I am going to apologize now for how late this post is. It's almost embarrassing, but hey, life is bust ya know!
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| Obligatory Roomie-selfie |
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| Enchanting streets |
Let me just start by telling you that I am in love with going to new places. There is nothing more thrilling that finding yourself in a new city, every corner holds something new, every street has something different to see, and you never know exactly what you'll find, but you will always find adventure.
Travel is a thrill, a rush, actually its my drug of choice.
Last Wednesday night I got on a bus with 5 friends at 11:00pm and we began our Valencian conquest! Hours later at 5:30am we were there! How exciting! Yes, we were cold, and maybe just a bit tired, but that's part of the thrill!
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| One Falla pre crema |
To start off the day we went to find some of the "fallas" and to get our first look at Valencia, it was still dark, but it was BEAUTIFUL! I was amazed by the beauty and intricacy of the fallas, the care, dedication, and often the political or social meaning that each held. They truly were breathtaking.
After a few hours, we were walking down the street and BAM, BOOM, BAM. It sounded like bombs were going off, the sun had just risen and to be honest it was a bit scary. We soon realized that this was not an attack, but part of the festivities. These loud explosions were a mixture of small fireworks and "popper wars". As we winded through the streets we happened across a few of these. It was so thrilling, there was live music and all of the people were shouting and throwing these poppers at each other! As clear tourists, we were approached and I let them throw a few at me as well!
Since we were exhausted we stopped for a coffee before heading to our apartment. Around every corner and down every street, I was enchanted by the amount of breathtaking and creative street art, it seems that many of the local businesses utilize street art to decorate their buildings. I loved the concept and how unique each piece was.
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| Lion during crema |
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| Port Saplaya |
We sleepily arrived in Port Saplaya to be greeted by the craziest wind I have ever experienced, but I could tell even in the bad weather that we chose a charming little place to stay for the weekend. 7 of us shared the apartment and it was so much fun! As much as I loved the city, I realized that any trip is not only about where you are, but also who you are with. Some of my best memories from this trip include waking up to make my first Spanish Tortilla for everyone, passing time talking, dancing, and singing in the apartment before going out, giggling in bed at night and in the morning and just being close to people that I have come to love and appreciate so much!
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| Burn, baby Burn! |
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| Crema! |
End cheesy interlude haha! Back to the fallas celebration! After a much needed nap, we ventured back into the city for the festivities. We passed the hours walking, and viewing the city a bit more and by this point there were people EVERYWHERE! I loved it, the air had a vibe of life and excitement. I am getting exciting just remembering it! La crema, or the burning started at 11pm and lasted until 1:30am. It wad amazing! I was initially thinking that it would be sad to watch these amazing figures burn, but there was something majestic about the burning too. The main event was the last falla to burn and as it set fire, live music and fireworks filled the night. It was the perfect ending to a very long and exciting day.
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The Lion, aka the main event!
(Pre Crema) |
We didn't exactly have the best weather in Valencia (Which all of the locals constantly reminded us was a rarity in Valencia) but we still managed to make the best of our time. One of the most exciting feelings is when you finally have a grip on a new place and can navigate around without referencing your map! We achieved this level and I was quite proud!
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| Paella! |
All of the days after kind of mix together because of the weather but here are some of the highlights:
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| City of Arts and Sciences |
- Paella (When they say its good, they aren't lying)
- The City of Arts and Sciences (I am realizing that I love architecture a lot)
- Dinner at Angela's friends restaurant
- Food, food, and more food (seriously, porras are the bomb!)
It was a pretty relaxed trip but I loved it! So much in fact that I am going back tomorrow to kick off my spring break! Hopefully with a bit of better weather! Check back in for posts about my spring vacation!
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| We owned the nights! |
