A little visit to Portugal

After a ten hour bus trip to Lisbon from Salamanca, my brain wasn't capable of navigating the metro so I took the lazy way out and opted for a cab, which turned out to be a good opportunity to practise my Spanish! On arrival at the hostel the common area was bustling with people and despite being tired, I decided to suck it up and go down and socialise, it was a Saturday night after all. I sat on a spare bean bag in a group of Italians and we chatted for a little while before I hit a huge wall, they were going to the Hard Rock Cafe just the 4 of them for a quiet night so considering it wasn't a monumental evening I'd be missing out on, I snuck up to bed for what turned out to be a great nights sleep. I woke up feeling so recharged and fresh I gave myself a pat on the back for the wise decision to forgo partying the night before. I went downstairs for breakfast and was taken aback at what was on offer. Yes Hostel had been voted number 1 hostel in the world this year and I am sure the breakfast spread would have played a part in that. Scrambled eggs, little sausage pieces, toast, 4 types of cereal, spreads, ham, cheese and about 5 types of juice plus tea and coffee. While I sat down to my eggs and cereal, three boys approached me and asked to share a table. It was about time I made some friends here so I put on my best smile and ushered them to sit down. Leon, Tim and Constantine were from Germany and were on a two week trip to Portugal. They were lovely and friendly and Tim looked unbelievably like Harry Styles so I decided to hang out with them more and try and subtly get a good photo so I could send it back to karantz and Georgia! I went off on the walking tour and they decided to come along too which was nice. We walked all over Lisbon and saw the castle, which gave an incredible view of Lisbon from the top of the hill, the bridge which is identical to the Golden Gate in San Fran, the Jesus statue, a smaller replica of the one in Rio de Janeiro, alfombra which is a section with a strong moorish influence before finishing up in the main square next to the river. We decided to go and get a bite to eat, but the restaurant we wanted to eat at was full and all the other options started to look a little too expensive so we reached a consensus, drink now and then back to the hostel to cook up some lunch. The boys all got on the beer even though it was 2pm (they really were Germans) but I was thinking of my poor liver and steered clear of alcohol. It worked out nicely that we had both decided on pasta for lunch especially as they had ingredients to whip up an arrabiatta style sauce and I only had plain pasta. They generously shared and after an enormous bowl I was so so full. After our food had digested a bit we set off for another walk around the streets without any real plan or destination in mind so of course we ended up at a bottle shop and then drinking ciders on the riverbank. It was actually lovely basking in the sun, taking in the beautiful river and boats sailing past with a deliciously frosty and crisp Somersby in my hand. Soon the very prevalent drug dealing population of Lisbon thought our idea was a nice one as they gradually began to surround us and feeling very uncomfortable I decided to leave and the boys joined me. I was tired after all my walking especially in such strong sun so I showered and napped and signed up for dinner at the hostel, if breakfast was any indication I'm sure my ten euros would be a worthwhile investment. It turned out to be a great one. I told them I was gluten free so instead of bread with the hummus, I got carrot sticks, which was followed by vegetable soup, then shepherds pie, finished off with rice pudding and as part of the deal you got three free drinks from the bar. Definitely a good decision!! I was full again but managed to squeeze in 3 sangrias to get ready for the night of partying which was inevitably ahead of me. By 11.30 a group of 11 Australian boys had joined the fray and were the most typical Aussie larrikin boys as you could possibly imagine. Understandably, when they joined in the level of rowdiness was amped up ten fold and we were out to a bar within an hour dancing like crazy, singing and chanting and then stumbling into taxis home at around 4am.

The next morning we were all feeling worse for wear and I didn't emerge out of bed until 11.30. Everyone seemed to be in a similar condition for they all slowly filtered downstairs from 12 onwards all looking tired and not the best, except for the Germans who as always looked immaculate (how do they do it?) They were hungry and so was I so we wandered down to the shops and decided on the fine cuisine offered at the kebab shop, it looked so dodgy but I was too hungry to care at that point. When the food came out though, I was pleasantly surprised and it was without a doubt the best kebab/gyros plate I had seen my whole trip and it looked 1000x more appetising than the boys little kebabs. For once, gluten free life wins!! After conquering 3/4 of the plate I admitted defeat and let the ravenous boys wreak havoc on my leftovers. I said my goodbyes to them as they were leaving and it was time for my day trip to Sintra! The 8 of us piled into the minibus and no one seemed too friendly or keen for conversation so in my hungover state I just sat in silence and continued to drink bottles of water to attempt to recover. Our first stop was a wine and port tasting which I struggled my way through before we headed up to a castle at the very top of the town. The building itself wasn't anything too special but its extensive grounds were incredible and we spent two hours exploring the gardens, caves, hidden waterfalls, and stone buildings and lookouts which looked hundreds of years old. From here our tour guide took us to one of his favourite coastline spots, which was a cool surfy town with an amazing view from the cliff top where we sat and chatted and soaked up the sun for a while. After this we reached the most western point of mainland Europe and despite the freezing cold wind stood and posed for the typical tourist shots. We commenced our homeward journey but this time drove all along the coast line taking pictures and absorbing the beautiful views and the sky turning from blue to pink to black as the sun sunk below the cliff line. Our final stop was Belen to visit a world famous cake shop where the traditional Portuguese custard tarts are made. Only 4 people in the world know the official recipe and although these tarts can be found all across the country, this is where they were invented and apparently none would ever taste as good. Ill have to take their word for it because obviously I couldn't try them, which was torture as it was 8.30pm and I felt sick from hunger.  We arrived back at the hostel and I rushed into the kitchen cooked up some pasta and snuck some stroganoff sauce from the giant pot of hostel dinner to accompany it. I wasn't planning on going out but the good looking rep from the pub crawl company came around and suddenly we were all signed up and going out. It was my last night so I went and got changed and came back ready to party. The first two stops were average but the third club was exactly my cup of tea, all old r n b and pop classics I could sing every word to and booty shake as if I was beyonce! For hours and hours I danced until for some reason, all of the boys were kicked out and I was dragged out with them. It was probably for the best but I was very angry my dancing had to come to an end. 

My time in Lisbon had already come to an end and next stop was Porto! For once the bus actually came through with the goods and the promised wifi worked so I spent the journey on Facebook and napping. As soon as I arrived in Porto I realised it probably would have been wise to use the wifi to look up directions to the hostel. I was now without Internet and had no clue of where to go. Nearly an hour went by but my aimless wandering somehow led me to the nearest main road and I had directions from there! The sun was warming my back so as soon as I checked in I was determined to get to a beach. The receptionist told me how to catch the metro there but I decided it was time to try and regain some level of fitness so I set off walking. 8 kilometres turned out to be a lot longer and more tiring than expected especially in the heat so when I deliriously saw the water and questioned if it was a mirage I decided I would be tramming back. The sand felt amazing under my feet after such a long walk and I continued to massage my feet with it after plonking down on my towel. I didn't even swim after all that as the waves were very intense so I sat and watched the surfers and added 100 more pictures of another magical sunset to my 'Sunsets around the world' album, which now probably has close to 400 photos, of pretty much the exact same thing. It took a while to find the tram and in the end I was very glad I decided to pick the lazy option as it was pitch black. I arrived back to the hostel just in time for dinner which was a duck risotto. There were only two groups of three people who didn't look friendly or even willing to let anyone else in on their fun so I decided to be anti social and spent some time with my dear friend Harry Potter instead.

I had a 5am flight to Morocco so planned to sleep at the airport to save money (desperate times, desparate measures) but i had to check out of my hostel at 11am. I planned a busy day to keep myself occcupied until i headed to the airport at midnight and somehow managed to stay entertained! My first stop was a free walking tour with a lovely guide who sympathised enormously with my 'horrendous luck' at being coeliac and offered gluten free alternatives to every traditional Portuguese dish he mentioned which was sweet. We explored all of the east side of town and I was taken aback at how beautiful Porto was. Nearly all of my friends had given this town a miss, and although I was only there for a short time, I think they missed somewhere quite special. There was another walking tour of the western half of town which begun later in the afternoon so in between I set off to find a lunch spot that had been recommended to me, as well as the bookshop that inspired Harry Potter's 'Flourish and Blotts'. The bookshop was amazing and although photos were banned, I managed to sneak one without being noticed. I found the lunch spot and was so happy to see a buffet offering healthy food and VEGETABLES which seem to be impossible to find unless you are at a supermarket. I got chicken, baby garlic and rosemary potatoes, lentils, chickpeas and a green salad as well as an iced tea for 5 euro. I was very happy and I couldn't even finish it which shows how generous the portions were, it was an absolute bargain! By the time I had finished my feast I headed to the meeting spot for tour number 2. To my surprise this tour was quite Harry potter based as JK Rowling had lived in Porto for a few years and actually started writing there. Some of the featured Harry potter stops were the train station, the bookshop (twice in a day woops!), and two churches with a hidden house between them which inspired 12 grimmauld place's hiding spot. I got chatting with a few people from the tour so when it finished we decided to climb up to the bridge together, walk across it and watch the sunset from the other side of Porto. The climb was more difficult than we first thought but the view was well worth it, you could see the entire city and the river. We sat riverside post sunset and enjoyed a jug of sangria before the others were hungry and wanted dinner. Strangely I wasn't hungry in the slightest but went along with them anyway to kill some more time. After dinner it was 10.30 so I walked back to the hostel and mooched off their wifi for an hour before it was airport time, and also time to start the most horrible 22 hours of transit imaginable. I arrived at the station and just missed the train, 20 minute wait. Got to the airport at 12.30 and found my self the most comfortable looking bench and lay down hugging my bags. Paranoia set in after approximately 3 minutes of lying there so I designed an intricate and robber-proof mess of straps and locks twisted and locked to my body so then I set my alarm, and now I could relax surely I'd go to sleep.. Not exactly. I think I dozed off for about 10mins before waking in a panic fearing I'd been robbed or missed my flight, so for the next three hours I just lay awake staring at the departures board. I managed 1 hour of sleep on my 1.5 hour flight to Barcelona then had a 6 hour stopover to deal with. I splurged and went shopping with money I didn't have and then sat there doing nothing for hours before giving in and paying 5 euro for 40 minutes of wifi so I had something to do. I slept the whole 3 hour flight to Morocco but was still extremely exhausted. I got to Fez and realised because of daylight savings I had 4 hours to wait for the girls not 3 and I was close to melting point. I took refuge in the ONLY shop in fez airport, a cafe where every single man was smoking despite numerous signs stating smoking was banned indoors. This was my first insight into Moroccos number one social rule- Men are the bosses. The girls finally arrived and I was so happy to see familiar faces, we walked over to the taxi driver and 45 minutes later at 9pm, I had made it. 

Tiempa para la escuela española

Next stop was Spanish school, and after my brief taste of exchange life with Zoe in Lyon I was very excited, although at the same time nervous about meeting my family and talking to them, considering my complete lack of Spanish. I headed to my new house and rang the buzzer for 2D. I  heard a quiet 'yes?' and I just replied, 'I'm Georgie?' and that seemed to be enough as I was buzzed in and nervously climbed the stairs to meet my mum. I was met with a big smile, a hug, and some very fast Spanish. When we worked out via sign language I couldn't speak any Spanish and she knew no English, I was slightly worried.  I soon met the dog, Tor who it was clear was the most loved dog in the world, even more so than my beautiful Charlie. My worry increased when I realised there was no one else living here clearly and maybe this was why the dog was so spoiled and loved. After my volunteering home stay in Fiji, I really hoped this time I would have brothers and sisters but it seemed I was once again destined to hang out with parents. It wasn't so bad though, she put on the TV and although I couldn't understand it was a nice home comfort.  Before long I also had the wifi password so at least if I couldn't talk to we I now had a link to the outside English speaking world. I somehow managed to translate when she said another student was coming and although I couldn't question her further I was excited to make a friend the day before classes commenced. When she arrived however, she wasn't the cool 22 year old girl I'd been hoping for but a 50 something year old French woman who also couldn't speak English, but could speak Spanish so instantly stole all the attention. My good luck with families from Fiji had clearly continued, all I needed now was a cyclone like the one we had there. After a delicious dinner I was feeling better (hunger does bad things to me) and went to sleep excited for the day ahead of me. Maribel (my Spanish mummy) kindly agreed to walk us to school so we didn't get lost on our first day and although I felt like a little preppy again, I loved it and it was a very sweet gesture. I walked up for orientation which commenced in Spanish which everyone else could clearly understand. I continued to smile and nod whenever I met eyes with the teacher who was presenting however inside a wave of panic was forming, I was way out of my depth and everyone else was already so good!! Luckily a kind girl next to me, Jessica from Germany started chatting to me in English and quickly invited me along to a tapas tour that was happening that evening that she and the others in her accommodation would be going to. So I agreed I would join her which was something to look forward to, but also presented a problem as now, I had to explain in Spanish to my mum that I would not be home for dinner. That task was for later though and now it was time for my first class, I sat in the room alone and soon my ONLY other classmate walked in. Ben from Switzerland who again, was older, a 40 year old chemistry teacher who also couldn't speak English... perfect. Our timetable consisted of three classes daily, each for 80 minutes with a ten minute break between them. Grammar was first, conversation second and finally an intensive class which was a mix of both based on a different topic each day. By the end of the day I was so overwhelmed and exhausted. Not a word of English was spoken from the very start and we moved so quickly through material I was flustered. Particularly my intensive class which was on a topic the others had prepared for, I knew nothing about and obviously on day 1 couldn't talk about, I could barely introduce myself. My classmates in that class were all a week in already so were ahead but I just had to try my best and catch up. They were much younger, more friendly and bonus, could speak english! I made friends mostly with Felix from England & Lisa from Holland who were also planning on going to the 'ruta de tapas' that evening which was nice. I went off to grab a bite to eat at a tapas bar which according to trip advisor catered for coeliacs. The reviews didn't lie and when i asked sin gluten, he nodded, offered me a gluten free beer and said he would make me any pintxos i wanted simply on gluten free bread. The food was delicious, I tried a tostada with jamon, and one with steak and cheese, and both of these plus the beer was only 6 euro. I was beginning to love Salamanca more and more! I headed home and with the aid of google translate and a lot of memorising, I managed to convey to Maribel I wouldn't be having dinner because I was trying to make friends pretty much and again, I don't know how but we managed to agree to switch my main meal to lunch each day rather than dinner so my evenings were free to socialise which worked out perfectly.  I sat down to my mountain of homework and tried to do a bit of extra study so I could attempt to keep up in 'Intensivo' the next day. Soon it was time for tapas so I strolled on down to school and met up with group which turned out to be quite large. It was clear the students at the school were very diverse in both age and nationality, we must have looked like a strange group sitting down in each of the 4 tapas bars speaking in a mix of English, Spanish, Dutch, German, French, Swedish and my favourite- Spanglish (which in my case was 97% English with a few Spanish words thrown in every now and then). I mostly spoke to Jessica, Lisa, Fiona a Taiwanese girl also from my intensive class and Ally an English lady who had come to learn Spanish for 6 weeks after retiring. It was a lovely evening and I was very glad I had swapped lunch and dinner so I could have more nights like it. 

The next day at school was marginally better as my classmate Benno hadn't done his homework and was slow to grasp the new concepts which I found easy, so although I might be taking happiness in someone else's suffering I was just glad I was better than at least one person. We moved through the material very quickly but I could just cope with it, my intensive class still went very much over my head but it was good to practise listening and understanding. Felix, the star student of our class, invited me to dinner with everyone that night so I was excited to finally have made some friends. I headed home for my first lunch which was amazing (luckily because after 7 hours without food I was very hungry!) Grilled fish, potato salad, normal salad, soup, followed by fruit and yoghurt! I can understand why the Spanish people take a siesta if lunch is always that big! I flopped on the couch in a partial food coma and slowly worked my way through the huge pile of homework we had been given. Three Spanish tv shows later, two awkward and stilted conversations with my host mum, and a pile of homework finito'd, it was time to wine and dine with my new school friends. After this night, my place in the group seemed cemented and most nights we would go out for tapas and drinks. Felix and Lisa from my class, martijn and hjamar from holland, jessica from germany, karin from Sweden and Rory, Felixs friend from England who was on exchange at universidad Salamanca made up our group. Wednesday followed the same plan as Tuesday. Struggling through school, feasting at lunch, homework/rest/TV (except today I learnt how to put it in English- cheating I know!) and then off for tapas with the gang! Thursday again was quite similar (this is probably boring I know!) but my classmate Benno decided to say adios to Spanish school (which probably was a wise decision) however it left me in private tuition, which is great for my Spanish, but so intense and exhausting and by the end of the day I was exhausted. After class I met up with Jessica who's Spanish was one of the best at our school and she helped me post my passport to Australia to sort out an Indian visa which I was so nervous about, but a month later when I'm writing this (whoops) the passport has made it to Aus and back so her Spanish clearly worked! That night was a quiet one filled with study as I had learnt two tenses and three other grammar points that morning which needed a lot of revision before I even remotely knew them. Friday was another tough day at school but I was told it was because they were moving me up to level A3 with everyone the next week, so although I was rushing through material at least I would have friends and less attention the next week! That evening we went out for tapas with everyone as usual but I decided to stay with Felix and Rory who were meeting up with his Spanish friends from his university residence or 'resa' as they call it. One dampener on the evening was the intense downpour of rain (see what I did there?) followed by a crazy storm. The thunder was so loud I had never heard anything like it, and a listening bolt struck so close to us we could see where it hit the ground. We were literally in the eye of the storm, drenched and petrified so we all quickly ran to one of the students apartments for warmth and shelter. Once we had dried off a little we did proper introductions and started to play 'Cheers Governor' the drinking game in Spanish. I was apprehensive to play and embarrass myself with my lack of Spanish but it ended up being quite the opposite. I only made one mistake whilst an admittedly, very drunk Spanish student, stuffed up at least ten times. We were all invited to join 'Pissed in the day' the next day with all the students by the river which started at 1pm and was supplied, so we happily agreed to come along. After too many rounds and too much cheap box wine I decided to brave the rain and walk on home. 

I woke early to listen to the final minutes of the Grand Final whilst lying in my bed in Salamanca and the ominous sound of rain didn't give me much hope for the days planned festivities. I remained optimistic though, and had a big breakfast to line my stomach before meeting Felix at Plaza Mayor. At this point I was so glad I hadn't sent my new coat home as planned because the weather had most definitely turned and I was was dripping wet and cold. We strolled over to the resa and it didn't seem as though a huge river party was about to start, in fact contrary to that there was no one loitering around as per usual and I assumed people had cleverly opted for a movie day rather than being drenched outside. Rory broke the news to us that we already knew, it was cancelled, but I hung out with the boys for the day anyway. Although it was a rather uneventful day of exploring the Internet and the weird and wonderful things it provides for entertainment, one of these things was a fantastic discovery which I will take with me. The boys said, 'Do you want to do a sporcle?' and preceded to show me this website filled with thousands of quizzes on every topic imaginable, sounds dorky I know, but since then, this site has provided me with hours of entertainment. I headed home for dinner with my mummy who cooked a delicious chicken schnitzel, chips and salad and then got ready to meet the boys for a night out with the 'resa lot' or otherwise known as the 'novatos' (new kids). Little did I know it was actually like the American college movies where the older students dictate rules and are basically allowed to do  whatever they please to us poor novatos. For once I had worn makeup because it was a big night out with new people and was immediately accosted and told new girls weren't allowed to wear makeup until the 3rd week. I pleaded ignorance and managed to escape but I covered my face as much as possible on the walk to the club. When we arrived we had to basically perform an exercise routine in the street in front of the club, first squats followed by what they call 'cockorocha' which basically is lying on your back and moving your legs like you are riding a bicycle. After that we were allowed in but I was instructed to go and dance with random people, skull my drink, go and get two girls drinks and then the inevitable happened I was caught and my face was scrubbed clean by the prepared senoras who clearly come armed with face wipes to make sure they look better than all the newbies. After the scrubbing came the graffiti and Felix, Rory and I soon looked like clowns with all sorts scribbled on our faces, for me it was a moustache, beard and Atletica written across my forehead (the name of a Spanish football team). Rory was the victim of one too many skulling orders so he escorted himself home which left me and Felix. We stayed in the club until 3.30 when everyone suddenly evacuated and said we were going somewhere else so off we went. Interestingly though everyone just stood around on the streets and no move was made for a new club. Felix was in hot pursuit of a Spanish girl Anna and I was freezing cold waiting until someone wanted to leave. Luckily about an hour into the hanging out period a fight broke out and everyone took that a sign to go home so the Spanish girls led me back to Plaza Mayor and I ran home from there to my cozy bed! 

After nowhere near enough sleep the violent beeping of my alarm cruelly woke me up and I rushed to get ready, cursing myself for arranging such early plans. I met Karin and Jessica outside school for our day of sightseeing Salamanca and set off to stop 1 which was the incredible cathedral before crossing the river on a roman age bridge. We walked around more to see the casa de conches and have a little look at Salamanca on the other side of the bridge. Lisa wanted to meet up for coffee so we headed back into the centre of town and went to the local coffee shop just near school. The girls got chocolate con churros and I ordered what I thought was hot chocolate but instead turned out to be a cup full of melted chocolate, my mouth was very happy, but after a while my tummy not so much so I had to give up half way through. We all had to go home to our families for lunch but agreed to meet later in the afternoon. Mum and I had another feast and a big chat today so I felt my Spanish had come along and walked to meet with the girls in high spirits. We decided to try out the frozen yoghurt place on Plaza Mayor (luckily I remembered my lacteeze tablets after this morning) and it turned out to be amazing. We found a bench in the middle of the square and sat and ate our yoghurts, chatted for hours and watched the world go by in the heart of Salamanca. Just in case we hadn't eaten enough that day, we went back to the morning churros cafe but this time for some tapas before heading home to watch a movie with mum and then get an early night for school the next day.

Monday morning was much better with school, although I was in a harder level I didn't feel too out of my depth and the pressure was eased enormously with 8 other classmates, which also made school a bit more fun! We agreed to meet for dinner as usual and I told Felix I had a place in mind. I forgot to mention that in our adventure on Sunday we stumbled across a gluten free Italian restaurant so regardless if anyone else wanted to go there, I was determined. Thankfully everyone was keen for a change from our daily tapas routine so we set off to Restaurante Giovannini. The gluten free sign in the window wasn't wrong and I was amazed you could get practically everything in a gluten free version. I opted for pizza since my last one had been back in Rome in June! The pizza didn't disappoint and was complimented very well by a gluten free cerveza. Everyone else enjoyed their meals too and vowed we would return so I was a happy girl! As it was Monday we headed to 100 montadillos the usual pitstop for the cheapest beers in Salamanca, especially on Mondays. A few pints later the boys were satisfied and my food baby was still enormous so it was home time for all. Tuesday was another typical Salamanca day. School, home for a delicious lunch, watching sea patrol with mum, then an American auction show, and finally how I met your mother, all in Spanish of course. Homework came next although there was a lot less in this class now that i wasn't trying to play catch up, and then tapas with the usual suspects. Wednesday again followed the same plan but everyone was tired so I opted for a night in with mum and my host sister who had just returned from Morocco so we chatted a lot about that! Thursday school was good but I started to get sad with the realisation my Spanish lessons were almost at an end. The two weeks had absolutely flown by!

 I was determined to go and get my hair cut that day and even finally take the plunge and get a bit of blonde put in it. I don't know why I finally got the courage that day or while i was in Spain and no one could speak English so clearly the risk was exponentially larger. Despite all of that I bumped into mum at the supermarket and she took me to the hairdresser and booked an appointment for after lunch (no specific time but clearly that's how the Spaniards roll). All through lunch I was freaking out but Isabel, my sister helped me with some translation of key phrases and I had my pictures ready, so after demanding them both to wish me luck I walked down there with my heart in my throat. It was along two hours and I was very nervous but everything worked out perfectly! I got a cut, wash, dry, straighten and a touch of blonde balayage all for 50 euro (70 bucks) and I was unbelievably relieved as I walked back home. Mum was full of compliments but couldn't really see the difference, which was the same response I got from everyone, but I would rather it be less noticeable than a complete disaster that EVERYONE would notice. Jessica was leaving early on Saturday morning so suggested we went out for tapas to say goodbye so I rushed from the hairdresser to meet them. We decided to stray from circa de plaza mayor where we usually frequent and check out another more local area 'calle van dycke' which is renowned for good and even better, cheap tapas. It lived up to its reputation and we got two big and tasty tapas dishes plus 3 sangrias for 8 euro each. After this Jessica went home with the others but Lisa, Karin and I met up with the boys and after a few more drinks were convinced into a night out. We made stop offs at the cerverceria, then gatsby's, and finally ending up at Camelot, the most well known and trashy club in Salamanca. I was hoping to leave without paying a visit to this landmark but it turned out to be quite fun and Martijn was up to his usual activity of shouting everyone shots so I danced all night and was kept drunk for free but at 5am I drew the line because I had my last day at school the next day and wanted to at least be able to make it. 

School was a huge struggle, and every teacher asked me what I did last night so clearly my suffering was visible to everyone. I made it through though and even did my homework in class before we went through and corrected it so I escaped unscathed. Even though I felt like a siesta and nothing else it was my last day and Rory and Felix wanted to come and do some more sightseeing with me so we went for a walk all along the river, the university district and then had a look through the Art Deco museum which was cool. We had a farewell tapas dinner and drinks and everyone came which was really nice. I had made such such good friends in a short period of time and was so sad to leave them so I decided to come back and visit everyone and what better occasion than Martijns 18th birthday in just over two weeks? We also planned a weekend in Seville and although I was skeptical about that I knew it wasn't goodbye for good  because I'd be back!! 

My bus left at midday so I had a wild morning of packing up, running around Salamanca trying to find a cool university jumper, dropping my coat and Spanish books at Rory's so I didn't have to carry them around (and to force me to come back!) and then saying goodbye to my family. I will admit it, I got teary and after some family selfies, my final lick from tor, and big hugs and kisses from Maribel and Isabel I left for the bus station, secretly wishing I could stay in Salamanca for the rest of my trip and never leave!

Madrid...again!!

Back in Madrid, i did a lot of the same things, tapas, going out and a lot of time in the gluten free bakery so I won't give you a blow by blow explanation of my three days here but instead will tell you a little story of my experience with the Carboneras nuns, or as i call them 'The holy cookie ladies.' The last time I was here I was told about these nuns and all you needed to do was ring the buzzer and ask for cookies. At the time it was closed for summer but now that it was open, even though I was highly allergic to cookies I had to check it out. I apprehensively approached the door and pressed the buzzer, not knowing if it was real or a joke as it was merely a small door in a giant unlabelled building. In a few seconds though my fears were allayed as a small voice piped up and said, Hola? I replied in atrocious Spanish, 'una cookie porfavor' but they were clearly used to tourists with shocking Spanish and to my surprise the door in front of me suddenly opened on its own, with no person in sight. I hesitantly walked through the door and looked around and I was walking through the convent. It was very strange and eery because despite being beautiful, it was silent and no nuns were in sight. These nuns are reclusive and therefore live their entire lives within the convent walls and can never leave or interact with the outside world (except to sell cookies). Due to this small barrier I wasn't sure how the purchase would take place if we couldn't see each other but the answer lay with a spinning wheel and a price list tacked to the wall, at the end of the long hallway. I scanned the list and didnt really care which cookies i had considering I wouldn't be able to eat them and then feeling like an idiot said I'm here!! to a wooden wall. It worked though and in seconds the turntable was spun and the cookies they had that day were all displayed. I opted for the cheapest (and I'm sure nicest) option, told the anonymous person, put money on top and watched it spin away from me. Moments later, my cookies were boxed and in a bag and my change was waiting next to me. It was such an interesting experience, one I regretted I didn't film! If you are ever in Madrid I would recommend it to everyone for a novel thing to do, and according to my host mum in Salamanca, to get some extremely tasty treats!

Je vais a Lyon!

The beginning of my visit to Lyon was classic Karantzas and really set the tone for the whole trip. On arrival, I got a taxi to Kelians apartment because Zoe didnt know how to get there using public transport. 15 euros later I was out the front but without a key, any way to get into the apartment, a phone or wifi. Carrying my massive pack I walked around waving my iPad hoping to pick up some free wifi somewhere nearby while receiving scorning glances from the pompous frenchies but I ignored them and succeeded to steal some wifi from the local pizzeria. I quickly messaged Zoe asking which buzzer to press so Kelian could let me in as we had planned, but Zoe replied informing me actually Kelian wasn't home and wouldn't be for another 5 hours, and sorry she would try and be there in an hour. Two and a half hours later I was covered in a giant bear hug by a happy Zoe, and I tried to mirror back her excitement despite my annoyance at waiting nearly 3 hours on the street outside a pizza shop, especially when my iPad died 1 hour in. Any frustration I had was soon gone though as Zoe and I settled in on the couch and chatted non stop. She loves a good story and I had plenty to tell and enjoyed relaying my adventure to a very receptive audience. We were both so hungry but time had escaped us and it was nearly 6 so after some cheese (very French), we headed off to the supermarket to buy things for dinner and on our return Kelian was there waiting for us. He was even more good looking than ever and I knew straight away Zoe's past crush on him was rekindled, even if she tried to deny it. We had a big chat, made dinner and then got ready for our first night with Kelian's friends. I was excited for a really local French night and when I realised we were headed to the 'ayers rock' club I couldn't help but laugh. What a way to start my French trip, but on an Australian themed boat club. It ended up being a fun night and interesting as I got asked for ID for the first time in a long time, but the 2 17 year olds we were with walked in unquestioned. Another interesting turn of events was when Kelian and I lost Zoe and searched for an hour before deciding she must have left. We walked out and continued to repeatedly call her when finally she answered and said, what, I'm still on the boat! How Kelian and I had managed to miss her every lap we did of the boat was beyond me, but by this point he was grumpy at having wasted so much time so we all headed home. 

I experienced a rare moment the next morning when I woke to Zoe saying goodbye and heading off to uni showered and dressed, while I was still sound asleep. If you know the botranzie relationship at all you will know that this is the complete opposite to usual. Zoe said she would be home at 2 and we would go for lunch so I hung around the apartment (didnt have a key so I couldn't leave anyway) and made myself busy for a few hours. By 3 o'clock though there was no sign of Zoe and I was close to starvation but by 4 she appeared with no explanation or apology and declared she had already eaten. Needless to say I was getting very frustrated but Zoe had found her apartment (she thought) which was one positive thing and meant we could give Kelian back his luxurious bed, that Zoe and I had been quite enjoying snuggling in. Within minutes received a phone call from Zoe's potential new apartment saying we had to come and inspect it before 6 which gave us an hour to get there. Zoe decided there was time for a shower but it soon was clear there wasn't as we ran down streets hunting for a velov (hire bike) and when Zofinally got one she pedalled like crazy and i strolled behind slowly before getting extremely lost. At about 7pm we found each other and were reunited outside the apartment, we went it to check it out and both got so excited seeing our new home!! The view of a cemetery was interesting but we decided it was unique and could find no fault in our cute little house, and we decided to move in on Monday after our weekend visit to Montbrison We headed off on another French night with Kelian and his friends that evening. In Lyon the trendy thing to do was not club, but hang out and drink by the river and chat (and freeze to death). Apart from the cold weather it was really fun, and I was once again amazed at Zoe's incredible French skills as she chatted away to everyone there. I attempted to understand but my two years of French didn't serve me too well when they were speaking extremely fast and beginning to slur their words under the influence. Fortunately, as soon as everyone realised I was Australian and 'je ne parle francais' everyone wanted to practice their English and prove how good they were at talking, which some of them really were. This enthusiasm for English was a refreshing change from my previous experience of snobby French people who are reluctant to speak English or even help you if you can't speak in French, so on that account and many other, Lyon beats Paris ten times over, all it needs is an Eiffel Tower. When the cold got too much for everyone we all walked back to the bus stop and went home to a much needed warm bed.

After the previous days mishaps I decided to come and meet Zoe at uni when she finished so she wouldn't get distracted on adventures and leave me bored alone in the apartment. We met at trusty McDonalds where I was again was taking advantage of free wifi, and headed to a local cafe for lunch with two of her uni friends, Zac and Ben. The food and company was great, and we chatted for hours over steak and fries. After a feast, Zoe and I hit the shops and fell in love with 90% of the things we saw, but managed to refrain from making too many purchases and we even bumped into Kelian there! We had no luck on the shoe front as I refused to pay 70 euro for converses which would most likely be destroyed so we left empty handed but full with delicious freshly squeezed orange juice. After a big big big clean up of Kelians apartment ( he is a MASSIVE neat freak), Kelian, Zoe and I  left for Montbrison. We got off to a very late start as kelian's friend we were giving a lift to arrived an hour and a half late. In the end we pulled into the Phillipon residence at around 11pm and to my shock horror the table was laid for 6 and it seemed that they had waited until we arrived to have dinner. How that was physically possible I don't know, if I had any other option I would have eaten 5 times already that night. Dinner was simple but delicious, cheese, ham, little fried potato chunks with capsicum, bread for everyone else, and yoghurt for dessert. After we were fed the men of the house hauled a fold out sofa up 2 flights of stairs so I had somewhere to sleep, which I immediately crashed into. 

We woke up early the next day in order to tackle the markets, sort out Zoe's bank issues and sightsee all before lunch. After I woke up a sleepy Zoe and had a shower (things were back to normal) we headed off on our adventure. The market was exactly what I would imagine for a small country town and was bustling with locals doing their weekly shop of fresh produce. There were all kinds of things on offer, foods of all sorts- fresh fruit and veg, all sorts of cheese and cured meats, ready made food, bakery stalls, yoghurt, olives, dried fruit and nougat (all of these things Zoe and I decided to buy some of). There were racks and racks of clothes, old books, videos, DVDs, and random bits and bobs which could definitely come in handy. After a big shop around, a visit to Zoe's favourite shop- the fromagerie, and a 2min bank stop, Zoe needed a coffee fix and I needed food. I settled for roasted potatoes cooked underneath spit roasted chickens so they were delicious and succulent with a little chickeny stock coating them- YUM! And Zoe had her two cafe au laits so we were happy as could be. On our walk back to the house we walked past a castle sort of thing on a hill so decided to check it out for an hour before our stomachs forced us back for lunch. After another lovely meal, the dad?? offered to take us shopping to stock up Zoe's apartment with food and bits and pieces while we had a car to carry it all. We jumped into the car and the roof was immediately off, and I was cruising to the supermarket in a convertible, as you do... Food shopping to stock up a cupboard from scratch was a dream to me, so much food needed and typical me, I had written a 2 page list within about 15 minutes purely of the essentials she would need. We were shopping for about an hour and a half and the trolley was filled to the brim with delicious things, including a gluten free baguette I found!! Now I could finally fit in and be a true frenchy. On the way home the weather turned so the roof was shut tight and we sprinted in and out of the house with the piles and piles of shopping bags. After unpacking we took refuge in Laurines bed and chatted for the afternoon before having some corn chips and dip and soup before visiting kelian's friend, Antoine for some drinks. It was very low key and very French aka no one spoke English and I understood nothing but luckily one of kelian's friends David arrived to save the day who had done a 2 month exchange in USA and returned with immaculate English, hooray!!

 Zoe and I had a lazy start to our Sunday and were warned to only eat a small breakfast before our Sunday lunch, so a little bit of baguette with delicious strawberry and fig jams would do! Grandma soon arrived so we had to try and explain to her who I was and why I was there but she was a funny old lady so it proved to be quite entertaining. We sat up with grandma and natan chatting and soon enough it was time for lunch. When I saw what the entree was I ran upstairs for my lacteeze pills but I knew no amount of them could face this challenge. A pot of cream, milk, cheese and an egg baked in the oven- delicious but so so so much lactose. My tummy turned at the sight of it and although the lacteeze tablets did their best, they couldn't completely save me from the consequences of that concoction. The main course stuffed vegetables with meat and rice was much more Georgie friendly and delicious, especially when served with a tasty glass of red. Zoe and I were busy bees in the afternoon, helping to set up the newly converted attic, making a big batch of pesto, half for us half for them and then packing up once more to head back to Lyon. It felt like a long drive home but before you knew it we were back in town and at Zoe's new apartment. I immediately began to unpack, organise,and take over the kitchen and Zoe seemed completely willing to relinquish control. She begrudgingly started unpacking clothes but after we put on music she realised the potential fun in setting up house. We were up until 1am settling in before we collapsed into bed. 

Monday was Zoe's only day off uni (well she only had one class) so we made the most of it and set off to ...... And the fourvier! We set off happy snapping all the way and eventually asked a friendly man to take a picture for us. Zoe ended up chatting away to him with her very impressive French skills and he soon decided to walk with us and show us a cool church nearby. Initially I was oblivious however it soon became clear Zoe was really freaked out by this man and the fact he kept coming with us, but I couldn't exactly tell her not to worry he's harmless in front of him so I just watched as she became more and more panicked as she showed us into the church and gave us directions to the fourvier. She whispered her fears to me and I couslmt help but laugh, okay Zoe lets just say goodbye and leave then, I told her, she clearly didn't think this was a foolproof plan but in the end she did it. He bid us farewell and that was that. Now our 'stalker' had left us Zoe led the way for the hike up the hill. One thing was clear, we were both very unfit and had to stop for two breathers on the way up but the view at the top was well worth it, Zoe had done very well. The highest point in Lyon gave an incredible vantage point from which to see the entire city as well as the very beautiful Fourvier church. We opted for the funicular down the hill to save our legs but in the end I am so glad we did, it was so so cute and old fashioned! Zoe decided she probably could make her class so she shouldn't miss it unless she had do, so we opted to eat lunch nearby her uni so she could make a quick getaway if it looked like were cutting it fine. It was a lecture so I decided to join her and see what French uni was like! After a salad and ice tea we walked over to uni but when we found the classroom, it was clear it was much too small a room to hold a lecture and in fact it was just a normal class, so I couldn't really go. Zoe ran in saying, sorry meet you at McDonald's at 7! If we were smart we should have preempted I may not be able to go to her class so I should have the key to go back to the apartment, but we didn't do this. It was 4pm, raining, and I didn't have my iPad so I couldn't even take advantage of the time for wifi. I braved the rain and decided I may as well explore some more of Lyon, considering lots of my time so for had been spent inside apartments. The weather out a big dampener on things but regardless Lyon is a beautiful city and it was nice to take a look at some different areas. I met back up with Zoe who informed me on our walk back that there was a party on that night that Antony (who came to Shelford for a visit in year 12) had invited us to. It would be rude to say no, so we rugged up and headed off after a big bowl of delicious pesto pasta for energy. The party itself wasn't fantastic but Antony shouted us some drinks and we had a nice chat and were home, warm and tucked into bed before midnight. 

Feeling revitalised after a big nights sleep, I went to the gym in Zoe's apartment building and attempted to whip myself back into shape- although I highly doubt one workout in 4 months will make much of a difference. I walked down to meet Zo at uni for another shopping session, this time was meant to be more home focused however we both came out with new clothes, Zoe with new makeup and also a few household items we badly needed. Tonight was trivia night so I cooked us up a quick dinner of fish and chips before donning my brand new BEAUTIFUL coat and heading out. I finally got to put some names to faces and meet some more of Zoe's uni friends as well as seeing Zac and Ben again. They were such a lovely bunch of people and I was laughing all night. A few questions in it was clear Ben, Rachel and I possessed a competitive streak and had our eyes firmly on the prize while the others gossiped and mostly got drunk, and occasionally piped up with a good answer. We finished an impressive second out of 13 teams and won ourselves a bottle of woe and a lot of victory photos. It was such a fun bunch of people and i was happy to find out the next night was an Erasmus party so I'd get to see them all on my last night in Lyon for a final hurrah. Zoe had offered to host pre's for tonight's party but the apartment was a mess so I added onto my daily housewife duties of cooking and dishes and cleaned the apartment until it was spotless. I was tired after my cleaning but luckily one of essential household items we bought the day before was speakers so I danced around while cleaning which made it a much more bearable task. Zoe decided we should go out for a fancy and traditional French lunch for my last day so she led the way to an adorable little street with restaurants all along and tables in the street. We picked one an sat outside with a bottle of wine to share and some delicious food and talked nonsense until it seemed they were waiting for us to leave so they could close the restaurant. Zoe was determined to find a new outfit or at least boots for tonight's soirée but instead walked out of h and m with a pile of other clothes, no boots or no going out attire. She was tired and getting grumpy so we went home for some relaxation time. Zoe had a nap and I treated myself to the absolute luxury of a long hot bubbly bath and soaked until I was a shrivelled prune. I then continued on my housewife duties (maybe this trip has changed me?) and cooked up a stir-fry and woke Zoe when it was time for din dins. The girls arrived for pre's and we polished off 2 bottles of wine in quick time and headed off to Blake's house for second pre's as it was two doors down from the party. We managed to sneak a little bit of vodka each so we could have a drink at his place and thn we set off for the party. It was fun for a while but eventually I felt very out of place and with my 6am wakeup in my mind I was ready to go home. Still, no one else was ready to leave so I graciously waited until 3am before demanding the keys but Zoe said she would come with me so we walked back cuddling in the cold. The wakeup was horrendous but being a great friend Zoe hauled herself out of bed too to walk me to the tram stop and we had a big big hug and an emotional goodbye, if you're reading, I miss you zouzou!!!

Snuggles in San Seb

I was so excited to meet Chlo at the bus station and catch up on the two months since we had last seen each other in Greece. We had evidently both been busy because there was no silence between us as we recounted stories and funny memories for the entire 9 hour bus trip. Despite us both attempting to save money, when we disembarked the bus our legs were numb, bodies tired and the unpleasant cold weather very quickly forced us to jump into a taxi. We arrived to the hostel and were so happy to see Alessia, Emma and our amazing room with ensuite all to ourselves. Those first two days in San Seb were not too eventful as the weather decided to stay nasty, and there really isn't a lot to do without the sun. Still, we walked around, we shopped, we marvelled at the beautiful buildings and beaches, we ate ALOT- chocolate, ice creams, tapas, and watched loads of movies which was a nice taste of home and relaxation. The sun poked its head through the clouds for a moment so we seized the opportunity and headed to the beach for a surf lesson. Our Spanish teacher was shocked that we were Australian, and had decided to come to the small surf town of San Seb to learn how to surf, when we had such renowned surf beaches back at home. It seemed though some streak of Australian natural surf talent was within me because after a quick lesson on the sand I was standing up and riding my first wave all the way into the shore. Already I was a million times more successful than I had ever been in Australia and was feeling confident, Chloe soon followed and was surfing like a pro and although it took a little longer, Em got it too. All pretty happy with ourselves, our teacher knew exactly how to kill our vibe by saying, right lets move into actual waves, and as we moved across to the centre of the beach it became very clear our prowess was merely due to tiny tiny waves, and when thrown into the real stuff, we were falling off left, right and centre. Still I managed to get one or two good ones before our lesson was over and we trudged up the sand to return our boards. Our curly haired, 36 year old surf teacher decided to ask me out for dinner which was extremely awkward, especially as he didn't take rejection too well but I managed to escape and head off to our next destination, McDonalds. At the start of this trip I vowed to not go to McDonalds at all throughout my entire trip, and so far I had only given in once and was feeling proud of myself. This promise was soon shattered when I found out that all McDonalds throughout Spain has gluten free bread for their burgers. After a tiring 2 hour surf lesson I felt we could allow ourselves a treat so maccas it was, and as we lined up I was nervous that I had false hope, but also so excited at the potential. When I ordered my quarter pounder meal sin gluten the girl merely nodded , turned around to the kitchen and yelled, quarter pounder pan sin gluten, una celiaqua. I couldn't believe it, I was little a kid on Christmas with an enormous grin on my face. How a fatty, processed gluten free burger could make me so happy I will never know but that first bite was a very special moment. Unfortunately and embarrassingly throughout the next week McDonalds became a fairly frequent pits top for a yummy, gluten free cheap feed as well as the luxury of wifi. The girls were leaving the next day so we decided to go out for tapas and a few bottles of vino to say farewell. We started at an incredible place which for once had other tapa on offer not just 'pintxos' which were various toppings skewered on top of bread, and therefore poison to me. I had mushroom and prosciutto skewers, prawns wrapped in thin potato straws, a mini beef steak topped with an egg and some grilled vegetables, it was amazing. In true Spanish style though we paid up and headed to another tapas bar but none took our fancy and bread was the staple of every dish on every counter, so we headed back to stop 1 and got another bottle of wine and a few more tapa each. Soon, alessia and em concocted a grand plan of doing a 'dine and dash' which I had never done before and was hesitant to try but the bar was truly bustling and to walk straight out would be rather simple. While I was deliberating in my mind Emma and Chloe had already walked out, alessia was getting up so unless I wanted to ruin the fun and pay for a 40 euro bill I followed suit and calmly walked out, before breaking into a sprint for a good 5minutes brimming with adrenalin. This fun venture soon came back to bite us through as the next afternoon Chloe and I were headed to the square to check out a local cider festival and all of a sudden I felt a vice like grip on my arm. I spun around ready to cause a scene and was silenced by the vision of last nights waiter staring back at me, we had walked straight past the restaurant without realising and despite protesting that we did pay, our friends did, and trying to be cool, the bill was increased to 45 euro and I had to pay 3/4 as the girls had gone. For some reason being caught out, really upset me. I mean in theory we had righted our wrong, we had paid and all was good, but I felt angry and upset the whole day and even struggled to sleep. I don't understand myself sometimes. Anyway after the dramatic capture we recommenced our visit to the cider festival and were determined to drown our sorrows despite the fact it was only midday. For 4 euro you got a glass and 10 tokens which you could use to buy ten glasses of cider from your choice of the 50 different vendors. I was so happy with this deal until I took my first sip and realised of course, this was not Australian cider, it was the disgusting Spanish cider that I had tried in Madrid. And now we had to drink not one, but ten glasses of the revolting concoction in order to make the most of our 4 euro spend but after 4 glasses we cut our losses, abandoned our glasses and instead just enjoyed the atmosphere in the square and listening to the traditional music being performed on stage. It began to pour with rain and although we stuck it out for a while, we felt defeated and cold and bought chocolate and retreated to the hostel to watch movies, feel sorry for ourselves and sleep and this became a routine for the next three evenings in San Seb. It might sound boring, but I loved every minute of it, snuggling up and watching a movie is such a normal thing for me at home and I had missed it, so it was a nice reminder of home and after 4 months of partying I was ready to chill. The next day was the big boat race, apparently the most important event of the year in San Seb so looks like we had picked the perfect time to be there. I will admit I was dubious about going to stand outside for hours and watch a boat race given the awful weather we had experienced so far, but the sun obviously was aware of the occasion and was shining  in a blue sky so Chlo and I found a good spot, picked a team and got cheering. We really had no idea of what was going on or the rules but we cheered along with the crowds as the various rowing teams headed out into the ocean braving the waves as they tackled the course. Neither of our teams won but we quickly changed allegiances, cheered for the champions and then headed to the beach to make the most of a rare patch of sun. After a good bake the clouds were back, but the rain was still nowhere in sight so we joined the masses of people who filled the streets, drinking, eating and chatting. It seemed like every single resident was out and celebrating and even though it was only 4pm, all the nightclubs were open and packed with young teenagers making the most of the lax laws on this annual festival day. We quickly got involved with a bottle of wine and some tapas and soon met up with 4 Belgians from our hostel and kept moving from bar to bar drinking all night long. We woke up and Chloe packed her bags ready to leave, so I was alone for my last day in San Seb before heading off to Lyon to see another familiar face, Zoe Karantzas! To be honest this day followed the theme of most of the others in San Seb, chocolate, movies and trip to maccas to use the wifi (and have one last burger), rain, and for a change I did a 3 hour walk all around the town determined to see more even though the weather hated us. I was very ready to leave San Seb, and finally it was midnight and time for my overnight bus to Lyon! 

Barthelonaaa!

Barcelona was calling us, and was received with a big smile as we finally felt sun on our backs and had a bed to call our own. I had mish and the gang for two days before they all split and went off their separate ways, so we made the most of it! We headed straight for the famous food markets, and they did not disappoint. Carts were piles high with fresh fruit and vegetables, lollies, chocolates, nuts, meat, fish, and of course cured meats and cheeses Spain is famous for. I couldn't walk past the fresh produce without purchasing every vegetable I could see and a fresh strawberry and banana juice, delicious! We ended up buying some steak to go with the pile of veggies and salad and had a healthy feast, my tummy was very happy with me after days of sangria and crappy stoke food. After a good feed and a makeover we headed to the rooftop to start drinking before hitting the allegedly incredible Barcelona nightlife. The vibe was good and we joined in on drinking games before heading to the 2 euro shot bar. 300 different shots and every one was only 2 euro. I picked 3- the Harry Potter, the Willy Wonka and a marshmallow. Harry potter looked bad but tasted great, willy Wonka looked fab with a swirl of whipped cream and a chocolate flake but tasted foul and the marshmallow was definitely number one. The bar was lit on fire, you roasted your marshmallow over the flaming bar, did your shot and had a gooey toasted marshmallow as a chaser. Perfect! 3 was enough to kick off the night and it was absolutely packed in the bar so we left for fresh air and headed off down Las Ramblas looking for our next stop. The street is filled with promoters heckling you, trying to entice you into their establishment, but one deal actually took our fancy. Free entry and a free drink. If it sucked, we got a free drink and could leave, if it was good, even better! We crossed the road and went in and the gamble paid off, the music was amazing and once again my inner Beyonce was out to play, probably the best dancing I had ever done, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately the boys wanted to go somewhere else, so my vibe was killed and I sadly left. The next club again was free entry which cushioned the blow slightly, but it was nowhere as fun as the first place. Still, everyone was reluctant to change places again so we stayed here until 3. I was bored and sober and soon realised I was one of three white people in the room (there were three of us) and the music has progressively changed into heavy gangster rap, this was definitely our cue to leave. We decided to check out the top store before leaving for good and were pleasantly surprised, old school classics were pumping, so we danced the night away until 5.30 when I was exhausted!

No one was feeling too energetic after our late night so we decided to have a beach day and soak up some rays while napping. Tanning and catching up on sleep, I'm great at multitasking. Mish had been raving about this tapas restaurant for days and according to the others, an entire month, so we decided to head there for a farewell dinner before we all parted ways the following morning. The restaurant did live up to expectations. I enjoyed a mini paella, patatas Bravas and a serve of succulent grilled vegetables, the only complaint possible was the price tag. I paid 27 euro and I didn't even have a drink.  We were all feeling a bit sorry for our wallets and ourselves but we still decided to go and check out a local festival the receptionist at our hostel told us about. We arrived to a little kids fair and laughed it off, she clearly underestimated our age and interests by about 10 years but it was cute nevertheless. We wandered through the strip of rides and candy stalls until we saw a big crowd of people under the bridge ahead of us. We headed down to check it out and this was quite clearly what she was referring to, looks like we had underestimated her. It turned out to be amazing, it seemed as though we were the only tourists there. There were plastic dragons which were filled with fireworks and when lit, spun around shooting out fireworks and sparks in every direction. In Australia OH&S would definitely have killed this but in Spain getting a few minor burns is all part of the fun. We followed the numerous dragons as they paraded through the streets, stopping for a pyrotechnic display at every intersection until they reached the final destination, a square packed with locals. It soon became clear the dragons and their 'teams' of lighters, dancers, and musicians now competed and the show was truly spectacular. It wasn't the fireworks themselves but the close proximity in which you could watch them unfold, I was hit by a few sparks but was distracted from the pain by witnessing about 40 people, some of them young children run into the middle of the fray covered head to toe but merely in everyday clothes, I was shocked but they emerged grinning and only smelling slightly of burnt hair. After the fire show, there was other nothing else in the festival that could even attempt to impress us so we headed home.

Once again I was alone, everyone had left, Mish was heading back home to Aus, em was off to Italy to meet up with Zo and after a visit to the famous Sagrada familia with me in the morning, Luke to had set off for Greece. I went on a walking tour to be a standard tourist and by the time I'd returned I had discovered some new friends from home, alessia and emma, only two floors below me in my hostel. After a chat and a catch up we soon realised we were on exactly the same page with travelling. We wanted home cooked meals, a LOT of good, but cheap food, chocolate was a necessity, not a luxury and with the ground rules set our next 4 days together were fantastic. We went to food market every day and marvelled at the wide selection of foods whilst drinking an incredible freshly squeezed juice, we hired bikes and rode along the beach front, we checked out parc guell and the magic fountain, we partied- a lot, and of course we drank- even more. We were the perfect travel companions and before long we had planned for the girls to join Chloe and I in San Sebastián for a few days