Hey guys!
For those wondering, I'm back home in Graz, after my unbelievable Christmas trip to Spain. But if you didn't know, here's a ten second update about what's going on:
-December 18th, I took a plane from Vienna, Austria to Barcelona, Spain. Was picked up at the airport (by Gemma) and spent two days in Barcelona. When you go, spend more time! And actually enter the Sagrada Familia, it's the only thing I regret not doing.
-December 20th, From there, I took a 9 hour bus ride to Madrid, and spent 3 nights with Alvaro and one night with Maria, checking out the Spanish capital, going to a Professional Football match, the Prado gallery, and so much more. Like Barcelona, I didn't see everything on "the list" (not my list, but the classic tourist list) and there is still so much to explore in Madrid. But, I saw much more than I anticipated!
-December 24th, Then it was time to take the train South to the region of Cadiz, and see Laura. I posted my last blog entry on Christmas day, the evening after I arrived in Cadiz. And here we are.
December 26: I went (with Laura and her family) to a very nice seafood restaurant for lunch. When asked if I liked fish (I responded yes, of course!) Laura's mother took my menu and ordered for me. And it was delicious! The fish were caught that day, and you can tell!
From there, her family took me to a village along the coastline, where her father was raised (or close to). I have some amazing pictures of the coastline from there, it's really beautiful.
They also took me nearby to see an anchor graveyard. If you're curious what that is, just think literally. It's a bunch of rusted old anchors, but it's really neat. There's a picture below!
We then went to another little village on the coast and saw the sunset as we walked through what seemed like a ghost town. It was more of a summer tourist spot, and so it wasn't busy at all. Then we went for coffee, and then to her Uncle's place to visit the family (it is Christmas, after all). Laura's family warned me that her uncle was "crazy" (they use the term endearingly, don't worry), which is funny because when I met him he reminded me a lot of someone from back home. Mr Carson, if you're reading this, I want you to know I don't think you're crazy. Although the people in Cadiz might think so.
December 27th: I woke up early and went into the city of Cadiz with Laura, her mother and her sister. In Spain, it is common that there is a region (much like a province) that is named after the major city in the region. For example, San Fernando (where I stayed with Laura) is in the region of Cadiz. However, there is an actual city of Cadiz as well. Much like how Quebec is both a province, and the capital city of the province (Quebec City). We went into the city and Laura's mother and sister went shopping, and we got to check out the city. It's beautiful (of course) but for me the real beauty was in the beaches and boardwalk.
Near the end of our day in Cadiz, I had the privilege of taking a "Siesta" on the beach, as the sun was setting. That evening, when we returned to San Fernando, I went out for dinner and drinks with Laura and her friends, who were very nice. Everyone in Spain is very friendly, and the food is great!
Unfortunately, after we were home, Laura and her sister started feeling sick. Not long after that, I was sick too. The three of us spent the evening and the subsequent day throwing up, and sleeping. It was just a 24-hour flu (for me) and when I left to go to Huelva I was feeling better. Although I had to be careful with what I was eating for another 24 hours.
Pics from Cadiz!
Laura's Family!
Originally I had anticipated on going to Malaga for two days (the 27th to the 29th) before Huelva. However, my friend in Malaga (Miguel) wasn't arriving until very late on the 27th, and I still wasn't feeling good on the 28th, so I just played it safe and went to Huelva when I had expected to.
December 29th: I said goodbye to Laura's family (they truly are a fantastic family), and took the train to Huelva to spend a couple of days with Manuel before Seville. However, the plans were changed, as my friend in Seville (Ana) wasn't arriving until the 3rd of January, and instead invited me to Portugal for a couple days. It sounded like an amazing idea, but it would have cost something like 110 EURO just for travel, and Manuel's family was asking me to stay for New Year's in Huelva. So I decided to be frugal, and instead stayed in Huelva for more time than anticipated. (To be clear, my flight to Barcelona from Vienna was 70 EURO, including tax)
December 30: Manuel and his brother Jesus (pronounced Hey-Zeus) took me to see El Almendro, their village (which didn't take long, it has 800 inhabitants). Within the village they have a Jamon factory (Jamon is Ham), and Manuel's uncle, an employee, took me on a tour of the plant. He spoke a surprisingly high amount of English, and it was very interesting!
We had lunch, and then we drove to Antilla, a "summer city", with lots of flats and houses on the beach. However, as it was December, it was completely deserted. Much like how older couples find it popular in Canada to have a home in Florida as well (Snowbirds) many Spanish have a house in a village, and a "summer home/flat" in a city like Antilla. Manuel's family is no different. Like in Cadiz, I got to Siesta on the beach.
That night Manuel's friend had a birthday party, and so we went and I was amazed. In Spain, you host your own party. You buy the food, you're the chef, the host. In Canada, there is an "It's my Birthday, my special day" mentality (as I write this, it's 85 days until your birthday Rachele). In Spain however, you do all the work.
December 31st: New Years in Spain! The tradition is, as you watch the countdown on TV, you each have 12 grapes, and eat them at Midnight. It's such a tradition, on the screen they show 12 grapes and slowly knock them off the screen to celebrate the New Year. Here they show Madrid's city center at New Years, much like how we get New York's New Years Celebration broadcast to us. It was a very festive occasion. Then the Spanish go out and celebrate until all hours of the night. I have never been at a party for so long in my life. To substantiate my point; when they are finished partying they go out for brunch. It's crazy.
January 1st: sleep.
January 2nd: Although I knew it was financially responsible of me to stay in El Almendro, Portugal was very close and it seemed a shame not to at least check it out (something like 30km away). Manuel and I went over the border to a small village just a few minutes from his own, and although it isn't enough to say I've experienced Portugal, I can officially say I have been there. We stopped for a beer in a cafe there and I am happy to say that Portuguese beer is delicious. And very, very cheap. 75 cents for a beer at a bar/cafe.
After the small village we went back to El Almendro, had something to eat, and then went to see Alvaro, another Spanish guy on exchange in Graz. He lives in a village right beside Manuel, and I spent the afternoon/evening with them. We went to Puebla; Alvaro's village, and then up to a festival spot, on the top of a hill.
Pictures of Huelva:
Manuel and his brother Jesus
Alvaro and Manuel
January 3rd: I said goodbye to Manuel's family, and again, they are wonderful people who I really really enjoyed staying with. I was able to convince Manuel to come with me to Seville, and so he and I drove to spend my last night there. We were meeting with Dani, Juanma, and Maria (the girl who I stayed with in Madrid). Originally I had planned on staying with Ana, the Portuguese girl from earlier, but she wasn't making it in that day. So we spent the afternoon in Sevilla checking out the city, I went to Starbucks as a top priority (there's no Starbucks in Graz...). Unfortunately, Kyle is not a very common name in Spanish, and so my coffee was never made. However, I stole the indentical coffee of a guy named "Kae". I hope he doesn't mind. Maybe he stole my coffee... we'll never know.
As my flight was at 9am, I had to be at the airport for 7am, it didn't make sense to sleep until 5am, and grab a city bus to the airport. Especially when you remember that Spanish dinner is often at 10 or 11pm. So instead I stayed up with my Spanish friends and saw them off in the morning.
Pictures from Sevilla:
Next time Miguel!
Manuel and Dani
Left to Right: Me, Maria, Juanma, Dani
Maria, Manuel, Juanma, Dani
Too awesome not to get a picture
January 4th: Sad to see Spain go, but happy to go home for a rest. I spent the day travelling - first a flight to Barcelona, and then my transfer to Vienna an hour later. I had to take a bus to the train station, and took a train to Graz. Total travel time? First flight at 9:10am, arrived in Graz at 6:30pm (roughly).
Total time: 9:20. Worth it.
Total cost: Still uncertain. However I can promise you it's much cheaper than a return ticket to Canada for a couple of weeks.
I have to say I missed my family this Christmas. I didn't expect to get any gifts this year as it is so expensive to mail them, but I feel it appropriate to share with you my favourite gift this year:
Check the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLF91ISBxvo
Someone asked me, now that I have returned from Spain, if I had to do it again, would I have rather gone home for Christmas?
I laughed at them. A lot.
Spain during the day spiked over 20 degrees Celsius. The food is incredible. The beach. The sun. I saw the most amazing things, and it was a trip of a lifetime not wasted.
But the thing that made the biggest impact on me? The way you are treated in Spain. I walk into a home, and from the first time you meet the family, you are told; "This is your house". And not in a "Make yourself comfortable" kind of way. This is a serious statement, and it is not taken lightly. I was a part of so many beautiful families in the weeks I was traveling. Between struggling to speak Spanish, them struggling to speak English (it is actually quite comical sometimes, we usually resorted to hand gestures or translation from my friends) I really felt a warmth from families I barely knew. It means more to me than they know, and it's such a hard thing to express. But I want to, once again, thank the amazing people who made my life so enjoyable for the weeks in Spain. I was treated better than royalty, because you treated me like family.
For the Spanish people that I stayed with, who are very proud of their hometowns and villages, I created an awards ceremony for the places that I traveled to with various categories. For those who are thinking about traveling to Spain, maybe you'll use this very "objective" information to help you in your trip!
AWARDS FOR SPANISH CITIES VISITED
Category: Warmest Weather
Winner: Huelva
Category: Best Tapas
Winner: Madrid
Honorable Mention: Everywhere else
Category: Most individual city
Winner: Barcelona
Category: Most to do and see
Winner: Madrid
Category: Best Beaches
Winner: Tie: Cadiz and Huelva
Category: Least Relaxing time
Winner: Barcelona
Category: Most Relaxing time
Winner: Cadiz
Category: Nicest People
Winner: Andulucia (includes Huelva, Cadiz, and Sevilla)
Category: Best Airport
Winner: Barcelona
Category: Best Fish
Winner: Cadiz
Category: Most Expensive City
Winner: Barcelona
Category: Least Expensive City
Winner: Huelva
Category: Best Football Game
Winner: Madrid
Category: Only Football Game
Winner: Madrid
Category: Best Jamon Serrano
Winner: Huelva
Category: Most Beautiful city
Winner: Barcelona
Category: Most Beautiful Girls
Winner: Spain
Category: The one city I would return to?
Winner: Tie: Sevilla and Barcelona. Both I only realistically saw for a few hours. Not enough.
Category: The one city I want to visit?
Winner: Malaga. I really wish I had have!
I hope you have enjoyed this blog! I have enjoyed writing it, it brings back a lot of great moments just writing about them. Questions, comments, all that good stuff - Post it!
If you're not from Spain (they're biased), maybe post a comment about where YOU would want to go the most from what you've read in my blog!
Thanks for the prayers of traveling mercies over Christmas, Lord knows I'm blessed to have you all in my life. God Bless.
Kyle
