springs/former Arab baths. It was much more crowded today than the last time I came, but we could still swim around to our heart’s content. This time I brought goggles to look at the fish, and we also explored the little cave. We also swam back to the waterfall, and then we saw these little boys jumping off a super tall rock into the water. I’m honestly amazed it was deep enough that they didn’t die- but apparently it was, so Marissa decided to be a daredevil and she did “the jump” into the springs. After the mandatory girl-talk, we spent some time lying out in the sun and reading, and then our stomachs drove us to pack up and find some food. 

Marta, Me, Marissa, Tamara & Barbara

Since Bárbara and I had both been on the same “hot springs tour” before, we decided to go back to the same restaurant they took us to. In the central plaza of the small pueblo of Montanejos, it was easy to find. Surprisingly though, the service this time around was not quite so friendly and hospitable- probably because the owner Sebastian didn’t view us as “tourists” and figured he wasn’t going to get a tip no matter what. So, the service was slow, but we girls still had a great time. We shared several tapas and sandwiches, and of course a pitcher of sangria (and water, it was SO hot again). We were speaking in English at the table since Tamara doesn’t speak Spanish (just English, French, German and Italian- what a slacker!), and when the server heard us he asked where we were from. It was a bit funny because when we said “America” he said, “oh wow there has been so many Americans here lately, I just met some a few weeks ago!” I tried to hide behind my sunglasses so there wouldn’t be an awkward moment of recognition, haha.  The drive back to Valencia was a windy road, but the time passed quickly. This group of girls is a very fun and hilarious mix, I will say. Highlights included Bárbara revealing to us her hidden talent of being able to sing opera very well, but in a man’s voice- and we all were laughing so hard that Marissa and I started crying.

The ladies + Whitney at Dinner!

That evening the ladies made plans to meet up at a restaurant near the Aqua shopping center in the new part of town. Marta’s Uncle owned the restaurant, so we had a nice little table outside waiting for us. It was the same group as yesterday, but Whitney was able to come this time too! We had a pretty tasty meal, a few of us got mini burgers, and of course had some hilarious conversations and wine as well. After dinner, we split up in two groups and wereall  headed over to Marta’s apartment to “pre-game” or “botellon”. When Tamara and Bárbara got to Marta’s car they noticed that it smelled very strongly of gas. She called her Uncle over and basically, her car was out for the night. While this was going on, Marissa, Whitney and I had already hailed a cab and were waiting outside Marta’s apartment. We didn’t have a key obviously, so once we heard that we had to wait a half hour for the other girls to get there, we decided to find someplace to hang out. Standing on a very dark street corner in a questionable part of town late at night didn’t seem like the best idea, so we sought shelter at the first “public” location we could find. This ended up being a random karaoke bar with Bolivian flags everywhere and filled with Bolivians.  We ordered some drinks, listened to a girl sing a Selena song, and before the drinks were done the other girls we back.

My new friend from Switzerland :)

Nua the Puppy!

 We all headed into Marta’s adorable apartment, and got to spend quality time with one of the world’s cutest dogs. She just got a mini-chihuahua puppy named Nua. It is white and one of the tiniest and cutest things in the world. After we got the oohing an aahing out of our systems, we made a few mixed drinks and gathered around the family room couch. We were debating on whether to go out to the bars or not, but while trying to decide this Marissa and I decided to teach the ladies how to play the drinking game called “Kings”. It was a lot of fun, and definitely a good time. This group of girls just meshed very well. We were listening to Britney Spears and Spice Girls the whole night, and then around 3am Whitney, Barbara and I decided to head home. The other ladies ended up meeting Josep and his friends at the bars, but I just couldn’t stay up that late. Overall, this was an amazing fun filled day, and I am so glad I got to meet Marta and Tamara- and of course Nua the puppy! The rest of our weekend  (8/18 and 8/19) was definitely low key- us roomies relaxed, got lots of sleep, ate junk food, and spent far too much time on Pinterest. We may have been a bit sunburned, but it was totally worth it. Oh, and on a final note, the bite I got at the beach was slowly getting worse, and by Sunday it was bad enough that we decided to go to the pharmacy. He took a look at it and I got a roll-on medicine for it- we’ll see if it works. I hope so, because it’s itchy and super gross. 

Mystery Bite

Waterfalls and Hot Springs in Montanejos

The canyon-like surroundings

Today, it was time to begin our “day-trip” out of Valencia with the tour company Do-Valencia. I hoped this tour would give us a chance to see a different aspect of the region of Valencia, and that it would be something a little off the beaten track. We waited outside the hostel bright and early, and after some confusion about where our hostel was located (join the club), we were finally picked up by our French-Canadian expat guide Mike (but really his name was Michele) and our driver, Diego. We were introduced to the two other girls who would be in our group that day, Yasmin & Ana from Cologne, Germany. We then drove about an hour out of the city, past a lot of interesting Grand-Canyon reminiscent landscape, until we arrived to our first stop. We walked about 10 minutes down a trail to a waterfall known as the Bridal Veil. Several locals were already there for the afternoon swimming in the pools at the bottom, and so we joined them! There was a natural “water slide”, and at one point we braved the super slippery rocks to take a photo standing underneath the falls. After a refreshing swim, our group headed off to the next destination!

Bridal Veil Waterfalls

Swimming and Exploring

We arrived next at the Fuente de Los Baños, in the pueblo of Montanejos. This place is home to natural hot springs that have minerals in them that rejuvenate and cleanse the skin. In the 13^th century, an Arabic King named Abu-Ceit constructed the bathing springs on this site for his favorite wives so that they could “forever maintain their youth and beauty” from the nutrients in the waters. Some of the original stone structures still remain, so while it’s a beautiful place to visit and swim in, the history surrounding it is pretty cool too. Our group sat down for some lunch on a patio overlooking the springs, and we enjoyed some bocadillos.  Then, we got into the water! Since it’s called “hot springs”, I figured it would be warm, but the water was actually pretty chilly. Considering it is late summer in Valencia though, the water felt extremely refreshing. We started swimming around the clear waters and looking at the fish, and then we swam inside a little cave. It was so much fun, just having the chance to swim around and explore, I love things like that! After that, we got to see a hidden cove with a waterfall, and then we had the chance to do some cliff-diving, but no one in our group was brave enough to do it except Diego (not even Greaham!). Once we had our fill of swimming in this paradise location, we took the van to the central plaza of the pueblo.

Some Tapas and Sangria!

We went into a local restaurant owned by a very personable guy named Sebastian, and quickly sat down and started eating and drinking. Mike ordered us all a delicious mix of tapas (Spanish style appetizers) and some sangria. Before we knew it, the drinks were flowing all around and there was a lot more conversation in the group. While eating the bravas, calamari, pan tomate, and tortilla, Sebastian started explaining a “local tradition” of how they put wine in a goat-skin container, and taught us all how to drink from it without touching it to our mouths. This was slightly awkward, and Christina and I both spilled red wine all over our clothes. All in the spirit of fun though! Next up, the owner decided that we needed to partake in another “local tradition” (I say this in quotes because I feel like he maybe made it up) of dipping our finger in alcohol, lighting it on fire, putting it out in a cup of water, and then immediately taking a shot of this light-green alcohol. He made Greaham do it first since he was the only guy, but then eventually all of us were peer-pressured into doing it. The fire actually hurt my finger, though I felt lame thinking that. Later, we realized that the light-green shot he made everyone take was actually absinthe. That could explain why we all felt to giddy and light headed when we left the restaurant.

Finger being lit on fire, then Absinthe

Back in the van, we drove to our final destination of the day. A gigantic dam built into the side of a cliff. The water was coming out so fast and with so much force, it was insane. I have never seen anything like it! We climbed up a gravel pile (which was somewhat of a struggle given that everyone was tipsy) to get closer, and then our guide took a cool jumping photo of everyone in the group. That was our last stop of the day, and we all had so much fun. The drive back to Valencia went quickly, lots of chatting, and we were sad the day had come to an end. Another nice thing about this tour was that the guides took photos for you, so you don’t have to worry about getting your camera ruined- all in all, it was a great day and an awesome tour! 

Jumping in front of the huge dam

Interested in going on this same daytrip? : http://www.do-valencia.com/hot-spring/hot-spring-tour.html