Ali-Alicante!

Last night we got back from a very lovely weekend in Alicante. We originally went with 17 girls (kind of a hot mess), but we had to go to 2 different hotels for us to all be accommodated. I went with the smaller group to a hotel called Alicante Hills, which looked like a Greek hotel. It was mainly white with blue trimming and was apartment style! We only paid 30 Euro for two nights, so that was pretty awesome and roomy.
We misheard the woman at the train station and thought that our hotel was a twenty minute walk. Wrong. She meant a twenty minute busride. We walked for an hour and a half over 4 kilometers! Finally, we called a cab to take us to our hotel. It was literally a two minute ride and we were at our hotel. We were not pleased. However, we discovered this awesome lagoon-park on the way that we rested at and dipped our feet in. There are pictures on Facebook of Kristin and me on some rocks out on the lagoon and pretended to be the Little Mermaid. That was the silver lining in that treacherous walk that left demon callouses on my feet.
That night we took a bus back into the city and got dinner at this precious little restaurant called Prego. It was Italian, so we naturally all got wine (Meagan and I split the most delicious bottle of merlot for only 10 Euro. Later we found out it was 14.5% alcohol. Oops). I got this tomato-basil baked penne with basil leaves and mozzarella baked in. It was heavenly. Our waitress and bartender were so nice, too. They were joking and laughing with us the whole night. Clearly they liked the silly American girls with horrible accents because we got free lemoncello shots. Molte bene! Since dinner is so much later here, we didn't end up leaving the restaurant until 11:30. Being Americans, we are used to getting the check as soon as we are done eating and then moseying out the door two minutes later. Here, we always have to ask for the check. They encourage us to stay in the restaurant!
I actually got to bed at a decent hour and we woke up around 11 the next morning. We caught a bus to this fort called Castillo de Santa Barbara. It was so ballin! The fort was built into this giant cliff overlooking the Mediterranean and had all these turrets and secret pasageways. In the opposite direction of the sea we could see all of Alicante and the mountains. It was truly a beautiful sight.
After getting all hot and sweaty from hiking, we went to the beach right below the fort for a couple of hours to get some sun. Around 5:30 some clouds rolled in and made the windblown beach rather chilly, so we went shopping in the little market stands on the boardwalk. I got some presents for family and friends back home for great prices. If I had more money/ a bigger suitcase, I would have bought out some of those stands. Personally, I like their trinkets more than Valencia trinkets. After that we got some coffee and waited for suppertime. What a worthwhile wait. We went to one of the coolest tapas places ever! Each tapa had a toothpick in it and based on how many toothpicks you got that was the price you paid. I had a great spinach empanada, bacon-wrapped chorizo with lettuce on bread, lamb, chicken on bread covered in a queso-sauce, and a cheese and ham quiche. They were literally each two or three bites, but it the perfect portion. Once again, the waiters were so funny and nice.
Our last day in Alicante (Sunday) we went to the beach all day and relaxed. Joey, you are going to hate me, but we got Subway for supper and I kinda enjoyed it. Apparently there is a strike with vegetable farmers, so a lot of Spain doesn't have many veggies. This subway only had lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. Honestly, I have never craved a spinach salad as bad as I do now. With red and green peppers. And sweet onion. And feta cheese. NOM
Anyways, we got back to the dorms around 10 last night. On the train back, I realized that there are many things I love about this country, but 3 main things I hate.
1. They don't split the checks! It's a royal pain to try and count out all the Euro you owe and make sure that everyone gets their change back, etc. etc.
2. The PDA here is out of control. Saying goodbye to someone at the train station should not be a 20 minute makeout session for all to see complete with heavy petting. Ew. No. Stop. Not to mention, it is very inappropriate for 14 year olds at the beach to be straddling each other in the sand while small children run around. If we wanted to see that, we would go to the sleazy underground of Madrid.
3. People come into restaurants and solicit all the time! No, I don't want a rose from you, creepy old man. I want to enjoy my meal with my friends. Hey, nasty homeless guy, if you ask for my money again while I am sipping on my cafe con leche, I will feel inclined to stab you with my butter knife. I'm not used to that at all because that is very illegal in the U.S. And I am very much ok with that.
Whew! Sorry about the long rants. It was a very eventful weekend and I felt the need to share my thoughts with y'all. Stay prepared for tomorrow's post because we have a birthday girl who will want to do crazy shenanigans and I want to write all about it. The PG version, of course :).

So little time.

I just realized today that after this Sunday I will only have 4 weeks left in Spain. :( On a brighter note, we leave for Alicante tomorrow!! AYYYYYY. I am very excited to travel and do something. Since it's only a 2 hour train ride, we are leaving tomorrow right after class and staying until Sunday night. I really can't wait!
Danny, Kristin and I also just booked flights to Sevilla for our long weekend. We are spending one night in Sevilla and 2 in Cadiz. From what I have seen of pictures, Cadiz looks like something out of a postcard. Since it's practically across the country from where we are now, it will be a fabulous change of scenery. Fun fact: Cadiz is considered the oldest city in Europe. I am very much looking forward to seeing all of the history/ gorgeous beaches there.
Last night was nuttssss. I met two guys from the UK, three from Germany, and a Spanish dude named Carlos. I loved the German guys. They were so fun and nice and not creepstars at all. One of the UK dudes started creeping hard once he got a few roncitos in him, but the other one was hilarious. He tried to do his best American accent for me and I almost died. It was a mix of a southern-Irish accent. Doesn't make sense? Yeah, it didn't make sense to me, either. But he said my British accent was horrible so we are even. We left the bars to go home a little after two since we have class in the morning. The Germans said they were staying out until 6! I would be the most abominable person the next day if I stayed out that late. I don't know how people can do that.
It was a fun night altogether. I managed to send Celia my powerpoint for her to check over before my presentation Monday. Hopefully I won't have to make too many corrections since I won't be getting back to my dorm until around 10 Sunday night. Needless to say, I am proud of myself to be ahead of schedule.
Get ready for some crazy stories from Alicante when I come back Monday! And maybe an update on whether the Count has bathed yet or not since school has started...

This is what my teacher looks like

The Count.

He really looks like this except not purple and has grey hair. True story.

The Count Smells....

Yesterday was so very relaxing. Since we got out of class early, a couple of girls and I went to the beach from 11 to 4. Needless to say, I got a bit crispy but I am finally rocking a tan.
Today I finally have homework for the first time. The Count assigned us some reading and handed us out photocopies and I have to start working on my presentation of a poem for Celia's class that's due Monday. I need to start working on that tomorrow because this weekend we are going to Alicante! They are known for their beautiful beaches and shopping. Apparently they have a ferry that takes you to an island an hour out in the Mediterranean. It sounds so beautiful. The round-trip train is only 20 Euro and the hostel for both nights that we are gone will be less than 45 Euro. For a weekend trip here that's amazing.
A lot of people are trying to go to Rome and Paris for the other weekends, but I just feel like one weekend is not enough time to explore such historical and amazing cities. I think I am going to keep everything in Spain. Danny and I are trying to plan a trip to Cadiz and Sevilla, which is considered the oldest European city. It looks amazing.
Aside from planning trips, I haven't done much at night here. Quite frankly, I'm too tired to really go out. Since I also have to be up for class around 8:15, I need to get as much rest as I can. However, I am really enjoying the 1 Euro wine that we discovered in the Supermercado of Corte Ingles (basically Spain's version of a department store). It's wayyy cheaper than spending 7 Euro (yes, you read right) on a drink. Not worth it.
It's time to get my laundry out and start working on the Count's reading. Hasta luego.

Back to school...

Today was our first day of school here. I almost forgot that this is a study abroad trip and not just an abroad trip. My first class is at 9:15 in the morning at the Universidad. The teacher is so nice and sweet; she is only a few years older than us. Celia (she wants us to call her by her first name) studied at UGA, even though she is from Spain. You could tell that she was excited and a bit nervous to be teaching us.
My cultura teacher looks EXACTLY like the Count from Sesame Street, except that he has grey hair. He is a bit difficult to understand because he has a very thick Spaniard accent. All of us are not pleased that we have to write a ten page paper in Spanish for his class, but it is what it is.
Since the Count has to proctor another exam tomorrow, we don't have his class. As soon as I am done at 10:30, I'm going with a bunch of other students to the beach for the afternoon. Afterwards, we are going to see Pirates of the Carribean in theaters, or Pirates del Caribe as they call it here. Tomorrow should be a fun and stress-free day. :)

Sunday restday

Mass this morning was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever endured. We went to the Basilica, which is the only one here in Valencia. It was pretty short, only 45 minutes, but it went in the exact same order as the masses at home. I need to learn the Lord's Prayer in Spanish haha. I knew that they were saying it, but because some of the terms they use are not exact translations, I couldn't really say it with them. Instead, all of us said it in English. Needless to say, the service was wonderful.
I was supposed to go to the beach today with some of the girls, but my stomach was a bit upset and I thought it was a better idea to rest. Even though I got roughly 7 hours of sleep last night (the most I have gotten in one sitting since this trip has started) I was still exhausted. I think that the jet lag really caught up to me. I just woke up from my nap and I feel so much better. Hopefully I'll be able to get a decent sleep schedule here really soon.
Tomorrow classes start. ¡Ay! I'm a bit nervous because I don't really know what to expect. We are only taking classes with UGA kids, so that will be a bit less intimidating. However, I don't know what these Spanish teachers are like. I have my first class at 9:15 in the morning and then I have a break for over an hour. Then I have my second class that goes until 1:30. Guess who will be going to the beach a ton after classes? I'll use that break in between classes to do homework and have a snack. Or nap. We shall see.

How has a week gone by already??

Today we got to go to the beach! At first it was really awkward because of the slew of topless women, but after a bit we got used to it. No one wears a one piece here. It doesn't matter how your body looks, all of the women were in little bikinis and the men were either in speedos or Daniel Craig short shorts. People seem a lot less self conscious here. It was really exciting to be able to swim in the Mediterranean, but the beaches in Valencia are not the prettiest. The sand is brown and is covered with cigarettes, since everyone and their mother smokes here. Speaking of which, we were asked last night by some kids who looked no older than 12 if we would buy them cigarettes! One child had braces still. When a girl told him that that will kill him he responded, "not here in Spain". What an idiot.
Last night we went out to dinner for the first time at an Italian restaurant. I got a pizza that tasted like the ingredients were made just before it was served to me. Everything was so fresh tasting. It's very rare for restaurants to have frozen food or things that are not fresh. The quality of food is extremely high here.
Tomorrow I am going to mass at a church that is hundreds of years old right beside our dorm. It's a little nerve wracking because church is a bit more strict here. Thankfully I have my blessed rosary. It will feel good to pray and release some emotion in a new place. After all, no one can really judge you, right? Once I get into a better routine I promise I will update a bit more often.

And the travels continue...

Hola from Valencia! We are finally set up in our dorms so I can have internet access daily. Valencia is even prettier than Madrid, in my opinion. The people are also so nice. Since we obviously speak with an American accent, they speak slower for us so we can understand and communicate better. I can already tell that my Spanish is improving. A goal for the end of this trip is to be fluent.
Since last night was our last night in Madrid, we decided to go back to the discos and have a great time. The hours of going out here are so crazy! For Americans (or at least Athenians) we go out around 10 to catch happy hour and stay out until two at the latest. Here, you don't even leave to go out until about 1 0r 2 in the morning! You stay out until at least 4 or 5 a.m. Most places are dead until about two. I don't know about y'all, but that is wayyyy past my bedtime. Last night, we went to the same bar that we went to the night before with the dancing podium. There we met an Italian woman named Sarah and her cousin (I forgot his name...oops). But they were so excited to meet Americans in Madrid. Sarah insisted that she talked to us in English and that we talked to her in Spanish. Surprisingly enough, we understood each other pretty well and were able to communicate rather easily.
We got back around 4:30 in the morning and had to be up before 10. Around 11 we left for Valencia! The countryside is so pretty here, but they don't have real trees. They are all shrub-looking things. When we finally got in, we took a tour of our dorms and then I settled in for a much needed nap. Supper here is between 8 and 10, so we were naturally starving by then. Being Americans, we burst into the dining hall and scarfed down the food.
Tonight we will most likely explore the nightlife of the city and see where everything is here. It's going to be a fun six weeks.

First day in Madrid

Greetings from the McDonalds in Madrid! So far I love this city. It reminds me of a shorter and older NYC. The people are the same as NYC, too. Always frustrated and rather rude. But that's ok because i am finally in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
The plane ride was pretty awesome, actually. We got free movies, TV shows and games so we were pretty entertained the whole time. I became a master at Bejeweled since I was not able to sleep at all. When we dropped our suitcases off at the hotel we went walking around and saw where many of the old government buildings are. It's amazing how industrial the first floor of a building is and then how grand and ornate the top apartment floors are.
After a group dinner we finally went out to a bar and a disco. The people and the music at the bar was hilarious! It was all American music but with a Euro beat. A worker at the bar ended up bringing out this elevated platform-cage thing that we all got on and danced. We were able to get into the disco for free because some sketchy woman handed us flyers that let us in. Let me just tell yall that their mojitos are not the same as ours. I found that out the hard way.
We got in around three, but because my internal clock is all messed up I was wide awake at 6 this morning and went and got breakfast downstairs around 7. It was delightful. A lot of cheeses and meats and bread. I was rather pleased with the food selection.
There will be pictures of our adventures to come soon.