Hi again! Wow! Our time here is just flying by these past few weeks. This past weekend we got to explore a little outside of Barcelona by going to visit Valencia! I talked about our time in Valencia in my last post, but I didn?t get to touch on our adventure on Monday. On Monday, we attended an excursion where we went to several different nature sights and destinations and it was so incredible! First, our tour guide picked us up in his van and he took us to a natural springs waterfall that is isolated, one that not many tourists or locals know about. Then, we ventured out to an area with hot springs and caves with lagoons. While we were there, we got to climb to the top of the cliff at the lagoon and cliff jump! From there, we went to go see a beautiful sight that used to be a valley and is now a water reserve for a huge dam that we also got to see! So far, that day in Valencia has been one of the coolest ones yet!!?
We arrived back in Barcelona later that day and immediately kicked the week off with a fun day trip! On Tuesday, we visited Girona and Tossa Del Mar. In Girona, we got a tour of the town and saw so many beautiful sights from the rooftops. We got an hour of free time and we decided to check out the cathedral, which was very beautiful. Something I?ve noticed during my stay here, is that the churches and cathedrals are very different from those in the states. When you tour the cathedrals, it?s very similar to touring a museum with different exhibits. Also, we got tapas, entrees, and dessert at an amazing restaurant in the plaza and got to celebrate Professor Paninas birthday!! So much fun!?
Then, we commuted to our next destination, which was Tossa Del Mar. The area we went to in Tossa Del Mar is very much like a village. I really enjoyed it because it?s so cute and pretty there and it?s right on the beach! We got to see a beautiful view of the beach and all the boats in the ocean.?
Today, my roommates and another group of girls got to participate in a cooking workshop today and it was a BLAST!!! As a group, we learned to cook different Catalonian tapas, entree, and dessert recipes. We worked together to make croquetas, patatas bravas, chorizo sausage, seafood paella, vegetable paella, and an apple cream dessert! It was such an amazing experience, getting to work together as a group to learn and cook a variety of different Catalonian dishes. Then, we all got to sit down together and eat everything we cooked and it was incredible!! Overall, my favorite tapas we made was the patatas bravas and my favorite entree was the seafood paella. I can confidently say that I think I could cook these dishes at home in the states and show others how to cook them as well!?
This weekend we?re traveling to Granada and Seville and I can?t wait to share all about it in my next blog post! Until next time!?