Three Regions in One Week! – Jessie Hainley

Our first whole week with no school was comprised of traveling, fun activities, and participating in traditional Spanish activities. The week started with the highlight of the trip. We went on an excursion out of Valencia, where our tour guide took us to a few natural attractions in the surrounding mountains. The first site we saw was a waterfall; we were able to swim around it, walk through, and adventure in some of the more accessible rapids around the waterfall. Afterward, our guide took us into the next village, and we had coffee at one of the small local caf?s in the town. He pointed out that this was a popular town for the running of the bull?s festival.
There were metal bars on windows, and small cages in parts of the town meant specifically for the Running of the Bull?s Festival. Attending the Running of the Bull?s Festival became the next item on my bucket list; however, I would want to watch instead of actually run. After our coffee break, we swam in a natural spring, went cliff jumping, and swam in a lake where at one point, I was the only person in the entire lake because it was so remote. One of the best parts of the tour was our guide was from Valencia and knew the best places to take us, and I was able to learn more about the Spanish culture from a local.
This was one of the most unique activities I have ever done, and I will forever remember my time in Valencia.
The day after we returned from Valencia, we hopped on a bus tour with the rest of our program to visit Girona and Tossa del Mar. This was a nice change of pace because we did not have to organize any of the planned activities and could enjoy wherever we went. I enjoyed each place because we learned the historical background of both towns throughout the day. Having a guide has been one of the best parts of being a part of the Spain faculty-led program. The program organizes cultural, professional, and fun activities throughout our stay and provides a guide for everything we do. It truly brings history to life and allows us to learn so much more about our surroundings.
Another activity that we participated in this week was a cooking class! This was one of the most fun things we have done yet. We spent three hours learning from a Catalan chef how to cook croquetas, patatas bravas, paella, and Catalan cream desert, all traditional dishes to Catalonia. It was a blast learning how to make the food and then enjoying a long meal with all the friends I have made on this trip.
The next day we transitioned from the Catalonia culture to that of Andalusia. We have been traveling around Granada and Sevilla for the past couple of days. I was not expecting the vast differences that we encountered, but I have enjoyed every second of it. In Granada, we visited the Alhambra, learned that everything in Granada is uphill, and experienced the prevalent Moorish culture in the southern parts of Spain. In Sevilla, we saw a Flamenco show in the region that it is said to have originated from, and it was incredible; the south of Spain did not disappoint! Over the past week, I have had the amazing opportunity to experience first-hand many different cultures ranging from Catalonian, Valencian, and Andalusian!