No Sleep Till Spain: No Foaling Around in Valencia: Barn-None.

It blows my mind that I've already been in this country for over a week. It's gorgeous & wonderful & I never want to leave. The tours have finally stopped for a bit (finally) & I've completed my first week of classes at the University of Valencia! (All of 3 days.) I have one professor from the university here & one from UF. Classes aren't so bad, but they're each two hours long & that's kinda killer for a girl who's gotten very used to 50 minute classes. But it's ok, for Spain I can roll with the punches. Between classes mis amigos y yo have had ample time to explore this city - & what we've found is pretty darn cool. There is a bakery in old Valencia that makes the most delicious horchata I've ever tasted, (also the only horchata I've ever tasted, but that's beside the point.) Lucky for us, though it's no longer wintertime this horchateria also serves chocolate con churros, which are also pretty tasty. (Is the España 15 a thing?) Not so lucky for us, or perhaps still lucky, we get lost a lot, & in doing so have come across some beautiful areas like the Puente de Las Flores, (flower bridge), & Los Jardines de Real, (gardens). My personal favorite is El Puente de Las Flores. The bridge is lined with many many flowers that serve no practical purpose, but are switched out periodically making the connection between new Valencia & old Valencia as vibrant as the city itself. Also beautiful is the little farm called Barraca Toni Montoliu our little study abroad family visited today just outside of the city to cook some paella! I think we were all a little weary of the idea of going to a farm, physically picking ingredients, & cooking our food, but it turned out to be a blast. We helped to make the biggest pan of paella I have ever seen - & I've been in Spain for over a week now, I've seen some pretty big paella pans. We did get the chance to pick some vegetables & Valencian oranges, but it was all in good fun. After cooking & wandering the farm we sat down to what I believe was a nine course meal, but I couldn't tell you for sure. All I can say is it was so incredibly good, & I've now had my first taste of both rabbit & snail! Tomorrow some of us are going to visit a neighboring town called Xátiva, home of el Castillo de Xátiva, or the Castle of Xátiva. While I was very excited to make my first trip to Africa next weekend, my parents were not so enthused, so I will now be traveling to Paris, which is also exciting!

My Home Away from Home