What Happened in Spain Part II
Trip Start
Aug 29, 2009
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2
3
Trip End
Dec 22, 2009
Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain
Saturday, November 14, 2009
As I said previously, I'm going to jump around a bit and not just go day by day in this blog. Therefore, this entry begins on September 19th on a train heading to Cadiz, Spain. This was my first adventure in Spain with my friends outside of Cordoba, my first excursion.
Honestly, I can't even remember exactly how I met all the people I've become close with on this trip. Well, I guess that's not true. I already told you how I met Amanda, and then there was Shannon. She was actually the one of the first people I met here in Cordoba, and I remember I accidently called her by another name the day after I met her. That's definitely a mistake I haven't repeated!!! But lets see, a few groups of students ended up grouping together on the train since we were all headed towards the same destination. One word sums up the reason why Cadiz became such a popular destination amongst the students in our program - the beach
Yay! Hammocks!
. Yep, the beautiful, white sandy beaches of Cadiz, the most ancient city in Spain. We had a fun train ride there - Amanda, Jen, Claire, Shannon, Alice, Hedi, Emily, Lizzy, Emily P., Joanne, Aaron, Ian, and Reid. I played a card game called Big 2 and got flicked in the forehead by Ian when I lost, no mercy. Apparently luck was not on my side that morning because at the end of that train ride, I still had a red welt the size of a penny on my forehead! But I wasn't alone! The train was smooth sailing and we arrived by mid-day. We walked the short walk to our hostel, which we at first passed (well, twice haha) and went through the long check-in process. But during check-in, we got to take in the amazing hostel that we would be staying the night in. Sadly, I can't think of the name at the very moment, but once I do I'll fill in the blank for the both of us. It is the most Boho hostel you'll ever set your eyes on. It was an amazing first-hostel experience, I'll tell you that. Blew away all my expectations! It was a tall slender building that was very old. The downstairs lobby/kitchen area had a large table and wrap-around seat with plenty of pillows and tons of space. Ok this is going to be way too difficult to explain, therefore, please just take a good look at the photos! Just know that they had really cool mosaics and colors inside!
The owner, who was a tall American woman with long red hair who wore a long gauzy skirt and most definitely went bra-less, explained the rules to all of us
Look's fake doesn't it?
. The kitchen was communal, as in all things in the fridge that were not labeled were up for grabs, and breakfast was coffee, tea, and oatmel. In Cadiz, the plumbing is horrible so you can't, ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT, flush anything down the toilets. I don't think any of us can say that we didn't make the mistake of forgetting this rule and had to go fishing in the toilet! She took the girls upstairs to the terrace - where we would be sleeping in hammocks under the stars. It wasn't until the next morning when everyone woke up with mosquito bites all over that we realized why this seemingly tranquil accomodation was so cheap! We left our stuff at the hostel and made our way down to the beach. I am happy to say that I finally went in the ocean while in Spain. Reid, Aaron, Shannon, Lizzy, and I braved the cold and made our way out into the sea, The water was beautiful,as was the beach; and it was such a relaxing day. We picniced, sunbathed, and talked the afternoon away. We also learned on this trip that buying food from the market is a lot cheaper than eating out everyday (this is also something I should probably take back with me to SD). We walked back late in the afternoon and got ready to go out. Thinking I was back in L.A., I brought a red dress and heels with me. Everyone else had decided that the beach was a casual place, so flipflops and jeans would be perfect. Trust me, you'll notice the contrast in the photo I post! Anyway, we walked around the small city until we settled at a tapas bar. Cadiz is a very small city with little cobblestone streets and antique looking buildings. We walked around the entire night stopping here for ice cream, there for a quick drink, over there for a few dances. It was fun, but we were all tired from the day so we walked back at about 4am (I'll explain "Spanish Time" in my next entry).
That night, LIzzy and I had opted for the sleeping mats laid out on the Terrace (all the hammocks were occupied), which was fine because 1) I woke up with zero bug bites, and 2) I woke up next to a gorgeous German guy on the mat next to mine haha
Can you find me? haha
. We checked out downstairs with cool hippie-German clerk and then set out on a search for churros con chocolate. Yes, you read that right. What an amazing combination! I know! You are served a heaping plate of churros and a mug full of thick chocolate, used for dipping. Oh and sugar too, of course ;). Unfortunately, the churros weren't very impressive. I'd say they get better the farther north you go in Andalucia. The rest of the morning was spent strolling around the city, looking at some of the sights, like the Roman Ampitheater, and an exhibition that was being held in the central plaza of the city. We all split up for lunch and Amanda, Lizzy, Shannon, and I found an expensive restaurant on the coast. Instead of expensive seafood, I opted for the ceaper option of bread. Don't worry though, I had ice cream later to make up for the lack of food I had consumed at lunch. On a side note, there is no possible way to travel and be on a diet at the same time! We caught our train that afternoon and I spent those three hours discussing some of the many complexitites of life with Reid haha.
All in all, I'd have to say that the pace of Cadiz was much slower than the pace of Cordoba, So things are the same in Spain - things just slow down at the beach. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend - my first traveling venture! Plenty more to come....
