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Published: March 30th 2009
Hey everybody, get ready for a rundown on my latest adventure.
Last Thursday was a holiday in Spain because it was St. Joseph’s day, and therefore also Father’s Day. Also classes were canceled. Well, if you don’t have classes on Thursday, it’s not really worth sticking around for Friday, right? A week before hand, Amanda and I decided that it would surely be a better use of our time to go see the Fallas festival in Valencia. It was kind of late in the game to decide to go to the festival as all of the hostels were surely booked by then, but luckily we’re both on Couch Surfing and were able to find a lovely couple willing to host us. Transportation was no problem because during festivals the bus companies just keep adding buses until people stop asking for tickets.
Our original plan was to skip town Wednesday after classes, but Dani and Ana, our couch surfing hosts, told us that by the time we got there, the best of the Fallas would be over. They recommended that we leave Tuesday night, and that is exactly what we did. At 11:30 pm we boarded the
World Politics Falla
"The fallas always include something of what makes the world go 'round...sex and politics."
-Jose Luisbus, already in our pjs, and attempted to sleep through the 5.5 hour ride to Valencia. There was little sleep to be had, but we were full of excitement when we got to Valencia at the crack of dawn, so we didn’t really notice how tired we were until later.
We had arranged to go to Dani and Ana’s at 10, so we had just over 4 hours to kill in a city that was, for the most part, sound asleep. Not wanting to waste any time, we locked up our backpacks, picked up a map of the main fallas (huge sculptures made every year that are burned at the end of the festival), and set out to the nearest one. It was a rather uncomfortable walk. Since we had gone south, we were hoping for some warmth, but what we found at that hour of the morning was that we could practically see our breath. When we got to our destination, we were gravely disappointed. It was still dark, and none of the decorative festival lights were on. We could hardly appreciate the great work of art that was right in front of our eyes!
Paella Competition
During las Fallas, each neighborhood puts on a Paella competition. Traditionally, Paella is made over a fire of orange wood. These competitions are a cozy place to warm up on a cold night out. A middle aged man who had arrived at about the same time sensed our disappointment and grumbled, “Es por la crisis,” a commonly heard phrase here in Spain which refers to the combination of the global economic crisis and the national construction crisis that is keeping this country’s unemployment rates somewhere around astronomical.
We struck up a conversation and he explained that in years past, the lights would have been left on all night. Now, however, corners have to be cut. Amanda and I were a little bummed, thinking it would be a long morning of Fallas touring in the dark and in the cold. Our new friend told us that he always goes to see the Fallas early in the morning because he likes to avoid the crowds. Disappointment quickly turned to delight when he offered to take us with him on his yearly jaunt through the city.
We spent over five hours walking around Valencia’s center with Jose Luis, and by the end of our time together, there was no doubt in our minds that we were the luckiest tourists in all of Spain. As we wandered about, he told us about the history
Paella
Amanda and Antonio ready to dig in. of the Fallas and his time as a fallero. We learned all about the local history, politics, and landmarks, as well as his family and personal travels. After snapping pictures of all the main fallas, he offered to take us back to the bus station to pick up our bags and then to Dani and Ana’s apartment. Before we could do that, though, he insisted upon taking us out for the local treat: bunuelos y chocolate (deep fried pumpkin doughnuts and hot chocolate).
As Jose Luis drove us to the apartment, I just couldn’t get over how lucky we were to have bumped into him, and I told him that we didn’t know how to thank him. “Oh, you don’t owe me anything,” he said, “you just pay it forward the next time you have a chance.”
The rest of Wednesday included a much needed nap, and then a short walk to the center to see “La Ofrenda,” (the Offering) in which Valencian women and girls in traditional dress carry flowers to the Virgin. Throughout the festival, the Virgin’s shawl and cloak are slowly filled in with thousands upon thousands of flowers. That night, we went
out for dinner with Ana and Dani as well as Dani’s brother, Mario, his wife, Magda, and their adorable daughter Elena. It was an enjoyable dinner, listening to the tales of these four world travelers as well as their commentary on the local happenings. After dinner we went out for a drink by the river, where we were in a prime location to see the most spectacular fireworks show of my life. The plan was to go out dancing after fireworks, but by the time they finished, Amanda and I were both ready to hit the hay. We ventured back to the apartment through the festivities and despite continual firecrackers and fireworks, we slept like babies the whole night through.
Since we had already seen all of the Fallas, we ventured to the beach on Thursday afternoon and enjoyed a delicious lunch of seafood paella in a small village about a half hour from Valencia. After relaxing to the sound of the waves, we headed back into the city and had fun exploring the architectural wonder of La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences). Thursday was the last day of the festival,
the day that the fallas are burned. Knowing it would be a long night, we made our way back to Dani and Ana’s place for a midafternoon rest.
On Thursday night, the center of Valencia was so packed that you had to push in order to get anywhere. People started lining up two hours before the cremá (burning). Despite the crowds, nobody held back from lighting off fireworks or firecrackers. If you could keep track of your friends and keep away from the sparks, the energy of the crowd was really quite impressive. After the Fallas were burned, the streets were filled with lively parties. We stayed out for a while, but as the night wore on, the crowd got rowdy. In the hopes of getting some more sight seeing in the next day, we called it a night.
On Friday we meandered through the municipal art museum and ate a leisurely lunch (slow lunch time is probably my favorite part about Spain). Then, it was time for us to part ways. My roommate, Ali, had invited me to spend the weekend with her and her family in Barcelona, and Amanda was staying in Valencia to
meet up with another Cobber friend.
There ends Valencia, and here begins Barcelona.
I was really looking forward to spending the weekend with Ali because I really like her, but I had been feeling like it was difficult to get to know my apartment mates. Ali turned out to be a spectacular tour guide, and I had a really lovely time getting to know her family and her friends.
Friday night we went out for a drink with some of her high school friends, but called it an early night because, as she put it, “We had a lot of tourism to do the next day.” And a lot of tourism there was. Saturday morning we woke up early, ate breakfast at home, and set out to catch the metro. We took the metro to the Center, walked through the ritzy high end shopping district, and on into the Plaza de Barcelona. From there we rambled through Las Ramblas and the buzzing Central Market. We then made our way to the Gothic Neighborhood to see main Cathedral, and then onto the Cathedral of the Sea, which is, logically, close to the beach. We took
some time to watch the surfers and relax in the sand before going to eat lunch at a boardwalk café. After lunch we went to see la Sagrada Familia, and then up to the Montjuic for a view of the entire city. As Ali pointed out all of the different places we had been, I began to appreciate just how much we had walked.
Saturday night we had dinner with some of her friends from high school. They were all very different from one another, super unique, super genuine, and super sweet. I enjoyed their conversation and their stories, but especially appreciated being around such deeply rooted friendships. One of the hardest parts about traveling is leaving behind my support network, and even though these weren’t my childhood friends, I had a great time sharing with them for an evening. After dinner, we met up with some more of Ali’s friends for a night out on the town. We went to a few bars, and ended up at a club dancing until 7 at which point we went for breakfast and headed on home.
Despite being completely tired, we woke up later that morning in order
Ana and Dani
Our spectacular Couchsurfing hosts. to take advantage of the rest of the weekend. Ali’s friend, Maria, picked us up and we meandered through Parque Guell and then the Museo de Picaso. To top off the weekend we went out for a drink at a bar high atop a hill with a view of the city all lit up in the night. We hopped on the bus once again a little before midnight and made it back safe and sound to Pamplona at 5:30 on Monday morning with time to sleep before going to class.
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kris
non-member comment
WOW!
It is hard for me to comprehend the depth of the experiences that you are having abroad, Mallory. How exciting to be visiting parts of Europe that many of us back in the states, could only dream about. It sounds like you have had great tour guides, and the friendships that you are making are all very unique to each situation. The learning curve, itself, is so awesome. Some classroom, but much more hands on, it appears. How awesome it must be. I'll look forward to your April update, and I wish you many more life-long learning experiences in the weeks to come. You are missing another blast of winter back here, and I am sure that Ethan has stories to tell about his experiences with the FLOOD. I heard today that they'll start classes tomorrow. Take care and thanks for all of the info. about your semester abroad! Kris K.