Ganadores!!!

So yesterday, me, Caitlin, Jairo, and Amanda went out to David's house to watch the Barcelona vs Real Madrid soccer game. We went to this bar that is right beneath where he lives and it was full to capacity because this is always a huuuge game with two big rivals. We were all rooting for Barcelona, as was most of the bar. I guess in Valencia there's a bigger following for barca than Madrid.


Barcelonaaa

David brought face crayons and everything so we painted out cheeks and hands and looked pretty ridiculous. Barcelona won 5-0! I've seriously never seen a soccer score that high and no one expected it, so it was awesome. It's much more fun to watch futbol with Spaniards than Americans because they get so into it haha.


Caitlin y yo :)

Afterwards we went home, I did homework, and then went to bed.

This morning I had my second to last Spanish Business class and then Caitlin and I went for a run in the rio. We went to the City of Arts and Sciences and back, which turns out is 4.6 miles, soo I was quite tired by the end. It felt amazing though.

Then I had class from 2:30-5. Dr. Anderson decided to have it at his house since it was extra long because he can't make it on Thursday. He ordered us pizza and everything so it was good.

When I got back a little after 5, I literally spent 2 and a half solid hours working on my film project. Most amount of time I've spent on anything yet hahaha. My roommate is astounded because for once I didn't procrastinate! Now I have the rest of the night free!

T-GIVES

OK so weekend re-cap. Wednesday night the wine tasting was really fun and the food was so good too. That night, since Maddi's brother was visiting, me, Caitlin, Erin, and Jairo went out with them. We even got David to come out with us! Haha there are some realllly ridiculous pictures from that night. Basically we were breaking out all the classic dance moves all over the place... the shopping cart, the bull, the telephone. It was awesome.

David and I went to another bar after Aguacate and according to Maddi I wasn't home at 4 am when she got home to pick up her bag to take to her parent's hotel. Bahaha.

The next day was Thanksgiving! It was fun and I gathered leaves with Jairo for decorations (haha) and then helped Maria with the gravy. Mother would be very proud to know I can now make a contribution to next year's Thanksgiving dinner. We didn't eat till around 7:45, but at 7 I went with Maria and 2 other students to pick the turkeys up from the bakery behind our study center. Our ovens aren't big enough to cook them, so the bakery baked 4 for us.


Turkeeeey

A lot of the faculty's kids and spouses came to dinner and there were more than 40 people there. The food was seriously SO GOOD. Everyone did a fantastic job at cooking.

Plate




That night after dinner I was so tired and literally just napped from 9-11:30. I got up long enough to do some laundry and talk to Juan Carlos, who gave me 1000 ebooks in Spanish for my nook! I'm literally so excited. I had to read Harry Potter for one of my classes, so I read it in Spanish. There's so many other good ones too and it's awesome because they don't sell ebooks for the Nook in Spanish.

I went back to bed around 1:30 and then didn't get up Friday until practically noon. It was pretty glorious. I had a productive day though and went for a run, did a little shopping, and read my book while drinking tea in Starbucks. That night was a pretty big night because 2 of the guys in my program are on an American football team, and their team was holding a private party in a club, which we all got in on. It was an open bar from 12-3 and then at 3 the actual club opened. We were all probably really obnoxious and loud as we danced and sang to all the songs they played, but who cares, it was so much fun. We stayed out pretty late and then the next day I slept in again.


Ryann and I showing off our Rs

It was literally the most fun morning after going out because we all just talked about all the stuff that happened the night before and we were laughing at all the pictures. Saturday was really relaxed and I just read, did homework, and went for a long run in the rio. That night FSU was playing UF in football (big rivalry, I've come to learn.) FSU won for the first time in 6 years, so everyone was in a good mood. Erin and I went to go say hi to Sandra at her restaurants and we were just sitting at the little bar when this table of a soccer team invited us to sit with them. They were all pretty drunk and talking really fast Spanish, but they were funny. I kind of wished we hung out with them that night, but then again, we told them we were lesbians so that made things awkward hahaha. We got a free entrance into Las Animas, a big discoteca from some lady at Sandra's restaurant, so we decided to go. Unforch, we got there at 2:50 and free entrance ended at 2:30. So we wandered around into like 5 different clubs. It was so cool because we were in an area totally different than the touristy district we live in, so it was all Spaniards in these places.

Sunday we got up to catch the bus at noon to go to Wes and Diego's American football game. It was like a 20 minute bus ride and it was fun getting to see them play. Their team won and Wes even scored a touchdown. Seeing Spaniards play American football is hilarious. Erin and I got kebabs afterwards and then I just did homework for most of the night. I haven't really had all that much homework while being here, but this week I've got a lot because all my final projects and papers are do.


Football game

I slept really badly last night though and the WEIRDEST thing happened to me. I woke up in the middle of the night, STANDING by our fridge upstairs in my bathrobe, drinking orange juice (I don't even have any in the study center) from one of my water bottles. Apparently I sleep walked downstairs, poured it from a large bottle into my own and then walked back upstairs where I woke up. Gillian said I was talking to her and everything because she was working on paper downstairs. WHY AM I SO WEIRD?? I've seriously never done strange things in my sleep before Spain, but now I talk, mumble, and walk.

Today I had my second to last women in lit class and then I went to the market with Maddi. It looks really ominous outside though and is going to rain. It's definitely the coldest I've felt in Valencia yet. Tonight is the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid game, which is supposed to be one of the biggest games of the century, so should be good!

Lunes, Martes

So Monday I got up for my 9 am class. We had to read the Bell jar for my women in lit class and personally I hated it. It was just too depressing for me. Honestly the movie we watched on it in class was probably worse though. Afterwards I went to the market to stock up on all my favorites (aka tomatoes, apples, and dried strawberries). When I got back I went for a run with Caitlin. We were going to go in the Rio, but then she needed to buy a train ticket, so we took some random back roads to the Renfe station. Then we ran back, showered, and headed to Zume together. We spent literally like 2 hours there. It's one of my favorite places in Valencia.

When we got back I ended up having a fail of a night and I was reading in bed at like 8 and then fell asleep until 11:30. Bahaha. But days after long travels, I'm still just so exhausted. So I woke up, finished laundry, and then went back to bed at like 1 haha.

Tuesday I had class at 9 and 3 and then Dom went with me on a walk through the rio. I haven't actually been on a walk through there, since I always run, but it was super nice. We climbed on some huge rope thing that would totally be illegal in the US. Then we went to my favorite place, El Palau de la Musica, to creep on the Spanish children's roller blading lessons. We stayed until it was getting dark and chillier and walked back.

Erin and I went to La Maruja after that for a coffee and some dinner. David, the guy that works our front desk at night, invited a few people over to his apartment to watch the Real Madrid/AJAX soccer game. So Dom, Jairo, Marie, and I walked over. His apartment was really cute and not far away at all. It was really fun getting to hang out with them. We went back around 11 I think and I honestly think I just went to bed around 12.

This morning I walked to Pio XII, the school where I practice English with the kids. My 15 year olds were good. I was nervous because I'd already met with all of them before, so I wasn't sure what we would talk about, but it went fine. Then the 10 year olds are always just too cute.

Now I'm trying to get motivated to write some papers before my next class at 3. Our whole group is going to a wine tasting tonight where we get to learn about pairing wines with food, etc. I'm clueless when it comes to wine, so it should be a good time! Ciao!

Switzerland!

Thursday was kind of a long day getting into Switzerland. We took the metro to the bus train station in Madrid and then took a bus to the airport. The flight to Geneva was probably only like an hour and a half, but then we had to take a 3 hour train ride to Interlaken. By the time we rolled up to our hostel at like midnight, we were all pretty much ready for bed. It was our first hostel where we had the room to ourselves though, so that was awesome.

The next morning, Caitlin and I woke up early to explore the town on a run. It's so beautiful and the mountains were just astounding. We ran for like a half hour, came back, showered, and then set off on our trip up the mountain to Grundlewald. All the Florida girls were so excited to see snow so we all played in it, ate it, made snowballs, and found this little playground to run around on. I got a lunch and hot chocolate on top of the mountain and then we went back to Interlaken.


Caitlin and I on one of the contraptions in the playground

Our hostel just so happens to have the biggest (and only) club in the whole town. So we went at 9 and I ended up staying until like 1. We made friends with a Canadian and another guy from Oklahoma.


Friends

The next morning we got up and just hung around the hostel until our adventures. Monica, Caitlin, and I all did a canyon jump, which is like bungee jumping, except you jump feet first and it's more like a giant swing. Erin, Emily, and Kelly all did paragliding. So at 1 we met everyone for our canyon jump group in the hostel and we rode in a van to the canyon. There were 11 of us, and we all were talking and bonding quickly because of our shared experience. They put us in harnesses and then asked who wanted to go first. Of course I volunteered and he strapped me to the rope. You just stand there on this little platform, staring down at the canyon, and it's literally the weirdest feeling in the world making yourself take that jump. But I didn't really wait around and just went for it. Free falling for 120 feet was just straight crazy and I loved it.


The three canyon jumpers before our big fall


Getting strapped in


Me falling through the air

I watched the other 10 people come down and cheered for Caitlin and Monica, who were perhaps a tad more nervous than me. One guy that night thanked me like a thousand times for going first and said "if that little girl could make the jump, then I figured I had to do it too." Haha, he was really nice though. When we got back from our adventure I took a nap and missed fondu dinner. My punishment: Erin iced me (aka gave me a smirnoff ice and i had to chug it) in my bed. I was angry haha. But then we all went downstairs to our hostel club and got to party with everyone celebrating all the exciting stuff they did.




All in all, I absolutely loved Switzerland and had a blast. I definitely want to go back and visit another time in my life. Sunday morning we had to leave the hostel at 9:30 and it was another full day of traveling. We had the train to Geneva, the flight to Barcelona, the 3 hour lay over in Barcelona, and then the flight to Valencia. We landed at 9:30 pm and I came home, unpacked, did some homework, and fell asleep pretty early.

Only 2 weeks of classes left until I go home! I can't even believe how fast it's gone!

No Tinto Left Behind

Day 1: On Monday morning we left for Madrid and we arrived around 2:30. The city is absolutely beautiful and very different from Valencia in that it’s much larger and more like a typical big city. Our hotel was super nice and right in the middle of the city center. The first thing we did was go on a bus tour of the city and then a walking tour to get a feel for it. We had that night on our own and we asked Alicia, one of our professors, to go get a cerveza and some tapas with us. She is the coolest lady ever. Then Maddie, Caitlin, and I got dinner and went back to the hotel.

That night I ended up going out with a bunch of people because Josh’s friend lives here and showed us around. Madrid is so crazy in that anywhere you walk promoters for bars and clubs just attack you and offer you free stuff to enter. We went to one bar and then to a place where Josh’s friend likes to dance. We stayed there until like 3 I think and then got chocolate and churros before bed.

Day 2: The next day we had to be on the bus at 9:30 to go to La Escorial and Segovia. La Escorial is a big monastery and some kings used to live there back in the day. Segovia is famous for the huge aqueduct and we also got to go into a beautiful castle there. Jordan, Maddie, Caitlin, and I were all a little silly at that point, so it was a good time.


Famous aqueduct in Segovia




The castle we entered


When we got back I napped for 3 hours. Classic. Then that night I went out with Marie and Murt. We stayed out till freaking 4:30 am and went to another place where we danced forever. It was kind of creeper city so we forced Murt to stay at our sides all night haha.

Day 3: Very tired the next morning. This should stop coming as a surprise to me. It was raining but we walked to the Prado museum which has a bunch of famous paintings like Las Meninas and works by Grecco, Goya, and Velasquez. Then we walked to the Reina Sofia museum and saw a bunch of Picasso, the most famous being his Guernica painting.

When we got back from the museums and I took another 3 hour nap.Then a bunch of us went to 100 Montaditos and then we all went to the flamenco show. The dinner was delcious and the flamenco was seriously SO cool. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I was in awe and smiling the whole time. Afterwards we made Alicia go out with us and we danced with her for a while. She’s my fave person on the planet. The theme of the night was: no tinto left behind. And it was indeed a fun night.

Today I got up at 9 and we’re just chilling in Madrid for a few hours until our plane leaves for Madrid. Photos to come once I'm back home!!


Us all hanging out in Starbucks before our flight

I live for bocadillos

Ok so the rest of the weekend was super fun. Friday night when I got pack from Pan, we all started getting ready to go out. Maddie curled my hair with her straightener and it looked so good! Everyone was so surprised by it too since my hair is never curly. Felt pretty special, not going to lie haha. Six of us walked down to New Orleans to get a drink and it was packed. I mean on a Friday night, everything is packed, so it was the usual. We were going to go to Sandra's restaurant after that, but it was closed when we got there at like 1. We all went back to the study center since we weren't going out until at least 3. Caitlin, Jairo, and I sat talking to the guy who walks the front desk, David, until everyone else was ready to go.


In New Orleans

We were going to go to this club called Pacha because Erin's friend at Fox Congo said that we'd all get in for free. But the lines were so long when we got there and Tony said since she didn't send a facebook message warning him we were coming, he couldn't get us in. Like 6 people ended up going in, but then me, Caitlin, Erin, Emily, and Murt just didn't really care that much about going in so we decided to come back. I'd just been having such a fun night being with everyone anyway, that it didn't even really matter where we were. When we got back, Erin, David, Jairo, and I sat in a circle on the floor of the lobby, listening as Caitlin played guitar and sang us songs. Haha it was magical. I was just so happy that night and really had fun spending time with everyone.


I went to bed around 6 am and then Saturday we got up at noon and Maddie, Caitlin, and I decided to go to the beach. The weather here has been absolutely perfect. It just astounds me that on November 13th it was bathing suit and swimming weather. We got bocadillos and ate them at the beach. We stayed from about 1:30 until 6:30, so it was a whole day of relaxing. The water felt good and we tried to get like 1000 jumping pictures and we just sucked hahaha. The camera on my phone is pretty delayed though so we have an excuse.


Only slight success


The beautiful Mediterranean Sea

We got back, showered, and then Caitlin and I went out to meet my Spanish friend, Seve. We sat in Sherlock Holmes and talked for 3 hours, it was awesome. Then at 11 Caitlin and I went to dinner at this place called La Diabla that her friend had recommended. I got curry chicken and it was for sure the bomb.

That night everyone was just chilling and watching a movie because of the long weekend. I wandered around the streets with Jairo for like 30 minutes, but it was 2 am, and most everything in our neighborhood, Carmen, closes around then. So we went back and hung out with David at the desk again. I ended up staying down there until 8 am when his shift ended. Hahaha. But I just like talking to people and hearing about their lives. It was a good night.

I slept in until 2:30 today and then Maddie, jacob, Murt, Caitlin, and I went to the Botanical Gardens. We'd always heard good things about then and it's only like a 15 minute walk from us. They were huge and beautiful. I wish I had brought my book so I could've stayed and read.


Coolest freaking tree ever


Valencia is gorgeous

I hate sleeping in super late like today because the day just goes by way too fast. I need to pack for Madrid and Switzerland! AHH. Crazy. I'm so excited, but then again the weather here has been so perfect that I'm not looking forward to rain and freezing cold. But it should be an awesome week!

Solo Español, por favor!

The past couple of days have been really fun, so I want to go ahead and share these adventures. Wednesday during the day was very usual, went to tutoring, had class where we went to museums, and then had a conversation exchange. I met some cool people at mine and enjoyed talking to them a lot. We’re determined to hook Alicia up with one of the guys I was talking to hahaha. That night a few people went to 100 Montaditos, but Erin and I wanted to do something a little different. We started the night at New Orleans and our fav bartender, Jorge, was there. We chatted it up with him for a while and then decided to look into this place that we walked by earlier that takes cheques. At first they didn’t want to let us use them on drinks, but then we made friends with the bartender, Sanda, and she was SO COOL. She’s this 40 year old Colombian woman and is the nicest lady ever. Their restaurant just opened like 20 days ago and we sat for so long talking to the chefs and Sandra. She ended up giving us a bunch of free stuff too.

We also went to Fox Congo that night and visited good old Tony. Haahaaaa. He’s essentially in love with Erin. We were walking home and then we saw that this restaurant that’s nearby and has been under construction since we got here was open. Turns out it was their first night open, so we got some Estrella Galicia and attempted to make friends with the people working there, but they weren’t quite as friendly as Sandra haha. We ended our night talking to Juan Carlos, one of the security guys that does the night shift, for a while. It was a fun, Spanish practice filled night.

The next morning was not quiiiiteee as fun haha. I was just not feeling that 8 am wake up. But I really enjoyed my film class and then Erin and I decided to visit Sandra’s restaurant to actually eat since they were so nice the night before. The food was so good and I was absolutely stuffed afterwards. Sandra tried to give us a free shot, but neither of us were feeling that haha.

At 3:30 we had a speaker that came and talked to us a little about Catalonia and its relations with Spain, etc. After that it was WEEKEND! I definitely napped until like 8 pm and then got ready to go out to Max Max with everyone. We promised Sandra at lunch we’d come visit her before we went out, so we went there for a little while and then took the bus to Max Max.. I didn’t stay too long, but I’m friends with the bartenders there too, Mario and Ester. Are you noticing a trend in my life? Haha. But Mario didn’t make me pay for a drink, so it seems to be a solid life decision to make friends with them.

Caitlin had been to this one bar that was really cool before and it’s in the university district so we walked over there. It was so fun and everything there is way cheaper. I ended up deciding to walk back to Max Max to see if anyone was still there, but on the way I made friends with 3 Spanish guys and they walked me all the way back home, which was a good half hour walk. It was one kid’s birthday, so he was really drunk and it was funny. While we were walking we saw 2 of their girlfriends and we sat and talked for a while. They all were so intrigued by the “Americana” and kept trying to ask me questions and practice their English. I told them I wanted to practice Spanish so our deal was that I would say something in Spanish and they responded in English. It was cute.



Us at aguacate


I’m not sure what time I got back, but I want to say like 3:30. And then Juan Carlos let me sit behind the desk with him and we chatted until 5:30 am. We talked about so much stuff and we googled popular Spanish expressions and he was teaching me all sorts of things. So that was night #2 of intense Spanish practicing. I’m literally going to miss it so much when I go home. After nights like these my mind is thinking in Spanish and everything.

This morning I couldn’t sleep past 9:30 so I got up and Maddie and went to the rio and sat on a bench and read our books. It was the most gorgeous day and I’m now on page 100 of my Spanish book. Score.

I got back, hung out with friends for a while, and now I’m at Pan de Queso, enjoying some pan and a cerveza while the sun sets. Ah it’s so gorgeous here. Right now I can’t even imagine leaving.

I don’t know what I’m doing tonight, but hopefully it’s another night to blog about. I might be meeting up with the Spaniards from last night, so we’ll see!!

Saturday

So yesterday was a pretty perfect Saturday. I woke up and went for a run in the park. It's literally just the most therapeutic experience ever. I run down to the city of arts and sciences and then creep on cute Spanish families. The weather is absolutely perfect. It's sunny everyday and 70 degrees. When I got back I showered and then Maddie and I went to Bocatta to get lunch and we sat there for a few hours. I'm working on reading my Spanish book and I'm loving it.

We got back but then Maddie, Jordan, Marie, and I left pretty soon after to go to Corte. We got Cupcake Valencia on the way and it was magical. I didn't end up getting anything at Corte, but just went along for the company. On my way home I stopped and picked up a bottle of Don Simon, aka really cheap bottled sangria. I had so much fun for a few hours in the study center, just getting ready for the night with my friends, listening to music, watching funny youtube videos. It was the best.

Then I met up with a Spanish friend named Javier who lives here in Valencia and we ended up just talking until 5 am. It was so much fun, with the radio on, alternating between singing American songs and Spanish songs. He speaks good English because he lived in California for a year, but he let most of the conversation go in Spanish, so I loved it. I'm really glad that I have Spanish friends and since I only have 4 weeks left here, I definitely want to make the most of spending time with them.

I got up at about 11:30 and was slightly productive. Cleaned my room and did laundry. Then I went on the same run as yesterday. It's another absolutely gorgeous day today so I think when I'm done with my shower, Maddie, Erin, and I are going to Llao llao, which is a frozen yogurt place kind of like Berry Body. SO GOOD.


I have no pictures from yesterday, but here's a nicture of Plaza de la Reina with a rainbow :)

Is it really November already???

So it has been a nice week in Valencia. Wednesday wasn’t anything particularly exciting. I woke up and went to the school where I help kids with English. I really really enjoyed it. This time there were only 3 kids in my group of 15 year olds and it was a lot better than bigger groups because each person really got a chance to talk. In the beginning this one boy was so shy and quiet but by the end he was explaining parts of Spanish history to me. It’s awesome to see them improve, even when it’s just over an hour. My 10 year olds were on a fieldtrip so I went home after that.

I didn’t have class until 3, but my professor was sick so he assigned us to go to a couple museums. We went to one, which was a little strange, but it had some cool stuff in it. Of course that night we went to Montaditos and ate sandwiches and drank tinto.


Creepy dude in the museum

Thursday we watched Mar Adentro in my film class. It was a great movie, but just really emotionally draining to watch. It was about euthanasia, so it kind of makes sense. In my history class Ignacio’s father came to talk to us about life during the Civil War in Spain. It was so cool getting to hear him talk, but our class was supposed to end at 4:30 and he talked until 5. The only reason that was a problem is because Belen had organized a trip to the Spanish movie theatre to see Los Ojos de Julia at 4:50 and we missed it. I just felt really guilty because it was my suggestion and she came all the way here and nobody went. Ahh I felt so bad. Oh well, not like I could have done anything.

I actually ended up going for a run and then going to bed really early Thursday night. Probably for the best because Friday at 9 we left to go to Xativa. It’s this town like 45 minutes away from Valencia and has this ancient castle. We went into the museum and then climbed up. It was actually more of a hike than I anticipated haha. Erin and I got to the top and then were really hungry so broke away from the group and went to a café. We thought we’d see everyone walk by on the way back.. but umm we didn’t. Hahaha so I got a call from Alicia saying they were already at the bottom of the mountain and if we missed the bus it was our responsibility to get home. Luckily, we made friends with some Ukrainians (who we told we were twins) in the café that worked there and gave us a ride down to the cathedral. Then we met up with some people and got pizza and some good old Cruzcampos for lunch.


A view of Xativa from the top of the castle




We got back and I think literally every single person in our study center passed out for a solid nap. I definitely slept from like 5:30-8. I actually woke up to a text from my Spanish friends saying they were in a bar nearby and that I should come have a drink with them. So I met up with Alejandro and Seve and it was so fun. I love hanging out with them because they don’t speak any English whatsoever. And it was really nice because they told me they could tell I’ve improved since I went on the Camino and that I’ve been practicing a lot. They’re awesome and invited me to dinner, but Caitlin and Maddie and I had other plans already.

I ended up having such a good ladies night with them and it was so awesome just to go explore all sorts of new places with them. It was a really relaxed Friday night and I think we got home around 2:30 when the last bar kicked us out because they were closing. I hung out with some people in the study center until maybe 4 and then went to sleep.

It’s a beautiful sunny morning in Valencia so I better go take advantage of it!

DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED! Aka Italy at it's finest

So I am home from my long weekend in Italy now! We didn't have classes Monday because of a holiday in Spain, so it was the perfect opportunity to travel. On Thursday I flew into Pisa with Amanda, Erin, Kelly, and Emily. The flight was delayed a while apparently due to the strike in France, but we made it around 10 pm. Then we took a bus to Florence from there and after waiting around a little we got to our hostel around 1. It was a really nice hostel with a bar and organized tours and stuff.

We got up the next morning to do the taste of Tuscany tour. The bus took us outside of Florence into the beautiful Italian country side that made me feel like I was in a movie. We had a traditional Tuscan brunch and went to a winery. We got to learn about how they make wine and then had a tasting. I definitely have a new appreciation for red wine after this trip. After the winery we went to this old medieval town and got gelato. Nothing beats Italian gelato... definitely had it three times in 4 days haha.


The countryside and the grape vines at the winery


You can't see it that well, but it's just an example of some Italian gelato!

That night we also went on the organized pub crawl with our hostel. We got to go to fun bars and one was even right outside of the Duomo, so we got a sneak peak of that. At the third bar I ended up going somewhere else with Italian friends I made. It was really cool because it had live music and everything and was something I probably wouldn't have found if it weren't for them.

I got back really late that night so we slept in a bit on Saturday. We got pizza for lunch and then did the tourist double decker bus tour of Florence. It was really worth it because you really get to see so much and learn a lot more about the city than you would on your own. It also took us to this nearby old Italian town, which was super cute and I enjoyed a coffee there.


A view of Florence at one of the lookout points the bus took us to.


A cute bridge in Florence that we ended up exploring the next day.

That night we ate dinner at this place called Zaza. Of course all the food we got there was very good. Pasta galore. Haha but when in Italy it's kind of a requirement. We met people at our hostel that night and went out to a couple different places in Florence with them.

The next day (aka Halloween!) it was unfortunately pouring rain. Europeans don't really celebrate Halloween the way we do, but there were decorations and at night some people dressed up. We wandered around the city a lot and saw different attractions, like David and the Duomo when it was wasn't nighttime at a pub crawl.


Part of the Duomo

Despite the rain we still enjoyed our day. I got my costume! I ended up being an inmate with a black and white striped shirt and handcuffs. Funny side story, at the airport on the way home my suitcase had to be inspected because they saw something in it. This sir is like digging through all of my dirty laundry, throwing things around, and finally he reaches the furry handcuffs at the bottom. I tried to explain it was for my costume but he just gave me the craziest look ever and then threw them away. Hahaha, what a loss.

For Halloween we met up with these people from New Zealand that we had met the night before. We went to a karaoke bar and Erin and I were freaking next in line when it closed! Annoying. But we also went to this cool Irish pub that Kelly and I found while looking for a bakery. Ok let me go ahead and tell the story about this secret bakery. The 3 of them went the first night while I was out with the Italians. It has no sign on the door, doesn't open until2 am, and is super sketchy, but is supposed to be like the most amazing thing ever. So around 4 that day Kelly and I wanted to find it and we walked all up and down the street it was on and couldn't find the door. That's when we walked into the Irish pub and we felt so dumb, but I asked the guy "So... we're looking for a bakery... and it's kind of a secret." Surprisingly he knew what we were talking about and that's when we found out it wasn't open yet. Anyway, that Irish Pub ended up being a lot of fun.


Inmate

We hung out the New Zealanders until like 4 am and had to get up at 8 am. We got breakfast in Florence before leaving and caught our bus to Pisa. It was still POURING this day, so it was kind of a downer. But we still got to see the leaning tower and get a good lunch there. Caprese salad and tiramisu are definitely two of my favs.


Amanda and I at the tower

Our flight left at 5 for Valencia and while we were waiting I finished the book in Spanish I'd been reading! La llave de Sarah, which is a really popular book in the US called Sarah's Key. I absolutely loved it and understood everything. Plus it was 394 pages, so it was quite an accomplishment. I actually just bought a new book today and it seems a little more difficult. I'm excited though because I've got to keep challenging myself in order to improve!

Last night we got back to Valencia around 7:00 and it was fun seeing everyone again and getting to talk about our weekend. This morning I had my Spanish business class and we actually got to walk around and see different Spanish businesses and franchises, which was awesome. I got lunch with Byron at Bocatta and then went to the central market with Dom. Italy has solidified my obsession with tomatoes, so definitely scored like 8 of those.

I had history class at 3 and then immediately after we went to this Museum of Enlightenment. I wasn't too pumped about it, but it was actually a cool interactive experience. I wanted to go for a run after we got back but I forgot that daylight savings time happened this weekend (a week before the US, so I'm actually only 5 hours ahead of home for the time being) and it was already dark by the time I got home.

Looking forward to two full weeks in Valencia before we head to Madrid!

Peregrino State of Mind: A Tale of 200 KM

Hola! So I never ended up getting on the internet when I was walking the Camino. I kept a written journal of every day and I'm really glad I have that because it was the most incredible experience. I've been trying to think about what to write on here, but I guess I'll just do a general overview.

The Camino de Santiago is a religious pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela to see the cathedral where the remains of the apostle, St. James are. So pretty much everyone you encounter on the trail is a peregrino (pilgrim in Spanish). There are tons and tons of different routes and distances you can do, but the minimum kilometers in order to get the compostela (or certificate basically) is 100 km. You get a pilgrim credential before you start and then each town has different stamps that you get to prove you were there. Since Byron and I had ten days, we made a plan to start in Ponferrada, which is 200 km from Santiago.


Symbols for following the trail

We left Valencia Thursday evening and arrived in Madrid at 9. Our bus for Ponferrada left at 11 and we arrived at 5 am. This was only slightly problematic because Ponferrada was way bigger than we anticipated and we couldn't find where the trail started for the life of us and NOTHING was open. So we wandered around for at least an hour and a half, cold and lost. Long story short, we eventually made it and being on the trail made it completely worth it. Leon was gorgeous.


A view from the mountains passing from Leon in Galicia (two provinces of Spain)

Our first couple days passed with minimal crisis. We were a little sore and our second day I had to go to the infirmary to get my blisters popped. Sexy right? Then I accidentally washed my clothes instead of drying them and had to lug heavy, dripping wet clothes around for 27 km that day. But all in all, Byron and I were enjoying each other's company and the ability to just be introspective.


My favorite tree, about 100km from Santiago


Portomarin, a Galician town

We arrived in Barbadelo on Monday and that's when things got fun. Two guys came into our albergue not that long after us and I started talking to them while Byron was in the shower. They only spoke Spanish and we were just introducing ourselves and talking a little about our lives. Then they asked me if I liked Spanish food and I told them I loved tortilla de patata, so one of the guys, Sobe, decided to give me a recipe. But they couldn't agree on the recipe so Byron came back to them arguing about how many eggs to use. They were just the funniest people ever. Sobe is a 23 year old truck driver and Andres is a 32 year old banker.


Sobe and I. Everyone had a joke we were in love because one night I had a dream he was helping me pay my mortgage haha.

That night they invited us to get a beer with them and we sat talking until the albergue curfew with them. We also met another integral part of our camino family that night, the two Sevillian lady cops named Alicia and Ana. When they were all speaking fast it was sometimes hard to understand them, but my Spanish has honestly improved and I've learned so much by being surrounded by them for 7 days. So many memories and inside jokes came from that first night in Barbadelo. The next morning we met Diego or the "marquez" as we called him. They had me try this "orujo" shot which is some famous Galician liquor. Of course it was awful, particularly at 9 am, but they made me sip on it and then laughed like crazy as my face got redder and redder. We also ate octopus 3 times, which i absolutely loved.


Pulpo, or octopus. Don't let the looks deceive you.


We walked the whole rest of the 108 km with them and each day was incredible. There's nothing like just waking up every morning and knowing you just have to walk to your next destination. We usually walked about 20-30 km each day. I'm not going to go through each and every day on here because I already have all that written down, but if you ask my friends here, I just can't stop talking about how much fun I had and how happy I was.


Our group about 5 km before Santiago

We got to Santiago on Saturday and our bus left at 10:30 that night, so my only regret is not being able to spend more time in Santiago. But honestly I wouldn't trade my experience for the world. It was literally the most random group of people, but for that week the Camino was my life and they were my family. When we had to say goodbye I was almost in tears, although I wouldn't have told them that. I got my compostela, and it's beautiful. I definitely want to come back and do the Camino when I graduate.


The cathedral in Santiago

I promise I could write a million pages about my trip, but I just wanted to keep it fairly short on here. But ask me about my stories and I could tell you a million!

Our train from Santiago left at 10:30 and got to Madrid at 7:45 am. Don't ask me how that freaking train took 9 hours, but it did. I slept a little, but woke up each hour. Meh. Our bus from Madrid was from 9-1:30 and then we were back in sunny, warm Valencia.

It was really fun just getting to catch up with everyone over the past few days. It almost felt weird at first to be back home after my experience on the Camino, but I'm just lucky I got to have it at all. We had classes yesterday and Maddie, her cousin, Caitlin, and I went to this expensive dinner and spent 10 cheques on it. Hahaha, keeping it classy.

I'm in Zume now, which obviously I've missed dearly haha. My married Brazilian friends. Well happy Halloween week my friends! :)

Pre-Fall Break Blog Update!

Ok so yesterday I woke up bright and early to go to the school to teach my kids English. It was a little more awkward this time because the groups I had weren't as talkative, but I did my best. I got back around 11 and went to Zume for some hardcore homework time. I also had the best tea of my life. It was coconut, so obviously I loved it. Although. I discovered the the man I'm stalking is married, so that was a bit of a downer haha.

I got back to the study center in time for my class at 3. We went down to the port and I really enjoyed the stuff we learned about today. It's just cool getting to physically see the things that you're being taught. We ate some food at this Tio Pepe place and it was very good. We rode the bus back to the center and went to Cien Montaditos. Got some brie sandwiches to go and some tinto de verano.

We had a cultural conversation exchange at 7:30 and I really enjoyed the people I got to talk with. There names were Salva and Laura and they let me practice my Spanish for a while with them. Salva said there are other conversation things that I want to try and go to when I get back from fall break.

That night I went to Zume (again ahahahah) with Jordan, Caitlin, and Maddie and we just had a ladies margarita night while they planned their Camino weekend. We stayed until almost midnight I think and then I went to bed after we came back.

Today has felt really hectic because I've been trying to make sure i have everything ready for my trip. We watched Te Doy Mis Ojos in my film class, which I enjoyed. It was kind of sad but I guess there was hope in the end. After class I was running around, buying a rain poncho, finishing laundry, packing my backpack, etc.

I have my last class in 20 minutes. It gets out at 4:30 and then Byron and I are literally leaving for the train station at 5. Apparently you have access to the internet at all the albergues where you stay, but I don't want to get on facebook for the full 10 days. I just want this to be a really cool experience. I might update my blog every now and then though, just so mom knows I'm alive haha.

Be back on Sunday the 24th!

Rain=Long Naps

Well let's see. It hasn't exactly been the most exciting day ever, but it was relaxing. I got up at 8 for my class at 9 and it was already rainy. This is only the 2nd time I've ever really seen rain in Valencia, which is definitely a good thing in my opinion. My Spanish class was good and I actually feel like I learned a lot. I learned how to find houses and apartments and get a mortgage in Spain haha.

After class we watched a movie called Havana Blues. It was a good movie, but didn't really interest me that much. It was about people in Cuba and it was funny that I honestly can't understand Cuban Spanish, but anytime a Spaniard came on, I could understand them perfectly. Those accents just kill me.

After class we had to meet with our professor to get our tests back. I got a 88.7 so I'm quite pleased. Especially after hearing that only the credit transfers to CNU, not the grade. Baha, so all I need is a C- in all my classes.

Then Dominic and I walked in the pouring rain to Starbucks. I just have this complex where I need to be out of my study center to do any homework haha. So I got a delightful latte and did my Spanish homework. Totally wrote 2 pages in Spanish about my childhood obsession with Star Wars. I love my life.

I got back around 6 or 6:30 and definitely napped until 9. Hahaha that's sad. When it rains all I want to do is crawl into bed forever. Then I tried to book my trains and busses to get to Ponferrada, where I'm starting my Camino for fall break, but my credit cards kept getting messed up. Ughhh very frustrating. But it'll work out.

Ok sorry this was the lamest post ever haha. Hopefully tomorrow will be much more fun!


My Camino partner and I!!!

Sunday Funday

So yesterday I just spent a lot of time outside the study center chilling with whoever. I went to Pan de Queso and worked on some homework until Caitlin and I decided to go to Starbucks to do our papers together. We literally sat there for like 2 hours until it was almost 6 and we decided to go to church. We went to the cathedral and I loved it. We were probably the only two there that were under 60 years old and above 5 feet, but it was good. I understood everything, even the priest's homily. I just need to learn the actual prayers to say.

After church we went and climbed up the torres that are right by our study center, because Caitlin had never been. I just love the view from up there and it was a really beautiful evening.


Caitlin and I at the top


Me underneath the flag

When we got back I took a shower and got to skype for an hour with the wonderful Laura Bellantoni. Despite not wanting to leave Spain at all, when I get to talk to my friends it reminds me that I do have so much to come back to in the US and I think I'll be ok when the time comes to say goodbye.

Then since it was Kelly's sister's last night in town we went out. About 8 of us started the night at Finnegans and just sat around and chatted for a while. They had American football playing there, so that was pretty exciting. Then Fox Congo and Ghecko called our names haha. Surprisingly Fox Congo was crowded on a Sunday night. Maybe it was gay night? Just kidding, I think that's Bolseria on Sunday.

I didn't get into bed until like 4 am and had class at 9 am. Haha bad life decisions. Luckily my roommate saved me and woke me up at 8:50. My women in lit class was good though and Nordlund let us have the last hour of class at a cafe. I had the best tomato and brie sandwich. I'm going through a slight tomato and cheese phase.

Then Maddie and I went on an adventure tog et her ipod fixed. The first place wasn't able to help but sent us to this technician store. It was a slight distance away and we got a little disoriented. We finally made it at 2:20 and it had closed for siesta at 2. We were like looking into the windows wailing noooo, let us innnnn. Hahaha. When we got back home I ended up napping for a while. Then I went on a run in the park and it was probably the longest one I've been on. It felt so good to get those exercise endorphins going.

I showered and then decided to go to my fav place on Earth, zume to do my homework (which is actually just me updating my blog at the moment.) The Brazilians that work here that I love definitely recognize me now haha. It turns out Caitlin was already here doing work so we've just been hanging out. We decided we're coming here everyday. We're kind of stalkers, no big deal.

Now I need to actually do my homework! Ciao!

Valencia Extravaganza!

So let's see, I left off on Thursday afternoon. Thursday night was fun because the whole group went to Max Max. I met up with Viciente there, who was one of the guys we met on Tuesday night at New Orleans. So I enjoyed just getting to talk to him and his friends in Spanish most of the night.

On Friday we woke up early to go to the City of Arts and Sciences, which was incredible. They're all of these modern buildings in the middle of the rio (it's a park now but it used to be a river until they changed the route of the water due to a huge flood years ago). First we went to this museum thing but it just had all of these fun brain experiments and weird activities. I could've spent so much more time there. It reminded me of the Science Center in Baltimore where we used to go on field trips.


City of Arts and Sciences

Then we went to the dolphin show, which obviously I loved. They were so cute and just the happiest looking animals on Earth. I decided my dream job is to be a dolphin trainer haha. After the dolphins we got to go to the aquarium, which was more like a zoo with different exhibits that you walked to. We saw the sharks and you got to be underneath a long tunnel where they swam overtop and around you. Then we saw the Arctic Exhibit with penguins, belugas, and walruses. The penguins were so funny and would come hang out at the glass with you and follow you around. The last one we saw was the Caribbean exhibit with all of these tropical fish.


My penguin friend


Hola, mister tiburon!

After the aquarium, most of us were really tired, so I most definitely went back and took a good 2 and a half hour nap. I had to wake up at 5 though to get my Pilgrim Passport for the Camino. Byron and I walked to this place like 20 minutes away that is only open on Fridays 5-8:30. Random hours. But it was really simple to get my pass and now I'm so excited because everything for our fall break trip is coming together. :)

When I got back I went shopping with Marie because we needed some parachute pants for Kelly and Jacob's themed birthday outing. It was parachute pants for girls and lumberjack shirts for guys haha. I ended up getting zebra pants at h&m. I left the tag in them all night because I thought maybe I'd want to return them, but I actually got really attached to them and want to keep them. Totally going to rock this fashion in the US haha.

So Friday night was definitely one of my favorites. We all got dressed up and then walked through the rio to this bridge near where they were lighting off the fireworks. At midnight they started and it was literally the most incredible fireworks display I have ever seen. 4th of July has been ruined forever for me haha. It was a competition between 2 different firework professionals and they did things I've never seen before. I literally could've watched for hours.

After the fireworks we all left for New Orleans. The last time I was there it was basically empty, but it was pretty packed on Friday. Since it was Kelly's 21st birthday, she had all these funny tasks she had to complete like "convince 21 people you're famous and give them your autograph" and anytime someone wishes you happy birthday you have to say "can't touch this" (in honor of MC Hammer and parachute pants of course.) So after New Orleans we went to Fox Congo and hung out for a while. I obviously danced on the bench that we always form into a stage. The next place we went was Ghecko. After Ghecko a lot of people were feeling pretty done, but about 8 of us went to Pacha, a discoteca, afterwards around 4.

The 8 of us just danced for so long and I had such a fun time. I just love dancing in general though. Most people left around 6, but Jordan and I stayed until about 6:30. Our taxi driver (who also turned out to be the most creepy taxi driver on the face of the Earth) asked us why we were going home so early. Haha frickin Spain.

I only got to sleep from about 7 am until 11 because that's when we got up to see all of the Valencia Day festivities. The 9th of October is kind of like our 4th of July at home, but just for Valencia. So at 12 there was this parade and then there was a political riot. It was probably slightly dangerous, but it was so cool to see. The riot police were out and everything. It's kind of a long story, but basically Cataluna wants to separate from Spain and there's a small group of Valencians who think Valencia should split with them. So all of the other Valencians were basically throwing stuff at this one group and everyone was screaming at each other. It was intense.


Beginning of the riot

The next event didn't start until 2 so we went to "duffin dagels" after the parade. Duffin Dagels is the Dunkin Donuts of Spain and it's hilarious. Their donuts are so weird. It's basically the biggest ripoff ever haha. After that we made our way back to the main plaza for the daytime fireworks display. Now I know that sounds strange, but it was literally the craziest thing I have ever seen. Like I can't even really describe it, but it was definitely something they wouldn't allow to exist in the US. In the middle of this plaza they had all these strings of fireworks hanging and they would light a string and in a huge chain reaction they would blow up and shoot into the air. There were all these explosions and we were basically surrounded by smoke when it was all over. It was an amazing thing to see.


Haha


Smokey world


Remnants of the daytime fireworks after all the explosions

After that we went back to the study center and I took a nap for about an hour. At 5 there was another parade so we went back out to the plaza. This one was filled with tons of people dressed up in all sorts of traditional outfits and war costumes. There were also weird people dressed up as birds on stilts. Not really sure what they signified, but they were cool.

We all walked to this potato world restaurant that we love at 6:30, but turns out their kitchen didn't open until 8:30. Nonetheless we sat there and shared some pitchers of beer and sangria. I ended up leaving at 8 because Erin invited me to dinner with her parents, but I think 3 people managed to champ it out until 8:30.

Just after I got back to the study center, it began to pour. I've only seen rain one other time in Valencia thus far, so this was a pretty crazy sight. It was the kind of rain where it was just cascading down the steps of the towers and I imagine you could barely drive through it. The walk to the restaurant was rough and I was drenched by the time we all got there, but the food was good. It was a pretty fancy, expensive place where we wouldn't normally go on our own, so I'm glad I got to enjoy that despite the rain.

Luckily at about 10:30 when we were done eating, the rain had ended. I really wanted to go out when we got back to a disco or something since it's my last weekend in Valencia for 3 weeks, but nobody else wanted to go out. Lamesauce. But I probably needed to sleep anyway since I didn't the night before. So my Saturday night consisted of me reading my book and going to bed around 12:30.

So uneventful, but at least I'm feeling good today. I woke up at 10:30 and went and got a coffee and some toast from the cafe near us. This past weekend it was humid and probably still 80 degrees, at least on Friday. But I guess the storm last night brought in colder weather because I was actually quite chilly sitting outside. Time to break out my jacket for the first time since Amsterdam!

Feliz Domingo!