The Aranjuez/Toledo Adventure! (Part 1!)

Hola amigos! Tuesday afternoon here, and I`m up and running to type my blog to recap all of this weekend in Aranjuez/Toledo!

Once again, I`ll have to divide this up into two posts, simply because they`re a bit long to write all in one!

So let`s see... where was I last?

So it was Friday night, and the clock was ticking as I packed away all of my clothing, alarm clock, and food I`d need to enjoy my weekend without lacking anything. This time I definately packed some shampoo, as last weekend I had gone out and bought some cheap version, which burned my eyes quite a bit. This was my second trip by myself, and this time I felt more experienced, as I had successfully completed it last week with no worries!

My bus to Madrid was at 1:30 AM, so I opted not to sleep- 12 AM really wasn`t long to wait for, and the time flew by just as quickly. I left the quiet of my house to the lit streets of Granada, where the night was just beginning to pick up. Backpack`d up, I made my way to the bus station in about 50 minutes or so. (Bus station is on the other side of town)

I glanced up at the slow changing times, and ticket in hand, waited for my bus to arrive. As usual, the bus didn`t show up at exactly 1:25, but rather 1:35- better, I suppose, for last minute runners. There wasn`t a big group going to Madrid, but that just indicates most people don`t want to travel at 1:30 AM in the morning! But the boarding was quick, and I took my seat near the front, and immediately dozed for the next 5 hours. Only for a moment did I open my eyes, and that was when the driver made a brief stop at a gas station. I simply ignored it, and scrunched back up against the window.

Soon enough, light begin to fill into the bus, and I squinted my eyes to see a city barely 5 minutes away from us. Madrid! I checked my watch- 6:30 AM, that would be just the time as well! I pondered how I would get to Aranjuez that morning as the bus rumbled into the city- would I get one immediately, or would I have to wait an hour? Let`s Go! promised there was a bus that ran to Aranjuez every 30 minutes, but I wouldn`t believe it until I saw it.

The bus ran down a lowered ramp into an underground tunnel, and then the darkness opened into a huge bus station. It was rows and rows and rows of buses, with different levels, numbers, etc. It made the big bus station of Granada look like a small parking lot! But Madrid, like Malaga, is a big transportation hub, so all in all I wasn`t too surprised- mostly impressed!

6:46 AM and I was out on the pavement, hastily trying to figure out where to go from there. Oh! There`s a sign! Translate.. okay, so that`s the main center for buses. Ok. I`ll go there. Up the escalaters..

The scene was busy with human traffic, but I managed to find my way to towards the long rows of ticket booth. Where was the times? Behind me, as I turned to look up at the huge screen. Bus stations here seem like airports, with departure times and all. Just a lot less hassle with security!
Aranjuez, Aran... yes! 7:15 AM! That`s the one I want! I headed down to find the bus, and a quick enquiry later, I was back in the station buying my bus ticket. Each bus route has a different form of payment- some you just pay on the bus, others you have to go to the teller. This bus was a teller-bus, and I bit my lip as 7:15 AM began to crawl closer and closer- would I miss this bus, and wait for another 30 minutes?

Nope! I shucked over 4.67 Euros, and ticket in hand, ran down the stairs. I probably had about another 5 minutes until go time, but my near-miss experience with the Morocco bus has made me a bit paranoid about departure times. The driver ripped my ticket, and I picked fancy spot near the window to stare out and peek a bit into Madrid. And then we were off!

We were actually on the outskirts of the city, so I really didn`t see the big skyscrapers and other city-like things I was expecting in Madrid- however, I did get to see a lot of the surrounding area, which reflected a bit of the city, yet kept it`s own sense of identity. Aranjuez was only about 50 minutes away, but it was about a 70 minute ride there- our bus made about a million stops before we got there, dropping off locals on the way to work. I`m not sure how tourists get to Aranjuez, (maybe train?) because I was definately the only non-local on that bus!

But finally around 8:20 we pulled in Aranjuez, and my first impression was of a sleepy, smaller town- the smallest city I`d visited my entire trip. I was actually a bit relieved- I was a bit tired from Madrid, and this town looked promising to deliver a day trip, and not one that would have me on the edge trying to figure out the layout.

The bus pulled in front of a building, (no bus station here- ha!) and let off the few of us that hadn`t gotten off earlier. I turned and watched the bus go, as the rest scattered off into the town. Okay... now what? I didn`t have any sort of map, as Let`s Go! didn`t have one in the book, so I figured if I walked long enough, I was doomed to walk into something.

I walked to where we had turned from a large roundabout, and tried to get my bearings. Okay, I`m guessing I`m somewhere in this small town`s center- that`s a good sign. I turned to my left, and spied a most magnificient looking building- how had I missed that when we pulled in!?

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4887.jpg

I knew that must be some important structure, but it couldn`t be the famous palace here-a palace would certaintly be a bit bigger than that! This came from what I knew prior to visiting Aranjuez. I knew this town was a vacation palace for the Spanish Royals up to the early 1900s, and famous for its luxurious gardens. But my gaze cast ahead of me, as an important building peeked out behind a large expansion of green. Well, I think I`ve found part of the gardens:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4888.jpg


A large information tourist sign was right next to the garden, and I eagerly began reading- okay. That building I saw was apparently a church, and ahead of me was the Island gardens. Behind them was the Palace, and near the church was a tourist booth- but it wasn`t open till 10. Okay. I have some time to kill before I can get a map.

I walked to inspect the back of the sign, and it posted opening times of different attractions around Aranjuez. The palace didn`t open till 9, in fact- most everything didn`t open till 9. It was around 8. Hm. But wait- the gardens open at 8 AM. Excellent. I`ll go visit the Island garden!

The gate was open as I walked into the gardens, the early morning sun not too strong on my skin. There was only a guard walking around, and he gave me merely a glance, and continued opening different gates for entry. I hardly knew where to begin, as this garden was HUGE! To the right was a large expansion, and in front of me was a rushing river, and to the left was what looked like a garden forest.

I toured every single part of the huge garden, (and I mean, miles of garden here.) It was gorgeous to say the least, and it truly was a small piece of Heaven for royalty- now in 2008, a magnificient excursion for the not-so-royal me. I took so many pictures of this beautiful place, so I`ll let my camera tell the story in the way words can`t:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4890.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4892.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4893.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4901.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4913.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4906.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4904.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4909.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4921.jpg

(a heck a lot more on my photobucket, since I was so impressed with these gardens- the Aranjuez pictures are a bit out of order, but all the same, an excellent impression of what it was like there!)

After strolling through the epic journey through the jardin de Isla, I wanted to check out the palace, and get a good scope of it. The time was near 9:30 AM, so I figured I could go get a looksee around the palace, and then go and wait by the Tourist office to get myself a fancy map.

I walked down past the garden, more guards present as I drew closer to the palace. Bored to death, they began watching my every move as I scuffled across the dusty plaza- I wish I could have done something more entertaining, but it was early and I was still groggy from my bus ride!

I made a loop around the front of the palace, taking a couple of pictures and promising myself that I would visit after I had gotten my map and hostel taken care of:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4925.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4926.jpg

Nice!

The road next to the palace looked promising, so I opted to follow away from the palace. It lead me straight back to the Church of before, which was excellent in that I knew the tourst office was somewhere nearby. I took more pictures of this building and the nearby fountain- and reflecting through my pictures, this building was practically my favorite one...it seems to show up every so often in my album:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4931.jpg


I wandered around the plaza, trying to find the mysterious tourist office, as it wasn`t labeled with a huge sign or anything. I walked up and around the church, crossing onto a road that immediately had my camera targeted on its name:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4928.jpg


The Tourist office was nearby.. and a helpful street sign guided me onto the adjoining road, where I walked along the side, the long slant of buildings full of windows and.. there! There! An information sign was placed on the side of the door, which was why I had trouble finding it.

So it was only about a 20 minute wait for the tourist office to open, and I busied myself with eating a small breakfast of half a sandwhich my host mom had packed for me. However, the place I was sitting was crawling with ants, so I waged a mini-war trying to keep them off me and away from my food. Eventually the ants got too annoying, so I lurked into a shady spot to stand, and munch on the food.

10 AM rolled around, and then the information office finally opened. Hurrah! I quickly went inside, and asked the receptionist for a map. She gave me a handy map, and then went about marking different places I should definately make sure to visit in my stay. I thanked her for her excellent help, and wandered out of the nice, air conditioned building.

I wanted to go straight to the palace, but first I had to go about making sure I had a room for the night. I wasn`t too worried-Aranjuez seemed small enough that I wouldn`t have to go hostel-hunting like in Càdiz. I remembered from earlier that morning a hostel that was right next door to the bus stop, hostel Infantas. Hm. That seems like a good idea- right next to the bus station, which would be convinient in the morning. Good idea!

So I began to head back in that general direction, though I cut through a lovely garden that was constructed by Queen Isabella the 2nd. It had a statue in the middle she had commissioned herself, of herself as a young child: (NOTE: photobucket has randomly decided to stop working right now, so I can`t post the link to the picture.. I`ll challenge you to try and find it! Check it out on my photobucket!)

It was a small garden, but all the same, quite pretty!

Maybe 5 minutes later had me heading inside the hostel`s reception, and a quick question for the receptionist: A single room for the night, and how much?. The rate was 24 euros without a shower, 34 with. Well.. I personally didn`t care about a shower being in the room, ( there was one down the hall) so I had one without. (saving moneeeeey!)

Surprisingly, for a single room, I got two bed one.. I guess the single ones were booked, so they gave me it instead:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4934.jpg
Pretty nice, eh? (notice the map and Let`s go! book.. my constant companions..!)

I put all my things down, and laid out my clothes to lighten the load in my backpack. I kept all the things I`d need for the day, such as my waterbottle and wallet, but everything else got to camp out in the room.

From there I went to pay my rate, and turn in my key while I was out. In hostels, (what I learned in Càdiz) is unlike hotels, you don`t get a card key for starters. You get a real key, and you give it to the receptionist to hold on to while you`re out. I guess it`s to prevent keys getting lost or stolen.. but I don`t know. I just know you have to do it!

Stepping out into the street, I couldn`t help but notice the once sleepy town was now alive with tourists. When I had arrived that morning, it had been dead quiet- now people with maps, sunscreen, and sunglasses were all over the place. Hm. I better head over to the palace, lest I have to wait in a line!

I walked over to the palace from hostel, a mere 10 minute trip down the road. Music from a poor musician, (lots in Spain- people that beg by playing an instrument to garner attention.) hummed in the background, as tourists yammered on in their respective languages. I kept on walking, finally arriving to the area where I had seen the guards milling around earlier. The door was now open, and time for me to enter into the Royal Palace-how exciting!


I was drilled through security checkpoint, my bag getting scanned to make sure I didn`t have anything that would be dangerous I suppose. Guards were everywhere here- so I knew this had to be good!

I took a couple of pictures of the first room I was allowed into, that had different pictures and history of the palace:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4936.jpg


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4937.jpg

The path then lead me through the Museum`s shop, which I mentally remembered to return to later. But a large door opened the way outside, and I curiously followed, and stepped out to the courtyard..out in front of the Palace itself:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4940.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4939.jpg

Wowzers!

Unfortunatly, this was all I could take of pictures of the palace. As soon as I walked inside that building, a large sign said NO PHOTOS. Augh! I was a bit sad not to be able to take pictures, and ironically, that would be a problem that would plague me the rest of the weekend, simply because most of the places I visited were so old!

Needless to say, the interior of the palace was huge, but gorgeous. I mean.. it was a palace. Think something out of the 1700s- wigs, fancy dress, giant paintings, luxorious carpets, hand-carved everything.. I mean, that`s exactly what I thought of when I stepped into the place. The ceilings were always hand painted, the tables were huge and extravagant... the things of royals. Large sculptures of Greek gods and godesses, (that seemed to be the hippest thing back the day) curving clock, plush seats, large desks...I could go on and on about every individual detail. The rooms.. I mean the rooms! One room was even made entirely out of porcelain. Entirely! Hand carved figurenes of porcelain, the ceiling.. its almost unimaginable. I mean, could they do that today? I don`t think so- the amount of time, money, and effort they put in those days into prettying that house.. incredible to say the least.

http://www.patrimonionacional.es/aranj/aranjuez.htm

(Here`s their website, they have a few pictures of rooms up.. just to give you an idea how insane these rooms were!)

The palace wasn`t just a show and tell of pretty paintings and luxurious rooms- this was the Spring palace, where the Royals would also hold court. A lot of history took place here, as evident by the adjoining display in the palace. It detailed the lives of each individual royal who had made their home here, showing such items as paintings, toys, robes, painted fangs, and even some royal jewels were on display. And once again, before I could even enter the place, NO PHOTOS!

But as always, that just means you all will have to visit someday to see this place for yourselves.. and if you don`t mind, invite me with you!

I spent a good part of my time in the Palace and its adjouning, as I am a reader/browser (translation: I take forever) It was well into the afternoon when I finally left the place, and as I exited, I took one more photo from a distance of the beautiful palace:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4941.jpg

Where should I go from there, I wondered? I whipped out my map, (and my tasty sanwhich too) and began to eat my lunch, and try and figure it out. Well.. it was getting really, really hot. (I`m telling you, it was near boiling point that afternoon... yikes!) Shady anything sounded good. Hmm.. how about the Jardin de Principe? The map indicated it was a huge area to cover, so I ate my lunch to energize myself for the trip.. but ugh, the sun was really draining my energy.. time to find the shade!

I walked along the old road, la calle de la Reina (Queen`s way), soon looking through a gated area that was full of trees and shade. The entrance was soon ahead of me:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4943.jpg

I entered into the cool, wonderful shade of the trees.. and like before, the garden simply amazed me. Towering trees, beautiful fountains, and more green than you could shake a stick at.. I mean this garden was miles long. Miles! On the map, it practically took up half the town.. the size, the amount of time... just incredible.

This entry specifically is just one that has to be told in pictures....

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4944.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4956.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4955.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4954.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5002.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5005.jpg

(more on photobucket, but going through these pictures is slightly frustrating.. you just can`t capture how big this garden was!)

I spent a good deal of time wandering through the garden, enjoying the cool breeze that would occasionally graze my skin. Hm... I flipped open my map as I wandered down one of the many beaten down roads.. there was an exhibit on gondola-like ships used by the royals to cruise down the local rio (river).. I wanted to go see that, for sure! I followed a couple of signs that pointed me to the exhibit, always ducking into the shade. Okay I`ll make a right here... wait, what was that?

Something had darted across the road. A bird of some kind... but pigeons aren`t that big. What was it? I had to go find out... I lurked over to the bushes where I had seen it gone. Okay, here birdy.....birdy.. BIRD!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4948.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4946.jpg

(more on photobucket.... I was really fascinated with this bird.)

It was a pheasant! (or a grouse... one of them) It wasn`t too sure of me as I approached, but it didn`t take off in terror- rather, it simply walked away from me, always keeping a steady eye in case I changed my mind. I think that hunting has been banned in this park for quite some time, since I knew the royal family enjoyed it... but that gave me ample opportunity to take lots and lots of pictures!

After hassling the bird for photos, I made my way over to the nearest building, which turned out to indeed be the exhibition I was looking for:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4951.jpg

But alas, as soon as I arrived and paid my entry fee, an evil sign declared.. no photos! Baugh! Sighing in disappointment, I slid my camera back into my pocket, walking into the small exhibit.. but by Jove, (I`m picking up an English accent here too... oh bother!) there were never a grander looking gondola in my sight before! Golden arches, hand carve caricatures of angels and other mythological creatures... it was the luxury pastime of the royals to go down the local river in style, and they really, really had some insane style!

I enjoyed peering into all the gondolas and looking at the divine decorations, and reading about all the different periods and people that had used them. Imagine going down the river in a boat colored and carved like gold... it`s really hard to picture it, but these legit boats erased all doubt in my mind!

Soon I had to leave the exhibit, and go back out into the heat of the day. Ugh. The heat was starting to get to me to the point I stopped sweating. Usually you associate sweat with heat, but by that point, my body had spent all of my water sweating earlier, so I was high and dry, but feeling a bit tired. I sucked down some water I had gotten from a fountain in my bottle, continuing to lurk into the shade. Ugh.. so hot!

I continued walking down the many roads through the garden, touring down in the most shady parts, looking upon fountains, and vegetation of every variety:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4978.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4958.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4955.jpg

After about 20 minutes strolling down a long road, a sign pointed me to something Chinese (can`t remember the exact name) that was nearby. Hm.. I want to go see what it is...

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4965.jpg

ooo.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4963.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4968.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4961.jpg

double oooooo.

A beautiful fountain, large chinese-like styled patios, and ducks, swans... it was something out of a fairy tale. Somewhere the royals could enjoy relaxing by the waterside, watching the waterfowl bask in the afternoon sun. I was very fascinated by this tranquil, French-esque pond so I spent a good time just watching the birds swim around, occasionally honking at each other in annoyance. Wow. If there`s such a thing as reincarnation, I sure hope I was priviledged to be a royal person of some sort.. amazing!

I eventually decided I couldn`t stay forever rooted in that one spot, and bid a silent farewell to the beautiful, tranquil pond. I didn`t walk five steps until...BIRDY! More Pheasants! A male and female were cruising around, and I must be some inner bird watcher, since I took so many dang pictures of them:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4969.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4971.jpg

(I`m really proud of this one picture.. somehow it just came out looking great:)

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4976.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4975.jpg

They, like the two before, weren`t afraid of me: but they did keep their distance, and finally warmed up to me to let me have some excellent shots of the couple. I love pheasants, they are so pretty! And pretty tasty too, or so I here. Hmm....

After hackling the pheasants, I lingered around some more through the gardens, only stopping briefly to sip more water and eat a snack. Ugh. Even in the shade it`s so hot.. but I must continue on!

I begin to hunt for an exit to the gardens, as the afternoon was quickly passing by, and I wanted to see a bit more of the city. But I was immediately distracted with a couple who was walking down the road, and the woman was holding a most gorgeous looking peacock feather. Peacock.. there must be peacocks here! I silently cheered at that.. time to go find peacocks!

Somehow, the task seemed hard, but under a half-an hour of doing some hunting around, I found the beautiful birds. A mother and her babies pecked around the trees, while two bachelors (one maybe the father?) of a beautiful coloration basking in the sun. They, like the pheasants, didn`t run in terror- however, they did keep their distance from me:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4991.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4975.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4981.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4999.jpg

Me and another photographer stalked these birds, both of us conversing in bits of Spanish to point out where the birds were lurking around. They were so pretty.. and I really wanted a feather! I hunted around in the bush where I had seen them lying around, and my efforts didn`t go unrewarded: A beautiful peacock feather lied on the ground, and I picked it up, measuring its size.. perfect. It fit neatly in my backpack, and I now had my souvenir from the gardens. Hurrah!

I had been looking for the exit earlier, and after finding the peacocks, I felt accomplished in touring the gardens. I wanted to walk downtown next, look for the bullfight exhibit I had read about in Let`s Go!.... but a few steps out in the sun changed my mind. Oh was it hot. I all but collapsed down in the shade, trying to pant out my heat akin to an animal. I sipped my water, now warm from the sun, and realized that maybe trying to walk all the way in the sun to the bullring wasn`t going to happen at the moment. But I couldn`t just sit there.....

but I could take the tourist train?

I remembered earlier there had been a small tourist train, (which was really just a car painted like a train, with little seats being pulled behind it) right next to the palace, so that sounded like a fabulously good idea- even though riding on a `tacky tourist train` didn`t have such a good ring to it. I walked the long way back over to the palace, as the sun continued to make my steps longer and longer.. ugh.. so hot.

The train left every half an hour, (I think there`s two trains) so it was 10 minutes until the end of the hour. Just in time! I bought a ticket for the ride, 5 euros a piece, and sat on the side of the shaded Chiquitrain. Finally. Out of the heat, out of the sun! Well, mostly just out of the sun...

The train was packed with tourists, most of them Spanish as well. I sat next to an older pair of women, and in front of me was the other car, with a young family sunglasse`d up. It made me think of my family, and how when I was little, when my parents would take me and my brother on all sorts of vacations. Now I was doing on my own.. it`s a bit strange to consider that!

Our Chiquitren pulled out of the driveway of the palace soon enough, and for the first part, practically drove down the exact roads I had been on that morning! Cripes !On the other hand, it was nice to revisit all of these places, and surprisngly, the little train was permitted to go through the garden! We drove on the main roads, seeing all the fountains I had seen before, and the driver explaining (all the while in Spanish) that several of these trees were from different parts of the world- how neat!

I was still glad I had originally walked through it though- because even though I enjoyed the fast trip through the park, it still didn`t beat getting to stop and smell the flowers.. or chase the peacocks, however you look at it.

The train then pulled out of the gardens, and then took us down to the city- finally, that was what I had been waiting for! We passed down the main road, looking at some old buildings where servants, princes, and guests had made their stay:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5007.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5011.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5010.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5008.jpg

We then passed by the bullring as we made the turn to head back to the main part of the city, and I hastily remembered its location so that I could go visit it after the train tour. The town really wasn`t all that big, so I wasn`t worried about dying of the heat along the way.

The train dropped us off near the bridge into town, as right next to it was another tourist trap in the shape of a boat. I didn`t buy a boat pass, nor had any inclanation to- I wanted to see the bullfight exhibition I had read about! So I waved farewell to the Chiquitren, taking some quick pictures off it before it chugged off:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5014.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5013.jpg

But a sign at a nearby outdoor restaurant tempted me too much, and I simply had to sit down an order Frescas con Nata. (Strawberries and cream.) Aranjuez is famous for their strawberries and asparagus, and I definately had to give the strawberries a try.. next visit will be the asparagus:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5016.jpg

yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum.

So I had my Frescas con Nata, and succesfully completed another task I had wanted to accomplish in Aranjuez. Okay now, the bullring....!

I walked along the road we had passed on earlier, and it was a bit more ways than it had felt like on the bus, (or it was just that hot out.) But soon enough I found the large, Roman-esque building, and I made my way around the rim, trying to find the entrance... oh! Here we are!

I entered into the doorway, as a museum attendant came out. The museum was closing in 30 minutes, and from what I understood, they were beginning to close. Well drat. I guess I had just missed out. I shrugged my shoulders, indicating I would leave, but the attendant shook her head, and informed me that it would be okay if I wanted to linger in the museum- as long as afterwards, I`d leave and make sure to shut the door behind me. I beamed at her, excited to see this museum- next Sunday I will be attending a bullfight, so I wanted to really get behind the scenes:

And I really did!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5018.jpg

Dios mio, let me not get gored by a bull today.. (a small church where matadors go to pray before bullfighting)

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5019.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5017.jpg

pen where they keep the bulls:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5020.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5021.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5022.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5024.jpg

(more on the p-bucket!)

I got to see where the bulls where kept, videos of bullfight, swords of matadors.. you name it, this museum was dedicated to it. Everything you could want to know about a matador.. it was literally incredible to study each individual display, like how they armored the horses of the picador, (The men who lance the back of the bull with a long, pointed pole.) to the elaborate dress to the matador, and the three stages of the fight. I had read about bullfighting in Hemingway`s the Sun Also Rises, so I felt a bit proud I knew about these stages. Bullfights are a bit gorey, and aren`t the picteresque ones painted in the imagination of Americans. (Example: Most Americans don`t know that they kill the bull after the fight- most people assume they let them go.) But to me, it seems like an art form, even if so many of my fellow foreigners don`t agree with me!

The tour of the museum had me pumped up about my soon to be seen bullfight, and I left in high spirits, albeit a bit tired from the day. A took a quick picture of the bullring before I left, so that I`ll still remember what it looks like:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5029.jpg

I cruised in a local store and craved into a dehydrating soda, which tasted delicious, even though it didn`t really quench my thirst. I was starting to feel tired, and the clock was rolling aruond 7:30 PM- I felt I had accomplished everything I had wanted to, and going to the hostel, showering, and sleeping sounded like a fabulous idea. I passed by a servant`s quarters, now a Town Hall, on the way back:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP5030-1.jpg

Soon enough, I was back in the hostel, as the sun was only beginning to set. I turned on my television, finding a channel that I liked (it was live feed of a bullfight- hurrah!) and organized my things for Toledo. A shower later, I changed into my new clothes, and watched a bit of the corrida de toros. But I continuously yawned through it, so I shut off the tv, set my alarm, and climbed into bed- after having a picturesque day in a vacation fit for a Queen.

Or maybe, just fit for me.

(Part 1 ends here, and the next update shall be Part 2: The Toledo trip! Stay tuned!)

Until next time!

A Week`s Recap, and (another) weekend getaway!

Hola again, amigos! Here`s the said journal that will recap all I`ve done this week, and what will be going on for me this weekend! The days are counting down here in Granada, and I`m definately hustling to make sure I`ve done it all!

Now let`s see if I can remember.. oh yes!

Monday was school in the morning as usual, and for the afternoon was a good mix of some browsing around Granada, and trying to type all my blog up for all to enjoy. I definately put a lot of time in writing them, so it was nice when that night, we had a small get together of students to relax after typing so much.

But it just wasn`t a get together for all of us- but in fact, a sort of farewell party. Two of our members from Abroadco, Stephanie and Scott, both left on Tuesday to return back to the United States. (at the time, Stephanie was going to London- but as I`ll explain later on, those plans changed a bit.) We couldn`t let them just take off without saying good-bye, so we all got together that Monday night to chat about our experiences, and pretty much discussing how to keep in touch. (number 1 method=Facebook.) It was a kind of sad thought, as our group, so big with 5, was once again down to 3-but we had all had fun while they were here, so it was a nice recap to all the time we had spent together. (Insert aww here!)

Tuesday had me continuing my work on my blog (as you can see by the multitude of words, quite a lot!), as well as a continuation of general browsing around in Granada. I then received a call from Inma about having a small bon voyage for Stephanie, and I of course agreed to the promise of tapas. Yum!

But when I arrived home to grab my purse and retrieve my things, I encountered Stephanie who was looking none the happiest. I asked her what was up, and in a stressed tone she replied that her London ticket hadn`t pulled through. Apparently, there had been some confusion with the airline on the ticket, and she had booked it the day before she was supposed to leave Granada- so the plane was already gone. Ack! She had spent the afternoon trying to figure out what to do from there-it was indeed bad luck that plagued her that day.

The question came up if the bon voyage party was still to continue, considering it was a possibility she wasn`t going to leave at all. But Stephanie continued on, and we met Inma, Jaime, and Jaime`s wife all at Correos, as well as Brendan. (Eveylnn couldn`t make it) Stephanie went on to explain her situation to Inma and Jaime as we all walked down to the tapas bar, and a couple of suggestions later had Stephanie planning for the night.

We all enjoyed tasty tapas together, chatting for a while about our trips and the rest of the 2 weeks I had left, and the favorite topic was mostly suggestions for Stephanie`s excursion. Scott had already left that afternoon, (and I managed to get in a farewell to him before he left!) so he was unable to attend with us, but I`m sure him and his sister definately spent time in Granada.

Finally the night was to end, and Jaime and Inma bid farewell to Stephanie, and made her promise to contact them. (The ultimate decision was Stephanie would buy a plane ticket out of Madrid, straight to the US.) Stephanie then went to go to the local internet cafè to buy said ticket, whereas I returned home. I was still a bit tired from the weekend, so I all but collapsed on the bed.

However, I didn`t get to sleep very much, as Stephanie hadn`t fully packed herself yet, due to the day mostly being spent trying to figure out how to get back home. She ultimately bought a ticket, but spent till about 12 PM packing all of her things into two seperate bags. I dozed on and off, but it was a bit tricky admist the constant entries of our other resident, twelve-year old James. (He was very worried Stephanie would leave without him taking a picture of her- we had to reassure him that no, she wouldn`t leave without one!)

Finally she finished her packing at 12, and roused me to help her with her luggage. I definately got a midnight workout, as she had packed her largest bag to the brim, and the wheels weren`t of the best quality. I definately got some stares as I pulled and heaved that heavy bag down several streets- it`s a good thing I`ve been walking alot, or I would have never made it!

We managed to flag down a taxi, and both the driver and I heaved the heavy bag in the back, as Stephanie pulled the smaller one from behind. Then it was a quick farewell as time was short, and I saw the taxi pull off into the darkness of the night. A bit of a hectic day, but all the same, I passed out quickly as I got home.

The next day I woke up a bit tired once again, but an early morning shower helped the rousing up all the easier. As I prepared myself for school, I received another text from Stephanie- apparently, her computer had somehow either gotten lost/stolen in Madrid. Que mala suerte! It definately was painful reading it, after all she had been through the day before. But on the bright side, she was succesful in getting on the plane, and did eventually make it back home to New York. Sometimes, life just throws you lemons I suppose- but on the brighter side, you can have tasty lemonade at home!

I went to school from there, and returned home from lunch, wanting to do a bit of shopping that afternoon. My host sister, Eloisa, seemed really interested in going, so I invited her to come along. Her face lit up as she went to tell her mother of our soon to be whereabouts. I began to pack my things, as she came in, and asked if we might take James along with us. I nodded, why not?

So the three of us headed out on the town, where I had to keep a constant eye on James, who seemed determined not to be herded by a 20 year old. Eloisa stuck to my side always, and the three of us managed to make it down town to the Cathedral area, where I let Eloisa pick the different stores to browse around. The two had a lot of fun, each buying small things for themselves, as I enjoyed browsing around as well.

Sooner than later, I had to take them back home for dinner, and we all managed to group up and continue back home. I had to eat dinner a bit early at 8:30, and James had to be at his program`s activities by 8:45 as well.

Dinner for me was a delicious pizza, and then a quick change into my nicer evening wear- my dress, and my shoes. Where would I be going with those? Well, to the JeneralLife, Alhambra`s gardens and... outdoor theatre! Hurrah! This week`s activity was to go see a play by Garcia Lorca, Poeta in Nueva York.

All of us Abroadco students and family of Inma all met up at Correos in our evening wear, and a short trip on the bus later, we were at the gardens. It was the same place I had been before in the Alhambra, and I remembered seeing all the different flora and fountains from before- just in a different light, or rather, without in the cool, night air. We all filed through with the large mass of people into the outdoor theatre, and we got awesome seats maybe three rows from the stage. Awesome!

I could describe bit by bit the show, but it would consist of a book if I did that! I can merely put in words that it was a show of imagery- of dance, of interpretation, of a story of a flamenco dancer from Spain going into the strange, not-so far off land of New York City in the 30`s. Lorca`s poems influenced this play full through, and they have a way of interpreting reality which isn`t easily described- the only thing I can say is you have to go and see it for yourself. It wasn`t a musical, it wasn`t a play- it was a dance of incredibly imagery, and vivid imagination.

The play didn`t finish until about 12, and I was yawning the whole walk home. Several day`s of not sleeping much were catching up to me, and I slipped off my nice heels and fell asleep in exhaustion.

Thursday was of course school, and plans I made to finish part 2 of my Gibraltar trip. After lunch, I was so very tired, so I thought- why not an hour long siesta? I fell alseep around four, and when I finally woke, it was 7 PM! AUUGH! My entire afternoon had escaped me- but as my host mom said, after this week and last weekend, I never really had the chance to rest- and I really needed it too! I raced to the computer lab to at least get my blog finished for posting, and headed home for dinner.

Brendan then called me up, and asked me if I was interested in doing anything after dinner. I heartily agreed- after feeling a bit down of my lost afternoon, I was wide awake for a little night time excursion. The two of us called up Evelynn, but she had agreed to have dinner with a friend, so it was only us out on the town! Brendan suggested we go to the Mirador de San Nicholas, which overlooks the Alhambra, and I readily agreed- he`d seen it at sunset, but not at moonlight!

We both climbed into the Albacìn, I being a pro now after leading several groups myself up into here. The two of us reached the not so busy night area, and spent a godo while just watching the moon rise, and chatting about our respective backgrounds, and what we hoped to get out of Granada. We also did some figuring of afternoon trips next week, as it will be my last full week there, and I want to make sure I`ve seen everything I need to see! Afterwards we made a stop at a tea house for a delicious brew of the house speciality, and about 12 AM I made my way home, after an enjoyable night in the cooler air of Granada.

Today was class for the morning, and a lunch of squid soup. Mind you, these squids had tentacles, so at first I was little bit nervous to try the dish. But I of course had to eat it, being myself and all, but it definately was a new experience cutting into the little tentacles and chewing the rubbery meat. But of course, as everything that looks a bit spooky at first, it was delicious, and even better with a side of bread!

And now I can say I`ve eaten some tentacles off a squid! Trying new things everyday!

This afternoon was return trip to the CLM to type up today`s promised entry, and now I`m going to make my way over to the Estacion de Autobuses to buy my 1:30 AM ticket to Madrid. Like Càdiz, the trip will be 5 hours long, so I`ll just sleep it to save time and money on a hostel. But I`m not going to Madrid this weekend- after some reflective thought and advice, I`ve decided to hit the smaller cities around the area- the highly recommended Aranjuez on Saturday, and Toledo on Sunday, of Don Quixote and swordmaking fame. It`ll be my second trip going solo, as Eveylnn and Brendan are going for a fantastic trip to Morocco this weekend. But I`m pretty confident- after last week, I think I`ve got this trip managing thing down!

So, wish me luck, and I`ll return next week with the tales of my weekend excursion, and beyond!

Until next time!

The Càdiz and Gibraltar adventure! Part 2!

Beep-beep!

Eh?

Oh it`s 5:30 AM.

five-thirty... six fourty-five...

mm...oh!

Time to get up!

Sunday morning I pulled myself out of bed, finally feeling like I had gotten enough sleep. Since Wednesday, I had been staying up late, (Juanes, Arab Baths, making my Càdiz bus.) and so I finally got to sleep more than 6 hours. Sure ,5:30 AM was early, but I had definately gone to bed early.

I began to pack up all my things, still trying to shake sleepiness as I didn`t want to forget a single item. Alarm clock, clothing, shoes... all in my trusty backpack. Finally I was set to go- and a trip downstairs, checking out with the night receptionist, and I was back on the road in Càdiz.

It was a short walk to the bus station, admist several groups of young Spaniards leaving discotecas. The city was dark and quiet for the most part, as I longingly tried to see the ocean in the dark. But to no avail- ah well, I`d just have to wait until the sun rose.

I waited at the bus station with several people, hugging my backpack as a temporary pillow, as the hum of buses soon approached. I wondered, would I get to Gibraltar today? Would I make it back in time to Granada, or would I have to overnight there? Would this all work out? I didn`t know the bus schedule in Algeciras, but the question plagued my mind as I sat next to my equally tired early-risers. I was confident thought- hadn`t I made it this far to Càdiz on my own? Surely my luck would continue?

My questions still buzzing in my head, I climbed aboard the bus with three other passengers, and picked a window seat where I knew the sun wouldn`t shine in my eyes. (I`m getting experienced at this bus traveling business.) Soon we were pulling out of the Càdiz, and the early morning light granted me a few glimpses of the ocean as I pulled out of town.

It felt like a 101 stops until Càdiz, but surprisingly we got there at about 9 AM- I had expected the trip to be considerably longer. But what about La Linea, the line to Gibraltar? I studied the bus times at the familiar station, (from Morocco) and to my delight, one was to depart at 9:30 AM. It couldn`t have worked out better!

9:30 AM had me on a small town-bus, with a 2 Euro fee to take the under half an hour ride. There was definately a good group of people on the bus, but I managed to steal a seat for myself. I could barely hide a smile as the bus pulled out of the station- I felt very accomplished! But I wasn`t there yet, so I tapped my fingers against the window, impatient and excited to see this world famous rock.

Algeciras soon was behind us, and far off in the distance, a small mountain.. no.. not a mountain, a rock! Gibraltar! I stared at it in amazment at the size, wondering how on Earth I was going to cover all that in day! Would it be easy, hard? I flipped through Let`s Go!, and it assured me that a tour of Gibraltar wouldn`t be days and days. That was good news!

The bus pulled into a small station, and I hustled off that bus, eager to start my day. Let`s Go!, my dear companion, instructed me to just walk straight for the rock. I stepped outside, turned to my right, and there was.. the Rock:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4793.jpg

I followed my way along the fence, coming up to the customs station. Maybe I just dealt with the USA customs system too long, because getting into Gibraltar was a piece of cake! They took one look at my passport, and pretty much ushered me in. No stamp, no nothing! Maybe I have benefits as an American?

More likely a tourist.

Anyhow, I was in Gibraltar, and I had to go see that rock! A bunch of Taxi Tours lay just beyond the passport station, and I remembered reading in Let`s Go! that it was a good way to see all the sights of the Rock relatively quickly. Well, I had also read about the cable cars, so I opted to go check out the cars first, and if I changed my mind I could always come back.

I figured the best way to find the cable cars would be to simply walk straight to the huge rock. So I did- but not without having to cross an airplane runway:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4794.jpg

An airplane runway, you say- why on Earth would you be crossing that? I`ll tell you why- Gibraltar isn`t big enough to have the runway elsewhere, so the one they have cuts across the road. Think of a railroad crossing or a bridge crossing in a car.. now think that with airplanes... got it? Yep, that`s pretty much how it was.

I hustled across the runway, not wanting to linger incase British Airways tried to dive-bomb me. The walk had me soon at the other side, where a large sign proudly declared:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4795.jpg

Yes, but where`s Monty Python on that rock, I ask?

I continued to follow the traffic, always keeping my eyes targeted on the Rock. Go to the rock, find the cable cars. Go to the rock, find the cable cars. Go to the....

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4796.jpg

Toto, I don`t think we are Kansas anymore.

The sight of the red telephone had me laugh out loud- I didn`t have to go to Rome to see Roman ruins, and I really didn`t have to go to England to see.. England!

I continued down the street, a sign pointing ahead to the city center, and also to the cable cars. I was on track, and always keeping my eye targeted on the Rock:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4797.jpg

Then the road began bend to the right, and a sign pointed me to the left. Well, a sign wouldn`t lie, (usually) so I veered left. I saw several other locals go through, so I felt a bit better leaving the main road.

I however, was a bit stumped when I was led up to this:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4798.jpg

I cast a wary eye back to the sign- was it lying to me? But I walked up and investigated the plaque, which talked about its history and how it was built to connect to the city center. Alright, I`ll bite- simply for the sake of walking through the cool tunnel.

Dun dun dun...! Going to Narnia, BRB (be right back!)

But amazingly enough, the tunnel practically took me to Narnia- or rather, the modern setting of the heart of the small town. I walked for a good 40 minutes through the cobblestone streets, seeing such signs as `Queen`s Way`or other equally British sounding terms. I passed by closed shops, old houses, and some shiny looking cannons along the way:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4799.jpg

Everything was written up in English.. it felt surreal to be reading something other than Spanish!
I was soon wondering if I was still lost, but thankfully a sign pointed ahead to the cable cars. I followed a bending road, and finally came up to the station for the cars. It was hard to miss- a huge cable extended up from the small booth, and went straight up the mountain. I walked inside the outdoor both, and checked the prices.

9 pounds for a 1 way ticket up... I chewed my teeth at that. The pound is to the Euro like the Dollar is to the Euro- it`s about 1.5 more. Well, I was looking for a cheaper route than that! I decided that the round-trip taxi tour sounded more favorable to my itinerary, (and faster!) so I decided to make my way back to where I had seen the taxi lot before.

On my way back, I did stop briefly at what was a 18th century graveyard, as it was too cool to miss out on-but only to snap a photo, as I had a schedule to stick on!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4803.jpg

Soon I was back at the aiport tarmac, but to my surprise the traffic and walkers were stopped. I walked up to the gate to see who was causing all the fuss:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4806.jpg

(can you see the culprit?)

The landing was relatively quick, however- I had came just in time to see it taxi by. British Airwarys, with direct flights to London.. was only a 5 minute walk away!

I finally caught sight of the border, and I hustled up to try and figure out how about I was going to get on a tour. There! Two taxi`s lied ahead, next to a big red sign, that declared this was it. I went up to the sign, but it read: ¨minimum of 4 people.¨Ah! What was I to....

Wait! I turned quickly around, and saw a bunch of people getting into a taxi van. It couldn`t help to ask, would it? I approached the driver, and I didn`t speak barely a word when he read my mind.

¨Want to take the Gibraltar tour?¨

¨Uh....Yes!¨

He gestured for me to sit up front, after informing me of the 25 Euro fee... not a bad price at all! He informed the other passengers I would be joining them, and quickly made his way to the front of the van, as I climbed into the adjoining seat. And then we were off!

Our driver introduced himself as a native to Gibraltar, as it wasn`t hard to tell with his heavy British accent! The rest of my group was all a family, hailing all the way from Singapore! They were several young people and an older looking couple in the mash..I guess they took everyone along!

The friendly driver then asked me where I was from, and I in turn said the US. The Singapores got really excited when I mentioned that- one of them begin talking to me about how he had visited Yosemite last week, and several other US cities. Wyoming! It was nice to hear some US cities being talked about!

The taxi soon passed all the places I had before, and simply recollected how I had been walking through there not an hour before. Our taxi driver talked a bit about the history of Gibraltar- how it got founded by the British, (or stolen, however you look at it.) and how much natives really don`t like Spain.. to this day! Gibraltar has always been a place of conflict between Spain and England, so I guess even now they would still hold some old grudges!

Our taxi made a sharp turn, and then we were climbing up the Rock in the van- everyone slanting slightly back at the incline. The city below us began to grow smaller, as the white van pulled us farther and farther away. We only finally stopped as we reached a entry gate, and our driver went to go pay our entrance fees, encouraging us to go out and explore. Camera in tow, I hopped out, the other family just a breath behind me. A large sign stood out, declaring Gibraltar a historic and mythological site:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4812.jpg

The plaque talked about how ancient seafarers referred the Rock as one of the tasks of Hercules, and supposedly also represented the end of the world. I guess they were a bit off, with all of Africa below! But my gaze drew away from the sign, and I approached the windy lookout point, which looked over the clear, blue Mediterranean ocean:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4809.jpg

What`s that piece of land on the left, you might ask? Well our Tour Guide explained it as thus: In Gibraltar, you could logically see three different continents: Spain to the right, us being on `England´, and to the left, was Morocco, Africa! It was cool to see Morocco again, considering just a few weeks ago I was there!

Our group snapped up some pictures, and a gesture from our Tour guide had us moving back into the cool, air-conditioned car. We began to drive upwards again, and I was mentally very thankful I had taken the easier tour. Many people were up walking up the mountain, and I`ll tell you, it was some sort of hot in Gibraltar- so I had gotten the better deal after all, which made me feel happy about not taking the cable car!

Our next stop was to visit a large cave, and our driver handed us our entry tickets- our passage into of Gibraltar`s sights. Entering the cave was a welcoming way to escape the heat, but not a 5 minute walk down into the gloom and wet, my jaw literally fell off my face:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4814.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4818.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4825.jpg

It was HUGE! Hundreds of hundreds of Stal... Stalaga...Stalactites! hung down from the ceiling, a work of Nature for thousands of years. A recording of a violin played in the background of the cave, and illuminated lights made the entire area literally come to life. It was hard to take all of it in at the first glance... every which way you`d look would be another form of natural art. It was so insane!

I climbed up and down staring at all the stalactites, as a carved in sign indicated that in the Ancient World, many Greeks and later Romans had come here and thought that not only was this the end of the world, this also marked the beginning of Hades. It was easy to see why...the gasping chasm of darkness would have anyone thinking this was the underworld!

We spent about an half an hour browsing the cool and constantly dripping cave, and then I began an upward climb to walk back into the heat of the day. I passed through a metal gate, which lead straight into a tourist shop. Well, the others still weren`t back, so I guess I could shop for a-

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4828.jpg

Wait.. is that a monkey?

Lo and behold, there was a famous ape of Gibraltar! It was simply sitting right outside the door! Wow- I definately did not see that one coming! I took my camera out as a typical tourist and began shooting pictures, when the monkey suddenly walked inside the complex. It had no fear of me or the other tourists taking pictures, opting to sit down and study us as well:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4833.jpg

It camped out for quite some time, and I began to wonder.. why was the monkey simply looking us over? Was there some kind of.... whoah!

Suddenly the monkey sprinted straight at the door- I`d never seen a mammal move that fast, despite a cheetah on the discovery channel! There was a young kid with his family in tow, and the monkey literally jumped on top of the kid! Like a ninja or something! My heart stopped as I thought this was an act of monkey rage, (ever seen 28 days later?) but it suddenly ran up the next building, a red object in its hand. The kid wasn`t crying- in fact he just looked confused to what happened, and I scaled around to see what the monkey had done:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4836.jpg

Well, it looked as the monkey had kung-fu`d the kid, and ended up with a tasty Pringles snack. I had heard the monkeys here had no fear, and would steal any food that looked tasty enough, but this was definately a bit more than I was expecting!

My group finally came out of the class, and we all made our way to the van, I having the delight of retelling my tale of monkey thievery. Our tour guide nodded as I explained along- he regarded the Apes as pests, and I could see why! However, as pesty as they are, there is a superstition about them- as long as there are Apes on Gibraltar, the Brits will stay-but soon as they leave, so will the English- so as long as they are there, I guess the monkeys stay too!

We drove a short ways up from St. Michael`s Caves, and soon approached a monkey area, where fruit and a small house had been set up to attract them. We climbed out to get even closer to these frisky animals, as once again they displayed no fear of humans, even one crazy monkey jumping briefly on a woman`s head!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4839.jpg

(on the car.. crazy monkeys!)

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4840.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4846.jpg

I luckily had no monkey related incidents- but I also left all my more interesting things back in the car, as I didn`t want a monkey carting off something of mine. But the monkey habitat also offered a great view of not only Apes, but the busy port of Gibraltar. Even today this town continues to be an important shipping area, and below you can see exactly how busy it was that Sunday:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4837.jpg

Our last stop on the Taxi Tour was to visit the great Siege Tunnels, so we hastily made our way back into the large, white van to have enough time to get a good tour of it in. They were a couple of sharp, narrow turns away from the monkey site, but I began to hunch exactly what these Siege Tunnels for when we arrived at the front of the area:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4849.jpg

Siege eh..? Notice how the cannon is pointing at Spain. The tour guide wasn`t kidding about the long battle that has been fought for sovereignty in Gibraltar- back in the day, it was a little less peaceful.. apparently!

I lead the way inside the cave, my other tourists following behind as usual. Our tour guide went to chat off with another taxi-car driver, as I soon entered yet another dark, dim area:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4850.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4852.jpg

The siege tunnels were really interesting to walk through, as Gibraltar had shined up the cannons, lighted it with electricity, and planted different historical dolls and information all over the place:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4851.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4854.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4856.jpg
(that sign cracked me up.)

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4857.jpg
(said gun)

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4861.jpg

(much more on photobucket!)

The Siege Tunnels have been in use since the late 1700`s against Spain and other countries who dearly wanted want the Rock as a strategic point- however, with the tunnels, Great Britain was extremely succesful- enemies would try and bomb the Rock, only hitting off some trees, maybe an Ape, and a bunch of rocks- when the British would fire from the small holes in the tunnels, they`d hit a ship.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4880.jpg

An excellent way to conduct defense!

Also along the way, I learned that not only was the tunnels used for 16th-17th warfare, it was also used from more recent defense purposes..WW2! Apparently, Great Britan used the tunnels once more as a front against Nazi Germany, evacuating the locals and setting up a military base there. That would explain the 40`s looking tunnel I had walked through before!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4866.jpg

Not so sure they had water bottles like that back in the day...

The tour through the tunnel was really, and I could only think of the guys back home that would love to have seen it! (Hence, why I took practially a picture of every historical reference.) Dad, Brian, how about we go back and tour the Tunnels, and me and Mom can go see the crazy Apes?

After getting a good feel for the Tunnels, we then all hopped back in the car, and the taxi drove us back down to the center. The Singapore family wanted to tour more of the city, but I recalled there was a 2:15 bus to Granada that left from La Linea, and it was coming on 1:30, and I wanted to catch it! So the taxi driver dropped them off, and a short wait at the airport tarmac later, I was disembarking from the taxi at the customs line. I waved farewell to the friendly driver, having had an awesome time! I recommend highly taking the Taxi Tour if you are ever there- I had a blast!

I went through customs relatively fast, and before I knew it, I was back at the bus station. I was extremely pleased that I had gotten there early enough- I had planned to buy a ticket to Màlaga, and then try and get a ticket back to Granada-however, I was spared the hassle and given the peace of mind when I just got a direct ticket! I didn`t wait for long- not 20 minutes later the bus pulled up, and the large group of us hopped on the bus.

It was a 5 and half hour ride back to Granada, but I spent most of it listening to my Ipod, staring at my beloved pictures, and then giving a quick call back home to recollect my travels with my family. The bus stopped several times along the way, but mostly followed the winding road next to the sea, so it was also a scenic ride to boot!

About 7:30 pm, I as finally back home in Granada, Spain- just in time to go home, unpack, and have dinner wiht my host family- and retell all the exciting things I had done that weekend! I went to bed at about 10 PM, since I was beyond exhausted. But all in all, I had a really, really fun time this weekend! Definately was one of the big highlights of my stay in Spain- my first time taking a `vacation`by myself, and honestly, it all worked out in my favor! Two beautiful cities, and a memories to last me a lifetime. You can`t ask for anything better than that!

(I`ll stop here, and tommorrow pick up with a new journal entry that`ll cover what I`ve been doing this week, and my weekend plans! Stay tuned!)

Until next time!

The Càdiz and Gibraltar Adventure! Part 1!

Hiya Blog readers! I hope you all had a great fin de semana, (weekend) because boy, I sure had a wonderful one! And this blog gives me all the leisure to write about it! Hurrah! Exciting exciting!

So let`s see.. I`ll retrogress as usual, step back in time and whatnot- all the way back to Friday evening, just a couple of hours before showtime!

Friday night was mostly waiting around for me. I was terrified I would miss my 3 AM bus, so that night I opted to not sleep at all- easier said than done! I paced around my room, I drew, I did pushups, I all but jumped to the ceiling. Trying to stay awake after getting little sleep from the many things I had been doing (concert, arab baths) was a bit of a challenge!

1 AM rolled around, and I decided to head out- I wanted to be there a little early, and I definately wanted to stay awake! So I grabbed my trusty school backpack, my camera, and walked out of my homestay into the night sky of Granada.

Walking to the bus station took me about 45 minutes, since it is on the other side of town! Of course, being Spain, a bunch of people were still out and about as I walked the long way there. I opted to follow more of the main roads, as I wanted to stick to the lighted areas- no need to wander through a dark shortcut and get lost! But soon I was entering into the bus station, and a bit more refreshed and awake from when I had been struggling at home.

2 AM came and went, and I paced in the bus station- all but hoping my bus would soon arrive so that I might run aboard and pass out. It didnt come till about 10 minutes before 3, and a seat change later I was in the the bus. Surprisngly, the bus was quite full- but I think that had more to do with that it had come from Cartagena. But I didnt pay much attention-I was just happy to settle down and try to sleep.

I dozed from a good portion of the trip, only waking when the bus stopped in Seville, and most of the passengers disembarked from there. I then took advantage of having a row to myself, and promptly went back to sleep from there.

When next I decided to awake, my wristwatch clearly displayed 8:15 AM. I only had gotten about 5 hours of sleep, but somehow I still felt refreshed all the same. My bus was empty besides a couple of passengers, and it was a nice way to wake up-all quiet on the bus front.

I stared out my window for remaining hour, watching the countryside whizz past with dozens of olive fields. Brown, rolling landscape and the green trees made the hour go by fast- I was entertained by trying to count rows, and watching the occasional billboard zoom by.

But suddenly the hills morphed away, and lo and behold, the ocean zoomed into my point of view. I sat up higher in my seat, becoming extremely interested at seeing the endless blue- this wasn`t just an ocean, but the Atlantic Ocean.. the same one that sits on shore back home in Florida.

When we first entered into town, it reminded me a lot of Chincoteague, Virginia- lots of marshland, and reeds sticking out of the water. But as soon as we entered into the city, the buildings loomed over, and between them the glance of the beautiful deep blue sea.

Our bus finally rolled into the small bus station, and the few of us hastily climbed out to stretch our legs after a very long night. I went to go buy a ticket to Algeciras the next morning at 6:45, as really wanted to get to Gibraltar early, and Algeciras was right next door. The tender was open, and 10 Euros later, the ticket was mine. Now back to the business of exploring Càdiz!

I had seen the tourist booth as we had pulled in, and thus made my way across the quiet morning street to sit in front of it and wait. The booth didn`t open till 10, so I had about a 20 minute wait before I could hop inside. I opted to munch on one of the small cornbread-like treat I had brought for breakfast, and shoo away lurking pigeons to occupy my time.

Soon enough the tourist reception was open, and I entered in the bright, happy looking place. The staff was extremely friendly, and immediately after asking them for a map, they gave me a wonderful map, and about 10 brouchers about what to do.. in English! (My accent must give me away.) They then proceeded to explain to me how to use the map, as it not only had everything marked on it, it had highlighted roads to follow. There were 5 different roads, each one representing different parts of history- for example, the Trading to the Indies historical route, or the Medieval route. It was extremely tourist friendly!

From there, I wanted to go check and see about a hostal for the night. I had read in my Let`s Go! Book about one that offered rooftop hammocks for 10 Euro night, and for only one night, it had sounded like a fun and rather cheap deal! I then walked down the main road as traffic began to pick up, as the morning was steadily progressing through.

I easily found the hostal I was looking for, however, the bright blue doors were locked shut. I knocked on the knocker, but no answer. Hm. Maybe they didn`t open their doors till 12? I decided to try my luck later, and see if I couldn`t get a room or hammock for the night.

From there, I headed back to the huge plaza building I had seen that morning, and snapped a shot, impressed with it`s official looking front:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4697.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4699.jpg

The building was a governmental building of some sort, (I read the plaque early in the morning, and the information about it escapes me EDIT: I wikipedia it, and its the town hall!) and it dominated the whole plaza with its beautiful flags of Spain, Andalucia, and Càdiz flapping in the ocean wind.

My eye caught over to the adjoining part, which had an old bell tower still attached:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4698.jpg

The plaque talked how it used to be part of an old church, and was one of the only parts still remaining of it- the government building had protected this small part by adding it on, and it definately clashed dark against the pale color of the other. It definately made an interesting picture and eye catcher!

I then pulled out my map, and traced the closest historical route- the Route to the Indies. Being an American, I had to see this-the foundations of Europeans living in the Americas, going on have descendants, which makes who I am today!

The walk was barely 5 minutes until I ran into some more old churches, and buildings. Some were built pre-Indies period, but most of them were built after. All the money, gold, and riches Càdiz brought in from the Americas made the city turn into a hotspot overnight, which is reflected in the tall and beautiful sculptured buildings:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4700.jpg

Each one of them had a little sign to read more information about this signs, and also a little dot where on the route you were. A completely free tour of Càdiz- and I didn`t have to pay a cent to hire a tour guide!

I walked up and read a bunch of different signs, each one telling me when and why the individual buildings were built- however, it was a bittersweet tribute all the same- the thought that kept plaguing my mind was that all the funding for these beautiful buildings was mostly taken from a dead native. I guess I learned history a bit different with Dad growing up, which paints a more realistic picture than happier, glorious one that we associate with the golden age of exploration.

But all the same, very impressive!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4701.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4704.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4705.jpg

(gorgeous stained glass windows!)

I continued walking down the Indies route, but somehow the route overlapped with the Medival route, and I came upon an extremely old looking entryway:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4706.jpg

Definately before the trading to the Indies!

I passed through the large archway, double checking to make sure I hadn`t accidentally wandered off the Indies route- but no, I was still on it- and a huge tribute to it was smack dab in front of me, a huge tribute both to God and the golden age of Càdiz.. Càdiz`s Catedral!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4713.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4714.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4715.jpg

It definately wasn`t as big as the Catedral back in Granada, but the two different art forms that made up the huge church made for a definate stop and looksee. I scaled up the large steps, inspecting the front door- I had read that the Church had been started and completed in two different time periods in Spanish history, so the church reflected a difference in artistic taste- I wasn`t sure exactly what those arts were, but the color change halfway up was good enough indication for me. (I want to say neoclassic and something else... but so much has passed these couple of days, remembering specific information is super hard!)

I wanted to enter in the looming building, but the main doors were still closed for the morning, so I made to continue back on my route. But a sign right next door caught my wandering eye, happily displaying a large sign in both English and Spanish: Come visit the Torre, and see all Càdiz!

The bait was set out, and I immediately walked into the open door, fishing through my backpack to find my student ID for a discount. The ID found, I walked up to the door to the receptionist. She informed me it would only be 3 Euros, and if I was also interested in visiting the nearby archealogical museum? 6 Euros later, I had two tickets- one for the tower, and one for the museum. Excited I had things to see, I made my way up to the top- after a quick question of I wanted my audio in English, which I insisted be in Spanish, to the delight of the receptionist.

I climbed up the stairs, my mind wandering to a time I had made a similar climb in a lighthouse- but I am sure the lighthouse was not made of the same material as this old rocky one! A small metal rail was implanted into the side, indicating that this was a fairly recent addition. Having a good sense of balance is a must to scale up this winding staircase!

But finally, the stuffy air cleared with a cool breeze, and walking out of the dark staircase, I came up to the tower, with several bells guarding the tower and looking over the beautiful white city of Càdiz:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4712.jpg

I began to look all over the city, but suddenly a loud recording began to play, startling me for half a moment. The tower had a small radio nearby that was the location of this mysterious sound, and as I began to listen along, it began to tell me about the history of Càdiz, and all the different interesting sights to see! It covered pretty much everything, from Columbus to every church of historical value built, and as it talked along, I snapped pictures of every angle:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4707.jpg

(on the left part of the church, on the right the sea looking out to the New World.. eerie!)

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4708.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4709.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4710.jpg

(more on photobucket!)

I really enojyed doing the audio tour, and I spent a good half an hour just staring from all the angles, trying to get a good feel for the layout for the city. But I still had a museum to visit, so with a silent farewell to the quiet tower, I scaled back down the stoney steps, and made my way around the church.

Next was the visit to an archealogical museum, and unfortunatly I was not allowed to take any photos of the area. That just means allof you will have to go and visit for yourselves! Description wise, it was a huge complex with thick, glass staircases so that you can literally `walk`over the site of an anicent Roman complex, as well as some Phoenician structures too. It was incredible to walk and look under my feet, to see aquaducts and edificies, stables, and more. All original, all lying there below the ground, for guests to step back and be amazed at how society progressed in the olden days. Very neat!

I spent a good time walking through the entire museum, and then it was back in the sunshine of Càdiz. It was quite sunny outside, but not horribly hot with the cool ocean breeze that continuously winded through the many buildlings. From there, I decided to go visit the Roman theatre, which during my audio tour I had managed to locate its general direction.

5 minutes later, and a couple of steps up, I had found the theatre. It actually wasn`t where I thought it was, so I pretty much found it on accident. I entered into the complex, (free entry as well!) and lo and behold, the 2nd largest intact Roman theatre in the world lay just below me:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4716.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4717.jpg

Sneaking past a slow moving tour group, I waltzed down the stairs, and headed for front and center of the anicent theatre. It was hard not imagine performing for a live audience while I was down there...anyone for a bit of a Midsummer`s Night Dream?

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4719.jpg

I then walked through the tunnel behind the theatre, as other people studying the stone layout, I was definately more interested in seeing the actual length.. it did indeed wrap around the entire structure!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4720.jpg

The complex wasn`t too big, so I was only in there for less than 45 minutes, but all the same.. I`m still amazed how many Roman ruins in Spain! You really don`t have to go Rome to see Roman Ruins!

I walked across the street, checking out what looked like another Roman theatre, only to realize it was only a circular shaped sports complex. But I wasn`t deterred: the ocean was right next to it, so I camped on the walkway and ate a bocadilla (sandwhich), a peach and small juice my host mom had nicely packed for me! Yum!

After finishing my tasty meal, I decided to finally get back on track, and finish the rest of the Indies Route. I made my way back to the front of the Catedral, but to my happiness, the doors of the great church were now open. So, I was once again distracted away from continuing along route, and heading inside to check it out:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4722.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4734.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4728.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4725.jpg

(more on photobucket!)

It reminded me a lot of the Catedral in Granada, but it definately had a different charm and setting about it. Different paintings, settings, and even rooms simply for religious officials of the Catholic Church. A huge organ with wooden decorations, and large scale monuments to Jesus and Mary.... a very Catholic Church, indeed! All of the different carvings of stone depicted saints, priests, and angels all around. It was very similar in the aspect of Granada`s Catedral when I had visited before , but I didn`t recollect in Granada there being a crypt underneath the church!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4727.jpg

It was a definately gloomy dark down there, and a rather realistic looking wax-woman lying dead in a crypt made me stare for a couple of hair raising seconds. I remembered hearing that art went through a revolution of realism back in the day.. and I can firmly say it looked pretty realistic. Eeech!

The rest was quite dark and hard to get good pictures of, but the rest were small, simple stones with names and dates of religiously affliated persons. I was soon climbing back into the cheerful light of the rest of the Catedral, and spent the rest of the time looking at all the paintings and sculptures.

With a quick recommandation from the receptionist of the Church, and the promise of free entry, I walked to the other side of the Church to check out its museum:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4738.jpg

(one of the many hallways full of paintings)

There were tons of paintings, religious icons, and a good deal of golden looking statues. Religious organizations have always been excellent at preserving different parts of history, and walking through every level of this enclosure gave me a wealth of knowledge of the progression of Càdiz Church. The later the dates became, the better and wealthier looking the trinkets became... all related to the conquest of the Americas!

After touring the Catedral`s history, I simply walked into a church right next door. It was a smaller church, not as grand and big as the cathedral, but still impressive and historical:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4741.jpg

The thing that caught my attention most was the columns holding up the roof. As I had learned in Cordoba, the Moors liked to use geometric shapes, and they made archways in the shape of palm trees. I am 99% certain that this little church wasn`t always a church- in fact, I was pretty sure this had been a mosque before!

The time was going well into the afternoon, and after visiting the small church, I figured it would be a good time as any to try my luck out at the cute looking hostal I had seen before. Càdiz isn`t too big, so it only took me a matter of 20 minutes before I was back in the front part of the hostal. This time I got in, but unfortunately, the placed was packed full of accented youth. A quick inquiry later had me walking out, hastily flipping through my book. My hostal was full up.. where next!?

Let`s Go!, my constant friend, suggested that I try going to Pension España. A little more expensive than the 10 Euros I had wanted, but when I went, the price was 30 Euros for a night. I was just happy I was able to get a room after my first disappointment, and I wasn`t willing to go hostal hunting to find out all the rooms were full! So I filled out a quick sheet with the pension`s owner, and then proceeded to organize my things into my room:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4789.jpg

After inspecting my quaint room, and discovering a shower down the hall, I then flipped open my book to figure out what to do next. I wanted to try and go to the beach, but a reccomendation to not miss the Museum of Càdiz had me itching to visit. (also free for students!) So I changed into my bathing suit, threw some clothing over my traje de baño, and left my room to explore more!

A couple of winding roads later, I found the grand museum, and immediately checked in with my student ID. I got a brouchure and a ticket of entry, and I was soon exploring the great museum. What was extremely awesome about this museum was that all of these were originals- no reproductions at all! I took several pictures of what I could, but most I could not take pictures of just because of preservation purposes!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4744.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4746.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4748.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4750.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4755.jpg

(intact Phoenician sarcophogi! Incredible!!! More pictures on photobucket!)

The next two levels of the large museum had both old and modern paintings, from people to religious imagery, to great ship battles to displays of puppets. It was definately incredible to see these oil paintings, and guards were littered everywhere, inspecting to make sure I wasn`t an art thief. I was really happy to visit this museum, because every single piece in there was authentic!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4753.jpg

(hopefully not this one!)

After my intellectual stimulating trip to the museum, it was well time to go relax at the beach. I shucked my belongings on my suitcase (aka my backpack) and followed where the breeze took me. It led me straight to the port, where I watched some ships head out to see- the port of Càdiz is still open, and being the oldest known European civilization still inhabited, it`s the best in the business!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4758.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4759.jpg

I walked along the old paseo, enjoying different sights along the way such as magnificient gardens, cannons, and a bit more of the beautiful ocean.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4761.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4763.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4764.jpg

I traveled down the long paseo for a good while, until it finally opened into a beach area. But that didn`t catch my eyes: moreso were the two castles stoically perched around the beach:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4766.jpg

I entered in the one closest to me, on the right, and ran amuck in one of Spain`s older castles, a guard against invading British, pirates, and CSU football players:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4767.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4769.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4771.jpg

(of course, more on photobucket... but you knew that was coming, didn`t you!)

It was definately a lot of fun to imagine myself as a Spanish soldier overlooking the ocean, though I`m not so sure I would have enjoyed staying up all night to make sure no one invaded the place!

The beach was teeming with people and children, but I had to go see the other castle before I could readily partake in the festivities. The other castle was quite a long walk: to get to it, you have to take a long bridge way out into the water to get there. I was a bit hungry and tired when I finally reached its gates, but to my disappointment... it was closed! auggh!!!

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4784.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4785.jpg

It was a bit of disappointment to walk all that way and it not be opened, but I at least counted it as good exercise! Even though I was beyond starving!

I walked the long way back, but I did get to study the newer part of Càdiz (Càdiz is divided into an old part and a new part) Strangely enough... it remind me a lot of Ft. Lauderdale:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/natalia_en_espana/IMGP4786.jpg

I finally made it the oceanside, and I hopped down to put my feet back into the Atlantic. I opted not to go swimming: the beach was very far from the water, and the thought of leaving my belongings unattended was too nerve wracking for me.

It was soon hitting around 8 PM, so I decided to locate the Carrefour express, and do some quick lunch shopping for my trip to Gibraltar. After buying a ample supply of nuts, candy, and bananas, (a complete 3 day meal for a student) I treated myself to a paella dinner at a nearby restaurant. I`ll have to say it wasn`t as good as the one in Nerja, but all the same, delicious!

The clock chimed 9, and I headed home to my hostel after a long and fun day in Càdiz. I took my shower, brushed my teeth, packed, and changed into my outfit for the next day. I set my travel alarm clock for 5:30 AM and then proceeded to hop into bed... and not even 5 minutes later, I was dead asleep. But all in all, an extremely successful day in my 2 part trip!

*From here, I`ll stop the entry, and continue with Part 2, which will consist of my adventure to Gibraltar and beyond! Stay tuned! :)*

Until next time!