Spain

Last Day in Spain

2011-07-07T04:53:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day in Spain before I head back to the United States. I will be taking a night bus to Madrid and then flying from Madrid to Philly, then Philly to Seattle. My sister is picking me up from the airport around 9:30 PM Pacific Time on the 8th and taking me to my car and then I'll make the 1.5 hour drive up to Seattle. Hopefully my car starts and I remember how to drive, it has been a while.

The past year has been incredible. I can't begin to describe how memorable the time I spent in Spain was. This blog was my attempt to capture my time here and all the amazing stuff I did. I don't know where to begin, but all in all the time here was a 100% success. I met some amazing people and made friends that I know I stay in contact with. From traveling to teaching every single moment I had was unforgettable. I want to thank my parents for everything they did to help me out over the year and my coworkers at the school. Without them this time would have been a lot more challenging and they made sure everything went smoothly for me.

Below are some of my favorite photos from the past year (in no particular order). I will never forget my time here in Seville. NO8DO for sure.

Seville Vs Bilbao - Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan - Seville, Spain

Las Ramblas from Gondola - Barcelona, Spain

Montjuic (my mom and I) - Barcelona, Spain

Plaza de España from park - Seville, Spain

Hiking in Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema - Spain

Palacio Nazaries, Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Sunset on hiking trip near Ronda, Spain

Gibraltar

Hiking Trip in Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema - Spain

Guadalquivir River at night with Torre del Oro - Seville, Spain

Ferry Ride to Africa with Gibraltar in background

Hiking Trip near Ronda, Spain

First week of teaching at school - Dos Hermanas, Spain

Segovia, Spain

One of the scariest climbs of my life in Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema - Spain

Parents in Ronda, Spain

Waterfall under Puente Nuevo in Ronda, Spain

Atop Tibadabo overlooking Barcelona, Spain

Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, Spain with my Dad

Tired hiking buddy in Chefchaouen, Morocco

The Alhambra from the Albaicin in Granada, Spain

Atop the Rock - Gibraltar

Scaring the children during Halloween - Dos Hermanas, Spain

Above Granada in Sacramonte - Granada, Spain

Hiking Trip near Ronda, Spain

Hiking trip near Ronda, Spain

View from the Alhambra - Granada, Spain

Romeria del Valme - Dos Hermanas, Spain

Rowing my parents in Parque Buen Retiro - Madrid, Spain

Scared Shitless taking this photo on Hiking trip

Carnaval in Cadiz, Spain

Celebrating my 24th birthday at the school

View from Cathedral in Salamanca, Spain

Salamanca Spain with friends - Jaime's face and Me, Brett and David in the Glasses

Cathedral - Salamanca, Spain

Dome of Cathedral in Salamanca, Spain

Plaza Espana - Salamanca, Spain

Graffiti in Alicante, Spain

Brett and I at Carnaval - Cadiz, Spain

Parque de las Ciencias - Valencia, Spain

Reegis and I trying to breath at Las Fallas - Valencia, Spain

Ted, Brett, Alex, David, Sam and I at Carnaval - Cadiz, Spain

Smoke from fireworks at Las Fallas - Valencia, Spain

Let it Burn - Las Fallas - Valencia, Spain

One of the many wooden statues at Las Fallas - Valencia, Spain

Beach in Alicante, Spain

Hiking in Chefchaouen, Morocco

Country side of Chefchaouen, Morocco

Overlooking Chefchaouen, Morocco

Jeff and I in Chefchaouen, Morocco

Alicante, Spain

Along the River in Seville, Spain

Atop the rock of Gibraltar at Sunset

Under Puente Nuevo - Ronda, Spain

Hiking in the Valley by Granada, Spain

Hiking in Chefchaouen, Morocco

Bullfight in Granada, Spain

It always ends the same - Granada, Spain

Arab Baths of Ronda, Spain

More monkeys in Gibraltar

Coworkers - Dos Hermanas, Spain

Early morning Soccer game in Chefchaouen, Morocco at the start of our hike

Festival de los Patios - Cordoba, Spain

Old vs New - Chefchaouen, Morocco

Our hiking guide doing the Soulja Boy - Chefchouen, Morocco

Mezquita - Cordoba, Spain

Streets of Cordoba, Spain

Festival de los Patios - Cordoba, Spain

Santiago and I at Feria - Seville, Spain

Jennifer and I at the Patio Festival in Cordoba, Spain

Oh yeah - Fun times at Isla Magica Donn, Hannah, and I - Seville, Spain

Last day of work with Obdulia's 4 year old class

Valencia, Italy

Last day of work with Pablo's 5 year olds

Baseball pose - Jamon Party - Hannah and I - Seville, Spain

Last day of work with Lucre's 3 year olds

Valencia, Italy

Last day of work with Isabel's 4 year olds

Valencia, Italy

Water fight in Alameda - Santiago being Santiago - Seville, Spain

Barca Repping time - Jamon Party - Seville Spain
(Jennifer, Me, Andrea, Arely, Selva, Brett and Ted)

Cutting the Jamon - Selva and I representing Barca - Seville, Spain

Hannah and I at the beach - Zahara de Los Atunes, Spain

Crossing the mountain during the Camino de Santiago

Resting after a tough hill climb - O Cebreiro, Spain

Going away party with coworkers - Dos Hermanas, Spain

Right after my fall on the bike - Camino de Santiago

The day after my fall on the Camino de Santiago

Carrying the Shell to Santiago

Camino de Santiago

Starting the Camino de Santiago - Pamplona, Spain

Exhausted from long day of biking - Camino de Santiago

Museo de los Caminos - Astorga, Spain

Heading down the mountain on my bike to Ponferrada, Spain - Camino de Santiago

Summer time and the livings easy - Zahara de Los Atunes, Spain

Another trip to the Alcazar

2011-07-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have been sleeping on the couch out in the living room since I have got back from my bike trip because the A/C is in there and it is so hot at night in my room. The downfall is I am woken up every morning as Nacho leaves for work at around 7 am. I couldn't get back to sleep today so I got ready and headed out for a coffee and then went to the Alcazar while it was still cool to walk around and read in the gardens there.

One of my favorite spots in Seville

I got to the Alcazar early and sat down in the shade in one of my favorite spots in all of Seville and read for a few hours. I have been plowing through books since I have been in Spain, especially the past week. It has been so warm during the day I just sit inside and read. After a couple of hours I got up and walked around the gardens and the inside of the Alcazar before heading out.

As I was making my way through the maze that is the inside of the Alcazar I noticed this little girl trailing behind her parents and looking up at me. She gave me the most nervous little wave and turned and caught up with her mom and dad. I recognized the face right away but didn't realize it was one of my students, so I asked the dad as I caught up if they were from Dos Hermanas. It turned out to be a girl from one of my 3 year old classes. I didn't recognize her because I was use to seeing her in the school uniform and what not. I talked to the parents for a bit, whom I never met, and they were glad to finally meet me and say hello. It was a nice moment, the girl was so innocent and recognized me right away. She was one of the most shy girls in the school too and would always cry and never wanted to come to class. It wasn't until the last few months she felt comfortable to leave the teacher and come with Jose and I to English. Sometimes I forget how young the kids were.

a domed ceiling inside the Alcazar

By 2 pm the heat was getting unbearable. I walked to a favorite tapas bar, had some lunch, stopped by the book store and got another book, (3rd this week!) and made my way back to the cool air conditioned apartment and took a well deserved siesta. Tomorrow I am heading to Cadiz with my coworker Lucre and her friends to the beach. Should be another great day in Southern Spain.

Avoiding the Heat

2011-06-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

So since I finished the Camino early I decided to come back to Seville and relax for a week. However, it's hard to relax when it is nearly 100 degrees everyday. Luckily, yesterday I got the chance to meet up with my coworkers, have lunch and swim in one of their pools for the day.

Jose Dropping bombs

My turn

I met up with my coworkers at the school I was working at in Dos Hermanas. Only a few of them knew I was back and that I was coming in to say hello. They all were glad to see me and asked a lot of questions about my trip. We headed to the grocery store and then out to Lucre's country house to eat, swim and relax on the hot day.

cooling off with the coworkers

We spent all day at the house eating and swimming. The weather was so hot. It was nice to see all my coworkers again and we had a fun day relaxing in the sun.

I am planning on going to the beach this sunday with Lucre and hopefully I will have more opportunities to stay cool in this heat. Luckily my place has air conditioning, I have been staying inside during the day reading and organizing my stuff for the trip back to the states.

Camino de Santiago - Day 11, Final Day - Melide to Santiago de Compostela

2011-06-28T02:46:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 11

Last Day!
Melide ---> Santiago de Compostela
53.2 km (33.1 miles)
3.5 hours (with breaks)
Total Distance Traveled: 710 km (441.3 miles)

Today was my final day of biking! I got up early and went fast to Santiago. I knew I was going to be woken up early because the amount of people in the albergue, so I went to bed pretty early. I also wanted to leave early for a few reasons. First, the temperature. It was going to be another very warm day and when I left the albergue for breakfast around 6:00 am all I was wearing was a tank top and it wasn't cool like most mornings were. Second, I knew there would be a lot of people on the trails since it was so close to Santiago. I wanted to get there early so I wouldn't have to wait long to get my credentials stamped and my official letter of completion. Finally I wanted to get there early to see the city and have time to catch the night bus back to Seville. I couldn't stand another night in a room with 50+ people, especially because I was going to be tired and wanted to sleep early.

The ride was so much fun. It was still dark when I left but the sun came up over the mountains quick. It was all up and down over the mountains then down the valleys all the way to Santiago. Another fun day of riding because a majority of it was in the trees on nice dirt paths.

Caught another morning sunrise

I went fast, stopped only a few times and had a quick breakfast stop/coffee break. The past 4 days, even though tough, were my favorite. The terrain and the views were so pretty that it made the tough hill climbs totally worth it.

Almost there

I made the last hill climb to Monte de Gozo, where they had a large monument for the camino. Then into Santiago de Compostela was a nice downhill ride. I went directly to the bus station to see when the bus left for Seville and buy a ticket. It was only 10:30 am and I had until 4:30 pm to get my credentials stamped, see the cathedra and city and eat.

Monument at Monte de Gozo

I first went to get my official letter of completion and my credential book marked with the final stamp. The credential book is like a passport, where ever you go (albergue, cafe, resturant, cathedral, monument) they will stamp your credential book to show your path alond the way. I waited in line for the Compostelana Certificate for about an hour, which had my name written in Latin.

Credential book with stamps from the Camino

Letter of Completion

After I went into the cathedral, which had service going as I was walking through. I was starving so I ate lunch near the cathedral, then biked around for a bit. My friend Laura, who is from the northwest of Spain, was in Santiago and we met up for a beer and she helped me with my stuff to the bus station. She took a flight back and I took a 14 hour bus back.

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

Inside during the service

Done!

The bus ride back wasn't as bad as I thought. I slept most of the way and got back around 5:30 am. I biked back to my place and caught Nacho, the owner of the apartment, as he as heading to work.

The Camino de Santiago was such an amazing experience. I was so glad I did it and went through with the trip. What was a distant idea a few months ago turned into a reality very fast and it was worth every second. I lucked out with great weather too. Even though it was hot it was way more desirable than if it would have been raining, which would have made biking on some parts of the Camino nearly impossible. I looked at the weather this morning and it is already raining on parts of the North where I biked.

I went 441 miles in 11 days of biking. I encourage anyone, whether walking or biking, to make the journey, no matter where you start from. To get the official certificate you need to do at least 100 km (62 miles) walking or 200 km (124 miles) biking. If anyone has questions please feel free to ask.

Camino de Santiago - Day 10 - Triacastela to Melide

2011-06-28T01:45:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 10

Triacastela ---> Melide
81 km (53.3 miles)
6.5 hours (with lunch and breaks)
Total Distance Traveled: 656.8 km (408.1 miles)

Holy hell this day was hard. It felt like it was never going to end. I left around 7:00 am because I knew it was going to be a hot one. I ad an incline at the beginning, but it was cool and not too hard. From there to the end of the first etapa (stage) was mainly all downhill. That was about 14 km (8.7 miles), from there on was hell. it was partly because the inclines, but mostly due to the weather. I enjoyed the ride very much though because it was all through the woods at the start and it reminded me of biking in the PAC NW.

Heading into the woods

Sun coming up over the mountains

Pretty ride

The next 16.6 km (10.3 miles) was all uphill, but mainly through the woods, so it was bearable. The end of the second etapa was to a town called Portomarin and to the city it was all downhill for about 5.8 km (3.6 miles. I passed the 100 km to the Santiago de Compostela and from there on it was an easy ride into the city.

Only 100 km (62 miles) to go!

I stopped, rested and ate lunch in Portomarin. It was an early lunch but I was hungry and needed the energy for the final stage of the day, which was 40.1 km (25 miles).

Crossing the bridge into Portomarin

Entrance into the city of Portomarin

I was already beat after lunch due to two large hill climbs the past two days. It only got worse; from Portomarin to Alto de Ligonde was practically all uphill, roughly 15 km (9.3 miles). The heat as unbearable. I read in the paper when I got to my final destination of Melide that this region was experiencing a heat wave, roughly mid 30's C (95 F) the past week. The last 25 km (15.5 miles) was a tease; it went from really steep downhill sections to equally steep uphill sections.

looking down on the river from the entrance to Portomarin

I didn't think I was going to be able to do the last 10 km (6.2 miles) into Melide. I kept stopping every 10 minutes to cool off and hydrate. I finally made it in to Melide and from the entrance of the city to the albergue was a slight uphill, but I made it and rested outside until it opened up.

What probably made the day so tough was I stuck to the Camino path instead of the roads for almost the whole day. The only times I deviated was when the path hugged the side of the road. It as another dirt road and good for most of the time, but some of the sections were washed out and really rocky.

Tough, but pretty ride through the woods

The albergue I stayed at was a shit show. SO many people and really loud. I should have just payed the extra 5 euro and stayed in a private one next to the one I stayed in. Last day of biking coming up, should be a rewarding easy ride into Santiago

Camino de Santiago - Day 9 - Ponferrada to Triacastela

2011-06-28T00:09:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 9

Ponferrada ---> Triacastela
72.4 km (45 miles)
6 hours (with lunch break and breaks to rest)
Total Distance Traveled: 575.8 km (357.9 miles)

Another beautiful day of biking, but physically draining and even harder inclines. I left Ponferrada around 7:30 this morning and started making my way out of town. I thought I might run into my two friends Danielle and Aubrey, who said they were leaving at 6:00 am, but I never did see them. It was a nice easy ride for the first etapa (stage), good way to wake up and get ready for the large incline coming up.

Leaving Ponferrada

The mountains that I was crossing today were not as high as the ones entering Ponferrada, but the incline was a little more over a way shorter distance. The day before only had a rise around 600 meters, roughly 2000 feet, over about 25 km (15.5 miles). Today was about a 650 meter rise (2150 feet) over only 8.5 km (5.3 miles). So it rose roughly the same amount in a third of the distance.

From Ponferrada to a town called Las Hierrerías was 38.7 km (24.1 miles) and was easy. I rode fast and it mainly was on streets until outside Ponferrada when it switched to dirt roads cutting through wine fields.

On the way to Villafranca

Crossing a cool bridge into a town for breakfast

From Las Herrerías to O Cebreiro was the large incline. It was hot when I started going up and the sweat was dripping from the visor of my helmet like crazy. The 6 km (3.7 miles) to a town called Laguna de Castilla seemed to last forever. As I was going up I ran into a few British women I have seen occasionally along the way, a mother and daughter, who were taking a break about a 1 km (.6 miles) from Laguna de Castilla. They said there was a bar there they were going to stop at so I pushed forward and got some lunch and waited for them to arrive. They think I am crazy because of how fast I do the stages. I enjoy going hard for short distances at a time, 50 - 70 km (30 - 45 miles), while they like to ride all day at a slower pace and go just a bit further. I ate lunch with them and they wanted to take a picture with me to remember the "crazy American" even though I don´t think I doing the camino that fast. (maybe just going quickly to each destination. I had a nice big sandwich and some fruit then finished the last 2.5 km (1.6 miles) to O Cebreiro.

Going up

hot day, needed a food break halfway up

Almost to the top

Once at the top I rested for a good 45 minutes. There was a strong brisk breeze that dried up all the sweat that was drenching my clothes and I sat looking down at the valley enjoying the views and the climb I did while I rested up.

At the top, resting at O Cebreiro

She needed a rest too

I planned on stopping there for the day, but event though I was tired I decided to do the next stage of 20.6 km (12.8 miles) to a town called Triacastela because the last 12.1 km (7.5 miles) were all down hill and on the road, so it seemed only logical to go forward.

Getting ready to go down the other side

Other side of the mountain, now the easy part

I got into Triacastela and found an albergue, cleaned up then went and got some food for lunch and dinner at the supermarket.

I planned on finishing the Camino on the 28th, but now I think I will be able to finish on the 27th. Tomorrow I am planning on going 81 km (50.3 miles) to a town called Melide and then the last day will be a relaxed 53.1 km (33 miles) into Santiago de Compostela.

Camino de Santiago - Day 8 - Astorga to Ponferrada

2011-06-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 8

Astorga ---> Ponferrada
53.3 km (33.1 miles)
4 hours (with stops and lunch)
Total Distance Traveled: 503.4 km (312.9 miles)

What a gorgeous bike ride I had today. I left Astorga around 8:00 am. It was chilly, I was shivering the first couple of miles, but I slowly warmed up and the sky was clear and the day became warm really quick. The first 20.6 km (12.8 miles) to Rabanal del Camino was pretty bare, but it was a good incline up the whole way. Rabanal del Camino was just at the start of the tree line heading into the mountains. From there it was straight up to the top of the mountain. I stayed on the road for a bit because the camino was parallel to it, but at Rabanal del Camino I stuck to the official path.

The dog tried herding me over too, literally.

The views and scenery were so pretty that the uphill wasn't so bad. Once I got to the Cruz de Fierro it was downhill. I really wanted to do the downhill by the official path even though many people said I was crazy, but it really wasn't that bad. From Collado de las Antenas to El Acebo it was a straight drop. The camino was pretty rough, but I took it slow and managed no to fall :)

From the top

Cruz de Fierro

Water break

taking the camino over the mountain

heading across the top

Rough rocky road down

As I was passing through a small town I heard a few American girls talking and as I passed I turned briefly to say hello and one of them said, "Hey!" It was a girl that I studied abroad with in Granada 4 in 2006 and a girl who was living in Seville doing that same job as I was. It was really random and we agreed to meet up in Ponferrada at the albergue to hang out. After leaving them I started back down the trail but the actual road looked so fun I decided to take it down the remainder of the mountain. It was a blast; it curved down the side of this mountain with a steep slope and zig-zaging back and forth.

Study abroad friend

Fun ride down the mountain

I got into Ponferrada and checked into the albergue and hung out till the girls got there. We made some dinner and hung out, but I started feeling a bit sick. I think I drank some bad water along the way. In each town they have fountains, some are potable and some are not. This one wasn't marked but it looked like the ones that were usually potable so I went ahead and filled up the water bottle. Bad idea. As I am writing this I am sweating buckets and feel like I am going to hurl. If you are doing the camino and the fountain isn't marked, don´t take the risk!

Tomorrow is an up up up up up up hill day. I am going to try and push on as far as I can but we will see because the weather is really hot. I plan on getting a pretty early start, we have to be out of the albergue by 7:30 am, so hopefully it will be cool for the uphill portion.

Camino de Santiago - Day 7 - León to Astorga

2011-06-23T13:31:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 7

León ---> Astorga
48.3 km (30 miles)
3 hours (no stops)
Total Distance Traveled: 450.1 km (279.7 miles)

What an easy ride today. 30 miles and it went by really fast. Once again the ride was pretty boring, the first 30 km (18.3 miles) hugged the road, then the last part cut through a field and then into some trees, but the path was horrible. Rocks the size of golf balls to softballs, and when it wasn't rocky it was a dirt so fine and deep it felt like you were biking in sand. I was going to keep going past Astorga, but the town looked so sweet I had to stay.

Fisherman along the way

not cool, bad path

Coming into Astorga

I checked into a really nice albergue and was one of the first people there, so I was able to shower and clean up in peace without a million other people trying to get to the bathrooms. I got into town around 11:30 and after checking in I went to the main plaza and read a bit because the two main sights I wanted to see were closed until 4:00 pm.

Albergue

The main thing I wanted to see was The Escopial Palace, which was designed by Antion Gaudí and was now used as a museum for the Camino. I entered right at 4 pm to take some photos before people got in. The top floor was an art gallery that was filled with works from artists from the province. As i was up there I saw a pastor with 2 men, one with a nice camera and one with a note pad. The pastor asked me a few questions about the camino and then asked if I wanted to join them and go into a restricted area that visitors were not allowed. Turns out the two guys were reporters writing a piece about the restorations they were doing to the building; They were adding an elevator and restoring the attic, which was completely unfinished and the same as it was when it was built. They were going to renovate it so people could access a number of balconies that the building had. There were so many and they all had amazing views of the city and mountains. We even climbed a ladder up to a higher roof section to a few more balconies. We walked through the attic to get there on narrow wood beams to get to all the balconies and the roof sections. It was so sweet and I thanked them so much for letting me tag along.

The Escopial Palace "Museo de Caminos"

walking through the attic

Talking to reporters

View from one of the balconies

View from balcony

haning out on the roofs

After I went back and took time on each floor to see all the pieces they had, which consisted of pieces from churches and artifacts from the camino. The building had a mudejar style, like many churches and building in southern Spain, which is a moorish style of design.

Mudejar Style

I came back to the albergue and cleaned up my bike chain and gears that were caked in a thick dust from the ride. As I was sitting writing a few postcards later on a guy from Ireland came up and offered me some dinner because he cooked a lot. I sat and talked with him for a bit and ate some good chicken pasta.

Tomorrows ride will be pretty easy the first half, then it is up up up the mountain. Hopefully it wont be too intense and the weather will stay nice, we are entering the rainy section of Spain.

Day of Rest in León, Spain

2011-06-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took the day off to talk and explore the city of León. I had to leave the albergue at 8:00 am, but was able to return at 11:00 am to check back in. I went to a cafe close to the albergue and hung out for a bit until it was time to check back in.

The main touristy thing I did that day was go to the Cathedral. I have seen my fair share of churches and cathedrals over the past year, but this one was pretty sweet. The high ceilings and stained glass were pretty impressive.

Cathedral of León

Afterwords I headed to a park close to the albergue to relax and read a book for a bit. The weather was perfect and I didn't really want to do much so it was nice to sit around and rest after a long day of biking the day before.

I walked around for a bit and got a bite to eat then packed everything up and got ready for my next day to Astorga. The next couple of days will be pretty easy, but I will soon be hitting the mountains which will be a rough couple of days.

mountains off in the distance, a taste of what is to come

Camino de Santiago - Day 6 - Frómista to León

2011-06-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 6

Frómista ---> León
113.4 km (70.5 miles)
8 hours with breaks and lunch
Total Distance Traveled: 401.8 km (249.7 miles)

I got an extra early start this morning. I feel asleep by 10:00 pm last night and was up by 5:45 am. I ate breakfast at the albergue an after some thinking I decided to go 4 etapas (stages) of the camino today. I wanted to stay in León on night and this is where the dilemma was; 2 etapas today was to short but 4, to León, was too far. If I only went 3 etapas the following day to León would be too short. I ended up deciding to bike all the way to León, 113.4 km (70.5 miles) for a few reasons. First, the 4 etapas were all pretty flat and easy looking (as shown in my guide book). Next, I wanted/never have done a centennial (100 km) in a ride. Finally I heard that the 4 etapas were the least pretty and most people didn´t enjoy them. Eventhough it was tough I was glad I pushed through because it was not a pretty ride.

Sunrise leaving Frómista

First off the camino hugged a 2 lane highway for most of the way. I ended up riding on the road because it was right next to the path and a lot smoother.

cruising along

so much more distance to cover

The ride was very flat. No hills, no trees, ... nothing. If I wasn´t on the road I was on a dusty gravel road cutting through wheat fields. For nearly 60 km (37.2 miles) I was on this gravel road in the middle of these fields and the only thing to see was cars whizzing by on the freeway off in the distance.

For most of the time I had no idea what town I was passing through because they were really small and all I had on my mind was getting to León. I planned on stopping at the end of the second etapa, but before I knew it I was already halfway through the 3rd etapa. I stopped in a town called Sahagún to rest and have some lunch.

pit stop along the way

Bar in a pueblo along the camino

many monuments in the path

From the town I had lunch in to León was tough tough tough. The wind was blowing in my face the whole time and it was hot. It was also a slight incline for about 30 miles until just outside of León. I made it into the city and was exhausted, stopped and had a beer and some food and then went to the albergue to check in.

Almost there

I decided that I am going to take a day off from biking tomorrow and stay in León for an extra day. The town is massive and really pretty and I want to explore it a bit. I will throw up a post tomorrow night from my tour of the city.

Camino de Santiago - Day 5 - Burgos to Frómista

2011-06-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 5

Burgos ---> Frómista
65.8 km (40.9 miles)
4.5 hours (with stops and lunch)
Total Distance Traveled: 288.4 km (179.2 miles)

I "slept in" this morning until 7:30 because I knew I was going to be hanging out in Burgos until atleast 10 am when the bike shop opened. I failed at trying to fix my bike. YouTube has done me good in the past for learning how to do things I didn´t know how to, but fixing disc breaks was a major fail. In the process I managed to mess up my gears too. I stayed at the albergue until 8:00 am, then they rudely kicked everyone out. I had coffee near the bike shop and then headed over at 9 am. Luckily they opened then and the guy said he would have my bike ready in less than an hour.

I left Burgos a little after 10 am and set out on my way. It was already really warm without a cloud in the sky, so I didn´t know if I would make it as far as I planned. The first 30 km (18.6 miles) were very easy and went by quickly. There were a few inclines, but compared to other days it was a breeze. I made it to a town called Hontanas and stopped for an early lunch. I ate with a group of cyclist from the north of Spain who were full of questions about Seattle and the States.

outskirts of Burgos

Easy ride down the mountain

Coming into Hontanas

The second leg of the trip from Hontanas to Frómista was tough. It was soo hot and I had a massive incline that took all my energy. I made it too the top of the hill and rested for a bit before heading down the otherside of the mountain.

heading to the next pueblo

Convent of St. Antón

another pueblo along the way, with old castle atop the hill

Passing through Castrojeriz

The massive hill climb, looks easier than it was

Atop the mountain looking over the plains

Otherside of the intense hill climb, easy ride down

The last 20 km (12.4 miles) was pretty flat but it seemed to go on forever. The road was rough and rocky and I felt it was never going to end. I was glad I decided to fix my bike eventhough it meant I got a late start. They cleaned my forks, chain, derailer, and gears. They also tightened my breaks and fixed my gears up so they worked like new.

almost there

I made it to Frómista and checked in at an albergue. I cleaned up and a nice lady from New Zealand, who was a nurse, helped me bandage up my wound. I went to the church there which was very simple but pretty and then ate a big sandwich and packed up my stuff for the next day.

Church in Frómista

Inside the Church

Shoe rack inside the albergue

Camino de Santiago - Day 4 - Belorado to Burgos

2011-06-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 4

Belorado ---> Burgos
51.5 km (32 miles)
Highest Incline: 370 meters (1,214 feet)
4 hours (with stops and breakfast)
Total Distance Traveled: 222.6 km (138.3 miles)

I woke up this morning, had breakfast and left around 8:30 am. I was cold for the first 15 minutes, then the sun came out over the mountains and it was clear and warm. Luckily I spent most of the first part of the day in the forest climbing up from Belorado to Alto de la Pedraja, which was mainly all trees. I biked a few miles to the start of the incline and from there on it was up up into the mountains.

Heading towards the mountains

My guid book has a graph with the altitude vs. distance and it looked like it was going to be brutal, but I had enough sleep and wasn´t sore so the ride was not too bad. I got to the top of the mountain and from there until Burgos was mainly downhill.

up and down, up and down

I woke up last night to 3 people snoring and my arm itching like crazy. The skin is starting to scab over and tighten up, which made it really itchy. I swear I was up for an hour until I grabbed my ear plugs and went back to sleep. I biked 24 km (14.9 miles) to a town called San Juan de Ortega where I had breakfast and rested. The next 27.5 km (17 miles) was really easy, except for one section that had a large hill climb and the terrain was really rocky and rough. Once I made it up the last climb you could see Burgos off in the distance. It was a nice easy ride down a dirt road to a small town and from there on it was all pavement into Burgos.

Last climb and then down hill from there

Burgos in the distance

I got in around 12:30 pm and decided to bike into the center to an albergue next to the cathedral. This place is massive; 5 floors and very clean. Hopefully the beds are too. I checked in, showered and cleaned my wound up then walked around and had some lunch.

After I attempted to fix my bike. All the rocky bumby riding has made my disc brakes come out of line. I have never had disc breaks and fixing them has been a challenge. Im going to try again but if I can´t fix it I will hang out in Burgos until 10:00 am when a bike shop opens and try to fix them there. After messing around with the bike for a while I took a break and went on a tour that the albergue had set up around the center of Burgos. It was alright, but I felt like I could have seen more without having 10 other people stopping every 5 seconds to take photos. The cathedral in Burgos is large really impressive.

So many peregrino statues along the way

Cathedral of Burgos

Facade of the Cathedral

Side view

My distance I will travel tomorrow depends on how my attempt at fixing my bike goes. I imagine it will be hot, so if I dont fix it and have to go to the bike shop I probably will not go as far as planned.

Camino de Santiago - Day 3 - Logroño to Belorado

2011-06-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 3

Logroño ---> Belorado
73.8 km (47.7 miles)
8 hours (with lunch-town visits-and breaks)
Total Distance Traveled: 171.1 km (106.3 miles)

I woke up this morning as quickly as I could to get into the bathroom because there were a lot of people in the albergue and only 3 sinks. I left Logroño at about 8:30 am and took my time on the first part of the trip because I was tired and planned on biking a little further today.

Leaving Logroño

The ride was tough for the first few miles, mainly because I was still waking up. I biked about 31 km ( 19 miles) to a town called Najera and stopped to have a coffee.

still waking up

coffee break

From there until the town of Santo Domingo de la Cazada was fairly easy, especially the last part. There was a section of really shitty dirt hills that was a little steep but not too bad.

no fun with all that weight on the bike

Leaving Najera

Pretty fields along the way

I made it to the town and had a big lunch and rested for about an hour. The weather to this point was overcast and brisk. I thought it was going to rain, but as I left Santo Domingo de la Calzada the clouds disappeared and it was sunny and warm. I debated if I should continue on and try to make it to Belorado, which was 22.1 km (13.7 miles) away.

Tough hill climb

picture explains just how I felt

coming into a small pueblo before stopping for lunch

I pushed forward and regretted it almost instantly. About 5 miles out of the town I passed 3 walkers and for the next 10 minutes I didn´t see any signs on where the camino was supposed to be. It is ALWAYS marked by yellow arrows. I was deep in the middle of wine fields and it was really hot. I finally came to a 4 way dirt intersection in the fields. I debated what to do then I followed a RED arrow up a steep road. At the top was a T-intersection with another red arrow pointing back to the town I just came from. I went back down the hill and backtracked to where the 3 people were at. The guy said you always go straight if there is no signal.

So i started back up the road to the 4 way cross and continued straigh. I biked for a few more miles and still saw no signs. I came to a paved section with 2 dirt roads going off it and took the paved section down the hill. I was really hot and tired and still had about 16 km (10ish miles) to bike. I ended up coming onto the next town and it had signals. Apparently I took the old camino and it hadn´t been marked for some time. I was back on the official camino and happy.

Carrying the shell to santiago

I got into the small town of Belorado and stopped at the first albergue I saw. I showered and cleaned my clothes then headed into the town to a health center and to buy some food. I wanted to make sure my wound was alright , because one section had a funny color. The nurses said it looked good and told me to keep it covered and clean it with soap and water. After I walked around and then climbed a large hill to see the city from above, then headed back to the albergue to eat and read.

Plaza in Belorado

Above the city

I am planning on biking 51.5 km (32 miles) tomorrow to a town called Burgos.

Camino de Santiago - Day 2 - Villatuerta to Logroño

2011-06-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Biking Day 2

Villatuerta ---> Logroño
53.3 km (33.1 miles)
5 hours (with breaks and lunch)
Total amount traveled - 97.3 km (60.47 miles)

I woke up this morning to my left shoulder throbbing and very stiff AND blood covering my sheets because my wound bled through my gaws. I got up around 7.30 am put on clothes and went back to the health center to see what they thought. She siad it looked good and cleaned it up and bandaged it again. I didn´t realize the day before but all of the area where there was blood was missing the top layers of skin, it was all scraped off. I went back to the albergue (hostel) and had breakfast and started biking at 8.30 am. The weather was cold and it was raining very lightly but it stopped and stayed overcast until about noon. I struggled the first part of the day; a lot of up and down hills which at times were difficult to climb. About 2 miles in I passed "El Fuente del Vino" (Wine Fountain), which was a spicket that despensed wine instead of water. Well it had both. I took a few swigs and went on my way to the town of Los Arcos where I stopped to eat an early lunch and rest.

The sign read, "If you want to make it to Santiago with strength and vitality, take a drink of this great wine and toast to happiness"

Why it was up there I will never know

Church in Los Arcos

I saw a few people biking that stayed at my albergue in Pamplona the first night and they planned on making it to Logroño too. From Los Arcos to a town called Viana was also tough. It was only 19 km (11.8 miles) but it was very hot and a lot of steep short inclines. I stopped in Viana to have a coffe and rest and to see the cathedral.

Taking a break

From there to Logroño was great. It was mostly down hill and large sections of paved pathways, which were nice because my arm throbbed when the downhill was bumby and rocky. I got into Logroño and found a new albergue that was biker friendly. I showered and headed to the doctors to have them clean my wound. She told me to buy iodine gel and wash it with soap, dry it and then put the gel on for 5 days and cover it up. After 5 days She said to leave it uncovered. I walked around the town for a bit and had dinner.

clever art, - etapas means stages, which what the camino is broken into, and tapas are typical spanish dishes

looking better already

Cathedral in Logroño

Streets of Logroño

It is about 9 pm and I am literally ready for bed. Lights out at the albergue is at 10.30. I am planning on leaving by 7.30 am and biking 52 km ( 32.3 miles) to the town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Hopefully the weather will be cool in the morning without rainl It should be a tough first part of the trip and the second part is a little more relaxed. More posts to come!

Camino de Santiago - Day 1- Pamplona to Villatuerta

2011-06-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Biking - Day 1

Pamplona ---> Villatuerta
44 km (27.3 miles)
5 hours (including hospital visit and lunch)
Highest Incline - 350 meters (1,150 feet) in 10 km (6 miles)

What a first day I had. I woke up at 6.00 am to the sound of religous music being played through the albergue. I had to be out by 8 am so I got up quickly to eat breakfast and pack up my things. I ended up leaving my old hiking boots and walking stick because they were useless to me on this trip and were extra weight.

Breakfast in the Albergue

I left the albergue just before 8 am and started out on the Camino. Before I made it out of town I ran into everyone I hung out with the night before. I wished them luck knowing I probably wouldn´t be seeing them again since they were all walking and I was on bike. Once I got out of Pamplona I ran into the German girl who was also biking. She really wanted to ride on the road and not the path becuase it was too rough. I should have took her advice but I continued on the trail. It actually wasn´t that bad but the first 6 miles were tough; the camino was very rocky and steep. I made it o the top of the hill, Alto del Perdón, where there was a large iron statue of peregrinos (pilgrims). I asked a teenager, who was in a large group to take a photo for me. They were from Germany and he was freaking out that I was an American and kept telling me how much he loved America. After about 5 minutes of entertaining this kid and talking about NBA I left and started to decend down the other side of the mountain, which dropped 300 meters (985 feet) in less than a mile.

In front of the albergue in Pamplona before I started biking

Starting out, just outside Pamplona

Alto del Perdón with peregrino monument

Marker guiding the way

From there until the town Puente la Reina it was all down hill. About half a mile from Puente la Reina I was passing a group of about 6 walkers. I looked back for a split second as I passed because I thought they said something. I took my left hand off the handlebar and looked back. Just at that moment I road through a deep pile of loose gravel and just ate shit... hard. My bike flew out from beneath me and I slammed to the ground, chest first, like I was sliding into homeplate. It did not hurt and I didn´t hit my chin or head but all of my weight came down on my left elbow. I gashed my arm pretty bad and it was bleeding pretty good. I felt like a complete idiot; I have bike so much and only have fallen like one other time, I just wasn´t prepared for such loose gravel and I was going pretty fast at the time. 2 hands at all times from now on!

Probably 5 minutes before the fall

Aftermath

Luckily the people were there to help me up and I cleaned it off with some water and road a half mile to the closest town, Puente la Reina, to find a hospital. I asked 2 police men where to go and they pointed me in the right direction. I got to the health center and they though I was Italian and were asking for my insurance card. I told them I was from the States and didn´t have insurance in Europe. They let me see a doctor almost right away. There was a good chunk of skin missing but they said I didn´t need stiches. She cleaned it up and put some antibiotic cream on the wound, wrapped my arm. She told me to keep it dry and go get it checked out in 2 days. I asked what I should do about payment and they said don´t worry and sent me on my way. I decided to rest in the town and have an early lunch.

All fixed up

Old bridge from 11 century in Puente la Reina

Small pueblo along the way

After hanging out for about an hour in the town I decided it was best to keep moving since it didn´t hurt and I wanted to cover more ground. I continued on my way to a town called Villatuerta, which was 22 km (13.67 miles) away. Along the way it started to bleed through the bandages I got to the Albergue and checked in then headed to the health center in the town to have it rebandaged. They cleaned it up without any charges again there and told me to be safe. How lucky I was to have 2 health centers bandage me up without even thinking about asking for payment.

Inside the Albergue in Villatuerta

I relaxed and read a book for a while in the albergue then went to check out the church and eat dinner. The albergue was really cool, I was the only one for a few hours but about 5 more people showed up.

Church in Villatuerta

Albergue in Villatuerta

Tomorrow I am planning on biking 53.3 km (33.1 miles) from Villatuerta to the town of Logroño. My arm is still bleeding, but the lady at the health center assured me I didn´t need stiches and to just keep in bandaged for another day or so. I am pretty tired and plan on just hanging out and reading a little more of my book before heading to bed. Hopefully I will have no more problems, even though it seems this trip has been filled with them already. More updates to come in the near future.

Sad day in bean town

Starting the Camino - Pamplona

2011-06-16T11:30:00.000-07:00

I left Seville on the morning of the 14th to head to Pamplona, Spain to start the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) I got to the train station about 15 minutes early and as I put my bags through security a man who worked there came up to me and told me I couldn´t ride with my bike on the train without a bike bag/suitcase. I was pissed because when I purchased the ticket the guy made it seem like I wouldn´t have that big of a problem and all I would have to do is ask where to put it. Finally after about 5 minutes of arguing he let me on the train with the bike. I wouldn´t have such an easy time in Madrid. The same thing happened except this time the guy was a total dick and wouldn´t even let me finish my sentence. I asked if I could speak to someone else and he said he was the only person I could talk to. After about 5 minutes of him being so incredibly rude I told him shove it (not exact words) and went and found another person to talk to. The lady was super nice and told me there was nothing she could do and it was up to the conductor, the guy I spoke to, if I could bring it on or not. She was nice enough to refund that portion of the train ticket and told me my best bet was to rent a car. I went to the rental car area, there were 4 companies; 2 of them wouldn´t rent to me because I was under 25, the other 2 would, but I can´t drive a stick and they didn´t have automatics. (I blame my parents)

I decided I had to take a bus so I went to Bajaras airport by metro to buy a ticket. The metro station, like the train, wouldn´t allow bikes on the trains. I was so annoyed I hoisted my bike over the railings and got on the metro. As I was changing metro trains 2 security guards came up and said I coudln´t have my bike in there. I pleaded with them for a few minutes and they acted like they didn´t see me and walked away. I think I would have gone crazy if they weren´t so cool. I bought my train ticket for 7:45 and waited for 4 hours in the airport. The bus ride was 5 hours long. I was not pleased but atleast I was getting to Pamplona. My friend Santiago had a friend who lived in Pamplona and he was nice enough to meet me at the bus station and let me stay at his place for the night. I got in around 1 am and when I got to his place he had a bed made for me in the living room. I was soooo happy that happened because I didn´t know where I was going to go.

I woke up in the morning early and went to get my credentials for the Camino, which are required to stay at the Albergues (hostels for pilgrims) along the way. I was exhausted and decided it wasn´t a good idea to bike 30 miles with the amount of sleep I got the night before. I decided to check into an albergue and then tour the city of Pamplona. The city was really nice, very different from southern Spain. I went and toured a few monuments and saw the church. The city was under constant attack for centuries and it had a pretty interesting defense system of walls and bunkers built around the city that are still intact. After a few hours of walking around I checked into the albergue and showered and met up with a bunch of other people doing the camino and we all went out for drinks and food.

Part of the old defense system

Pretty streets of Pamplona

Spiral staircase in the church

Park with church in the background

The albergues are a form of refuge that are only available to people doing the Camino (pilgrims). Since most people are walking around 10 - 20 miles a day the ¨lights out¨time is very early and you have to be up and out early too. I was in bed by 10 pm and up by 6 am to start my first day on the Camino. I decided to bike around 25 - 30 miles and Set off that morning very early (post to come)

The Camino from Pamplona is roughly 500 miles and I have until July 5th to finish. I already met some really great people the first night and I am excited to meet more along the way. There are a few advantages about biking instead of walking. One, the most obvious, I can cover much more ground that the walkers in a given day. The second is since most people are walking you are never with the same group of people and I am always going to be meeting new people in each place I stay. This should be an amazing journey and I can´t wait to start.

Last week in Seville, Now on to the Camino

2011-06-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

Tapas in Seville

Today, the 13th of June, is my last full day in Seville. It has been a great end to the year. I haven't worked for a week and a half and I have just been hanging out in Seville and going to the beach a few times. A group of us headed to the coast this weekend to celebrate a birthday and camp near the beach.

Setting up camp

heading to the beach

Birthday dinner

Fort building in the sand

Frisbee on the beach

Zahara de los Atunes (beach name)

I leave tomorrow morning, the 14th, by train from Seville to Pamplona, Spain in the north near the french border. Once I arrive there I will take another bus/train to a town on the french border to start the Camino de Santiago. I will be biking west across spain over 2 and a half weeks to the town of Santiago de la Compostela. I am doing the trip solo, but there will be many people doing the trail along the way. Most people hike the trail, but I purchased a nice mountain bike this year and I am all set to do it by bike. The three official ways to do the camino is by foot, by bike, or by horseback. I am looking forward to the trip and it is going to be a great way to end the year I have had here in Spain.

This will be the last post until I get back to the USA from the bike trip. I plan on putting my photos and travels from the camino up when I get back as a nice way to end the blog.

Water Balloon Fight in Alameda

2011-06-05T02:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon there was a large water balloon fight in Plaza Alameda de Hercules. I went with my friends Jos and Santiago; we didn't have much 'ammunition', only a few balloons, 2 tiny squirt guns and a noodle gun that sucked in water and shot it out fast. The last item was the only one worth using. The balloons were not water baloons so they didn't explode on contact, usually bounced off the person and then exploded on the ground.

getting a bucket of water dumped on me

We ended up just getting pummled with buckets of water after everyones balloons ran out. People were filling up plastic grocery bags with water too and through them on people. We got a few people really good. We hung out there for a few hours and then headed back home.

Santiago being a dick

filling up the gun

Santi's turn

Good times in Alameda

Last Day of Work in Spain

2011-06-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

May 31st was my official last day of work at the school I have been working at for the past 8 months. I was pretty sick the week before and missed a few days so I decided to work the first week of June to make up the days and say goodbye to the kids/coworkers. I also had my last private lesson with my coworkers son Francisco. I brought my skateboard out here to Spain and only used it a few times. I thought it would get more use from him, so I gave it to Francisco on the last day before I left.

At Isabel's house with Fran and Clara

The last week was really tough. It was hard explaining to the kids that I wouldn't be back next year. They didn't understand it. They had no idea how for the United States was and why I wouldn't be back. I went around to the classrooms saying goodbye and thanks to all the teachers for their help and kindness this year.

I went out and played at recess with them one last time and took some photos. I also gave them a soccer ball I got while I was here because I didn't have space in my bag for it. I sat down out on the patio and just hung out with the kids. They crawled all over me and kept wanting to take photos. Many asked why it was my last day and if I was going to live my parents. I played a little soccer with the kids and then we headed back inside for the last time.

The 5 year old kids were practicing a part from the musical 'Cats' and I sat and watched them rehearse for a bit. After that I made my way around and said my goodbye's to as many people as I could before the children left.

Asking them to please not drop the camera, haha

Everyone wanted their turn in taking a photo

Cats rehearsal

Cat's Rehearsal

Lucre's Class - 3 year olds

Pablo's Class - 5 year olds

getting attacked as I entered the room was a daily occurrence

Isabel's Class - 4 years old

Obdulia's Class - 5 years old

After work my coworkers and I headed to a bar in Dos Hermanas to have some drinks and tapas. I was really glad so many people came out to see me off on my last day. I really lucked out with the group of coworkers I had at my school. I lucked out with almost everything; The location of my school to Seville, the age of the kids I taught, the kids and especially my coworkers. I have had such a good time getting to know them, I couldn't have asked for a more kind and enjoyable group. Anytime I had a problem or concern there was always someone there to help me out. A great group of people that I will surely miss. About halfway through the dinner my coworkers gave me an envelope with a gift card to a store called Decatlon, which is an outdoor store like an R.E.I or Joe's. I was sooooooo happy because later that night I was heading there anyways to purchase supplies for my bike trip across Spain. They were very generous in the amount and it covered everything I needed to buy for the trip, which was A LOT of stuff. It was the best gift I could have received and I couldn't have been happier.

Opening my gift

Huerta de la Princesa

This was such an amazing year and I am so glad I took this opportunity to come live and teach in Spain. This experience has definitely made me reconsider what my future plans are and where I want to take my life. I am excited to get back to the States and figure out where I am going with my life. Thank you to everyone at the school who made my year so amazing and unforgettable.

Saying Goodbye to Seville and Friends

2011-06-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a busy one full of goodbyes and parties. Our jobs as language assistants in Spain finished this week on the last day of May. I made a lot of good friends over this past year and it was tough to say goodbye to everyone. Last weekend a large group of us got together to celebrate the most spanish way we know how and bought a leg of jamon and had a party. It also fell on the same day as the Champions League football final, so everyone was dressed in their Barcelona jerseys hoping they would win.

Cutting through the fat and getting to the meat

We took some photo shots with the Jamon leg beforehand and then began to cut it up and eat it. No one had ever done this so we watched some Youtube videos to get some ideas on how to go about it. The leg of pig was delicious and I wish we were able to get it in the United States.

Homerun

I left for the game to head home and watch it with my roommates but we all met back up later to keep partying and then eventually head out for the evening.

reppin' time

hahahahah

I was on antibiotics for the 2nd time in a month so I wasn't able to drink for the last week everyone was in town. I made the mistake of not finishing the first pack I had entirely and about 2 weeks later the sickness came back but 10x worse. By this time I was feeling 100% better but I had to wait until I finished the entire pack of antibiotics before I could drink again.

jamon y picos

We went out for the night with a large group of friends. It was a great night and I was happy to see so many people out and enjoying themselves. The next morning I went with a group of friends to the Amusement park here in Seville called 'Isla Magica.' My friend Santiago got a bunch of free tickets and we went to cool down in the water rides and try out a roller coaster that was supposed to be pretty fun.

I haven't been on a roller coaster in quite a while. The one we went on was the kind where your feet dangle below. We didn't print out the photo from the roller coaster but it looked like my head was going to pop off I was screaming so hard. The water rides were alright. After taking the log ride we sat on the side of the bridge to get pummeled by a wave as the logs rolled down the large final drop. We spent a few hours there and headed out.

Donn's shirt is fitting.

Soaking wet after the tidal wave.

The rest of the week was spent having mini get-togethers with friends and saying goodbye. Most everyone I hung out with left last night. I will be in Seville for 2 more weeks. I ended up working a few extra days at the school and I have some stuff I want to do before heading out on my bike journey across spain. As for now I will be in Andalucia hanging/traveling with some friends until the 14th of June. I will take a train up to Pamplona, Spain and from there head to start the Camino de Santiago. I will have 20 days to bike 500 miles, which is plenty of time. I fly back to Seville on the 5th of July to regroup and collect my luggage and then I fly out of Madrid back to Seattle on the 8th of July. Tomorrow is my last day of work at the school. We are going out afterwords to have drinks and say goodbye. I will have some more postings before I leave out of Seville about my last days at work.

Punta Umbria with Brett and his coworkers

2011-06-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago I got the chance to go the the province of Huelva and see a town/beach there with my buddy Brett from Vermont and his coworkers at his school. We woke up early one morning and drove a little over an hour to the town of Punta Umbria.

The beach was crowded and the weather was nice. The group we went with really know how to do it. Brett and I woke up late and didn't contribute anything more than our presence. These guys came full equipped with a tent, food, drinks, guitar, and a ball to kick around. The water was warm enough to swim in, but you definitely had to keep moving around.

cheesin

The wind picked up later on so we tore down the tent and finished the food and drinks while we took some photos. We were there all day and left around 8.30 at night. The group was really fun and I met some really cool people.

I hadn't been to the beach in a while and I was really glad to check out another part of Spain. Time is running out and I have to take advantage of every trip I can take.

Weekend Trip to Venice, Italy

2011-05-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Friday morning my friend Brett and I left from Seville to travel to Venice, Italy for the weekend. This was my first trip to Italy so I was really looking forward to the trip. We got a great deal on roundtrip airfare, less than 60 Euro, and booked a trip for 3 days. We got into Venice around 10 and made it to our hostel. It was actually a camping ground about 5 miles outside the city. We booked it a couple weeks before and had no idea what to expect. Our "hostel room" was a canopy tent with just enough room for 2 twin beds and a small space to put our bags. There were probably about 20 tents like this. There also were place for RV's to hook up and places for people with their own tents. We took the bus back into the city and decided to spend the day walking around, taking photos and exploring the city. We didn't have any plans to see any sights except the main plaza of San Marcos.

Busy Market on the way to San Marcos Plaza

I was really blown away by the city. I have seen photos and videos before, but it was something I didn't expect. The layout of the city was so incredible. I was fascinated by how long and difficult it had to be to build and create. The city stretches across 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The building were built on a foundation of long wood poles that were driven into the earth. It was easy to picture what it must have been like in ancient times in this city of water.

The weather was perfect all weekend. Warm and sunny with a slight breeze. Many people told me the city would stink, but there were only a few obscure sections of the town that had an odor. We walked around all day the first day we were there taking photos.

The main water way is called the Grand Canal. Branching off the Grand canal were endless amounts of smaller waterways with boats and canoes lining the sides. Most buildings had a direct entrance from the canal where they could dock their boats.

Grand Canal

Rialto Bridge

We went to the Plaza of San Marcos and hung out for a bit. The Basilica of St. Mark is in this Plaza. It is a Italian cathedral that was constructed in the 11th Century. It did not become a cathedral until the 1800's. The plaza was massive and there seemed to be an endless amount of people pouring into see the Basilica and other monuments.

St Mark's Plaza

We waited until the second day to go into the Basilica. The first day we did wonder into a few churches. The style of Italian churches differed much from the Spanish ones; The cathedrals in Italy had less gold and more stone inside. They also were more open with less chapels and had many statues and paintings. You had to be dressed appropriately in the cathedrals; If you had no sleeves or low cut pants they would ask you to leave.

Ceiling of church

The town was filled with tourists. More tourists than I have seen in a while. I couldn't believe how many Americans were there. I had two really strange 'runnins' during the weekend. First, I saw a guy wearing a "Geneseo Maple Leafs" T-shirt. Geneseo is a small town of 6000 people that I grew up in until I was about 12 in Illinois. I went up to the guy because it was just too weird. He wasn't from there, but worked at a church in the town one summer and was given the T-shirt. The other random encounter was on our last day. We were getting on the bus heading back to our campground when 2 Americans got on and stood next to me on the packed bus. We did the usual Hey where are you from. He happened to be from Fayetteville, Arkansas, where my parent and other family lives, and he knew my cousins.

Gondolier making his way through the city

The only downfall to the weekend was I was getting sick and I didn't even realize it at first. The weather was warm, but I was REALLY hot the whole weekend. Saturday morning I woke up to my throat being very swollen and sore. I thought I had mono for a second, but when I got back to Seville I went to the doctors and had some blood tests. Thank God the results were not mono, but I did have tonsillitis and they gave me medication to get better. Even though I was sick and low on energy we had a great time in the city.

passing by an art gallery, very funny painting

The last day we took a 4 hour island tour that consisted of a boat ride to 3 small islands near the city of Venice. The three islands were named Murano, Burano and Torcello. The first stop was Murano, which is famous for their glass blowing. We got a quick demonstration and the guy made a vase and a glass horse figure. The second Island, Burano, was my favorite. It was a small, less crowded Venice, with colorful building that lined the small canals.

he made this in less than 2 minutes

Italian pride on the island of Burano

Burano

boat leaving the Venice as we made our way back from the island trip

Trip to Cordoba, Spain

2011-05-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon I took a day trip to Cordoba, Spain with my roommate Nacho, his coworker Javier and my friend Jennifer. There was a "Patio Festival" in the city and that was the main reason for our visit. It is very common in Cordoba for the buildings to have a communal patio that meets in the middle of the building with an open roof and filled with flowers, plants, and usually has a fountain of some sort. These leafy patios have provided summer shade and a place to talk and entertain for centuries. The festival had 3 routes around the city where there were official patios to view. Some were very hard to find but all were marked with 2 small trees at the entrance on the street.

We left Seville at 8.00 am and had a short 45 minute ride to Cordoba. We had some breakfast once we got there and walked around the city for a bit. The Roman colony of Corduba was founded in 152 BC and became the capital of the 'Baetica province' that covered most of Andalusia. in 711 Cordoba fell to Muslim invaders and soon became the Islamic capital of the Iberian Peninsula. It was a multicultural city with Jews, Arabs and Christians all living in the same city. It was later captured by Christians in 1236. Because of the 3 distinct cultures and religions, there are many artifacts and places to visit.

Roman Bridge

After walking around a bit we went to check out the "Mezquita". The Cathedral and formal Great Mosque of Cordoba is considered one of the greatest creations of Islamic architecture, with its golden mosaics and rows of red and white striped double arches that seem to continue on forever. Most of the Mezquita is the same as before except for 2 major changes. After the Christians regained Cordoba they decided to keep the mosque as it was except they plopped a large cathedral in the middle of it. They also closed 19 doors which would have filled the Mezquita with much light. This is one of the problems you will notice if you have the chance to visit; it is difficult to take photos because of the low low light. We lucked out and got in 5 minutes before 11 and before 11 you don't have to pay the 8 euro ticket price.

Cathedral in the center of the Mezquita

The famous red and white striped double arches

After visiting the Mezquita we started the routes to see the patios. We literally walked for 10 hours through the city that day looking at the patios. I had such a great time but by 9 pm all I wanted to do was rest. Below is some of the photos I took from the patios. If anyone ever has the chance to visit Cordoba, I would recommend coming in May during the festival.

City streets of Cordoba

Horse getting a bath and loving every second of it

Jennifer and I

Red pots are set in same pattern as arches in the Mesquita

booya

Figuring out where to go next

singing to himself as he lit a bunch of candles

trying to find the route again

We got back into Seville around 10 pm at night. I slept like a baby on the train ride back. It was a long day but definitely worth the trip.

Feria of Seville and Dos Hermanas

2011-05-14T05:38:00.000-07:00

The past week was "Feria" in Seville and then the next week it took in Place in Dos Hermanas. Feria is a celebration after the solemity of Semana Santa. The biggest and most important of all of Andalucia's ferias takes place in the southwest corner of the city in Seville. There is a ceremonial lighting of the Feria grounds, which is a large gate that everyone enters in. The fair grounds are huge; It is comprised of an attraction area with rides and games and 'casetas'. The Casetas are usually private "tent/housest" that are set up to have family and friends enter to drink, eat and dance. Some of them were incredible; They had huge chandeliers, nice paintings on the walls, photos and many other decorations to make it look like an actual house. There were a few public 'casetas' but you had to know somone to get into a private one. Luckily I went with a group of friends who knew a few people with private casetas we could get into.

The gate into Feria

If you were walking through town at anytime during the week chances are you would see a few dozen women dressed in elaborate flamenco dresses. The men at feria had it a little easier; most people were dressed up in nice suits or dress clothes. The whole week is just a big party. Everyone just drinks until early morning all dressed up. I was sick and on antibiotics so the drinking part didn't happen. It was pretty funny to probably be one of the few sober people there.

looking into a large caseta

Old people getting down

Santiago and I

band playin in the streets

The next week was feria in Dos Hermanas. After work on Wednesday I went with a group of my coworkers to eat and hang out in the caseta of a coworker.

At school before heading to feria

Eating and dancing

We spent the afternoon there hanging out and drinking. I still wasn't feeling the greatest so I headed out a little early to get ready for a trip I was taking to Cordoba. We had a great dinner and hung out for the afternoon.

At dinner

Something inappropriate was probably just said

All and all Feria was a great time. I wish I would have not been sick so I could have drank with everyone else but it was still a fun time.

Bullfight - Granada, Spain

2011-05-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

Took a while to this post up. Jeff and I went to see a bullfight in Granada, Spain. It was not during the normal season but it was a benifit bull fight for downs syndrome. Here are the photos from the event. I saw another bullfight this week in Seville, a more detailed description about the event will be on that post .

Bull Ring - Granada Spain

Bloody