I'm officially done with everything over here, this past Monday and Tuesday were finals, and we just got our grades today. It's so weird to think about, the time has gone so fast and yet so slow at the same time. Other than studying, I've been busy with goodbyes (sad day). On Sunday our church had a going away party for us, which was a lot of fun, but sad at the same time. I'm blessed in that I'll get to go to church again this Sunday, but I think I'm the only one. They sang us some songs, had pictures, videos, and food. A couple of us also sang "Grace Like Rain" for them. Tuesday was our last Bible Study, so we met at our bar/cafe one final time for our study. A few of them didn't have anything going on that Wednesday because of a holiday in Valladolid, so we made plans to get together. The following day we went to the "beach" (the water's not safe for swimming) and had a picnic lunch and played frisbee. It was a beautiful day out, and a blast to just relax and hang out with friends. That evening we went to a bullfight, my first one. I'm not really a fan of blood and whatnot, but it was a good experience, even if we were sitting in the sun (cheapest seats!). We've all gone out these past few nights, going to Doner Kebabs, hanging out, playing darts, fun stuff like that. We've got our "graduation" ceremony tomorrow, and then almost everyone is leaving Valladolid. A majority are heading straight home, a few are traveling, and I'm hanging around til Sunday, when my dad gets here. We're go
ing to travel for a week, then head back to the states, where I'll have 2.5 days at home before camp starts up. Ok, it's time to catch up more with spring break.
So, after spending the night in Portomarin, I got up and eventually caught a bus to Lugo, a city I knew nothing about. When I got there I wandered around until I found a 12 Euro single person hostel room (let's just say it was 12 euros for a reason...at least it had a lock, so I felt safe). I went out and explored the city, and found that there is an old roman wall in the middle of the city, which also marks the more touristy part. I spent most of the day just relaxing though, because I was still sore from the Camino. The following morning I got up nice and early to catch the 9:30 bus, only to find out that it was only on the weekends, so I waited around the station for an hour and a half. I got to Santiago around lunch time (in Spain that is) and found a 10 euro hostel room. After dropping off my pack I went out around the town, and then went to the Cathedral of Santiago, the ending point of the pilgrimage. While I was there I saw the crypt where they think the Apostle James and two of his disciples are burried, and sat through part of a mass. I then went for a walk through a park nearby, where there was a Christian group holding activities for kids and doing surveys a
nd such. I volunteered for a survey, and afterwards the kid invited me to the meetings they were having all the week in the evening. I was looking over the invitation he gave me when I realized that my watch had gotten messed
up, and it was actually Thursday and not Wednesday, and that my train to Madrid left that night! Thankfully I realized this a few hours before my train left, so I was able to get to the station with time to spare. I got on my train, and went to bed (it was a sleeper car, so I had an actual bed that was about 6 feet long, when I stretched out flat my head and feet were touching).
I didn't actually see anything in Madrid, other than the metro and the airport, where I waited for several hours. While waiting in line to board I heard the two people in front of me speaking English, so I starting talking with them. The plane ended up being an hour late, yet somehow we only arrived 30 minutes behind schedule. When I got to Milan I realized that since I hadn't booked this hostel, I forgotten to print off directions and my phone didn't work in Italy. The people I had met in the airport had forgotten their directions too, so we went to a nearby hotel, and thankfully the worker was really nice and got directions for us. After taking the metro to the right part of town I walked to the hostel and checked in, where I met 5 others from my school who happened to be in Milan at the same time as me. We chatted for awhile, and then all went to bed.
The following morning the others left to continue their trip, and I moved my stuff over to another hostel for the day. I got there too early to check in, so I left my stuff there and went out. I ended up going to the Leonardo Da Vinci Scienc
e Museum, and got to see some of his drawings, and learn about things like glue sticks and televisions. I went back to the hostel after that and talked with my new roommates for awhile, and then went out to a castle in town, followed by an aquarium (not as cool as th
e one in Lisbon, but free!). That night I just chilled in the hostel and talked with one of the owners because she was from Spain, so I was able to practice a little bit. The following morning I got up early and took the metro to the airport, where I waited for awhile before boarding my plane to Krakow. After the plane landed they made us all get on a bus to take us to the terminal, which ended up being less than 30 feet away. I took a bus into town, and was lucky enough to find my stop on the first time around (I had no idea how to say the name) and found my hostel. I got checked in, and walked into the city center. Since it was Easter Sunday, I went to the basilica, and thought about going to a service, but realized that I wouldn't understand anything. There was also a market in the city center, so I bought a waffle-like thing with whipped cream and sprinkles (really good!) before heading back to my hostel. I met the guys staying in my room (one from Canada and one from Australia) and we hung out and played some cards before going out for supper, where we found a really good meal for really cheap (I love traveling to places where the dollar is actually stronger).
Well, I think that's good for now, so I'll write some more tomorrow or Saturday. Until then!
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