This last weekend, March 12th-14th, I went on an adventure to Spain. And this was not just anywhere in Spain, but Alicante! For geographically uninformed people like myself, it is in Southern Spain right on the Mediterranean Sea! This trip was taken for really three reasons. One being that I was tired of being cold and in cloudy Germany. Two I hadn't seen SAA friends in over three months, and was going through withdraw. Third, it was Brittany's birthday!!!!! When a friend turns 21 you have to go out with them, but when there are in another country turning 21, then it is a absolute must; plus it was on a beach so i made an exception, lol.
My trip started on Friday the 12th. I was the fortunate one in my office because I was able to leave early and avoid staying for the entire departmental meeting, but I think it was over when I left. As I made my way to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport I got to experience a different part of Germany, the western country side. To get to Hahn you have to take a bus, and this can be enjoying because you can see some more part of the country. However, the bad part of my trip was the fact it was 0 degrees C and was spitting rain and snow. As you can imagine I was more than ready to get to Spain and enjoy the sun, beach, and a little time with some good friends.
After arriving in Spain 30 mins ahead of schedule, I made my way to meet up with Brittany and Laura. We met at the bus stop, headed to the hostel, and then proceeded to start the reunion celebration off right. One lesson that I learned in Spain is that you don't mess with a 250 pound, red headed drunk female. To elaborate further, this particular red head about 'threw down' with Brittany within the first few minuets of meeting all of Laura's friends. The way it started is Brittany decided to borrow a plastic cup for her wine, needless to say they didn't really appreciate it. After putting the cup back, the angry red head came chasing Brittany and nearly started a good old fashion brawl. Luckily Brittany escaped with only the memory of the angry red head haunting her dreams for the next few days!!
Upon awaking on Saturday after nearly being up for 24 hrs, we decided it would be good to go and meet up with Laura. We met up with Laura and headed to a local market near the university in Alicante. This market was neat for the reason it had everything. When I say it had everything, I mean literally everything. They had everything from fruit, shoes, clothes, underwear, and much more. After tights, white linen pants, and some strawberries we decided that we had experienced the market to its fullest and headed for the castle.
Now someday I might actually remember the names of some of the places I saw, but you never know. Regardless, there is a mountain in the middle of Alicante which plays host to an enormous castle. After hiking our way to the top, we were a little worn out. Our exhaustion was soon forgotten. The view from atop this castle was just amazing. I have pictures of what I saw, but they just don't do it justice. It always amazes me of all the magnificent view that I have seen in my time in Europe. These views can be seen in pictures, but the true beauty is never really known until you can experience it first hand.
After tromping up and down the mountain, TWICE, we finally headed for lunch. At lunch the group introduced me to my first real Spanish dishes. We stopped at a local place that did what I would consider an afternoon lunch special. This would include everything, but the best part of this was that it included four courses, bread, and drinks!!! The food was simply amazing, much like all the food I have had when traveling. Lunch was now over and we headed to the beach for a nice relaxing time.
While on the beach we sat, talked, play volleyball, drank some wine, watched a memorial service, and even had the chance to workout. On the beach they had some workout machines and of course we had to check them out. After a while everyone parted ways until dinner and went on to do their own thing.
Around 11:30pm we headed to meet everyone for dinner. We got to the local diner and ordered us some drinks and ate. At this particular location the main event was about to occur. Brittany finally turned 21!!!!! As a typical American tradition she got to take her first legal shot!! After celebrating a little while longer, we decided it was time to hit the town. Now typical Spanish night life is like nothing I have ever experienced. They don't go out until 12-1 am and don't quit until about 6-7am. For someone who is used to getting up at 7am to work, this was a lot like jet lag. However, I managed to make it through an eventful night, and probably some of the most fun that I have had since being in Europe.
Upon waking at 12pm on Sunday, time was running out for enjoying the sun. As I left the hostel I walked around the main strip and got to do some really good people watching and take in all the beauty of the beach, sun, and the sea. The last few hours in Spain were spent on the beach enjoying good friends, food, and an unbelievable view. At 4pm I had to leave new and old friends with some great memories. I was a little sad, not only about leaving friends, but the fact that it was about 30 degrees colder in Germany than where I was currently. Upon arriving back to Limburgerhof, I had the nice surprise of finding out that my bike seat had been stolen, who knew there was such a black market. Anyway that minor negative was not near enough to dampen the highs from an amazing weekend
Until next time
Your faithful followers are anxiously awaiting a new post! ;-)
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