The Guggenheim museum

The other day I decided to take a spontaneous trip to Bilbao. I wanted to go to Bilbao for several reasons, here are but a few: it is only a one hour and half bus journey away; the Guggenheim museum; and lastly I was told my aunt and uncle that the food there is fantastic and a meal alone is worth a trip to this lovely city. And one this particular Thursday, I wasn’t working. So, I thought why not? Why not spend the day in Bilbao? And so I did. Unfortunately, this time round, I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time in the city, as I had private classes in the evening. But, I did have a perfect amount of time to visit the Guggenheim museum, have some lunch and take a stroll through some beautiful gardens.

The first challenge was getting there. The bus journey from Santander was no issue; it was getting from the station in Bilbao to the museum that I wasn’t sure about. I had consulted Google who insisted that I should take public transport: a tram, or a bus and then a bit of walking. But, for some reason, it just didn’t seem right to me (or at least I thought there was an easier way). I subsequently decided to go old-school and simply ask the person working at the information desk. And you know what? It pays talking to people. Not only did he tell me, in a very rehearsed fashion (I imagine he gets asked where is the Guggenheim museum all the time), that I could get to the museum with a short 15 minute walk, he even gave me a map, and a tourist guide to Bilbao free of charge.

And so, using the map that I had been given, I arrived at the Guggenheim museum pretty swiftly. Just seeing the exterior is amazing – the architecture really is incredible! It’s very impressive and the backdrop adds to its aesthetics: Bilbao is a city, but it sits in a valley-type thing, and so behind some of the amazing architecture and tall building you can see the greenery of hills and mountains. And the curves of the buildings, as well as its jagged edges … I don’t know, but it’s perfect for a museum dedicated to modern artwork. Props to you Frank Gehry, props to you

Moreover, outside you can also see the ‘puppy’ by Jeff Koons. This is probably one of the first pieces of the modern art collection at the Guggenheim you will see, should you visit. It is hard to miss – it is giant.

Eventually, I actually went into the building. I paid 6 Euros for a ticket, received a headset and 2 information booklets (one in English, and another in Castellano). I took extra care with my ticket as I want and hope to create a ´My Year Abroad´ scrapbook or something to that effect – which I feel, sounds like something Blue Peter would be proud of. And then, I wandered round the galleries.

It was all rather fab but I have to admit that I just do not ´get´ modern art sculptures. Unless these sculptures are clearly of a person or a thing, I am lost. Even with a headset telling me how this jagged angle represents the anger, and the window in the middle of what, to me, was nothing more than a rock is purposely done to let all this light through which is oh so moving, I still was just a bit like: who are you trying to kid? A rock is a rock is a rock ... What this artist has effectively done is reshaped the wheel! Made it worse even! To sum it up, modern art sculptures are not for me. As you might have guessed, I breezed past them.

That isn´t to say I disliked all the sculptures. I liked “Maman”: a 9 metre tall spider created by Louis Bourgeois. I liked this as firstly I can see something in it (obvs, a spider) and I can see the talent it takes to create such an art piece. I also like the background behind it. It was dedicated to Bourgeois´ mother who worked as a weaver. The spider, is also representative of maternity: a mother adopts a role of being a predator, doing anything for her child but also the role of protector. Just to be clear, I have regurgitated most of the info booklet ... I am not that pretentious.

I also liked the ´tulips´ which sat outside the museum created by the aforementioned Jeff Koons.  I think there is a deeper meaning, and maybe one day I will reflect on this and write a blog post on it. But for now, I liked it because it was pretty and colourful.

My favourite part was the different collections of paintings. We have established that I do not like modern art sculptures, but modern art paintings I actually do quite enjoy. Of course, there are some which I struggle to find the deeper meaning behind, but actually I like and understand a lot of them. In this case, most of my favourites related to Paris in some way (another city that I love) including one entitled: Paris through the window. It was by Marc Chagall, a Russian painter who moved to the French capital. It´s a surrealist painting with many strange and odd things in it but that´s what make it so interesting. I would recommend looking it up to learn more about it because it really is fascinating (in my opinion). For example, the Janus figure (in bottom right corner) with the two faces is often interpreted as the artist himself, look west towards his new home in France, and the other looking East to his homeland Russia - he supposedly missed Russia terribly. This need to return can be emphasised through the train next to the yellow cat. Speaking of, this yellow cat has a human face (which is a little creepy). It is thought in Judaism (a faith that the artist practised) that sinners come back to haunt their family in the form of a cat (making it all the more creepy). Anyway I am rambling ... the art GCSE I took at 16 is flooding back to me. But do look it up, I really liked it. 

Another piece that I loved was in the Film & Video gallery – a new space dedicated to video art and moving images. The piece currently on display is called “The Visitors” and it was created by Ragnar Kjartansson. This artpiece is a video installation made up of 9 different screens. It documents a musical performance that took place at Rokeby Farm in New York. Each musician was recorded individually so in each screen there is a different person in a different setting, but then they are combined together. It´s really interesting and very beautiful. You can find out more here: http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/en/exhibitions/ragnar-kjartansson-the-visitors-3/

When I finally left the museum, I was a bit peckish so decided to grab something to eat. As much as I would have liked to, I do not think I could afford a grand lunch in the restaurant, so I settled for the bistro. And that was quite expensive already: I had a coke and a pincho which amounted to 6 Euros. In Santander the same thing would have been less than 4. That said, I do not regret anything because it was simply delicious. This small snack of bread, ratatouille and anchovies was just incredible. I really mean it: I think I would go back to have these pinchos alone. So, just imagine what I full meal would be like?! I have a friend from home coming to visit at the end of November, and I think we are going to spend a day in Bilbao so maybe I could convince her to have a nice meal with me?

Another thing I hope to show said friend when she comes to visit, is the parks and gardens. In particular, on the way to and from the Guggenheim a lovely park which was quite magical with ponds and fountains scattered around. There is even a fountain surround by grand archways and walking through them you do feel as if you could be in a fantasy land.

Unfortunately I couldn’t spend too much time in the fantasy land as I had to catch the bus back to Santander. Overall I had such a lovely day, but I do know that I have to go back to see more of this beautiful place. I did not see enough – we have time though. Like I said, it is only and hour and a half away.  Hasta luego. 

Hiking … that’s a thing

As I have said in previous posts, I like to walk. I cannot say, though, that I have done anything as vigorous as hiking. There’s not much call for hiking along the South Bank or through Hyde Park. But when Arina told me about a programme organised by the EOIs of Cantabria (Escuela Oficial de Idioma) in which people wanting to practise their language skills would get together and go on a hike in the country or the mountains, I was very excited. I signed up straight away.

I regretted it slightly the morning of the hike as, upon waking up at 7 in the morning, it was pouring with rain. And I mean really pouring heavily. Even so, I dressed carefully, thanking god that I decided to buy that Northface raincoat and to bring my good trainers instead of those high heels. We met at the train station and then split into groups, ensuring that each car would have a mix of different nationalities. I was one of two English speaking hikers in a car, with two Spaniards one of whom was driving us to the place where we would begin our hike. We took turns chatting in English and Spanish and generally getting to know more about each other all the way to Barcena Mayor.

Barcena Mayor is the tiny ‘pueblo’ where we were to begin the trail. It is about an hour and a half away from Santander and it is beautiful. I stand by that I, personally, wouldn’t want to live there – it is too quiet for me. But for a day trip or a quiet weekend away, I couldn’t recommend it more. It has the most picturesque landscapes with fantastically green hills surrounding the pretty buildings that make up the small but charming village.

The group (made up of all sorts of different nationalities) ensured to have a coffee before we followed the route leading us into the forest. A café con leche, as it turns out, is not what you should ask for in Cantabria. A café con leche is a coffee with milk, yes, but it is not what many people have. Instead, you ask for a ‘mediana’, a slightly small version of coffee with milk but what you actually mean to ask for.

The rainfall had lightened up a lot by the time we got going (thank god) and in fact the rain even made the air slightly cooler so it was nicer to walk in.

In general, we walked slowly but constantly only stopping to take pictures of some of the most amazing pieces of nature. The forest was magical, as most are. As we head into autumn, a lot of the trees shared both wonderfully green leaves with brilliant red. And the moss covered rocks (which I choose to believe are the homes to magical and mythical creatures) made for incredible scenes.

It was made even more magical, when we descended from a hill to the waterfalls below. The ‘cascadas’ were amazing and, with care, we walked along the flowing water, past the many pools and sat on a bank to eat some lunch surrounded by the running water.

Getting back up was slightly more difficult, but I have realised that I would always rather go up a hill than walk down it. Going up can be tricky and especially tiring, but you can lean forwards and I know, if I fall, I will land on with my arms and hands in front of me. Going downhill scares me a little. You really have to keep your balance, and I hate the idea of falling backwards.

Luckily, this time round there were no accidents and we were able to follow the trail round past the water again. I can’t deny it was tiring, but it was worth it. I really enjoyed it there and if there was any doubt as to why I chose to Cantabria, this trip squashed them. It is a stunning place.

A stunning place, with great food! After completing the trek, we spent some time in a lovely gastrobar where we had a few drinks and shared some “lomo bocadillos” which were extremely tasty and hot! It was getting much cooler at this point and I was grateful for some hot food. We were also given some ‘sobaos’ to try. This was essentially a cake that is a specialty to Cantabria. It was good, but the Brit in me still thinks it would be better with a cup of tea.

Hasta luego. 

El rio de la pilar and other stories

Following on from my day excursion to the lighthouse, I thought I would talk about night time excursions. Don’t get your hopes up – there’s nothing too scandalous.

My first night out in town was suggested by Lea who had heard on the grapevine that the place to be on a Thursday/Friday/Saturday night was El Rio de la Pilar. El Rio de la Pilar isn’t a bar or a club, rather it is the name of a road. Granted, there are many different bars along this road but it is in the middle of the street where people tend to gather. Almost like pre-drinks, you bring your pre-brought supermarket alcohol and hang out outside the pricier bars. The difference is, is that this ‘pre-drinks’ can last until 3 in the morning and only then people might head to a club where you can dance. This is ‘el botellon’: a phenomena is Spain where people gather to drink alcohol in some sort of public arena. Often it takes place in plazas but here it is el rio de la pilar.

I couldn’t say why it takes place in el rio de la pilar but I imagine it is something to do with the fact that it is a steep hill. I heard – but I do not know if it’s true – that the challenge is to start drinking at the bottom and try to reach the top. Obviously, the more alcohol you drink, the harder it becomes and shenanigans, subsequently, ensue. There is even a funicular to help take you up this certain road, so, you can imagine when people are intoxicated or wearing high heels the difficulties they have trying to make their way up the street, offering hilarity to onlookers. 

Anyhow we decided to head this way, starting off in a bar where I had an exceptional mojito (my favourite of the cocktails) before we began to bar hop. At one bar, Lea introduced me to ‘calimocho’ – a popular drink made up of coke and red wine. I thought it was a little odd, as I don’t really know of anyone in the UK who drinks this combination. But here it is apparently drunk like a soda - in fact some pupils even laughed when I spoke about never having the drink before. I enjoyed it though, and drank it for the rest of the evening.

As it got later, the road just got busier and busier with people coming from here, there and everywhere to drink in the street. Something I found amusing was that in many windows, sat completely redundant signs saying ‘no drinking in the street’ and well … see for yourself.

I kinda love that busyness though – it makes for a really lively atmosphere and you can actually talk to people unlike in a club. You can keep moving too, and so, you get to meet a lot of different people. We even ran into a whole gathering of other language assistants at a bar that I thoroughly enjoy called "Cientoccho" They play good music here including the likes of the Kinks, Madness, the King and Johnny Cash.

We kept on moving and ended up in another well-known drinking place called la Plaza Canadio. At this point I was getting quite tired (maybe 3 in the morning, but I get sleepy easily) but even so, we managed to spend another hour or so out just chatting to people. People sat at bars, people sat on steps, people passing through and people getting warm tortilla from a cart – essentially the equivalent of getting kebab. I even got talking to a few Americans and Canadians who had been at the meeting the Wednesday before.  One of them actually lived on el rio de la pila which, even though I like it for a night out, I personally think would be terrible. Noise doesn’t particularly bother me, in fact on the contrary I quite like the silent noisy-ness that you get in a city, but all the time in one concentrated place? I’m not so sure. I think I am happy where I am for the time being: down a high street where people constantly pass through, but they PASS through. They don’t set up camp there for the night.

On another occasion, we sought live music at a place called "Rocambole" I think this is a bar really but it also has a stage where bands often play. Generally amateur bands – like this time round – but they are still really good, and more importantly enjoyable. One guy in particular really knew how to gee up a crowd, and even I was singing along with this Spanish song in the end, and I didn’t really understand the lyrics. One female singer had a voice like I have not heard before – she was incredible, a complete show stopper! An added extra bonus was that it was free! Something great about being here is that I have not once had pay an entry fee into a bar or a club unlike most places in Britain.

From this club, we took to the streets again made our way to … We picked up some more friends along the way and a larger group of us even had a bit of dance in a club that was run by a large duck – the hook to get to enter and buy a drink.

Again upon leaving we ended up staying another hour or so just chatting to people we ran into. In all sorts of languages! In English, in French and in Spanish (most importantly for this leg of Erasmus)! I don’t see any problem in this though, as I am here, principally to improve my language and communication skills.

We finally got in around 4:30am which seems to be a relatively early night here in Spain having gone (in the words of Mickey Flanagan) out out. But, sleep is important to me too and I wanted to get up in the morning and head to places.

Hasta luego 

El Faro

As you may have realised, I am not really writing these posts in any particular order. Just a heads up, if I say ‘today’ or ‘yesterday’, the even may not have actually taken place today or yesterday but work with me … it’s much easier.

Today, I had a most wonderful excursion to the lighthouse – el faro – of Santander. It was a last minute arrangement, initially suggested by Maelle who was thinking of taking a walk.  Thanks to our Whatsapp group – entitled ‘borrachas’ – everything was arranged pretty quickly and soon we were having a group outing.

Lea and I hopped on the bus to Piquio (a lovely area of Santander where Maelle is living) using our newly purchased “TUS" cards. These cards are the equivalent of Oyster cards: they can only be used in Santander and they give you a considerable discount on bus fares. Seriously, with these cards a bus journey is only around 66 cents!

We then waited for the others – Maelle and Arina – in the ‘jardines de Piquio’. These gardens are very pretty and are filled with colourful flowers and many different types of trees. The gardens sit, overlooking the beaches and the sea so, it’s a really nice place to just hang out and take a selfie or two. It is particularly lovely if it is a sunny day, which it was when Lea and I went there. However, it was also very windy too (as you may note, looking at some of the pictures).

We followed a trail that led us along the beaches and up some cliffs, leading us all the way to the lighthouse that you can, supposedly, see from over 50 miles away. Along the way, we were sure to take some breaks, wanting to build up energy as well taking advantage of photo opps. There is always a good photo opp in Santander as there is always a stunning backdrop.

For instance, there are the ‘lovelocks’ that you can find if you follow the trail to the lighthouse. The lovelocks come from a serbian tale that dates back to WWI - so Wikipedia tells me. Supposedly, a teacher (Nada) feel in love with an officer (Relija) in the Serbian town of Vrnjacka Banja. They got engaged, but when he went to fight in Greece, Relija fell in love with a women from Corfu. Subsequently the engangement was called off, and Nada dies from a broken heart. Following this tragic state of affairs, women from the aforementioned town (I´m not writing it out again), decided to protect their own loved ones. They took locks with names written on them, and would attach them to the bridge where Nada and Relija once met. 

The crazed of lovelocks only took off in Western Europe (most famously in Paris) in the noughties although I couldn´t tell you why. Now I’m not really a romantic person but I have to admit, there is something charming about seeing these locks against the landscape of the green cliffs and the blue seas here in Santander. 

When we finally got to the lighthouse, we were sure to pause in the café bar and have a drink or two as well as having a bite to eat. We had previously been told to try the raciones of fried squid at the lighthouse. This fried squid is supposed to be some of the best in Santander for not a bad price. And it was good. 

Arina and I decided to split a plate as we were both feeling greedy and wanted to have the ‘tortilla bocadillo’ too. I have come to really love these ‘bocadillos’ in particular. It’s just carbs sandwiched in more carbs which is the best thing ever!

The lighthouse was a great place to visit and another place on my list of places to visit that I could tick off. It was incredibly peaceful and on the way back, we ran into some other lang assistant who have lived here for a while. They were able to point out places of interest and some extra beautiful buildings that I have now added to my list. It is getting longer every day: each time I tick one off, I add two more.

But at least ‘el faro’ is done  ^_^

Hasta Luego.   

Meeting people

So as anyone who starts off in a new place, at any point in their lives, I am sure, worries about making friends. I know I was worried, especially as I like people and I like communication. Just two days without properly talking to anyone other than my family was enough to make me go stir crazy. Fortunately, my flatmates all returned from their pueblos and I was able to chat (somewhat, of course – my Spanish skills are still limited). Another flatmate moved in too! Lea – a French girl who is working as a French language assistant, having already spent a year in Valencia. I have to admit, it was nice to talk to Lea in particular, only because we are in the same boat. So much so, that we were both heading to the meeting organised by the ministry of education in Cantabria that Wednesday of that week.

Now, some people might say this meeting was boring and didn’t provide much information. I would disagree. I think it was useful, not only because you are given advice by previous language assistants and heads of education, but also because you get a chance to meet other people in the same area as you. I would always recommend attending these meetings if you can – there is also a free lunch if that makes it any more enticing.

Lea and I headed there together but soon we were split up into different sections – French and English sections respectively. Now I have to confess that I was a bit surprised by the lack of British people. There were not actually many at all, or at least we were definitely outnumbered by those from the USA or Canada. And that’s fine, I am not criticising – it’s merely an observation. I just thought that what with the British Council organising these placements, and uni students taking a year abroad, that there would be a lot more Brits. Nay bother, all the Americans and Canadians I met were lovely so …

In fact, after the meeting, a few of us met up to ‘tomar una copa’ at a bar in the centre of the city. And it was lovely. Despite not having know each other previously, conversation never faltered and I must confess that it was nice to chat in English for a little while, you don´t have to think too much. Yes, I am here mainly to improve my Spanish skills and I try to chat in Spanish as much as I can, even with those whose native language is also english. But sometimes it can get tough and it is nice to take a small break. Hopefully by May it won´t ever be a problem and I will be able to speak Spanish easily and fluently. 

Anyway, back to the night out: having had our drink, we then moved onto a place called ´cienmontaditos´ which I have since gone back to a few times. It is a cerveceria that can be found all over Spain and on Wednesdays and Sundays each montadito is only 1€ making it a very cheap night for some rather yummy snacks. They are essentially small sandwiches with different fillings, but it´s really good. I recommend the Oreo one: oreos in chocolate sauce sandwhiched between chocolate bread. It is delicious. I also got the opportunity to try ‘Claro con limon’ which is essentially beer with Fanta lemon and is now my drink of choice. 

Since that first night out, a few of us have remained in contact and been on some more outings and excursions. 

It was particularly great, as my miserable mood of feeling ‘alone’ was really quickly lifted and I can quite honestly say that I haven’t felt a horrible homesickness yet. I am missing people for sure, but that terrible feeling you get in your stomach and you just can’t do anything else but think about home, I am fortunate to say, hasn’t hit me. Instead, I am really enjoying my time here ^_^ It is amazing what simply being around people can do. If anyone if thinking/worrying about their own year abroad, really try to relax about the whole thing! Just take every opportunity you can, especially in those first few days, to talk to anyone and everyone! Try to say yes to everything – I mean if you really don’t want to do something, of course don’t do it, but you will be surprised how quickly friendships do build. Believe or not, there are people in the same situation as you, feeling the same thing and wanting to build friendships ASAP. It will happen as long as you try!

So, to sum up this blog post … I have friends. Yay.

Hasta luego

New chapter, new blog

As many of my friends and family know, I have recently started a new chapter in my life. This chapter being: Erasmus in Spain. And therefore I have decided to document this, as – I have been told many times – it will be the best year of my life. The first point being, I moved to Spain. 

I moved to Santander about 3 weeks ago now, and I have been working at a school here for just about 2 weeks. But before I tell you about my time here, let’s back up a little and chat about before I left jolly ol’ England.

My summer was fantastic. I had many a’outing with many a’friend and I thoroughly enjoyed each one. I had a lovely time doing next to nothing with my family, and I was thrilled when my friend Christie (from uni) came to stay. Not just once, but twice – the second time made doubly special as she was able to meet some of my ‘home friends’ at my going away party. Oh yeah, I had a going away get together, nicely split with one of my best friends, Lily (she is now in Vienna).

Anyway, it was great and it made it even more difficult to bugger off to a foreign country for a year, albeit a relatively close one. It was made even worse when we finally got to the airport and I said goodbye to my mum. Up until then, in all honesty, I had felt indifferent about the whole thing (I think excitement and nervousness cancelled each other out a bit). It was only in those few minutes that I actually realised that I would be entirely alone in a place that I didn’t know.

Not for the first week though – my Dad decided to come with. If not to be able to say he’d been to Spain but to help me to find somewhere to live. Fortunately that was sorted out pretty quickly. Maria Jesus, my mentor lady, happened to see an advertisement at the school where I now work. She even called on my behalf and arranged a viewing the very next day after my arrival and it was perfect for my situation. Good place in the centre of the city, good size room, very close to the school and not a bad price either. So, in a few minutes that was all signed and done with.

Which left the other paperwork to deal with: to be a resident in Spain, you need your NIE. That is, you ‘Numero de Identificacion de Extranjero’. With this you are able to open a bank account (or at least, you should be able to) and that it something that I really needed to do.

Unfortunately, even if you do wait in line for over an hour, on your first visit to the Oficina de Extrenjero, you’ll receive a form to fill in and return. When you return you will wait for another hour to be given another form and told to return on a certain date. When you return on that date with the form, they will stamp some paper and tell you to go to the bank and pay a tax of 10.50 euros and then return. Then, finally, when you return with the other newly bank-stamped form, you will receive your NIE: a very underwhelming, flimsy card with your details on.

It is of great importance though. As I said, you can open a bank account when you have your NIE and, not for want of trying, I have only just opened mine with Santander. You have to really commit if you want to get an account. Also, you must stand your ground, even if your Spanish if fractured like mine. You see, I went to a few different branches of the Santander bank, and they all told me that it was impossible to open an account with just my NIE – I would need a ‘tarjeta de residencia’ with a photo of myself. This is not what I had been previously told at the lang assistants meeting, and at the oficina (in fact, the man here specifically told me that the passport size photos that I had given him were ‘not necessary’ as, being British, I am part of the EU). Not only this, my french flatmate (Lea) had opened an account earlier in the week with no problems, and another friend (Arina) also opened an account with Santander without her NIE, just her passport – and she is from Canada! That’s not even part of the EU!

When I went back to the very first branch I visited (the lady remembered me), they told me again that it was impossible. When I told her of all the info that I had received that seemed to contradict what she said, she had a word with – I assume – her boss. She came back, and did not say a word. Not ‘oh my mistake’, not ‘oh you were right, sorry’. But, for all intents and purposes, she did, finally, open an account in my name. Yay!

So, that’s the story of the paperwork. I mean, there are still many more (uni stuff, Erasmus stuff) but I don’t want to bore you too much and I am sure they’ll come up at some other point.

Once Dad and I had completed everything that we could, we were left to do all sorts of tourist-y things! And by many modes of transport.

Walking – we did a lot of that! We walked through the city, popping into different shops and gazing at some stunning architecture (cathedral and the bank). I love wandering without a destination and I have found out that Santander is one of the best places to do it. The bay, in particular, is great for a casual stroll. The water is calming and the landscape is incredibly pretty. Not only that, a lot goes on at the bay. There are a number of art pieces and sculptures for one. For example, one of the most moving pieces, in my opinion, are some statues of not rich, well known historical figures. But, of some young children who scraped a living from the docks in Puertochico. They were paid to fetch things that had fallen in the water, as well as trying to grab any coins that were tossed into the sea by sailors. These are called ´Los Raqueros´.

There is also the Centro Botin which is currently being developed. But in this area of the bay, there is also a small concert space where there is occasionally live music that costs nothing to enjoy. There is also a fantastic amount of cafes and bars, as well as a carousel! You gotta love a good carousel!

From the bay you can also walk down to the beaches. Although in this case, Dad and I hopped on a tourist bus to see the beaches. I have never been on one of those tourist buses before, but y’know I have to admit, they are quite useful. Especially in a place that are really lost in. I got to know a lot about the history of the city in a short amount of time, as well as getting to know the area in general. And let me tell you that Santander is beautiful. The beaches are sandy and rocky so you get some amazing views. It’s quite a mountainous area too, so you can get different perspectives of one place depending on how high you fancy hiking. 

Another mode of transport was by boat! We took a rather rocky journey along the bay on the water which was lots of fun. We were able to see the Palacio de la Magdalena (which I am still yet to visit but want to) from far away, as well as being able to watch the experienced surfers braving the rougher waters. I like to watch the surfers during the day – it is something that I would love to do, but have never had the opportunity. I would also like to scuberdiver, and on the boat trip, we were able to go out to a lighthouse positioned on some rocks where there were many divers. I am not sure if it was a school or something (if so, I would like to know how I can join) but there were maybe 20 of them diving below the rocks and coves. At this point, we were also told to go to the deck of the boat and could look underwater. I am not sure if there was anything in particular that we were supposed to be seeing but I sure as hell couldn’t see anything.

Another thing that we enjoyed – food! The food is good here, especially the seafood (being by the sea, you can imagine…). And the pinchos here is delicious. Pinchos is a bit like the Northern equivalent of tapas – small dishes that you can have with a glass of wine or something. I like pinchos a lot: a small sandwich here or there, is perfect for me as someone who doesn’t really like great big meals.

The week went very quickly however, and soon Dad had to leave to. I really didn’t him want to, and I am actually quite glad that not one of my flatmates was in on my first night, as I cried in my bedroom whilst watching Fawlty Towers (already missing home and wanting some good british comedy). I am not that big on crying but I if do, I like to be alone. And Basil Fawlty really did cheer me up a bit, and I am pleased to say that I was a lot happier within only a couple of days! But more on that later. For now … goodnight.

¡Hasta luego!