My First Time in Spain

I was struck with panic when I woke up at 3 pm on the day we arrived in the port of Cadiz Spain but soon after I was relieved that we had finally made it.  It was freeing to be able to get off the ship, but what could I do?  I do not speak Spanish and I have never ever been here before.  I thought great, all the people I know have already left and are exploring the city without me by now.  Then I thought well I might as well go out and have a look around.  It was an amazing view from the top of the ship and the warmth felt so nice on my skin after having been on an ice box of a ship for a week.  Then as I was walking down to my room to figure out what I should do next I bumped into the first friend I had made as I was waiting in line to board the ship.  She told me that she was just going out to explore the city with some other people and I could join if I wanted to.  I was so relieved.

We were all very hungry so we stopped at a few places to get tapas (Spanish snacks).  None of us really spoke Spanish but people were very friendly and accommodating.  Twice people lead us around the city after we attempted to ask for directions.  We tried strange foods like liver, fried sardines, and my personal favorite octopus.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so you will just have to trust me on these facts.  I will see if I can snag some pictures from the people I was with.  It was a great introduction to the city of Cadiz and something I will never forget.

I was already having a great day when I got on the bus that evening to go see a traditional flamenco performance with an equestrian type show and an amateur bull fight (cow fight) thrown in.  Looking back now it was probably the best part of my time in Spain.  The equestrian dance show was nothing short of spectacular.  The horse was literally dancing with the women in time and everything.  Everyone was simply in awe of what was happening before their eyes, and this was just the start to the evening.  The amateur bull fighting which followed was truly amateur but it was entertaining nonetheless.  Then came the tapas and true flamenco dancing.  It was nothing short of captivating.  They danced with such intensity and passion it was hard to keep yours eyes off them.  It is such an angry dance but so beautiful at the same time.  I great introduction to Spain.

The next day I visited two towns, Arcos and Ronda.  They are referred to as white towns even though they are more like little cities.  Arcos is smaller but is very beautifully perched on a hill like most white towns about an hour from the city of Cadiz where the ship was located.  The views from the top of the city were very beautiful as you can see from the pictures.  Lining the streets were orange trees but of the bitter kind that they would ship to England to make orange marmalade.  We then moved to Ronda which is a fantastic little city up in the mountains of Spain.  The climate is very mild during the summer which is why it is a popular spot for vacation homes, well that plus the spectacular views.  I learned that the First Lady Michelle Obama was recently there with her two daughters getting toured around.  It also has one of the oldest bull fighting rings in all of Spain.  In fact while we were there they had a large festival going on which centered around a bull fight on horse back which was invented there.  Nothing short of an amazing history which would take me pages to tell you about so I hope you can look it up or visit it yourself.

The next day I unwillingly slept in again and decided to go explore the city of Cadiz some more.  After getting some coffee which was almost the best part about getting to Spain in the first place I just began wondering the streets looking for a store because I needed some things but also for some familiar faces because I was all alone.  It did not take long before I ran into some friends I had made at dinner one night.  We had fun exploring the city for the rest of the day and finding the best Wi-Fi to upload all of our pictures or Skype our families.  I think all I had for lunch that day was gelato so ya it was a good day.  I was always just amazed at the Spanish schedule.  Almost everything closes down in the afternoons for a fiesta and then reopens in the evenings until late at night.  How have we not adopted this in the United States it is brilliant.  Anyway I also got to visit Seville which is a beautiful town along a river and it has one of the most breath taking cathedrals I have ever seen.  It is called a cathedral but it was once a mosque and many parts of the mosque still remain from when it was built in the 13th century.  What an amazing place.

There is so much to say so I hope I am not rambling to much.  Anyway I felt very comfortable in Spain and it was a great start to this unbelievable adventure.  Now its on to Casablanca Morocco where I will set foot on a continent that is completely new to me and I hope my new experiences will be unexpected and fulfilling.