Las Fallas!!

Before I start, I am in a competition here at SLU Madrid for the best picture here at school! If you could  go to this link (http://j.mp/Y0Au06) and vote for my picture I'd really appreciate it! It is where I have one of my first memories here in Spain with a great group of guys! Thanks again! And now to the important stuff...

Fire, fireworks, and food. The three ingredients for an incredible festival in Valencia, Spain called Las Fallas! My two roommates, Matt and Connor, and I all decided to travel up to Valencia with a group called EuropeanVibe. The tickets they offered were much cheaper than buying normal bus tickets so why not? We left Madrid around 11:30 am and got to Valencia at about 4:30 pm. We ate lunch then decided to explore! Connor and a friend of his from Richmond (another Matt) joined me and we walked for hours until we reached the beach! It has been years since I have been to the beach so it was so nice hearing the ocean waves again. And of course we all touched the Mediterranean! We began to walk back in the general direction of where we came from (we had no idea where we were going) and found a few small Fallas' in different neighborhoods around Valencia. There were little kids everywhere playing with fireworks! I certainly was much older before I was allowed to play with fireworks! We continued to wander for hours until, after many phone calls and a lot of asking for directions, we found Anna and her family who are from just outside Valencia. This was extremely helpful, so for the rest of the night we followed them around and saw the main Fallas' which were huge! As it got later the amount of fireworks increased a ton. Finally, around 1:30 am, we were in the center of Valencia and watched a huge fireworks show put on by the city. By this time the streets were packed to the max with people. After the fireworks show Anna and her family headed home while Matt, Connor, and I walked back to where the bus was to pick us up. What an incredible festival!! And we didn't even see the city on the last day when they burn all the statues!! A pyro's dream by far! Anyways, this is the last week until Semana Santa, the week before Easter and my Spring Break! My dad will be here in Spain in 5 days!!!! I can't wait!! I'll show him all about Madrid and then we will take a tour of the south of Spain in Cordoba, Seville, and Granada! What an excellent adventure it will be for both of us!

Link for all of my pictures from Las Fallas: http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/nikot93/library/Facebook/Las%20Fallas%202013

There's No Way I'm Halfway Done Already

Hey guys! So it has been quite some time since I last blogged so sorry! So lets get to it: I'M ALREADY HALFWAY DONE WITH MY EXCELLENT ADVENTURE!!! I can't believe it. It has gone by so incredibly fast! 2 months down, and 2 to go! To be completely honest im torn. Half of me loves being here and the culture and the food and everything else. Then again half of me really misses home and family and friends and home cooking. I obviously can't have both so I'll just have to make the most of both! In honor of reaching the halfway mark, I decided to look back at the goals I set for myself when I first got here. I have almost accomplished all of them with a little bit of modification. I am getting more comfortable speaking Spanish, I've seen 2 soccer games already, I've been enthralled countless times already, I play soccer every week, and I continue to explore Madrid as much as possible! Speaking of exploring, I spent a few hours visiting places I hadn't been to yet! Mercado de San Miguel, Plaza Mayor, and the Reina Sofia! The market was like a mini version of the one in Barcelona! So if you remember how much I loved that market you'll understand when I say I will be returning! I'm thinking I could always use more chocolate. SLU's Men's Basketball team just won the A-10 conference and will have a number 1 seed in the A-10 tournament!! Also the main campus just started their Spring Break while we still have another 2 weeks. But that means just 2 weeks til my dad is here!!! I'm so incredibly excited!! It will be a lot of fun to include him in my excellent adventure!! That's all I have for now so if you are on Spring Break, have fun! If you aren't, hang in there! Til next time, hasta luego!