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| The castle wall around Ávila |
I say left, Reggie says right. I say south, Reggie says north.
Well.... I lost that battle. It had been a cold winter; I was ready
for some Moroccan sun. Reg argued the good point that we are here to
live in and learn about Spain. So off we went to the North for 9 days!
Everyone said, oh how great the North, a completely different country
from the south. And this is true! Green, mountainous landscapes snowy mountaintops, and CIDER!
Well.... I lost that battle. It had been a cold winter; I was ready
for some Moroccan sun. Reg argued the good point that we are here to
live in and learn about Spain. So off we went to the North for 9 days!
Everyone said, oh how great the North, a completely different country
from the south. And this is true! Green, mountainous landscapes snowy mountaintops, and CIDER!
We were short on funds during this part of the month so we decided
to use couch surfing for our sleeping arrangements. I didn´t have a
couch surfing account at the time, but Reggie did, so we got in touch
with people all over the north and set it up so we could stay with a
couple or someone every night of our trip!
to use couch surfing for our sleeping arrangements. I didn´t have a
couch surfing account at the time, but Reggie did, so we got in touch
with people all over the north and set it up so we could stay with a
couple or someone every night of our trip!
 |
| me! in the Picos de Europa :) |
We rented a car and made our way to Avila and Segovia outside of Madrid to see the old aqueducts and castles in this area. It was just
like all the postcards :) We stayed with a couple, Cesar and Virginia.
They fed us Chinese food and it was so good to talk with people from outside the Andalucía area. Virginia is a general practitioner. Talking with her was so informative, we discussed the differences
between Spanish and American health care. The pros and cons of both, I loved it.
like all the postcards :) We stayed with a couple, Cesar and Virginia.
They fed us Chinese food and it was so good to talk with people from outside the Andalucía area. Virginia is a general practitioner. Talking with her was so informative, we discussed the differences
between Spanish and American health care. The pros and cons of both, I loved it.
 |
| drinking cider with out homeboy Chus! |
 |
| Drive down into Oviedo, beautiful! |
We drove through the mountains in the north into Asturias. It looks
sooo similar to the Rocky Mountains. Snow covered peaks, ski resorts, etc. Reggie and I were like kids in a candy store! It was so good to finally see snow! We stayed the night in Oviedo with our new friend Chus. He showed us around the city (town), drinking cider, eating blue cheese, sweet wines. We worked our way through the entire day hopping
from one place to another trying all the good local drinks and food from Oviedo! Probably one of my favorite days of the whole trip!
sooo similar to the Rocky Mountains. Snow covered peaks, ski resorts, etc. Reggie and I were like kids in a candy store! It was so good to finally see snow! We stayed the night in Oviedo with our new friend Chus. He showed us around the city (town), drinking cider, eating blue cheese, sweet wines. We worked our way through the entire day hopping
from one place to another trying all the good local drinks and food from Oviedo! Probably one of my favorite days of the whole trip!
 |
| Picos de Europa! |
 |
| outside the Guggenheim |
The drive to Bilbao is out of this world, through the Picos de Europa, along the coastline east over into the Basque Country. We drove into Bilbao at night. It seriously looked like something out of the future. All of the signs were written in Euskera, the official language of the Basque county. The language has a lot of Zs, Xs, Qs... We couldn´t believe we were still in Spain! Also, all of the factories
were burning off their work from the day, so these smoke stacks were shooting fire out along the hill side, and to top it all off, we drive over the Guggenheim bridge with the Guggenheim museum on the right. It all looked so futuristic, all I wanted to do was discuss an Ayn Rand book with someone, but I was fresh out of interested audience! Passing the next day in Bilbao was great. The city is clean and beautiful, with a river running right through it. We spent some time at the
Guggenheim and walked all around the city. We were staying with an older woman, Annabel, who works as a yoga teacher and relaxation therapist. What an EXPERIENCE! Speaking with her was my favorites of the trip, she told us the problems in the Basque Country with Euskera
as a language that she can´t even speak since it was banned during Franco´s rule. Also we discussed the problems with the Basque country wanting to separate from Spain, and what that would do to the Basque country in general. I learned SO much from talking with this woman.
And THIS is why I love couch surfing!
were burning off their work from the day, so these smoke stacks were shooting fire out along the hill side, and to top it all off, we drive over the Guggenheim bridge with the Guggenheim museum on the right. It all looked so futuristic, all I wanted to do was discuss an Ayn Rand book with someone, but I was fresh out of interested audience! Passing the next day in Bilbao was great. The city is clean and beautiful, with a river running right through it. We spent some time at the
Guggenheim and walked all around the city. We were staying with an older woman, Annabel, who works as a yoga teacher and relaxation therapist. What an EXPERIENCE! Speaking with her was my favorites of the trip, she told us the problems in the Basque Country with Euskera
as a language that she can´t even speak since it was banned during Franco´s rule. Also we discussed the problems with the Basque country wanting to separate from Spain, and what that would do to the Basque country in general. I learned SO much from talking with this woman.
And THIS is why I love couch surfing!
 |
| not too cold for this guy |
Our last stop before heading home was to San Sebastian. We ate
Pinxtos (pinchos: small tapas) and walked along the beach. The
weather was beautiful, but still not warm. Reggie and I were trying to
see about surfboards, because the surf looked awesome, but it was just
waaaaaaay too cold for that business. It was such a nice relaxing stop
before our long, eight-hour drive back to Linares!
Pinxtos (pinchos: small tapas) and walked along the beach. The
weather was beautiful, but still not warm. Reggie and I were trying to
see about surfboards, because the surf looked awesome, but it was just
waaaaaaay too cold for that business. It was such a nice relaxing stop
before our long, eight-hour drive back to Linares!
 |
| ETA: the terrorist org in the Basque country... |
I am happy Reggie fought for us to go to the north during our break from school. It’s so easy to widen your eyes so much, wanting to see ALL of Europe while living over seas. I think there is something to be said for deeply knowing the country in which you are living. There is still so much to see, but now I feel like I know Spain that much more.
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