With an address and an open mind...

Why go to a major city on your free travel weekend when you can venture off the path to a random place you know nothing about?  Welcome to Alicante, Spain.  

Four friends and I wanted a relaxing weekend at the beach.  We also wanted to save money.  After asking around, Valencia (2nd largest city in Spain) seemed like a fabulous idea.  We were further advised to 

move south down the east coast to Alicante, a small sea side town known for its piella and fresh fruit... if it's known at all.  

We bought train tickets and found a cheap hotel online.  This morning we packed swimsuits, towels, a change of clothes, and our passports to board the train after class.  We knew nothing about Alicante, only had heard it had a beach.  So while other classmates headed to Switzerland, Rome, or Paris, all aboard for Alicante!

I had never ridden a train before.  I'm a fan.  How much easier it is than flying!  And more comfortable too.  The train ride was 4 hours, but felt more like 2.  We deboarded the train in Alicante at 8pm with only a hotel address and an open mind.  What more did we need?  Caught a very inexpensive cab to the Albahia Hotel Alicante, checked into our rooms, and celebrated the feeling of such freedom.  We have an incredible view of the sea from our room... but are still looking for the beach!  Unfortunately, our hotel is on a rocky part of the beach.  Looks more like Destin's jetty than even the MS gulf coast.  There is no sand.  But we found a great restaurant to share dinner at and the servers told us we are only a 5 minute walk away from the sandy part of Alicante's coast.  Therefore, 9am tomorrow morning we'll be off to the market to buy fruit/snacks for lunch and head to the sand.  I expect a fabulous tan.

When we told our new host-mom, Teresa, goodbye this morning she pinched and kissed our cheeks and hugged us goodbye.  Her warmth is much appreciated.  I think she wants to adopt Jordan.  This morning she put Jordan's face in her hands and said, in her broken English, "Good bye, my baby."  PRECIOUS.

It feels pretty good to be able to navigate around a foreign city with such limited understanding of the native language and local dialects.  I will miss being able to feel so far away on weekends via just a 4 hour train ride.  So i guess that means I shall enjoy this experience all the more.

Next Tuesday along with our test, we have a 3 page paper (in Spanish, of course) due.  It can be on any topic related to our observations/experiences in Spain.  I think I will write notes on gender issues in femininity in Spanish women (and send it to my sociology professors, too!).  I had a conversation with Teresa about how strong the Spanish women's personalities sometimes are.  She discussed how many people believe this to be true because of the responsibility and demand for leadership placed on women after the country was torn by war.  Men being away from the home, and many families left widowed, women began to take on stronger roles.  I guess this happens in most war-torn societies, yet I wonder how the trend is retained differently in various countries.  Sounds like a cool topic, huh?  it would to Goffman, Perkins-Gilman, and Dr. Miller at Southern Miss.

I hope to lay on the beach all day tomorrow.  We are thrilled to not set our alarms for 7am like every other day.  I feel pretty spoiled here... except that there are 5 of us so I'm sleeping on the floor.  No worries, I bought that yoga mat that I use in the park for 7 euros and it will serve me well.

What a great weekend!

What's going on in Hattiesburg?

Michael, 

I am trusting my cape.  ;)  

(silly picture, but it made me think of the song.)