Covadonga

2 junio 2012

So, we went to Covodonga today via autobús. Don't worry, it broke down. You must know by now my luck with buses. (Pioneer trek > multiple flat tires > fire on tire > Bye bye, bus) Anyway, we made the most of it and played cards and hunted for a bathroom. Eventually though, we made it there.

We stepped off the bus into a light, lovely mist. I felt like I was in Germany, because it reminded me of the beautiful castles there in the mountains, Hohenshwan gau & Neuschwanstein. Then I remembered I was in Spain and realized that that was just as amazing.

Anyway, we explored a cave there, a sanctuary dedicated to La Virgen de Covadonga, and quickly had to run to catch our bus.

We stopped in the next city and ate. They serve a lot of french fries here, papas fritas. It was a fun way to spend the day! Anyway, here are some other things I've learned thus far:

· PDA is una parte de la cultura. I see couple making out quite often, or others simply holding hands or strolling arm in arm. If you thought France was the country of love, well, you haven't seen couples making out on every corner in Spain.

· I will probably never try all of the fantastic desserts here—although, mark my words, I will try. So far I've eaten una pirámide de chocolate and some eclairs, some other things at the fiesta that are yet to be named and a giant chocolate donut. I still haven't had my churros con chocolate yet though...


The view from the cave. The bank is so pretty. : ]

· Countries are so close to one another here—We're considering popping by Portugal. I had no desire to go there before it was suddenly so tangibly close. And to help us out, we have a Portugese speaker who wants to guide our tour over a weekend. Done and done, folks.

· Because there are only 22 of us, we can get to know each other well. It's been really great so far with our size of group. We can divide into smaller groups but we still all can be friends. Nobody seems too cliquey, so it's been fun. Learning Spanish is better with friends along the way.

· I won't always be lost. I got to school without pulling out my map today! This is a big deal, es verdad. I have more of a routine now. And besides that, none of us can find our buses or routes from any other way than the Instituto, so we meet there a lot.

All for now. Hasta luego!

Una poco de la playa... The beach is phenomenal. LOVE it here. : ]

P.S. Shout out: Feliz cumpleaños a mi mejor amiga, Kiyna! Ten un buen día, mujer. : ]