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The biology students took a 3 day trip into the Pitarque Mountains. Our little 12 passenger van chugged along a winding, curvy road to the top, passing several quaint mountain towns precariously perched at the peaks and sides of lower mountains as we headed further and further north. The mountains were breathtaking. Our final destination was Boixar, a little town of population 7. We unloaded at things at a hostel in the town. I believe that the hostel was just about filled to capacity by our group of 14 people.
I couldn't have asked for more from the hostel. Our host was friendly, and the food was absolutely incredible. I had the best yogurt dessert I have ever had. We had several course meals for breakfast and dinner and a freshly made sandwich for lunches.
A few girls and I explored the village after arriving. There were cows and sheep all over the place in the pasture fields (set up like steppes), and a shepherd with his dog (yeah) walked up the hill past us. I petted his dog. Yay! We also met one of the locals who decided on the spot to give us a tour of the
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The elevator in the university...it was a tight squeeze!washing areas (for clothing), gardens, and a couple other interesting parts of the village.
As for the work we did while there...our assignments were to evaluate the landscape and choose a field of study, something to research, something to draw a conclusion about within a day and half...a tough task, if you ask me. We could have researched pine cone distribution, pond and aquatic invertebrates, successional plant species...the list goes on. My partner Lorin and I decided to research...snails. Oh yes.
During the research, the weather was cold and rainy. I brought my fleece and a thin rain coat, but most of the students were pretty bummed about the weather. Luckily, after a long day in the field, we could crash next to a fire with a warm cup of coffee in our hands. (A small cup, though...too bad it was the American size coffee.)
We collected 710 snails, counted each and every one of them, and examined them for signs of predation. Needless to say, I was dreaming and thinking of snails every waking moment. At one point, one of our live snails escaped from the bag and caused pandemonium amongst the students and professors. =D
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The color of this lake simply could not be captured in a photograph. It was awesome. Actually, my professor walked up as a few students were watching the escaped snail crawl along a ruler , debating its racing capabilities, when my professor realized a snail had *escaped* and demanded that they **catch it**! I laughed. Also, apparently bees huddle down inside vacated snail shells during colder seasons. Since we brought the shells inside (in plastic bags), I suppose it was warm enough for the bees to be become active...it was a strange feeling to pick up a dead snail and feel it buzz. Most of the bees crawled out into the bag, so I was able to set the bag outside and not personally encounter those bees. Ew.
As we headed back to Valencia after a long three days, I again gazed out at the mountains as we headed back down and appreciated the beauty. I'd miss the mountains. But I knew that the adventures would continue...two other girls and I were scheduled to leave for ROME, ITALY that night!
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