Valencia Field Trip 9-29-11

Well, I just started uploading my pictures to facebook, and since the internet is so slow right now because everyone else is uploading their pictures too, I figured I might as well blog a little, since I will probably be done before my pictures are. Today, we took a field trip to Valencia to see a little history, and experience something new. Eric, Jenson, Josh and I were almost late for the bus this morning, and of course we had to make that walk of shame to the back of the bus with everyone joking with us because we were just about the last ones there. That didn't start my day off quite right, and to make matters worse, I didn't quite get enough sleep last night, so of course that added to my grouchiness.

It was about a half hour ride to Valencia from the school, and the whole time, I was just staring out the window just trying to fall asleep, but failing because my backpack couldn't serve as a pillow because it held my camera and sack lunch. I just kept on staring out the window hoping the day would get better.

Luckily, the day got much better, and it didn't take long either. As we pulled into Valencia, I got that excited feeling I get whenever I go somewhere new. I pulled out my camera, and started clicking away at all of the sights. Unfortunately, pictures in a car never turn out that well for me, and today was no different, so my pictures from inside the bus are not the best, but I still saw some pretty cool stuff like the Arts and Sciences Center, the Formula 1 race track, which literally runs right through town, and we actually drove on it for a brief moment, many cathedrals and churches, a music center that was shaped like a Spanish Conquistador's helmet from back in the day, and many more attractions. Our first part of the field trip was a bus ride through the city, and Ana told us about all of the buildings and their importance to Valencia, but of course, I couldn't understand all of the words because she was talking through the bus mic, so some of those buildings have very weird significance to Valencia in my book.

Finally, it was time to get out and walk. We walked all over the city...or at least it seemed. We really only probably stayed in one corner the whole time, but it seemed like we walked back to Sagunto and back again; we walked to a Cathedral, a business center, a market with lots of produce and freshly dead fish and chickens- I'm talking fresh, the political center of the city, up one of the towers in the Cathedral; 207 steps in all, and to Calle Colon, Spain's equivelant to Fashion Island.

We started walking probably around 10:30, or 11:00, and we ended at 1:00. 1:00 was the start of free time, so Josh and I morphed into a group, and started walking. Since we had been walking for at least 2 hours, Josh and I decided it was time to take a break, and eat our sack lunches we packed in the morning. We found a nice cluster of restaurants with an abundance of tables and chairs, and had a seat. It turns out, we sat down right next to a gelato shop, and Josh and I both agreed that we would get gelato after we ate our lunches. About five minutes into our lunch, the server at the gelato place came out and started yammering at 100 miles per hour, and the only word I picked out the whole time was 'mesa', and so I took a stab in the dark that he was saying that this table was for people who bought gelato, so I went out in faith that that is what he said, and told him in Spanish that we were going to buy gelato after we ate. He seemed to be okay with that, and went back into his shop. After we finished eating our lunches, we went into the gelato shop and bought gelato. Josh got Oreo flavor, and I got a vanilla something with some kind of berry sauce mixed in. It had some complex Spanish name that I even had trouble pronouncing to the server, but in the end, for 2 euros, I had myself a taste of heaven. I would vow to give up ice cream for the rest of my life if it meant I could have gelato like that instead. At this point, you might be wondering what gelato is like here in Europe, and I realize I haven't tried Italian gelato yet, but I think gelato is much like Mexican food; the closer you get to the border, the better it gets. I have had gelato at the Palm Desert mall, and in Laguna, and let me tell you, both of those couldn't hold a candle to this gelato. It is very creamy, smooth, and light, and it just melts in your mouth...well, my mouth actually:) Not only does it melt in your -I mean my- mouth, it also melts in the cup pretty quickly as well, so in every gelato, they put a little cookie wafer in a straw form so you can suck up the remainder of what you couldn't actually spoon, and eat the cookie when you are done. It is the absolute best combination since Shaq and Kobe.

Speaking of Shaq and Kobe, after our gelato, we walked the gorgeous streets filled with stores of high end American names I have never heard of, and ended up at a store called 'El Corte Ingles', and went in. This store was 7 stories tall, and each floor was for something different; one for men's suits, one for women's formal, one for perfume and cologne, in which we almost suffocated just trying to get through there, and on the very top floor, they had a sporting goods department. This sporting goods department was like a Kohls meets Cabazon meets Sportchalet. This place had a very small percentage of actual sporting goods; it was 78% clothes. I was looking for some flipflops, and Josh was looking for a water bottle, so we figured we found the right place. We had about 3 hours to kill, so we were in no rush to look. We strolled all around the store, and that is where Shaq and Kobe come in; the NBA seems to be quite a big deal in Spain, because there was a huge manikin with a Pau Gasol jersey on out in the open for all to see. Since Pau Gasol is from Spain, I can kind of understand, but under the Pau Gasol manikin, there were jerseys, t-shirts, shorts, you name it, of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Not only is Spain big on the NBA, but the Lakers as well, and since they are my favorite team anyways, I say 'more power'. There were a few other assorted Jerseys, but if you ask me, the Lakers have definitely monopolized the basketball world in Spain, and I am totally okay with that. We kept walking, and I found a gorgeous road bike for sale with a carbon fiber frame and everything, and since I have been looking on and off for a road bike here, I thought I would at least check the price tag, and see how much it costs. 2,200 euros. Ouch. Well, considering that we might as well have been in Saks Fifth Avenue, I can't say I was surprised. I will say though, that was an absolutely gorgeous bike with a black frame with red stripes, black wheels, and a red and black seat.

We checked out all 7 floors, even though I have no interest in women's shoes, simple t-shirts that cost 30 euros, or perfume that could knock even the strongest of immune systems out cold, and left the store. Josh decided that he didn't really need a new waterbottle, and with most of them costing about 20 euros, I don't blame him. I found some flops I liked, but the only problem is that they had a big fat Speedo logo on them. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against  the Speedo brand, but whenever I look at the Speedo logo, I can't help but thing of people, namely men, wearing Speedos. If you are saying to yourself right now, "but Steven, you wore a Speedo once, isn't that hypocritical?", I would like to address that now. No. It is not hypocritical because I was in the pool the whole time, and whenever I wasn't in the pool I had a shirt on. Furthermore, it is not hypocritical because it was me wearing it, and I obviously don't count. Now that we got that all squared away, let's move on. We kept on walking, and we went to a Lacoste, a Nike, a shoe store, and a few other shops. Just a little ways down the street from La Corte Ingles was another 7 story La Corte Ingles, but this one was dedicated not to clothes, but homey stuff. We still had 2 hours to kill, so why not, we checked out all 7 floors just for the fun of it.

By the end of the day, Josh bought a dictionary, some paper, and a folder, and I bought a 2 euro hand towel for my room. A 4 euro day in Valencia is absolutely fine with me.

For worship, the Americans were going to do song service, but they didn't have anything prepared, so Esther (SAU) suggested some songs, and guess who was standing right there when she suggested them? That's right, me. Of course I offered to sing along or play guitar, and so it turned out that I got to play guitar for the worship service tonight, and the way it is looking, I will have many, many more opportunites.

Well, it is almost midnight here, and I still have homework to do.

Hasta el proximo vez...