Valencia!!! 10/18-10/19

Should be studying for a test tomorrow but here is a bit about my weekend! 

Valencia is a weird mix of old and new. Common to see an old fortress/castle thing right next to modern apartment buildings. We spent the first day exploring the city center. 

Lots of weird graffiti.... 

Most of it very colorful.

We saw a really pretty sunset.

And found the Cathedral. I think this is the millionth one I have seen now. Was quite large and had beautiful gold detailing on the inside.

The next day we walked through the park that runs through the city and I watched Rugby for the first time.

Then we climbed to the top of what is left of  the old city wall "Towers of Serranos" and viewed the city.

We walked through the park for about 2 hours until we reached the  Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (city of arts and Sciences.  This is the Hemisphere(We watched an IMAX movie about the hidden parts of the Universe) and the Museum of Arts. 

More Futuristic buildings at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències.

Watched some baby chicks hatch in the Science Museum. 

Fiona in the Future.

Me in the Future. 

Next stop was the Aquarium where we found Sea Lions all the way from Oregon (Not really...)

Walked through a Tunnel of sharks.

Saw a Beluga whale for the first time.

A tired Walrus.

We went to a Dolphin show which was pretty amazing. The Dolphins behave better then most people's dogs I know.

Walked through a few more fish tunnels such as the Mediterranean...

And the Tropics.

I almost forgot France!

Ah, I almost forgot that I went to France. One of the last stops on the cruise before we reached Barcelona was to Toulon, France. Toulon is a large military Harbor located in the south of France.  It is home to France’s Mediterranean naval fleet. We did not really know what to look at in Toulon since it was not a city with major sight like our other locations we visited. We spent the day wandering the city. There was a “Saturday Market” like event happening down the center of one of the roads. There were tons of fresh vegetables, olives of every kind and lots of Cheese. There was also some trinkets and clothes for cheap. There were many outdoor markets around the city. We found one while we were wandering that was almost like a bunch of outdoor clothing stores. Because the city is known for their Navel history, we did spend a lot of time going through the naval museum, which was Interesting (it was all in French so we did not learn much).  Mostly we learned that the city had been destroyed and rebut many times, especially in WWII. There are even still ships that were sank in the war sitting in the harbor unmoved.

The Navel ships in Port

French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) - Largest European war ship in commission currently. 

So many Sailboats... I dont know how they do not get tangled up in the wind!

Port of Toulon

Some of the ships still sitting were they were sunk.

Old fort at the entrance of the Harbor

Ship disabled in WWII sitting there to rot.

Beautiful Sunset.

Weekend in La Manga.

Here is an updated map of the places I have been and a couple that I have planned for the next few weeks. Where have I been?

But since I am posting I might as well share about my weekend....

In Oregon, the leaves are changing and falling from the trees, the rain is coming to stay and everyone is becoming obsessed with pumpkin spice lattes. Well, in Spain we are out laying on a beach getting tan. 

This weekend my roommate took a bus out to a nearby beach called La Manga and spent the day tanning and exploring. La Manga is located on a strip of land between the Mar Menor lagoon and the Mediterranean sea. The strip is only a few blocks wide in some areas so you can freely walk between the beaches.  Though the water was a bit cold by Spanish standards it was warm for us. The water is clear and shallow and reminds me of pictures you see of the perfect ocean. You can walk out almost 100 yards into the water and still not even be waist deep. I feel like I am on constant vacation here and I love it. I really do not remember what it is like to be stressed all the time. 

In the afternoon a friend of mine who is from Murcia came and took us to a beach nearby and to his parents beach house. The evening consisted of good food and great conversation along with some thunder, lighting and a bit of rain. This morning when I woke up I felt like I was back in Oregon staying at the beach and it made me a little homesick. If there were no Palm trees here I could have sworn I was home. 

Murcia.

I have now been living in Murcia for over a month and it is really starting to feel like home. The time is starting to fly by and I want everything to slow down. I wish that was going to be here for longer than just three months and part of me wants to stay a bit in January and take advantage of some extra time.

There are so many reasons why I love this place so much. I have made some of the most amazing friends from all over Europe. I think I have made more friends in the past month than I have in my entire life.  I even made a good friend who is from Murcia (Jose) and he has been so nice and helpful with all things Spanish related. I am so grateful for how nice people are here. I hope to continue my relationships with these people long after my experience is over

There is never a dull moment and trying to focus on school has been rather difficult with so many amazing opportunities around.  My classes are either easy or hard so I am either bored or confused. School here is so different from OSU but I am starting to like it. Still cannot believe I will be done after this term.

Traveling is extremely easy. Fiona and I try to go to a new place every weekend. This weekend we are going the beach with some friends possibly and Jose, next weekend we are going to Valencia and the weekend after that we are going to Almeria.

This trip is changing me for the better. I do not think I have ever been happier in my life and I cannot express how happy I am to have this opportunity. I am going to enjoy every minute of the next few months.

Castillo de Monteagudo

Obviously the rock from Lion King

Murcia!

Fail.

ESN Trip to Granada

Oktoberfest in Murcia with my long lost German Sister, Natalie.

The Segrada Familia in Barcelona with Fiona and Sarah

Churros and chocolate on the side of the road at 4 am with Carla and Natalie

Weekend in Granada - 9/27-9/28

Been awhile since I posted… I have been busy starting classes, making friends and doing a bit of traveling. Last weekend I went on an ESN trip to Granada. This was my second trip to Granada and I think was also the better trip. During my first trip we had limited time so we chose to walk up to the Alhambra, check out the Cathedral, eat some tapas and wander the streets.  On my second trip, we stayed in a nice hostel that was very close to the city center. One of the coolest thing we discovered on this trip was when you would order a drink at a restaurant it would come with a tapa. The more drinks you would order the larger the tapas would get. The ESN leaders gave us a tour of the city, which was nice, except it was all in Spanish so I could not tell you what anything was that we saw. We were given a lot of free time to do as we wish and both nights there was a trip to a local nightclub for our group. We got a guided tour of the Alhambra (also all in Spanish) and got to attend a Flamenco Show. The whole trip was a great experience and I am going to try to join another ESN trip to Salamanca and Toledo later in my trip.

Palace of Charles V

Graffiti art on the way up to the Alhambra

Tapas y sangria con mi madre.

Plaza del Triunfo en la noche.

Catedral de Granada

Alcazaba

Granada

Alhambra

No sé....

la discoteca.... we went here with the other Erasmus students one night and another club at the plaza de toros the next night.

Palacios de Nazaries

Patio de los Leones

Palacio de Generalife