Market, Beach, and a Long Train Ride

10/15 Early in the morning, Bárbara returned to the apartment from her weekend trip to Santander. I introduced her to Liz and Julia, and we went and had breakfast at our usual little cafe below our piso. I was happy that my friends could finally meet my roomie- she is pretty awesome after all! After that, she was off to work at the ISA office. The three of us American ladies then headed into the city center to finish our final day of touring Valencia. We took the 10 minute bus ride to the Plaza de la Reina, and then I led the way down the scenic side streets. Soon, we were at the Mercado Central. This big market is inside a beautiful historic building, and you can buy all the fresh produce, fruit, or even alcohol you could ever want. It is frequented by locals who buy their food fresh every few days, so it is a fun authentic-feeling experience for a tourist. We spent about an hour looking at all the different stalls, gaping at the chopped off pig heads, debating what certain fruits were, and then Julia purchased a small souvenir bottles of sangria. After that, we walked across the street to check out the medieval silk market building, or Lonja de la Seda. Since I have already been inside multiple times, the girls felt bad making me pay admission, and so we just admired it from afar. From outside you can still see the gargoyles and architecture, so the only thing you really miss is the inner courtyard.

Ham, ham everywhere!                                  

 After the girls took their photos of the famous main room of the Lonja, we decided it was time for a break. This was clearly a moment for some cocktails. We sat down at an outdoor stall selling the local signature drink- Agua de Valencia, and the girls have their first taste. Contrary to its name, this drink is not water at all. It is usually made with champagne, orange juice, vodka, and gin. Drinking this before lunch was definitely a good decision

Agua de Valencia!

After taking the bus back to the piso, changing into our swimsuits, and packing snacks we bought at Mercadona, it was finally time to head to the beach! When I initially planned this day for us, it was late September, and the weather was much hotter. I didn’t realize the drastic temperature drop would happen early October, and so it was a bit cold for us to be going. Naturally, none of the locals would be at the beach, and upon seeing us in swimsuits would think we were crazy. Despite this, it was around 70 degrees farenheit, so to us, it was perfect! We waited for the yellow bus that runs in front of my apartment once every hour, and then finally we were on the way to Port Saplaya! Once we arrived, we walked around the adorable and colorful port town. I was excited for them to see all the shops, but to my surprise the place was a ghost town. I guess it was “too cold” for all the beach shops to be open anymore. Cutting out losses, we still admired the buildings, and then headed onto the sand. We laid out our towels and had about 30 minutes of good sun, then the wind hit. The wind made it feel like it was 60 degrees, and so of course we were cold. That did not stop us from taking photos in the ocean, and from climbing the giant rope jungle gym in the sand. Yes, we were the only crazy people on the whole beach, and yes some local guys were pointing and laughing at us, but who cares! We still had a great time, and the girls had their first “swim” in the Mediterranean.

Climbing the rope on the "cold" beach

Julia at Estacion del Nord- Train Station of Valencia

Once we started shivering, we decided it was time to head back into town. We had some dinner and then started packing up our belongings for the 9 day journey ahead of us. With 4 people and several large suitcases in the little piso, things were a bit cramped there for a bit. Once we were all packed, we hung out and watched trash tv- Gandia Shore (MTV Spain’s version of Jersey Shore). Around 10:30pm, we hailed a cab and lugged our suitcases to Estacio Nord. Our overnight Renfe train to Granada (southern Spain) left at midnight. It was the first European train experience for Liz and Julia, so they were pretty pumped about this. They also got to sit together, whereas I somehow ended up alone in a different car and sitting next to a woman who reeked of cigarettes. I did not suffer alone though! We all had our crosses to bare on this train, haha. We all took some Tylenol PM, but thanks to a suspicious looking lady that Julia thought was trying to rob them, and my seat-mate smelling and then being replaced by a large man around 3am, none of us got much rest at all. It was a long, uncomfortable ride and the time did not pass quickly. When we arrived in Granada around 8am, we were cranky, but relieved.

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!

Girl's Nights, Shopping, and Paella

10/8 Today I went to my much-visited Mercadona, where I bought my usual items of frozen bravas, fruit, and bread. That afternoon, my friend Rachel was nearby so she stopped and visited me at the piso. We ended up going online and looked at our options for plane tickets to take a long weekend trip to Porto, Portugal! I am so excited! I’d always wanted to go visit Portugal, it’s so close and yet it never seemed to work out. I was really happy that my chance had finally arrived! The good thing about it too, is that we plan on ordering them with Ryanair- a super cheap European airline (that America really needs to pick up on), and it would only cost us around 30 euros for a roundtrip flight. We talked a little about hostel options, and planned to meet later this week to officially buy them. She then left and went to her class at the University. That evening, Bárbara’s dad drove she and I over to Marissa’s apartment, where we reunited with Rachel and the four of us had a “girl’s night”. She graciously made us some delicious tortillas for dinner, and we started drinking some wine right away of course! It came up that Rachel, although she grew up in America, had never seen the Little Mermaid (La Sirenita). We were all appalled, and so naturally we started the evening out by watching it. Then, just because we wanted to mix it up I guess, we watched another movie that was the polar opposite… “The Strangers”. It was really scary, and we kept freaking out at any noise we heard of course. Coco the dog kept us company, and we stayed up talking and laughing til about 3am. We spent the night in their guest room, and the fact that they have air conditioning at their apartment, combined with the super comfy bed, meant that I slept like a baby.

Struggle to open the Skyline Can

The following day (10/9) was a Spanish national “fiesta” or holiday, so everyone was off work and every single store was closed for the day. I believe it was “Día de España”, and everyone celebrated by relaxing and not working. America really needs to pick up on that too- that when it’s a holiday everything shuts down, not just a few places… everything. After sleeping in super late and then taking the long metro ride back home from Benifer to Facultats, Bárbara and I spent the rest of the day hanging out and being girly. I talked to a bunch of people on Skype, and then we discovered that our one and only toilet was broken. Bárbara’s poor Dad had to come over and fix it for us. He is such a sweet guy, seriously. He constantly drives us places and he is always very willing to help us with whatever random problem we have- it is nice to have a “Dad away from home” :) Gracias Salva! For dinner that night, Bárbara and I tried to make my much-missed Cincinnati Skyline Chili Three-Way. We cooked pasta, poured the chili on it, and sprinkled some cheese. Not exactly the same as back home, but it was still delicious. My Mom had mailed me two cans of the chili as a gift, and in that moment I was so happy. The step where we "poured the chili" was actually very difficult. Bárbara doesn't have a can opener, and it took us about 45 minutes to get the thing open. We tried a knife, a match, a screwdriver, throwing it, watching youTube videos on how to open it, etc. and finally after stabbing it multiple times with a knife we were able to pry it open with a spoon. It was hilarious but well worth it!

Homemade Tortilla + Bravas con Aioli

10/10 Today was a normal day, this meant Bárbara was back to work, but lucky me had plans to hang out with Whitney. Around 2 I walked over to her and Raúl’s apartment to meet them for lunch (served at 3, remember, we’re on Spain time). She cooked us some tasty paella and I finally got to meet their friend Ferran. He introduced the two of them a few years ago when he was Whitney’s intercambio during her study abroad. I guess now he can say he is a successful matchmaker! Their other friend Ricardo joined us too, and I got in some good Spanish speaking practice for sure. I found out Ricardo’s Dad is apparently a famous Spanish racecar driver, and that the gigantic local race track is named in honor of him. Small world (El mundo es un pañuelo!) We all hung out there for a while, just chatting. By the time I headed back to my piso it was almost time for dinner. Since Bárbara’s dad had to come back again to fix our toilet, he decided to bring us dinner. We had the honor of eating his specialty “tortilla de patatas”. Nobody makes it as good as him- it’s really true. It was so delicious. I made the two of us some bravas with aioli to go along with it, and we had a very delicious Spanish meal!

Yogurt after a rough day of shopping in Valencia

10/11 I spent my morning being a good little student and studying Spanish notes that I have, and then that afternoon I took the bus over to the other side of town where Rachel and Ruben live. I met Rachel at her apartment. She has two cats and I am always so happy to play with them- what can I say, I’m a cat person. So anyways, she was on a break between classes and we sat down and OFFICIALLY ordered our Ryanair plane tickets for a roundtrip flight to Porto (or Oporto) Portugal in a few weeks! I AM SO EXCITED!!  After that, I took the bus downtown to the city center. I walked around for a little while by myself just taking in the sights and being happy because I was there, because simply being in Valencia makes me happy. Especially the old part of town, it is beautiful. Around 5 I met up with Bárbara and we went shopping at some discount stores, and then we got some frozen yogurt together. We took the bus back home together, and then Whitney came over around 9 for my Spanish class. We did our hour long class on the couch, and then after that she stayed and hung out for a while. It may just seem like another “average” day, but it’s the little things like going downtown and having good friends that make it exciting. The two of us stayed up pretty late, she was waiting for Raúl to pick her up on his way home from work around 4 in the morning. We didn’t make it past 3 and then we both fell asleep. That (early) morning 10/12 Whitney left, and then around 6am Bárbara left with her suitcase for the airport, for her weekend of visiting her boyfriend Nathan in Santander. I spent my day giving the piso a thorough cleaning, since my friends from America were arriving the next day!! At 6 that evening Lorena came over for a bit, and we had an intercambio (language exchange). It lasted about two hours, and after our conversations I felt really confident in my Spanish, and I think I gave her some pretty good English material to learn and work on too. I went to bed “early” that night in anticipation of the big weekend ahead of me!

Downtown Valencia- Shopping District

Bonaire, Cánovas, and "Dares"

Outlet Malls at Bonaire

10/6- Bárbara and I slept in ridiculously late, and then we finally got ourselves together and took the metro about 15 minutes to a very special bus stop- this was the legendary bus stop that would take us directly to the epic Valencian outlet malls of Bonaire! We waited for a while before the bus showed up, and then it took another 40 minutes to get to the place. The bus was packed so we had to stand the whole time, and we talked about how older Spanish ladies (not the men) are for some reason always super rude, and love cutting you off and jumping lines, etc. It made us pretty angry. Then finally- we arrived! This mall complex was so “American”: I felt like I was in Ohio. It did not feel like Spain at all, which was strange. After a quick Starbucks run (all the signs at Bonaire are written in the valenciano language for some reason by the way) we hit up some of the main popular places: H&M, Zara, Pull & Bear, Mango, etc. Then, we went to a very cheap outlet store (forget the name) where I got a black blazer, some brown oxford shoes, and a little sponge thing to put my hair up in a donut bun. This store was so packed that it was stressing us out. The security guard yelled at me for trying to bring a drink in, and by the time we left I was happy to be out. The last stop we made was at “Lefties”- This place was much calmer. I got a cheetah pattern top, and the best t-shirt in the world. Why is it the best? Well, it has a hilarious “mis-translation”, which basically means that the designer tried to make it say something catchy in English but it came out wrong, and thus was hilarious to me. It has a little bunny saying “why can I go shopping?”- not too bad, but it made me chuckle. A lot. I think it was supposed to say “when” or “why can’t I”, but we’ll never know. (To visit the website: http://www.bonaire.es/W/do/centre/tiendas)

What does it mean?!

After that we fought the huge crowd of about 60 people waiting at the one bus stop to take us back to Valencia. The old ladies were fierce! We once again ended up standing, and just barely fit onto the last bus. We stood up front by the driver, and it was not very comfortable. In addition to all the territorial shoppers, a drunk guy and some kid later got on the bus. Some of the people who live out in the pueblos apparently use that bus as a daily means of transportation, and I really do feel sorry for them. This man reeked of alcohol, and he kept dropping things and making incoherent comments to Bárbara and I. Let’s just say, that was one of the slowest bus rides ever.

Barb + Marissa = Trouble

Finally, we were back in the city, and after rapidly changing clothes we hopped on a bus, hopped back off, and then speed-walked to the restaurant Tony Roma’s, where we were meeting Marissa for dinner at 10pm. I love my patatas bravas, but a nice juicy American style burger and an iced diet coke really hits the spot. We ladies had a great time as always- and once again we got some coupons from people walking around advertising their bars.  Once we were finished, we headed over about a block to one of the bars we had received free drink coupons for. This area of bars and discotecas is called Cánovas, and everything is close together and cheaper than other places, so I love it! All was going well, and we had our drinks and sat down in this chill couch area to chat and take photos (of course). Then, our girl time was interrupted by these three awkward foreign dudes. They were from all over the globe, literally. I think Japan, Korea, Bolivia, and Senegal? Talking to them in broken Spanish and trying to understand with the loud music was a bit difficult. Then, one of the guys asked Marissa if she wanted to dance- she of course said “no I’m married”, and then Bárbara chimed in “but I bet our friend Michelle over there wants to!”- Thanks ladies. I just love awkward moments like that…

Barbara, Me and the new cheetah shirt

Shortly after, we were saved from our predicament by the arrival of our friends Christie and Carlos (They are the couple I mentioned earlier- Christie is American and they just recently got engaged). We went off to a corner and talked slash semi-danced. It was then that we decided to make the night a bit more interesting. Bárbara decided we should assign “tasks” or “dares” to each other that had to be completed before the end of the night. It turned out to be a great idea, and definitely made for a memorable evening. While I don’t remember what they all were, some of them were: 1) me drinking an extremely alcoholic shot of a locally famous drink (I forget the name)- and ending up getting two more for free 2) Marissa dancing by herself in the corner of a bar for two minutes solid 3) Carlos getting a guy’s number and 4)Christie taking a photo with at least 5 guys she doesn’t know. We bar hopped through several tiny little bars in Cánovas and ended up at the much larger Las Animas- an  awesome nightclub with a great dance floor in the downtown area. We all danced up a storm, and I loved it! Spanish music is definitely my favorite! Plus being friends with Marissa, one of the only blondes around, usually leads to us all getting free drinks by association. Can't complain! Once it’s discovered you’re your American you usually end up getting free shots from sketchy men too. But hey, it’s free! Around 5am we were all standing outside waiting on a cab. Marissa was lecturing some guy about how “Fumar… Mata!” (Smoking Kills), and after a few more hilarious conversations the crazy discoteca evening came to an end. The next day 10/7 could be called a “Resaca” day- I’ll let you figure out what that means for yourself. We slept in late, hung out, watched reruns of Betty La Fea, were lazy, and I cooked some bravas- a delicious way to end a fun weekend.

Christie completing one of her "dares"

The Ladies- Christie, Marissa, Barbara and Me

Relaxation, Intercambios... and Magic Mike

Olivia making us AUTHENTIC crepes!

 10/4 My day started out better than ever because this morning, Olivia made Bárbara and I a traditional meal from her home country: CREPES! YUM. She was flipping them on our tiny little stove and she even made some caramel from scratch. It was delicious! I could definitely get used to this whole hosting a couch-surfer thing if they are all as awesome as her! So, we spent the rest of the morning just hanging out in the piso, and then she headed out to visit some museums. I stayed behind since I had already been to the ones she was visiting. I just did some chores and studied my Spanish class notes from Whitney, and then Olivia was back again. I don’t really remember what all we did, but I know that we had some good chats! At 7, when the sun was just beginning to set, I met up with my intercambio Sandra- this time she just came to my piso. We sat out on the balcony with some cerveza so she could enjoy a cigarette, and we chatted in Spanish and then English for about two hours. I really am a firm believer that simply talking with someone while taking notes and asking questions is truly the best way to learn a language! Bárbara got home from work and Olivia rejoined us, so after Sandra left we ended up having some tinto de verano to drink and had a Spanglish girl talk night. The next morning 10/5 we introduced Olivia to the world of typical Spanish breakfast. It’s nothing too complicated- basically coffee or fruit juice and then bread with tomato paste on it, but it’s still very tasty somehow. Bárbara went off to work, and then Olivia headed downtown to some more museums while I ran some errands and looked for stamps. We had initially planned on meeting up for lunch and then I was going to take her around the City of Arts and Sciences, but when I hadn’t heard from her by 5pm, I figured she was probably either distracted, wrapped up in something else, or simply forgot. The problem was that she didn’t have a cell phone. Man, what did we do in the days before cell phones??!

Breakfast by our Piso!

Alone in the Theatre... Loser! ;)

 I wasn’t sure what to do at that point, because then Marissa invited us out to see the film Magic Mike in English.  I hadn’t seen a movie in the theatre in forever, so of course I wanted to go! Plus it’s a movie about hot guys. How can you say no? So, since I had no way to get in touch with Olivia, I did things the old fashioned way. I wrote her a post-it note with my Spanish cell # on it, and stuck it to the doorbell of the apartment. Bárbara and I shared a taxi to the theatre, and met up with Marissa there. We got a huge tub of popcorn, and plopped down in the theatre to enjoy our show. Since American movies played in original version aren’t hugely popular in Valencia, we were literally the only three people in the whole theatre. It was more fun that way though! During the movie Olivia called Bárbara- she had got our message and wanted to know if it was too late to meet up, which unfortunately by then it was. After that we went back to the piso, Olivia packed up for her night train to Granada, and we said au’revoir, goodbye, and adios to our lovely French visitor!  Since it was a Friday night and all, Marissa, Bárbara and I went down and had some alcoholic beverages at a little place near our piso. Then we walked over to the hopping bar street of Polo y Peyrolon (the one I used to live on in 2007). We got some coupons from the promotions people as always, and got some free drinks and good deals at the random little bars along the way. My favorite one was this cute little place called Aguacates, right across from my old apartment. We had a good time, as always! Oh, and how could I forget to mention that on the way there I mailed in my presidential election absentee ballot: One firm vote for Romney!! Anyways... the night ended with us running into Josep, Pablo and Ruben. I love that Valencia is a big city but that sometimes it has that small town vibe! I also love the fact that you can walk everywhere, and that the weather is always awesome, and that nobody cares if you sneak and drink in the middle of the street, and basically… I just love Valencia. 

Ladies ready to see "Magic Mike" in Valencia

Mailing my Absentee Ballot- U.S.A.!

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

German Oktoberfest in Spain

My card to Barbara for the TOEFL :)

9/15 To start my weekend off, I had another intercambio with my new friend Sandra at Sal y Pimienta. We shared some patatas bravas and talked for about 2 hours, half in English half in Spanish. Luckily for once it was nice outside, without being unbearably hot. While I was there, poor Barbara was busy taking a super-important exam for her entry into a Master’s program in Wisconsin. Being the sweet roomie that I am, I bought her chocolate that morning (since it helps your brain function!) and I wrote her a nice little encouraging card. I know, I’m too kind J Next up, I went downtown to Calle Colón with Marissa and Bárbara to go shopping. It was to celebrate Bárbara’s test being over, so we hit up some good stores and I got a little black dress. It’s so hard to go shopping in Valencia and not buy anything! We all had a lot of fun though; shopping with those ladies was very entertaining! After that, we took the bus back to our piso. There we tried on each other’s dresses as typical girls would, and I decided to wear Bárbara’s orange dress and she wore one of mine.  We listened to some good music and had a few drinks, and then we were ready to go out on a Saturday night! We met up with Josep, Rachel, Ruben, Pablo and an American girl named Nicole at a restaurant in the city center called Montaditos. It’s a cool chain restaurant where you order up from a list of tiny cheap little sandwiches. We all were sitting outside chatting, and I got Nicole’s info since she’s living in Madrid, and I’ll be going there with my friends in about a month.

Oktoberfest in Valencia!

Marian, Marissa, Me, Sandra y Barbara!

After debating what we should do after dinner, half of the group decided to go to the Plaza de Toros. It had been converted into a German beer fest for the week: The Oktoberfest of Spain. The only ones from our group who decided to go were Marissa, Bárbara and I. Once we got there, we met up with some of Bárbara’s other girlfriends Sandra, Chus and Marian. Just like the Hofbrauhaus in Northern Kentucky, we ordered some super tall beer steins, sat down at the long wooden tables, and listen to German polka music- but sung in Spanish. It was a little strange at first, but there were even pretzels so all was good! It was also weird to think I was standing there dancing and drinking on a table on the actual field were the bulls were killed at the fight I went to in July. So, Marissa thought we should go ahead and play the card game “Kings”, and before we knew it these two guys Bárbara had met at her exam that morning had run into us and decided to join. It was all fun and games until the Honduran guy kept inching closer and closer to me and was totally invading my personal space. Basically, I was being hit on to the point where it was really uncomfortable, so we did the typical “girl escape route” and went to the bathroom. After that, we stuck around Bárbara’s friends and I tried my best to hide from that creepy guy. Basically, the evening ended with the security guards telling us that it was time to leave, and my friends yelling at them that they should be allowed to finish their beer first. It was quite hilarious. We all then walked to the El Carmen district, and after a brief stop at another bar, cabbed it home. I wanted to go to bed early because in the morning I was going to pick up my boyfriend at the Valencia airport!! Yay!

Plaza de Ayuntamiento at Night

Intercambios and Historical Valencia

Flag of Valencia

9/10 I didn’t have class this week, so I was “just passing the time”. Honestly, I can’t complain! I spent the day planning our trip to Morocco and what to do about day trips. Independent traveling takes a lot more time and effort than people think, so that took up most of my day. For dinner Bárbara and I ordered in pizza, and that was my great Monday! The next day 9/11, I decided to take the tram to spend the day at the lovely beach of Valencia. Because it’s not August and people are back to work, it was far less crowded than usual. I stretched out on my towel with my coca-cola-light and a book, and had a grand old time. That evening, I had plans for an intercambio with a Spanish girl. In case you don’t remember, an intercambio is when you meet with someone who wants to learn your native language and you take turns conversing in the two languages. It’s one of the best ways to become comfortable speaking, and plus you get to meet locals! We met at the little restaurant near my piso “Sal y Pimienta” and then I got to meet the lovely Sandra Gonzalez for the first time. Intercambios are a little like a blind date at first honestly. I’d never met her before, but our mutual friend Lorena set us up on this “date” because we’re the same age and she knew we’d get along, haha. So, after the initial awkwardness was over, all was good. We had some cerveza and just got to know each other. I really enjoyed getting to talk to her and I think it boosted my confidence a lot. On 9/12 after a trip to Mercadona, it was time for my first ever “class” taught by my lovely bilingual friend Whitney. I asked her if she was interested in tutoring me for 8 euros an hour in the coming weeks, and luckily she was interested! We met up on the main street Blasco Ibañez and then walked to the nearby park together. We hung out on a bench in the shade and spent an hour doing our Spanish class. She prepared a little lesson for me, and I was taking notes- so cute. It was really great actually, and I think I learned more in this one class than I did in a week with the Don Quijote program. Not that there’s anything wrong with that program, but having one-on-one individualized attention from a tutor is extremely helpful!

Plaza de La Virgen

 So, that night, the study-abroad company that Bárbara works for (ISA) was hosting an event for their students at a bar/restaurant on the street I used to live on, Polo y Peyrolón. The event was basically a big intercambio so that the American students could meet Spaniards and vice-versa. Free drinks and tapas were provided, and it was a good opportunity for me to meet people to practice with! So, I met up with Bárbara at the office and walked there with her. It was kind of funny, a few of the students thought I was working with ISA, and at one point one of the kids told me he was shocked that I was American. The whole time I was talking in Spanish in front of him, he thought I was actually Spanish. That’s probably the best compliment I could ever receive! Seriously. So anyways, the night went by fast. I talked to a bunch of locals and the students too, and had a fun time chatting the night away. By the end of the event, my voice was lost and I had contact information for 3 different promising intercambio contacts- Go me! Thursday 9/13 I spent another day alone at the beach, it’s a rough life. That evening, I met up with Marissa and Rachel downtown at the Plaza de La Virgen. We had some drinks in the square by the fountain, and then we went into the Carmen district to find dinner. We ended up splitting some delicious Spanish food, and got in some good girl talk.

Sights on the walking tour of Valencia

9/14 Today, Bárbara was giving a walking tour of the downtown part of the city to the ISA students, and she invited me along. We took the bus to the center, and I followed our tour guide around like a good little student would. I actually learned a lot of new information about the historical details, which for me was really cool. Of course I’d seen all the sights before, but it was nice to learn more about the stories behind them. Plus it was a gorgeous day and I just love walking around the beautiful old city center. I also got to bond with some of the students. It’s still so weird to me that I was in their shoes, but that it was 5 years ago. It just doesn’t feel like it was that long ago, but it was. Crazy. We began the tour that morning by having some horchata (the typical Valencian drink made from nuts) at the oldest horchatería in the city, and then we explored the Cathedral area.  Something new I saw was the old Roman ruins underneath the ground of the plaza. I never realized that was there before, so that was neat to learn. Next we went to the Torres de Serrano, and then on to the Llonja and the Mercado Central. The tour finished up in the big Plaza de La Ayuntamiento, and once the students left at about 4pm, Bárbara and I had some tapas together in the center. That evening, Bárbara was invited to dinner at her boss Manuel’s house for his birthday, and she invited me along too. The funny thing about this is, Manuel was the program director for me when I studied abroad in ’07. One of those weird life coincidences- who would’ve thought one day I’d end up going to his birthday dinner at his house? Anyways, they grilled out burgers and I got to meet his very sweet American wife and two adorable bilingual children. We hung out on their nice patio for a few hours and just socialized. I also talked a lot with Bárbara’s co-worker Raquel. She is such a sweet girl. Overall, it was a good night with good food! I heart España!