Leaving On A Jet Plane

Tomorrow, Michael and I leave for two weeks! Where to, you ask?
LONDON
AMSTERDAM
BRUSSELS
MILAN
SEVILLE

Booya!

The pictures above are:

1. Caitriona and me letting out our Spanish Cry in the middle of the street on our way to Pub Terra.
2. A satisfying Mexican dinner in my apartment with my good friends here in Castellón.
3. Me at Park Güell in Barcelona (which I will post about later).
4. Me and my roommates, Michael and Isa, in Castellón outside of our favorite bocadillo place.
5. CANDY at a market in Barcelona!

Ohhhhh, Vinaròs!

The weekend after Morella, Michael and I “planned” a trip to a nearby city called Vinaròs for the city’s annual carnival. Only really figuring out the train times and purchasing masks and alcohol, we gathered up a group of friends and persuaded them to join us. The plan was to get there and watch the famous parade and then “party” all night, until the train or bus returned at 10:00 a.m. the next morning. Without keeping in mind that it was still February and that Vinaròs was literally on the coast, we were about as unprepared for this adventure as we could be.
We luckily made it to the parade on time and were even able to snatch good spots to watch it from. I have never seen such an elaborate parade in all of my life! Each float was decorated with brightly colored feathers, sequins, and other eye-catching materials. On top of each uniquely decorated float was some sexy, scantily clad Spanish woman dressed in an outfit that matched the float she was on. And either parading in front of or behind each float was a dance group, consisting of men, women, and children alike, performing their groups’ dance. All of the dancers were outfitted in costumes similar to that of the main girl’s costume, with subtle differences.
The parade continued on for more than two hours. Lagging in the rear, groups of just random friends and families with matching costumes concluded the epic parade. Dressing up in costumes and masks was not reserved only for those participating in the parade. Everyone and anyone was encouraged to dress up! I was so impressed with all of the costumes that I saw, that I started to make a list of all the different ones that caught my eye. Check it out:

1. Mimes
2. Where’s Waldo?
3. Native Americans
4. Clowns
5. Cowboys and Cowgirls
6. Mice
7. Blind Mice
8. Smurfs
9. Gingerbread Men
10. Little Red Ridinghood
11. Hippies with joints
12. Nuns
13. Vampires
14. Popeye
15. Sailors
16. Flintstones
17. Construction Workers
18. Soccer Players from video games
19. Toddlers
20. Scuba divers
21. Monks
22. Knights
23. Pirates
24. Ladybugs
25. Mario & Luigi
26. Matadors
27. Police officers
28. Cardinals
29. Jail mates
30. Octopus
31. Chickens
32. Cows
33. M&Ms
34. Schoolgirls
35. Bumblebees
36. Devils
37. Fried egg
38. Raggedy Ann
39. Elf
40. Cell phones
41. Panda bears
42. Condoms
43. Edward Scissorhands
44. Lions
45. Three Musketeers
46. The Incredibles
47. Aliens
48. Wizards
49. Bulls


As the night continued, it only got colder and colder. My group of friends ended up meeting up with another group of UJI students that I didn’t know very well. Shortly after meeting them, we all huddled together and quickly became good friends. Without giving hour by hour details of how freezing cold we were and how every 15 minutes one of us would ask the other, “How much longer?” we toughed it out and made it successfully through the night! Overall, the night consisted of a lot of dancing with strangers, eating kebabs at random times with knife fights breaking out, loud music, and trying to stay warm.
If nothing else, what made it totally worth it for me personally, was being able to watch the sun rise over the Mediterranean Sea. It became my trophy, my reward for sticking it out and partying all night, Spanish style. It was by far one of the most amazing sunrises I have ever seen.
After our trip to Vinaròs, everyone in my group that went, became ill, and stayed ill for weeks. This included me. The only thing that made it worse was feeling partially responsible for “planning” the trip. To this day, Vinaròs is still a sore topic for my friends. Even just mentioning the city’s name will result in a rising fist shaking with a fiery, “Goddamn you, Vinaròs!” response.

Valentine's Day In Morella

Valentine’s Day found me on an enormous charter bus with 60 other ERASMUS students en route to Morella, a small city to the north of Castellón. The cost for the trip was only 15 euro, which included transportation, lunch, and a tour.
While it was one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, the bus ride there was absolutely terrible. I think that as I have gotten older, my ability to withstand somewhat nauseating situations has diminished to the point that an hour and a half bus ride up a small mountain caused me to feel sick to my stomach. In my defense, it was the worst bus ride I have ever experienced. The roads were so small and narrow, and since we were traveling to a small city in the mountains, the roads twisted and turned! Each curve was then accentuated by the effort the bus was exerting in order to successfully make it up the mountain without hitting an oncoming car.
But enough about the worthless ride there! Once we got out of the bus, the air was crisp and cold. I think it was the cold air that helped me start to feel better. Looking around, the entire city was surrounded by a wall. This wall had been built in the 14th century, and still remained in tact today. All of the old buildings were close together, built side by side along narrow, cobblestone streets. We were able to tour the cathedral. It was impressing to see the intricate statues and gold covered alter. After the tour of the cathedral, we made our way up to the top of the castle, which the city had been built around. It took about an hour to walk to the very top, but once I got there, the view was stunning.
By the time I made my way back down to the town, it was time to eat. Lunch was included in the cost of our trip. We ate at a traditional Spanish restaurant, one that the city was famous for. We were served a salad with different cheese and meats, followed by a hot bean soup. The main entrée was similar to a pot roast, served with sweet french-fries. I loved everything that was brought out to us, but perhaps it was because by the time we ate, it was nearly 3:00 p.m. and I was starving.
Maybe it was the combination of visiting my first Spanish castle on February 14th (which was my dad’s birthday), and eating beans (which were my dad’s favorite food), but he was literally in the back of my mind for the whole day. Climbing to the top of the castle, looking down at the town and surrounding land, I couldn’t help but think about how proud he would be of me, getting to do what he was never able to and see the world.