On St. Patrick's Day, one of my best friends from Illinois, Ashley, landed in Sevilla for a European spring break trip. Unfortunately, I had four midterms that day. As soon as I finished the last one, I ate dinner and headed over to Danielle's apartment to see both of them. It was incredible to see someone fresh from the U.S.! The next morning, Ashley and I had an early flight to Alicante, a Spanish beach resort town on the Mediterranean. Danielle was going to Madrid later that day to drop her sister off at the airport before meeting us in Valencia on Saturday for the rest of the weekend.
After sleeping on the hour-long plane ride, we took a bus into the city center of Alicante. I immediately went in search of sunscreen, as my stock from home is too big to carry-on. The only available bottle cost 17 euros- almost $25 dollars- but I sucked it up and bought it before heading to the beach. It was an absolutely gorgeous day- 72 without a cloud in the sky. The city of Alicante is at sea-level but is surrounded by mountains, which provided a beautiful back-drop for our nap. Although the wind got a bit chilly at times, it was nice to lay on the beach for a few hours in the sun.
For lunch, we ate at a kebab restaurant. I LOVE kebabs in Europe. In the States, we tend to only eat them in shish kebab form with meat and vegetables on a skewer. Here, they are often served in a pita or in a wrap and the meat is carved fresh from a gyro-type vertical revolving spit of chicken, lamb, or beef. They are absolutely delicious. I'm hoping to bring the obsession back from Europe with me. After that delicious break, we boarded a train to Valencia for the rest of the weekend.
Unfortunately, as I was enjoying the sun in Spain I was oblivious of what was going on back at home. My grandma, Edna von Plachecki, passed away that Friday after struggling with dementia for the last few years of her life. As a world-traveler herself, she inspired my love for travel early on through her proudly displayed spoon collection from all of the places she'd been. I even copied her and started collecting those keepsakes for myself. At first it was a competition for me- I simply wanted to have as many spoons as she did. Although I have neglected to keep up with it, it was fun to share a hobby with her. I am happy that I will be visiting Budapest in late April as a tribute to my Hungarian grandmother- may she rest in peace.
After sleeping on the hour-long plane ride, we took a bus into the city center of Alicante. I immediately went in search of sunscreen, as my stock from home is too big to carry-on. The only available bottle cost 17 euros- almost $25 dollars- but I sucked it up and bought it before heading to the beach. It was an absolutely gorgeous day- 72 without a cloud in the sky. The city of Alicante is at sea-level but is surrounded by mountains, which provided a beautiful back-drop for our nap. Although the wind got a bit chilly at times, it was nice to lay on the beach for a few hours in the sun.
For lunch, we ate at a kebab restaurant. I LOVE kebabs in Europe. In the States, we tend to only eat them in shish kebab form with meat and vegetables on a skewer. Here, they are often served in a pita or in a wrap and the meat is carved fresh from a gyro-type vertical revolving spit of chicken, lamb, or beef. They are absolutely delicious. I'm hoping to bring the obsession back from Europe with me. After that delicious break, we boarded a train to Valencia for the rest of the weekend.
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