Study Abroad 2005...

So the first week of school was a wrap and friday afternoon was the start of an adventurous weekend (to say the least). Our bus outta Córdoba left at 18:00 and 4 hours, some hot humid "air conditioning," one bocadillo later we arrived in the city of Cádiz. Cádiz is the beach resort town of the west coast of Spain. It is just south of Portugal and home to some of the finest sand and great ancient Roman and Muslim architecture...pause...getting kicked off cause the internet cafe closes....ahhh i hate this....check back later for the update.....sorry....

....ok, back again...

so the beaches were gorgeous, but heed warning, just because sand looks comfortable doesnt mean it is! On our first night there, we scoured the entire town looking for a place, ANY place to stay. We looked at hostels, pensions, hotels, apartments and asked other travelers on the street and the answer was always the same: COMPLETA (full). So, that left us with three options (a)going home: I think not! (b) staying out all night: definitely possible, and (c) sleeping on the beach. We (being me and 5 others from my program) opted for a combo b/c. We hit up the local heladería y cervezería (ice cream shop/cafe/bar) for, well, ice cream and drinks, and then people watched as the night kicked off and the clubwear came out and the boteón began. A boteón is when the Spaniards all gather in a plaza with the drinks they buy, bring, and share, and hang out. They ususally get going about 2am and when we left headed out around 4am they were still going strong. We ran into a couple of people from our program at this local bar where we stuck out like sore thumbs. A small local pub, the size of my kitchen, filled with 6 ridiculously white Americans with all thier stuff. The place closed down shortly after and we called it a night and began our walk down La Playa Victoria. 20 minutes later we ran into an old Roman wall that extended from the town center out the entire beach, setting up camp (aka some towels and blanket or two) we attempted sleep. We were pretty much unsuccessful until the sun came up, but as soon as it warmed up we were out. We woke up at 11am to the old Spanish men in Speedos laughing and staring at us.

The first item on the list was a place to stay. We found one back by the bus station in the Pension Argentina just outside of the Plaza España where we saw a (bad) flamenco show later that night. The day was made up of eating spaish tortilla (a thick pancake of potatoes and eggs...yum yum) and sunning ourselves on the Playa de las Calletas, the smaller beach in Cadiz. It is situated between the old castle wall, which sticks in the water connected to the beach by a cobblestone walkway, and fortress walls making a little alcove perfect for some frisbee (very american) or wave jumping (note that Spainish ocean water is pure salt).

We headed back to the hostel showered and hit up a popular Italian restaurant hidden between the maze-like cobblestone streets. It was hidden between this tall, european, squashed-together building and the next, just 3 meters across the walkway from its neighbor. Yummy yummy some more and then off to find ice cream, a staple, before heading to a smaller plaza to take in the night.

The next morning we ate at the Plaza de Juan de Díos, my favorite of all the plazas in Cadiz, and there are tons, before catchin the bus back. Cadiz is a beautiful city combining all the charm of narrow, cobblestone streets littered with small balconies, window boxes, laundry hanging outside, and open doors with the relaxing atmosphere of the beach and all its comforts (or lack thereof if you are calling it home for a night), and the nightlife to keep you out late.

If you are in Andalucía and have and need a day to relax, head out to Cadiz and enjoy the beaches and some fresh seafood, pescado fritos is the local favorite!

Things to remember when traveling on Spanish buses: speaking in English makes you stand out, throwing a Spanish word or phrase in the middle gets even more attention and when the phrase is "tengo fuego en mi ano" you will get more attention that you ever wanted!