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We went a long way
But the trip there was worth it! Since we booked our trip to the Canary Islands in Januray, we never thought April 20 would come! But, it finally did, and the week was amazing!
Laura, Natalie and I left Granada the night before and took an overnight bus trip to Madrid, where we waited at the airport for our time to board our flight. By 3 pm that afternoon, we were checked into our hotel, only 150 meters from the ocean, and were sitting next to the pool soaking in the rays of the Canaries. Next to the coast of Africa, we knew the sun was a bit stronger than we were used to so sunscreen was a necessity, something Natalie and I would learn later!
The first night we were there, after traveling for 24 hours without much sleep, we went to bed early to prepare for a week at the beach! Our hotel room had a living room and a kitchen, which both proved useful, and the TV was mainly in German and French for the types of tourists that are found there. But, we caught CNN in English, and we mainly watched that the whole time we were there. Our balcony overlooked the
The nightlife of the Canarias
Looking from our balcony, we can see the dome of places calling our names after a long day at the beach! other side of the hotel and the discotecas and nightlife areas. Every night, after cleaning up from the beach, we´d open our balcony door and listen to the loud music play before heading out there ourselves.
The second day we woke up and ate breakfast, grabbed bottles of water and cool beach towels at a nearby store and walked down to the beach. It didn´t take us long to realize that the majority of people relaxing in the Canaries were older people, but we had fun nonetheless. The first day on the beach was a bit cloudy (which is why Natalie and I probably got a bit burnt the first day), so we spent half the day there and the other half at our hotel pool, where of course then the sun came out. A long day in the sun and a buffet supper later, we spent that evening in the nightlife scene. People were amazed that we were Americans....evidently no one from America ever comes to the Islands so we were treated like exotic royalty...quite a contrast from the prejudice we have at times experienced in Spain! We met people from all over and had a fun girls
Finally on the beach!
Nat and Laura taking in the sun on La Playa del Inglés night out!
The next few days followed suit and we spent our days on different beaches and watching all the interesting people, of all ages, nationalities and speaking all kinds of languages. Little did we know that our beach trip would be such a cultural experience! The beach was different than we imagined. Far away, the water was very blue, but up close it wasn´t because of the black sand that is found on the beaches. It is literally black and when combined with the white sand, forms a funny looking color of sand, with a very resilient consistency. We had fun swimming in the salty (sometimes, too salty) waves and feeling the different sand.
Sometimes after the beach we´d walk through the small town area and look at the dumb tourist stuff they were trying to sell, and once even stumbled upon an old people dance! We felt a little out of place, but we found it quite humorous.
The last night we were there, we went out early and sat at a karaoke bar where I sung three songs so I could win a free t-shirt. They announced that we were from America (some were
Wild waves!
Having fun chasing the waves enthused, but others weren´t) and asked where from. Sick of telling people states no one had heard of, Laura and I told people we were from NYC and California. People got so excited and tried to talk to us about California. We got a kick out of that. It was fun to hear other people karaoke though because their accents affected the American songs they sang.
Before our plane left on our final day in Gran Canaria, we took a bus to the main town on our island, Las Palmas, and saw some historical buildings, including the house where Christopher Columbus was before his final voyage to ¨India¨. We saw some exotic tropical parks and enjoyed the flowers and plants before heading back to the beach for a final dinner before take off.
We had an amazing time and it was hard to leave the golden sun, blue water and full beaches, but we couldn´t complain too long....we had two days at home before heading to Portugal!
Upon my arrival to Granada, I met with my aunt and cousins for a few walks through the city. It was fun to again see familiar faces! Then I did
Time to Re-Apply!
Sunscreen was an asset....but it didn´t stop us from getting a tan! a TON of homework, gave a presentation and repacked my suitcase....it was time for Portugal!
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