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

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! 

Paella, Long Walks, and Peñiscola

My cute dress!

9/3 After the first day of my last week of conversation classes at the Don Quijote school building, I came home and got ready for the Gasquet family birthday dinner for Bárbara’s Mom. I put on a super cute low back dress and we walked to the metro stop in Benimaclet to wait and meet up there with her parents. We were going to go to a Spanish restaurant in the centre but there was a change of plans so we ended up going to a Chinese buffet restaurant. That was fine with me- all you can eat dessert AND soy sauce? I’m down. Also that night I talked to my boyfriend John and we officially confirmed the dates he’d be flying to Spain to visit me! I’m so pumped! Then, the next two days were pretty uneventful for me; on Tuesday (9/4) I went to class then hung out alone. I walked around the city for a few hours just to kill the time, and then once Bárbara got off work we went out to a little restaurant for some patatas bravas. On Wednesday (9/5) I went to class, but then after that I was super low-key and basically just went to Mercadona, worked on planning for my upcoming trip to Morocco with John, and started making a frame made out of the shells I collected on the beach in Cullera. That night, Bárbara left to go to Madrid with ISA to pick up the incoming group of students that will be studying in Valencia for the fall semester. Man, I remember being a little 20 year old and coming her to study abroad with ISA- those were the days! So, after a night alone in our little piso, I spent my Thursday (9/6) hanging out with Whitney and her American friend Sandra who was in town to visit her. I was so happy they didn’t mind me tagging along, otherwise I think I’d have been very bored and lonely all week. I met up with the ladies that morning at Whitney’s place, and we walked to the Museum of Fine Arts, or Museo de Bellas Artes. It was free entry and a neat old building, and many of the painting were from a locally famous painter named Joaquin Sorolla. I enjoyed it, but I think I’m a bit spoiled art museum wise after having been to the Louvre. Things still impress and interest me, but I don’t know if anything will have quite as much an effect as “that one” in Paris J. After the museum we went back to Whitney’s apartment and Sandra and I were treated to a delicious meal of paella along with Raúl  Whitney made it herself, and I especially loved it because she made a vegetarian version. I’m not particularly fond of eating the rabbit meat that’s usually in paella, so I was excited for this paella de verduras. We spent the rest of the day together laying out and chatting at the beach, Playa Malvarrosa. For dinner, they let me hang out and eat pizza with them at Whitney’s apartment! I was happy to have a nice relaxing day with some girlfriends. I was worried I’d be “intruding” on their friend alone time, but luckily they didn’t seem to mind too much!

Paella de Verduras!

Photo Frame!

Friday (9/7) I decided to be a rebel and skip my class again, and I slept in and finished the picture frame I was making from the shells. It was nice outside and not too hot, so I decided to go for a walk. I ended up making the 45 minute stroll to the local Burger King. Judge me if you want, but Spanish food just didn’t sound good to me today. I can’t explain the joy I felt eating some juicy fried chicken with ketchup. Anyways, during my walk I also went past the street Polo y Peyrolón that I used to live on with Sarah and our host mom Esperanza back in the day. It was definitely a nice little walk down memory lane. I can’t believe that was more than 5 years ago! Seriously, time flies. The rest of the afternoon I basically did nothing, and then I met up with Marissa. The two of us walked to the cute little sushi restaurant Miss Sushi and there we met up with Whitney and Sandra. The four of us had a nice little dinner together, and then we went out to some of the bars that were close by. We played pool at a British place called Big Ben, and we had some colorfully delicious girly drinks. We finished off the night at some place with cushy chairs, and then all day Saturday I did nothing. Seriously, I was a waste of life. But I enjoyed it. It was okay to have a “do nothing” day because the next morning, I had plans to go on a day trip!

Drinks at the Pub!

Streets of Peniscola

Bright and early Sunday morning (9/9) I was picked up at the piso by Raúl, Whitney, and Sandra.  We rode in the car for two hours to the lovely beachside town of Peñiscola. I went there with Greaham and Christina back in July, remember? It’s the town with the old castle built into the side of the rocks with all this awesome history relating to the knights Templar- in case you forgot. So, once we got there we walked around the quaint little streets on the interior part of the town. We got to see a little parade going on because it was the city’s “saint day”. They were also preparing for a big “running of the bulls” event for tomorrow night, which sadly we did not get to see. Once we were done exploring we had a delicious lunch next to the beach, and then we made our way down to the sand. Whitney and Raúl went back to the car to get their snorkel equipment, and Sandra and I did some tanning. Unfortunately, after about just 30 minutes the sun decided to hide behind several clouds. I still decided to go snorkeling out in the ocean later on despite this. It was a bit chilly but I love swimming in the ocean and wouldn't let something like that stop me! Whitney and Raúl were looking near the rocks, but I decided it was too painful to scrape my feet on, so I just swam out really deep with only my goggles. I felt like a bad ass exploring the rocks and seeing the little fish. Sadly there weren't many shells, but it was still awesome. It was a really cool feeling though, to be out in the middle of the Mediterranean just floating around and loving life! The view was also gorgeous, even with the clouds. We probably would have stayed longer, but it started to lightning. So, sadly, we headed to Valencia, and back at home, Bárbara was back from Madrid. No more nights alone in the piso thinking every sound is a murderer!

Beach at the Start of the Day

Beach at the End of the Day

Shopping, Bars, and Birthdays

Blue Moon in Valencia

8/30 In the aftermath of the Tomatina, I spent the next day going to my conversation class at Don Quijote and then cleaning our piso from top to bottom. To treat myself, that night I went shopping with Bárbara at the Las Arenas mall in the Benimaclet neighborhood. My best purchase was some fake clip-on hair from Claire’s. I tried it on as a joke but it amazingly matched my hair color perfectly, so I bought it, why not. On Friday (8/31) I went to my last class of the week and enjoyed the 30 minute walk in the blazing heat... I then made one of my tri-weekly stops at the grocery store under our piso (Mercadona), and then I had a girls night with Whitney! I took the tram and we met up near the beach for some tapas, and to enjoy the ocean breeze. Finally the heat wasn’t unbearable! After we ate we took a stroll on the beach, and it was extra beautiful because it was the night of a blue moon. The reflection of the sky on the water was perfect, and of course very photogenic.

El Carmen District

To get the weekend really going, on Saturday (9/1) Bárbara and I went shopping at the “rich people” mall downtown by the City of Arts and Sciences called Aqua Mall. We didn’t buy anything but it’s still nice to look! For dinner we were invited to Marissa and Josep’s apartment, and Marissa cooked us a delicious meal of tortilla soup. Rachel and Ruben were there, as well as their friends Pablo and Miguel. It was a good group and we had a lot of fun playing this drinking game called 21. It was hilarious and I laughed the hardest I had in a while. After the pre-game was done, we headed out to the bars in the El Carmen district of the city. These bars are smaller but still crowded, and thanks to the bar employees who walk around handing out promotional coupons like free entries or drinks, we got into the bar we wanted for free. A highlight of the evening included Marissa and Bárbara shot-gunning a beer in an alleyway, and the Spanish guys hanging around who had never seen this before (apparently it’s just an American thing) being amazed and making them do it again. For some reason we also decided to lie about where we were from, and so people thought that shot-gunning was a German tradition. They also thought Bárbara was American and that Marissa was Russian. Not sure why, but it’s fun to make up your nationality and then successfully convince people it’s true. Also Bárbara bonded with a random Indian guy who was selling 1 euro beers on the street. You know, the usual. To finish up a great night out, we had some greasy pizza from a store that was still open at 5:30am when we left the bars. Pablo drove Bárbara and I home, and we called it a night. The next morning (9/2) poor Bárbara woke up way too early (considering how late we went to bed) to set the piso up for her Mom’s birthday celebration. Her parents came over in the afternoon and we all shared a nice lunch of paella and tortilla. Bárbara made her mom a really cute card and then we had some cake as well. After that we just hung out and chatted, and once we had wished her mom Nuria a Feliz Cumpleaños, they headed home. 

Me and the Gasquet Family

La Tomatina!

8/29   Today was the day. It had finally arrived. The day I had been nervously looking forward to slash dreading for a few weeks. Today was the day of the internationally famous Spanish festival known as… “LA TOMATINA!” Now, in case you never took Spanish in middle-school and don’t realize the gravity of this phrase, I’ll fill you in on what it is and how it all goes down:

Crowded Plaza of Bunol

La Tomatina is a festival held in the Valencian town of Buñol, a 30 minute drive away from the city. Participants gather to throw tomatoes at each other, and get involved in a huge food fight purely for the fun of it. Roughly 50,000 people attended  in 2011, and it is the largest recorded food fight in the world. Held on the last Wednesday of August each year, the activities commence around 10am. Now, here is a rundown of the day’s schedule- First is the ‘palo jabón’, or “greasy pole”. The goal is for people (usually drunk young guys) to climb and the reach the top of a greased pole with a large ham on top. As this happens, the crowd works into a frenzy of singing and dancing while being showered in water from the hoses of residents with balconies. Once that lucky someone is able to drop the ham off the pole, the “start signal” for the day is given by firing a shot in the air, and trucks loaded down with tomatoes make their entry. The signal for the onset of the “fight” is at about 11am when a loud shot rings out, and the chaos begins. Several trucks throw tomatoes in abundance in the Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from the region of Extremadura, where they are less expensive and are grown specifically for the holiday, being of inferior taste. For the participants the use of goggles is recommended (tomato juice in the eyes? ouch!). According to the “official rules” the tomatoes must be crushed before being thrown so as to reduce the risk of injury. The estimated number of tomatoes used is around 150,000, and after exactly one hour of insanity, the fight ends with the second shot. The whole town square is colored red and rivers of tomato juice flow freely. Fire trucks hose down the streets and participants use hoses that locals provide to remove the tomato paste from their bodies. Some participants go to the pool of “los peñones” to wash as well. After the cleaning, the village cobblestone streets are made pristine by the residents, due to the acidity of the tomatoes.

As you can see, it might sound super fun, but I’d heard about its drawbacks from experienced friends. Luckily, I prepared myself for these by wielding goggles, and wearing close toed shoes with clothing that could be thrown in the trash after. Being that I am a tidy and non-aggressive person, the only things convincing me that I should partake in this this were that #1 I’m near the city at the right time of year (destiny) and #2 YOLO (you only live once) so I might as well do it, and #3 “It’s all about the story”- This quote applies to many things in my life that I don’t want to do but end up doing, because it makes for a good story!

So, for my Tomatina experience, I had made plans to ride to the pueblo of Buñol with Whitney in her boyfriend Raúl’s car. They picked me up from my piso early that morning, and we made the drive to the small industrial town. With its narrow cobblestone streets and unassuming location, it was surprising that such a small place was able to hold so many extra people for the fight (over half of which are foreign tourists- primarily Australian and Japanese). Miraculously, Raúl found us a parking spot and we headed into the depths of the town. People were selling food, t-shirts, goggles, and plenty of alcohol to commemorate and prepare for the event, and it was definitely fun to people-watch. Many participants even had “teams” with matching shirts, how cute! Also, it is an unofficial rule to wear white as well, so that you can see how far from white your shirt will be at the end. While walking around in the hot morning sun and taking this all in, I noticed that my camera did not have its memory card in it. Huge error! I was the designated camera person of the day, equipped with a plastic bag and waterproof carrying case from Raúl.  I felt so bad upon realizing this, but before I knew what to do Raúl had already offered to run back to the car and get Whitney’s camera. I felt terrible about that, but while he was gone Whitney and I discussed how sweet of a guy he was for doing that. We also watched several drunk people make fools of themselves :)

As it was now close to the time for the fight to start, we decided to make our way over to the main square. The city is much more compact than I realized, and somehow we found ourselves trapped in a crowded alleyway full of sweaty, drunk people. I felt really claustrophobic at that moment, and to make it worse the locals of Buñol who have balconies just hang out and pour buckets of water on us poor people below. Somehow, we finally managed to escape this torture alley, and that ,was when I was separated from the group. Raúl and Whitney somehow made it into the “thick of things” and I stayed more near the outskirts so I could try to take some photos without ruining my camera. As I have been told though, there is really no “going to the Tomatina just to watch” option. I learned this the hard way.

Raul and Myself : Post Tomatina

In sum, it is a crazy alcohol fueled event but something that everyone who has the chance to do should do- if only for the heck of it. Whitney and Raúl may have been a little bruised up from the obnoxious people who didn’t squish their tomatoes before throwing, but overall we had a lot of fun. We finished up the day by rinsing off in a nearby creek. Because of the messiness and abundant buckets of water everywhere, I was only able to take 1 photo during the actual event. But don’t worry- the internet has plenty more to fill your curiosity.  Upon reaching the car, clothes that would forever reek of tomato juices were thrown into a dumpster, and we pulled out of the lot ready to leave. Suddenly, Whitney realized that when she had thrown away her pants, she had accidentally thrown my money she'd been holding onto along with it! Before we could decide what to do, poor Raúl had turned the car around and against our protests, went dumpster-diving to find the pants and my money. His valiant act was not unappreciated! See, chivalry does still exist! With my money safely returned to me we headed back to Valencia- Mission accomplished!

Cullera- "Top 3 Favorite Beaches Ever"

It’s a new hot week of summertime in Spain, and to pass the time this week here’s what I was up to! On 8/27 I started another week of conversation class with Don Quijote. Monday afternoon’s class was actually a very good one, and I was a diligent little student and took lots of notes. That night, Bárbara had her friends Patri, Sandra and Marian come over to the piso for dinner and drinks. Before they came over though, Bárbara decided to test out an eye-makeup style she found on Pinterest. I was the lucky recipient of this. It really wasn’t so bad though, and she did my hair too! The rest of the night we spent chatting on the balcony, and I came inside to Skype with John for a bit. Almost everyone our age in Spain smokes, and it’s no different with these ladies (except Bárbara), so honestly the smoke was irritating my contacts. That’s partially why I went inside to escape for a bit- I am definitely more intolerant to cigarette smoke than most people.

We Heart Cullera!

 Anyways, on Tuesday 8/28 I decided to be a bad student and skipped my class so that Lorena, Bárbara and I could go back to Cullera since the weather was nice. This time Patri came to join us too, and the drive out there went really fast. Once there, we met with Díana again in her parent’s absolutely beautiful condo overlooking the Mediterranean. Honestly every photo I took in Cullera looks like it should be on a magazine cover, I felt so lucky that I was able to be there! We started the day off with lunch under an umbrella on the beach. The water there is extremely clear and calm, and you can see mountains off in the distance. It’s an absolutely gorgeous view! I am the type of person who loves the beach not only for tanning, but for exploring and swimming, so Cullera was perfect for me. The water felt great so I could swim around for a while, and it was a really relaxing and refreshing feeling.

Patri, Lorena, Diana, Barbara y Michelle

Eventually Bárbara and I rounded up the other girls to start hunting for sea shells (for me to make a craft with later on), and that was a fun way to occupy our time. I also loved the fact that I could learn Spanish from talking to Diana and Lorena, but at the same time be enjoying a nice swim in the Mediterranean- It’s a win win situation J. Once we were all a little sunburned we headed back to the chalet/condo. It was still gorgeous outside so we spent the rest of the day swimming in the pool enjoying the spectacular overlook and view that it had. We took a lot of fun photos and basically I had a blast! Today was definitely my favorite beach day thus far. In fact, I’d rate the beach in Cullera as my #3 favorite beach in the world, and that says a lot because I am picky about my beaches! <<And... if you were curious, my number one favorite beach ever is in Culpe, Spain (Penon de Ifach) and my #2 is the beach of Singer Island, Florida. This is based on scenery, sand quality, amount of seashells, clarity of water, and how warm the water is for good swimming :) >>

The luxurious pool with amazing view

View of the ocean and mountains from pool