I just got back from an AWESOME weekend in Spain! I had so much fun seeing a face from home and living the Spanish life for a few days. Here's the recap:
Day 1: I caught a bus to the airport at 7:30 a.m., arrived, got through security, and got in line to get on the plane without any problems. One of the airport workers was walking along the line checking everyone's papers, and when he got to me he asked, "Where's your stamp?" Dumbfounded, I stammered out, "Stamp?" He told me that I was supposed to get my passport approved at the front desk all the way back through security. I was in shock. He said that he was going to take my backpack and that I needed to run as fast as possible back to the front to get approved! I snapped out of the shock and relived my glory days of the George-Little Rock cross-country meet (my only career win) by sprinting through the entire airport, back through security, to the front desk, through security again, and back to the end of the line. It was crazy! I've never had to do anything like that, so my trip to Spain almost didn't happen!
As eventful as the morning was, the plane ride was pretty calm. Except for the landing. Let's just say we 'bounced' into Spain. Stepping off the plane was like stepping into a sauna. It was so humid and hot; I loved it! I got in the airport and began my search for Cassandra. We planned to meet near the exit, but it turned out that there were many exits to the airport... After three phone calls we figured out where we were and were reunited! It was so nice to see someone from home! We immediately started sharing stories (Cassandra had just been asked to dinner/followed around by a creepily affectionate older Algerian man) and found a bus to the city. The bus ride was sweltering. We were crammed in among a ton of people, and the luggage rack was full of smelly bags in which our faces were shoved. Spain is crazy. I like it :) I had my first 'stupid American' mo
ment when I found myself holding the stop button on the bus. The bus wasn't moving from a stop, and nobody knew why except for one Spanish man who was yelling at me to stop pushing the button. I had no idea what he was saying, but Cassandra did. It was embarrassing and funny. I enjoy playing the stereotype from time to time... We escaped the bus and walked around the center of Alicante. It was pretty nice out. I hadn't seen the sun for so long! 
Eventually we headed down to a restaurant called "Miami," where we met up with Cassandra's dad, Gerry, and his girlfriend, Sherry, who were visiting Alicante for a week. After lunch we walked around some more and found me a hostel to stay in for the night. We saw some more of the city, and walked along the beach. It was wonderful! After a while we were walking to go eat supper, and Cassandra was a bit ahead of me because I was taking pictures. As I was catching up to her, a few older men were whistling and shouting "¡Hola guapa!" which essentially means, 
"Hey pretty lady!" They then saw me running after her and started cheering me on and yelling at me in Spanish. I couldn't understand them but I got the message. Cassandra told me that they were saying to me "Your girlfriend is very pretty! Good luck! Very nice! etc." Gotta love those Spanish men. After eating some excellent Mexican food with Gerry and Sherry, Cassandra and I went to meet up with her friends in her program to go to ¡Botellón!, which is when most young Spanish people go to the boardwalk by the beach and have a huge party. It was sweet meeting everyone from her program, and later we went out to a few bars. It's amazing how late everything happens in Spain.
We ate lunch around 3, supper around 9:30, and went out around 11:30. It's also awesome that from 2-4 in the afternoon, nearly everything in the city shuts down for people to go take their siestas. Cassandra and I decided to go play some cards and relax at my hostel around 2 a.m., which was a good decision. We just got to talk about our adventures in our countries, and before we knew it, it was 4:30! I walked her home, walked back, and hit the hay.Day 2: Woke up around 9 a.m. and had a little battle with the shower. It had one of those hose things, and its holder on the wall was broken, so I had to hold it with one hand or pinched between my neck and shoulder, all the while washing myself and making sure no water sprayed out the top of the shower. Eventually I won. I met up with Cassandra, Gerry, and Sherry, and we went to Mercado Central so Cassandra could buy us some breakfast materials using her Spanish. The market was sweet! The whole building was packed with places selling fresh meats, breads, pastries, vegetables, and fruits. There were so many people; I had no idea what was being said half the time. Cassandra got us some bread, special Spanish ham, cheese, fresh clementines, and some pastries. We went up to a café surrounded by fresh flower shops on the roof of the market, sat in the sun, and ate a wonderful breakfast. It's common practice in Spain for people to walk around with stacks of hats, watches, sunglasses, purses, etc. and to try and sell them at restaurants, cafes, or at the beach, so we were being asked to buy all these things while we were eating, and there was also a man playing accordion for everyone! Also, we got orange juice, which is always freshly squeezed and served straight-up in Spain. It's amazing. Enough said. After breakfast Cassandra and I found my other hostel and headed down to the beach to relax.
The wind was a bit chilly, but the sun counteracted it enough to give me a slight sunburn on my face. We laid out and slept on the beach for about four hours until it was time for lunch. We went and grabbed lunch at a Coyote Ugly because we craved American food, and it was pretty cheap. Cassandra and I were so tired that all we wanted to do was sit around and relax all day. So after we ate we walked and found an amazing Spanish guitar player. This guy must have been playing for his entire life because my mind was blown. Traditional Spanish music and the Spanish sun setting is a winning combination, let me tell you. We eventually made our way to Gerry and Sherry's hotel, where I took a siesta and Cassandra skyped with her friend Elizabeth back in Iowa. Gerry and Sherry came back, and we played some cards and ate sandwiches for a light supper. I learned the game "500," which is a super-sized version of Pitch/Euchre. It was a good game to learn, and after we finished we went to a bar called "Murphy's," met up with a few of Cassandra's amigos, and watched some of the Olympics. After that we went and got kebabs at a great little place called "Sultan." It's like the Middle-Eastern alternative to Panchero's, as far as late-night food goes. It hits the spot every time.
Afterwards we kids went to a few bars and were out having fun until 5 a.m., which isn't unusual in the Spanish culture. As we were walking around and meeting people, we ran into three Scotsman! I heard their accent and asked them where they were from. It turns out that they all went to Strathclyde! It's a small world, and it's always getting smaller. They wer hilarious and so excited to meet an American that went to their school! We met a girl from England, a girl from Russia, and we found some Itlaian guys (Andreas and, that's right guys, Jacobo) who were all really friendly and hilarious! It was a super late night, but it was really fun!
Day 3: I got to sleep in until 11 and didn't have to battle the shower, which was nice because of our late night. I met up with Cassandra, Gerry, and Sherry for breakfast, and we planned to climb the massive mountain to Alicante's castle.
It was a pretty long, tiresome walk, but it was worth it! It was an amazing view of the mountains, ocean, and city. It was party cloudy and a nice temperature, so we weren't dying from the heat. 
We explored the castle grounds for a while and headed back down the mountain. As we were following a new path down, we got about 3/4 of the way down and found a dead end. We had to climb most of the way back up the mountain to find the other route down. We eventually made it to flat ground and stumbled into an Italian restaurant, hungry for some food. Gerry, Sherry, and I got calzones, and Cassandra got some amazing Gorgonzola cheese gnocchi pasta. To attempt to repay Gerry and Sherry for buying us so much food, Cassandra and I decided to be sneaky and buy some wine, cheese, and bread for a late-night snack. We played some more cards and eventually went up to the hotel's hot tub (which was disappointingly more like a lukewarm
tub) and Cassandra and I spent almost an hour and a half in the sauna. It was only recommended that you spend ten minutes, but we were so tired and the sauna felt so awesome that we didn't care. I decided that I'll be getting a sauna in the future. It feels surprisingly good to sweat that much in the extreme heat. We then got changed and went back to Murphy's to watch a bit of the Olympics, but we all decided to call it an early night (at 1 a.m.). 
We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my hostel. I got the man at the front desk to call me a taxi for the morning so I could get to the airport, packed most of my things, and quickly fell fast asleep.
Day 4: Woke up at 4:45 and got in the taxi at 5:20. Arrived at the airport, made sure my document was stamped, ate some breakfast, got through security, and was on my flight home at 7 a.m. I got back to Scotland, and it was below freezing outside. I liked Spain's warmth for sure, but the Scottish lifestyle suits me a bit better. Those late nights would kill a person. Also, Scotland has a smoking ban 
in bars, pubs, restaurants, and clubs, which was nonexistent in Spain. The smell of smoke is overpowering after a while. I hoped to be back in time for my lecture at 10:00, but was unfortunately back a half hour too late. Shoot. I made it to my other classes, unpacked, went to the gym, got some groceries, made some excellent stir-fry, and am probably going to relax for the night. It was an unforgettable weekend in Spain, and I can't wait for spring break! It'll be fun traveling with Cassandra and a few of her friends from the program. I can already tell! Also, Cassandra gets to come to the land of kilts for the last weekend, 
which will be an awesome time. I guarantee it! I've got a healthy red/orange glow, a huge debt to Gerry and Sherry, and a boatload a pictures to upload for you to see! Spain was great in winter, but I can't wait to go back when it's actually summer! That's all for now. Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment