we flew into valencia via Vueling airlines, and after flying RyanAir to get to Paris and then to Seville, Vueling felt like a luxury flight, mainly because it was such a smooth landing. (RyanAir is known for their 'rocky' landings which can make you feel a bit uneasy as the plane shakes around). we were quickly greeted by Elissa as we made our way to the metro. it's so awesome how we became instant friends literally within one day (we met Elissa while on a tour in London) and that she was keen on letting us stay with her for the weekend in Spain. it seriously felt like we knew each other for much longer! she took us out on the town that night with several English friends. (it was almost as if we were back in England upon hearing their accents!). the Spanish party scene is so different from what I'm used to though.. typically you don't go to a club (discoteca) until 2am. So that's exactly what we did! and it's nice because there's no cover charge until 2:30am which gives you plenty of time to get there. The club had 2 levels, each playing the typical rap/hip-hop dancing music. I still can't get over how all the countries here in europe basically only listen to American music... whoever created MTV is definitely a mega-millionaire.
the next day we walked into town and had kabobs (this was kristen's first kabob experience). we sat outside and people-watched of course :) afterwards we heard drums being played so followed the beat and stumbled upon a huge crowd of mainly men dressed up in robes and playing a drumline. there were little boys also playing, probably around 4 years old, and they were too cute! we don't really know what it was for, but we guessed that maybe it had to do with the start of Holy Week for Easter. We then walked to the beach and the sun came out and it was just the right temperature for a siesta in the sand. we didn't even have towels or anything, but the beach was such a lovely mattress that we fell asleep instantly. we didn't wake up 'til 6pm! i'd say it was a successful spanish siesta! i dipped my toes in the mediterranean but it was entirely too cold to go in any further. at least i can say i've touched the mediterranean sea!
we then went back to elissa's piso and got ready for a traditional spanish dinner. again we ate outside, but not until around 11pm! there were about 15 of us, all students, and the people were from France, England, and Spain; and it was absolutely amazing listening to them talk because they all could speak at least 2 languages. I was listening to one of the girls talking in Spanish and all of a sudden she switched to English, and pretty soon she was speaking French! it was incredible. for our meal, i can't recall what the name of it was, but we ordered platters of various hams and cheeses and then platters of various seafood and you use them for toppings on bread. (what lots of europeans do is order big platters and then share whatever is on the table). and we had to have our sangria to accompany the spanish aura. we ate and talked for nearly two hours! then to end the dinner, the waiters served us shots. rather than mints, they have an herb liqueur that you take a shot of to wash your palate. yum!
we then all went to a club, again where entrance is free up until 2:30am, and to our delight there was a live band playing! They were from Holland and were pretty darn good! This time the club played indie/folk music so it was a neat atmosphere that allowed us to experience a different vibe from the night before. around 5am we made it back to elissa's.. so i can't say we stayed up 'til 8am which is what most spaniards do... but i'm satisfied with 5am. we actually found out that in order to stay for closing, you wouldn't leave until around 10am, whaaaat?! how wild.
well sunday morning was our time to pack up and say our goodbyes. after eating at a chinese buffet for lunch (whoever invented buffets is genius) we headed for the train station. and to anyone visiting spain, their trains are awesome! you get lots of leg room, the seats recline, and they even play a movie! I felt like i was back on an American airline! the views along the ride were breathtaking since it was all along the Mediterranean coast. there were giant cliffs and hills, and then i could spot people enjoying the sun on the beach, and people sailing. boy, how i've realized that i love the ocean/beach life!
¡adios, valencia!
No comments:
Post a Comment