Gibraltar, el paísito y Málaga, nos encontramos otra vez.

¡Cúanto tiempo sin verte!

As today is the national holiday of Spain, simply named "Fiesta Nacional de España", I actually managed to squeeze some time to write about my experience travelling to the British-owned territory known as Gibraltar and the astonishing city of Málaga (this time, I actually got to view a lot more of the city, and I am in love with it even more).

When we arrived to Gibraltar, we were required to go through British customs. Before the border, I got to look upon the "Rock" of Gibraltar, which is basically what is thought of whenever this  place is mentioned. The funny thing about the rock was there was this dark, ominous cloud hovering over all of the peninsula, and we said that it was imitating the natural conditions of the United Kingdom. This was partially true, as there was clouds mostly over the British side all day but never on the Spanish side.

The cloud!

The border.

The flag of Gibraltar, followed by the British flag, finally followed by the European Union flag.

Yes, a telephone booth! There were a lot of people doing tourist photos in this phonebooth as we were waiting for the others.

Once everybody gained permission to enter the territory, we hopped on a bus with a tour guide that was born and raised in Gibraltar! His mother was Spanish and his father was British, so he grew up knowing both languages, for which I had fits of jealousy. However, I learned that relations between the Spanish and the British have not always been the best, and I felt remorseful for some of the hardships that the man had to endure during his lifetime in Gibraltar. While he was explaining his story, we waited forever in traffic for some unknown reason. He then told us that we were waiting for a plane to take off because the roadway we were on shared the runway for the airport!

The actual plane is located at the bottom of the lamppost.

Driving over a runway, no big deal.

We were then given a tour of the various tourist spots located on the Rock, and this required our little van to climb higher and higher up the steep roads, and it made us somewhat nervous. However, our tour guide insisted that nothing would happen, and gratefully nothing did. Here are some views on the way up and St. Michael's cave.

The bay, from not too terribly high on the Rock.

Queen of England? That's pretty interesting!

The Jurassic-aged cave of St. Michael. Not too much to see, but I enjoy hearing the history of things.

Upon leaving the cave, we were met by the famous monkeys of Gibraltar. The reason why they are so popular is that they are the only species of monkey to live naturally in any part of Europe. It is believed that they were brought there by the Moors when they first invaded southern Spain, but of course, that is just speculation of the experts. I will let the pictures of the silly monkeys explain themselves!

It found a Twix bar wrapper, but found nothing. Can you see the subtle disappointment in this little fellow's face?

That's as close as I would get to the monkeys. Right after this picture, this same monkey jumped off the wall, ran to a lady with a purse, opened her purse, and stole an open bag of Doritos.

Must have been delicious!

A baby!

Look at the human mannerism that this monkey has!

Ah, the Barbary Macaques in a "natural" habitat...

For lunch, my roommate Aurelie and I found a Subway in Gibraltar, and decided to eat there. However, it cost us thirteen Euros for a footlong sub sandwich and two large sodas, which is about $18 in the United States. We asked the employee as to why it cost so much money, and they said that it was due to a steep exchange rate between the Euro and the British Pound. I did not think about how they had to pay a certain percentage to exchange money, but that was the reason of being outrageously expensive.

Aurelie and I.

After a few hours in Gibraltar, we said goodbye and headed to the precious city of Málaga. We were fortunate enough to stay in a four-star hotel while there, and I enjoyed it immensely for its comfortable beds (Best sleep I have ever had in my life!). On the Sunday of our trip, we were able to view the Alcazaba of Málaga, which is a Moorish fortress similar to Granada´s Alhambra. The castle and fortress were not as impressive as the Alhambra, but the view of the Mediterranean Sea was absolutely spectacular! In general, the visit to different places around Málaga was nothing short of fantastic, and I am glad that I had an opportunity to explore this city more than before.

The walls of the fortress along with the background being of the city and port of Málaga.

Skyline of Málaga and the Mediterranean Sea. The picture is a bit overexposed, but it is very difficult to escape the sun in this city (Guaranteed 3,000 hours of sun a year!)

Our tour guide (the name escapes me) and an ancient Roman theater alongside the Alcazaba.

Roman theater! How tremendous!

Giant bubbles in the plaza.

Underneath this pyramid, there were some kind of ancient Roman remains, and it was pretty swell. I could not obtain a picture of the actual site due to a terrible reflection of the sun coming from the glass.

Laura and I.

Some of the restored arches in the Alcazaba.

I thought the silhouettes of Christina and Aurelie looked pretty appealing.

I´m addicted to salmon sandwiches, but I took this picture because I liked the design to make my plate seem fancy (although there was already a chip in the ceramic)

All in all, I very much enjoyed this weekend with my study abroad group. The best part was that the price was already included in what we had originally paid in our billing, so it was definitely worth the somewhat-expensive part of studying abroad. 

¡Eran los primeros días del octubre y hacía buen tiempo todavía!

Buenas tardes a todos,

This weekend I was able to explore the beautiful coastal city of Cádiz, Spain for three days. Two other girls, Bailey and Laura, decided to go on this adventure about two days before the day of departure, but it was definitely such a great decision. We paid for a round trip bus ticket and arrived in Cádiz on Saturday in the afternoon. After checking into our hotel, we headed to the beach called "La playa de la caleta". The ocean water was very warm, but it was quite windy and that led to us being covered in tons of sand by the time we left.

Overlooking the beach. There were many older Spanish women sitting together, talking, and playing games under the umbrella structures. The way that they were enjoying the beach makes me want to move to somewhere such as Florida when I retire, but I still have many years to think about that.

There were many small boats dotted along the shore, and also the stretch of land in the distance is actually a castle, called San Sebastián. We did not go there on Saturday, but later in the trip we did.

View of our street we stayed on from my room. When we arrived, the apartment across the street had children randomly singing Nickelodeon songs in English. The impact that American culture plays on the rest of the world continues to impress me every time I encounter it while being here in Spain. However, this is usually limited to just music, television, and movies from what I have noticed. 

That night, we returned to the hotel, took a nap for a few hours, and then went to the rooftop terrace for dinner. We learned upon arrival that the staff prepares a dinner for five euros a plate, and since we did not know too much of Cádiz yet, this seemed like the best option for the night. The hotel had some leftover paella from the night before, and I had not tried paella up until that point, so I bought this for only two euros. It was absolutely delicious, even if it was a day old. The night turned a bit chilly, but for October, it was absolutely beautiful and still comfortable.

The next day, we ate toast and had a cup of coffee before heading to all the tourist sites within Cádiz. As we did not want to spend too much money, anything that charged an admission we skipped. That is just what happens when you are a college student on a budget. The first place we went to was the Plaza de la Catedral, which included the Cádiz Cathedral along with another church with a name that escapes me. However, here are the wonderful photographs I took of the whole plaza.

The plaza

The other church on the plaza

Also, since Cádiz is essentially a decent-sized peninsula, we were able to encounter views of the sea simply by walking about 20 minutes in any direction.

Cádiz is one of the oldest, continuously-inhabited cities in all of Europe, and for this, we discovered several ancient remains throughout the city. This included anywhere from an ancient Phoenician necropolis remains to small bits leftover of an aqueduct from the Romans.  

Roman theater, in quite a crumbling state. We were prohibited from entering due to large gates, but it was definitely amazing to see from a short distance.

Some of the ancient Phoenician necropolis.

Remains of a Roman aqueduct. Nothing too spectacular, but I love seeing something that is incredibly old with historical significance.

While walking along the shoreline, we encountered some remains, but there was no information about it.

I´m not sure why I enjoy seeing police cars in everywhere I visit, but I think it is mostly because no matter where you may go in the world, you will find some form of peacekeepers, but they may present themselves in a completely different manner.

This vehicle is gives a very intimidating impression!

Finally, on the last day, we walked around before our bus and stumbled upon the castle of San Sebastián. We were not permitted to go in, but here are some pictures of the scenery around where we could be. 

Some pretty interesting rock formations surrounding the castle! 

Looking back on Cádiz

I took this picture accidentally, but it is very impressive.

The only speed bump that occurred during this trip was at the end. Since both my friend Laura and I had our tickets printed on the same piece of paper, and Laura could not find the ticket when we were supposed to go, we missed to bus to Granada. Seeing that the next bus to Granada was approximately 5 hours later, we found the train station, bought tickets to Sevilla, and continued our journey. The train was actually quite enjoyable, much better than the trains we have in the United States. They are smoother riding and quieter, so I got to catch up on a little bit of sleep. Upon arrival to Sevilla, we found the tourism kiosk and asked for directions to the bus station. The man there was very nice and even helped us figure out when the next bus to Granada would be! It took us about half an hour to walk and take a city bus to the station, but we purchased tickets for the bus and headed back home.

Tomorrow I start my new schedule, and I will be taking 4 classes. Now, this may not seem to be a large amount; however, each class meets four hours a week and the university uses a trimester format for their classes. I'm very excited for my classes for I have heard many good things about the professors that will be teaching my classes and that I love to learn more about Spain and Spanish. 

¡Saludos!

Portugal: Una tierra bonita, un idioma muy distinto

Hello everyone! This past weekend I ventured to the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula to Lagos, Portugal. To begin, let me just comment that this town had to be one of the most beautiful places I have been to yet, as you will see in the pictures to follow. The climate was very similar to what I remember San Diego, California to be when I went on vacation with my mom there during my junior year of high school. The weather was perfect: no humidity, light breezes, and very warm.

When we arrived, I was able to get on a two hour boat cruise, and we were situated not far of the coast. I did not take a picture of the boat, but it was a large sailboat that held approximately thirty people. We were allowed to jump off the boat and swim in the water, which was a little bit chilly at first but it eventually got warmer. The water was VERY clear, and you could see all the little fishes swimming below you in the water. Also, they provided us with a tour of the grottos of Lagos, which are small, picturesque caves formed in cliffs found on the shore.

A view from the boat of the cliffs.

After the cruise, my friends and I were bused back to the hotel, which was situated next to one of the best beaches that I have ever visited. It is called "Praia Dona Ana", and it is surrounded by cliffs and even has its own cliff in the water from which you can jump! I was adventurous again, and jumped from it two times (It was only about 10 feet).

That night, we headed to the city center in hopes of having a spectacular dinner, and Lagos did not disappoint. We dined at a restaurant named "El Pescador", where I had a plate of excellent grilled pork, french fries, and vegetables. When we were finished, the guide for the travel group we were with announced that it was her birthday and paid for everyone's meal! I was very excited and thankful for such a wonderful gesture. 

On Saturday, we woke up early with a fun-filled day in front of us. The first part of the day, we went to Ponta da Piedade to check out the cliffs. Again, I was in awe of the serene expanse that was laid in front of us. Here are a few pictures:

As rewarding it was to see this area, to get down to sea level, there were several sets of staircases that we had to climb back up when we were finished. Here is one of many of those delightful staircases. On the positive side, I did get my exercise in for the day!

After that, we headed to Meia Praia, which is an expansive, natural beach. We spent about five hours there, and during that time, I managed to avoid getting a sunburn! However, there were a few unfortunate ones in my group that did have the luck I did.

Meia Praia. Praia means beach in Portuguese, which is similar to the Spanish word (playa).

During the afternoon, we went to a restaurant located on the beach called Bahia. There, I tried the salmon sandwich and loved it!

Yummy! It had capers, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salmon, and a cream cheese spread for a condiment.

One thing that I had learned about Portugal, at least that was common in Lagos, was that there's a sauce called Piri-Piri, and you add it to different kinds of fish to enhance the flavor. This sounds as if it is a good idea, but it had to be one of the hottest sauces I have ever experienced! That is a huge statement coming from me since I am not one to shy away from hot sauce.

One dash of this will send you to drink all the water in the world!

We returned to the hotel after the beach and prepared to watch the sunset at Cape St. Vincent, which was once believed to be the end of the world before America was discovered! When we arrived, we were immediately struck by high wind gusts and beautiful scenery of ocean cliffs with waves crashing into them. 

My friend, Macy, enjoying the spectacular views.

The lighthouse

Many, many tourists!

The sun was almost down at this point.

Seeing the sun disappear gave me goosebumps, especially when everyone cheered. It made me realize that there are such beautiful things in life that we take for granted every day, and that if we just stopped and enjoyed life more for the little things, our lives would be just even more enjoyable.

We then headed back to Lagos for dinner once again, and this time we were able to go to a world-renown restaurant called the Nah Nah Bah. The name may seem strange, but the cuisine was casual and contained the best burger I have ever had. It is called the "Toucan Burger" and this is how the restaurant described it: "Bigger and better than ever with tasty home seasoned grilled beef patty, pineapple, tomato, onion, lettuce, bacon, Swiss cheese, and tomato relish". It made me nervous to see pineapple and bacon paired, but I forgot about the unique combination as soon as I took my first bite. I forgot to mention that this burger is rated as one of the top 50 burgers in the WORLD! I am definitely fortunate to have experienced this. 

That night and the next day, I was able to explore the center of Lagos, and it was such a cute village. The only significant event was Macy and I were able to try this restaurant on Sunday afternoon, in which I am unable to remember the official name of it, but it is called "the Blue Door" by the locals. The food was absolutely delicious, and was well worth the one hour wait in line. During our wait, we talked to these two Portuguese women from Lisbon, and they were very friendly and funny. The strange thing about this encounter was that they spoke English very well, but knew very little Spanish. I found this to be common for the people who worked and lived in Portugal, and after some research I learned that Portuguese-Spanish relations are civil, yet not as friendly as one would hope for sharing borders. 

Below are the remainder of the photos that I took.

Our hotel room with my gigantic water (1.5 liters) in the background.

Kickboxing in the middle of the market

Igreja Santa Maria. This is one of the two still functioning Catholic churches in Lagos. Igreja means church, and the word in Spanish is la iglesia (Can you see the similarity but how it is different at the same time?)

Mercado de Escravos: The Slave Market building. It is was one of the first in Europe. This was such a depressing place to see because I thought about how many people were subjected to the inhumanity of slavery. However, it is important for people to learn about the past so it is not repeated.

Getting excited to eat at the Blue Door. The people seated next to us thought that we were funny taking these pictures.

A round of cheese for spreading on bread. Delicious!

Huge bowl of vegetable soup

Prawns omelette with french fries. Prawns are tiny shrimp (I had to ask because nobody from Illinois knows that much about seafood).

I was sad to leave Lagos, but I am very happy to be given this opportunity. This weekend, I am going to a traditional Spanish bullfight in Granada. I am not sure whether I will like it or not, but I believe that this is perfect for learning about the Spanish culture more. I was told to bring a white handkerchief to wave and a hat to block the sun, but not much else. We shall see how everything goes the next time I write.

¡Hasta luego a todos!