June 28, 2009 - July 04, 2009 I went to a bullfight with Michel, Patricia, Michel's friend Paul and girlfriend, whose name I've forgotten. I was near tears when the first bull was killed, but after the third, it somehow seemed completely normal. (Desensitization in action!) There were six, and it was gruesome, but there really is some artistry in the way that the matador moves. The guy in the gold and red was FANTASTIC. If my camera hadn't died, I'd have video'd him. The night photos of Plaza de la Virgen was, I think, my last night in Valencia. I went out, got a meal, and took photos of it just for memory's sake. Before, I had been there with Patricia, Michel, and Michel's girlfriend, I think. We hung out there a bit before going ... read more

June 14, 2009 - June 20, 2009 This week, I decided to be adventurous and try my hand at the Valencia tram system. Using my tram map, I hopped from line to line and figured out my way to the History of Valencia museum. Okay, I make that sound simple, but there were a few times that I got confused. Once I got to the benimaclet stop, I had to take the underground tram. When I came back up, I was by Corte Ingles (think of it as the Spanish Macy's), which I looked familiar, but it really means nothing, because there were multiple Corte Ingles-es (?) in Valencia. I walked around the store to catch my bearings and came face-to-face with the Valencia store that I'd been to before. Now, having figured out where I ... read more

Sunday morning, I overslept and had to rush out of the hostel before they charged me for an extra night. I made it to my bus stop and climbed on with my 29345792384 bags. Oy. My bus stopped near the beach and I walked towards the metro stop. BUT the ones I passed look like they didn't go back towards the school. O_o; So, I just kept walking. By the time I got to where the metro turns around and goes towards the school, I figured "Ah, I've already walked this far. It can't be long!" ¡Ay dios mío! I dragged those bags for ages. Honestly, it's not that long of a walk, but when you're carrying heavy bags, it's torture. :/ Anyway, I made it to my school and got all settled. I wanted to ... read more

Laura had to go to Barcelona on Friday to meet a friend so, I came on to Valencia. A few days earlier, she had helped me find a hostel online and make reservations. It was one of those "nest" hostels, but I got a room to myself. (Yay to no drunk college kids!) Now, this was how I planned my day to go: - Wake up at 6:30 and get ready. - Leave Laura's house early, go to bank, and take bus to train station. - Be in Valencia by 10, hopefully. - Drop luggage off at hostel. - Find Mestalla and wait for players to come out after practice. This is what happened: I kept pressing the snooze button on my phone and overslept. By the time I left her house, it was probably after ... read more

When I woke up, Laura and I had breakfast. I had flan, strawberry & banana milk, a cup of coffee, and Spanish nutella on toast. Very good, but I can't get over my carb guilt. (Oh, what have you done to me, Dr. Agatston?!) We watched Beverly Hills 90210, which I haven't seen in ages. Made me want to get all the seasons on netflix. Once it was over, we got ready to go out. I had forgotten to take my extra camera battery and it was low. :/ Laura let me borrow her camera, but I was nervous about looking touristy. (Need to get over that quick!) First, we walked to the stadium of Castellon's futbol team, but the shop was closed. After that, we walked around and learned that I always need to carry ... read more