Caceres - Trujillo - Guadalupe

We spent this past weekend on an API trip through the Extremadura region of Spain. Our first stop was a 2.5 hour bus ride to Caceres. We only stopped for a few hours to explore the city and as it was a bright and sunny day we enjoyed our time eating ice cream and strolling around. Not much too unique to see but it was a cute town. Then we hopped back on the bus and took a 45 minute drive to the Vostell Museum - a modern art museum created by German artist, Wolf Vostell. We had a tour which explained the meanings of the quite abstract pieces of art, mostly compiled of cars, cement and televisions. By the time we finished there it was almost 8pm and we still had an hour drive to Trujillo where we stayed the night. We arrived exhausted from the heat of the long day to find the most comfortable beds at our favorite NH hotel (converted from a castle!) Trujillo was a small village we didn't even have time to explore as we passed out by 10pm!

Map of trails

The next morning was our hiking day. We left Trujillo around 10am and drove to our starting point a few towns away. We stopped to grab water and snacks, then set off.

View from thehike

It was about a 5 hour hike to total, with some quick breaks and a lunch stop half way. The views were beautiful and the weather was ideal - sunny and hot! We stopped to eat lunch at el castaño, a one-thousand year old chestnut tree! Our hike had led us to a small town called Guadalupe, where we would be staying that night in the Monastary (partly converted into a hotel). Again, we were pretty beat. We showered and then crawled into bed for a bit, only waiting for dinner a few hours later. We were pretty tired but getting pretty hungry as well. We decided to grab a quick caña and tapa and explore the town while waiting for dinner. Well our "exploring" the town took about 10 minutes before we realized there was only a tiny downtown and the rest was residential. We wasted an hour chatting and munching and then headed back for dinner (with API at the hotel).

Our last day was pretty low key as well. We had a short tour of the monastery before more free time in the center. Since there wasn't much too do there we were all pretty eager to just hop in the bus and fall asleep as it was a long trip. Although it wasn't the most busy of trips it was definitely one of my favorites so far. It was a relaxing time all weekend and I was so exhausted each night that I had the most peaceful sleeps.

A few day trips here and there...

I thought I would have a break from traveling after Amsterdam but I still had a few short trips here and there before my most recent one to Caceres, Spain.

The Sunday after Amsterdam I went on a volunteer trip with API to a small town called San Estevan about an hour away in the mountains. We worked clearing a trail in the mountains with a few members of the community from the village. Then they invited us to their house for lunch after which was a great way to relax and regroup before heading out on a hike on another trail that brought us to the next town. The weather has gone from being rainy and cool to being summer in Vermont and it feels great! It was a beautiful day to be outside and the hike had really great views. Maria my director sent us an attachment that there was an article from the local paper there about our work...

Another day trip was a field trip we took to Madrid with our art history classes. The trip was meant to be to the Prado museum but we had the whole day and a free bus ride so Emily and I took advantage of it. We did actually visit the museum... for about 1.5 hours (as we've been there before) and looked at all the Spanish artists we've been studying - Federico de Madrazo, Vicente Lopez, Goya as well as the temporary exhibition on de Ribera. Then we left to get lunch - again at the little Thai place where we enjoyed spring rolls, Pad thai and sauted veggies with rice. It was a beautiful warm day so we headed off to visit the main park in the city, Parque del Retiro. On the way there we found a small book fair where we feeded off 1 and 2 euro books translated into Spanish. We spent the rest of the afternoon in el parque napping, walking, sunbathing and relaxing. It was a great way to spend our Wednesday free of classes and give us a break from our first real week in Salamanca since January.

Iamsterdam

A quick 4 days of classes, yoga & hanging out in Salamanca and then I was off again - to Amsterdam!
Thursday after class Emily and I scurried to make the bus to the airport. The first one was sold out so we were set back an hour and after last weeks scare of missing our flight home I was a frusterated and anxious to get to Madrid on time. All worked out in the end and after enjoying the commodities of our first real airline since arriving in Europe (aside from ryanair) we arrived in Amsterdam late that night. Reunion number 3! My friend Ali from UVM was our host this weekend as she had been studying in Amsterdam since January. She met us at the train station on bike and then directed us onto the right tram to get to her stop. We made it back to her apartment and although pretty tired we were excited to start our trip in Amsterdam by heading out for a bit that night. Unfortunately we were still on Spanish time where nightlife begins around 2am and around 2:30 we decided it wasn't worth it try and go out. Although I tried not to distract Ali too much from the schoolwork she needed to get done for Friday, we were up pretty late chatting and catching up which was nice for me.

Friday morning Emily and I ventured off to find some museums and explore a bit. Of course we first stopped at a grocery store and spent some time in there ooh-ing and aww-ing at all the goodies we can't find in Spain. As we left the supermarket to go picnic lunch the beautiful day we were expecting turned into cold grey clouds so we ate quickly and moved on to the museums. We visited the Rijksmuseum briefly as only one exhibit was opened and then spent a few hours at the Van Gogh Museum where they hosted a Picasso's Blue period exhibition as well. We then walked back towards the center to meet up with Ali. Ali showed us around a bit more and introduced me to some delicious fresh mint tea which I need to start making here. Although we did lots of exploring I have little to show for it, as my technology failed me that weekend. My phone died as Ali and I were speaking to meet up and my camera died later that day. The weather wasn't the best either this weekend but we managed to make it to an outside market where I found a tapestry to help warm up my room here in Spain. She also brought me to a bagel shop which may have been the highlight of my trip!

3 days in Salamanca, 3 days traveling!

Well again I have been slacking. It's been a busy past month of travels. It barely even felt like I was living nor studying in Salamanca anymore. Here begins my recap of the last month...

After arriving back from Rome on Sunday I had 3 days of classes and recouperating in Salamanca. That Wednesday I left for Madrid where I met my friend and fellow coworker chocolate lover, Ashleigh. Although I was a little groggy from a late night out on Tuesday I found my second wind as I got off the metro in Puerta del Sol and saw her waiting for me there. This was my first reunion with a fellow UVMer since January and I was so pleased to see a friendly familiar, face here in my new home. We had a lovely evening in Madrid, where Sam (Mom's cousin) and her fiancee took us to a cute and delicious Thai restaurant for dinner. This was the beginning of a very nostalgic weekend between food and friends.

Ashleigh and I strolled along some hip streets and stopped for coffee and to chat before we headed to the airport. We scheduled an early flight (6am) which had brought me to Madrid the eve before, and in addition to finding the cheapest flight possible we agreed to stay at the airport for the night rather than spending on a hostel. Around 12:30, the cafe was closing so we meandered off to find the bus stop for the all night shuttle to the hotel. We passed a few lovely, lit up fountains along the way before finding the landmark fountain we were searching for. After about a 20 minute wait the bus arrived. We arrived at the airport around 1 am. Here comes the surprise. It was packed with budget travelers like ourselves ready to settle in for the night for early flights. We couldn't even find a corner or wall spot and had to settle in by a pole. Unlike the other experienced airport bums, we lacked blow up water loungers and sleeping bags, and therefore had to make do with using our jackets to warm our bums on the cold floor. Fortunately I was so exhausted I managed to sleep for most of the early morning and around 5 we were able to get our tickets and move through security. The flight was nearly empty so we caught up on some more sleep sprawled out across a row of seats each.

Still exhausted when we finally landed in Valencia, we stopped by the hostel to drop off our luggage (couldn't check in for another hour) and wandered off in search of some breakfast. We wandered pretty well and found our new breakfast spot for the next two days - toast with oil and tomatoe and a coffe for only 2 euros! After breakfast we were able to check into our room where we proceeded to take a 5 hour siesta! Most of our Thursday had passed but we were now well rested for the rest of our trip. That night we met up with my friend Chantal from Germany whom I had studied with in Costa Rica almost 3 years prior. Reunion number 2! We strolled around for a while enjoying the warm Valencian coastal scene until spotting a cute outside seating area where we decided to grab dinner. We split a couple rounds of Sangria and I enjoyed ordering a custom salad with lots of fresh veggies. Dinner and good conversation was a great way to end our first night in Valencia.

Sangria & Salad Dinner Outside w/ Heat Lamps

Beach!

Friday we decided to venture to the beach! After about an hour of searching for the right bus stop though we were finally on route and it looked like the weather was not on our side. When hopped off the bus, excited to see the infinite ocean awaiting our arrival, the grey clouds had completely filled the sky and it had begun to drizzle on us. We made the most of it and walked along the beach searching for shells - although mostly found washed up cement. When the wind and drizzly rain finally got to be a bit much we amused ourselves by playing with the old excercise equiptment while waiting again for the bus.

One of the many parts of the market I enjoyed - cheese!

Earlier that morning though we had managed to take a shopping spree at the famous market. It was much bigger and more diverse than the market here in Salamanca, and I was in heaven! There we bought most of our food for the next few days. After our rainy adventure to the beach it was about 3pm and everything was closed for siesta so we headed back to the hostel to make lunch. We enjoyed cooking a delicous meal of grilled mushrooms, potatoes and asparagus, with cheese (pesto, herb, and semi-curado) and bread. With our bellys full and the goal of a relaxing weekend on the mind, we took another nap. Later we met up with Chantal again and got churros and chocolate before checking out the Iglesia in the center.

View of the church

Churro Stand!

Saturday was our last day in Valencia. We visited the Museum of Art and finally saw some sunshine as we were walking to the metro to head to the airport. I got my last churro (as I forgot to mention Churro stands were everywhere in Valencia) which I guess distracted me from our mapping. We ended up walking 20 minutes past the metro stop which led to lots of stress and anxiety 40 minutes later when we backtracked and realized we were cutting it pretty short to make it to our plane. After counting minutes and seconds for the many metro stops, running up escalators, cutting Ryanair check in lines, running to security, more running to the gate, we finally made it - on time! With the stress of missing our plane behind us, we relaxed and settled in for a quick journey back to Salamanca. After another weekend of travelling I was happy to be home again in Salamanca, although my next trip was planned 4 days later so I didn't have too much time to relax.