Last Week in Salamanca

My days in Salamanca are drawing to a close...as are most likely my days in Spain itself. Although our initial plan was to move to Zaragoza following the cessation of Kent's classes, it looks like we are more than likely headed to Orange County. Ha! Who would have guessed? Not me!

Unfortunately, (and fortunately) I have become very accustomed to frequent changes in plan recently. Kent was told, with only 4 days notice, that he would have an extra two weeks of classes which he (and his fellow classmates) had no idea about. So we all had to cancel our hostel reservations and plane flights for the trips we had planned to take during those two weeks. It was a bummer, but at least the classes are good, and we can still take weekend trips.

Our getaway to Portugal on Wednesday could not have been planned worse. With no map and no directions, it took us 45 min. to find the highway that would take us out of Salamanca. Along the way, all of us realized that nobody knew the name of the hostel we had reserved in Figuera da Foz, and Kent "thought" he might know the address. To top it off, we accidently drove right past the ticket station on a toll road, so when we got to the end and didn't have a ticket, we were informed that we would have to pay a "tax" of almost 20 euro! Lesson learned...if you ever end up on a toll road to Portual, stop at the station labeled "Manual". Yes...manual. That's all it said, it's no wonder we passed it.

The frustrations of getting to Portugal, however, were definitely surpassed by the beautiful day that we spent there. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm. We all got a bit of a tan playing a contrived game that we now officially call 'sandball', involving 3 balls and 6 holes dug in the sand. We had an awesome lunch and a good long stroll through the city. It was really a wonderful escape from landlocked city of Salamanca. And with lessons learned, the trip home was achieved with much more grace and simplicity.

Over the weekend we crammed in a trip to San Sebastian to chill on the beach some more and do a little hiking to see views of the city. San Sebastian is easily one of the most beautiful cities in the world. With 3 beaches within walking distance, fabulous mountain scenery, and more bars and restaurants per area than any other city in Spain, this place really does have it all.
We also swung through Madrid on the way home to see Real Madrid play against Almeria. Real Madrid won the game 3-0. It was really invigorating to be in a stadium of that size. Soccer is so much more exciting in person!

Back in Salamanca we have decided to make it a point to try as much food as possible before we leave. Originally we had been avoiding the tapas bars, because we're just not used to eating...well...tapas! Being from a culture that eats a large dinner every night, we just weren't so keen on the idea of picking at a couple of appetizers and considering it a meal! But after having some of the best tapas I've ever eaten in San Sebastian, and having enough to actually fill me up, I thought we ought to give Salamanca another chance.

For this last week I'm aiming to try and soak up every last bit of every day here, trying new restaurants, sitting in the plaza soaking up the rays, drinking tinto veranos and calimochos, and playing my guitar...sounds good to me.