Asturias

Thursday morning we left bright and early for Asturias (northern Spain). After a 6 hour bus ride we arrived in the most beautiful place. Green mountains everywhere that are right next to the beach! We hadn't even been at the beach two minutes and we all agreed we were never going home. On Thursday we also visited Oviedo a beautiful city in Asturias where we enjoyed our first taste of sidra!

Sidra!

The following day was not as perfect as we imagined and involved lots of actually learning about the Spanish civil war. We did spend some time learning about "the colored people" who made up their own language and made tiles for roofs starting at the age of 9 and 10. They traveled around Spain doing basically slave work with barely any shelter. It definitely was a reality check after all the complaining we had done over lunch. They gave us the options of beans, beans or more beans and our rude American instincts came out and we had to ask for an alternate choice! Hopefully we will start getting a little more adjusted to not only the food but the hours of meals (9am, 2:30pm and 10:00pm)!
Saturday was filled with breathtaking views. We began the day visiting las picas de europa (named because they are the first mountains seen from the Atlantic Ocean). After a bus ride to the top of the mountains we were able to bond with las vacas (the cows), as well as see the two amazing glacier lakes. As the fog cleared you could not only see the glacier lakes and the mountains but also the ocean! That afternoon was spent at the beach where we enjoyed the waves, sunbathing and ice cream!

La Picas de Europa

Ribadesella - KellyAnn and Me

On Sunday before returning to Alcalá we went kayaking. The kayak trip began by being pushed down a ramp and thrown into the water to start our 10km trip. The river is one of the cleanest in the world and the views were amazing once again. We reached a spot where we could jump of a cliff. My first jump was quite successful, but on the second I managed to do a full body flop...oops! I went again and once again successfully landed feet first in the water! The 6 hour bus ride back was less than enjoyable but it nice to be back at my new home!