Wonderful Weekend

During my pre-departure orientation in the United States, I was told that being abroad does not guarantee happiness and excitement 100% of the time; we are still people and we will experience a similar roller coaster of emotions that we experience stateside.  A part of me feels guilty for not being super ecstatic constantly while I am here, because I know this a rare opportunity that I will not get for many more years, likely. I am incredibly grateful to be here and I am enjoying myself, but it is true that not every day is absolutely wonderful.

Since I've been tired lately, I decided that this weekend I would lay low and stay in Salamanca rather than travel. This was a GREAT decision, because I had such a good time! I spent most of the weekend either having (quality) alone time or with my friends Leilani and Amanda. Here's a summary of my wonderful weekend:

FRIDAY:

I had class as normal and afterwards, several of us had plans to go a dance show across town. Unfortunately, none of us brought a map and our senses of direction are not as strong as we'd thought....so we ended up pretty lost and about an hour too late for the show. All was not lost, as we stumbled upon Salamanca's largest and most beautiful park.  Unfortunately, Leilani's shoes also broke which led to a hunt for any pair of shoes that would fit.  Finally coming upon a pair of not-so-comfortable bright orange flip-flops, we walked through the eastern side of Salamanca, which I had not seen before.  Even though I was just a few miles from my own dorm room, it felt like a different city in some ways.  We sat in what soon became a dog park and talked for a while, before heading back to the Plaza Mayor and witnessing an....interesting performance by Polish DJ, Igor Boxx.

SATURDAY: 

I woke up around 9:30 am and started what would be a five-hour process of doing laundry in my dorm. Honestly, I can barely explain why it took five hours, so please don't ask haha.

Meanwhile, I got to talk to a good friend and just relaxed in my dorm room. Around 4 pm, I headed out to meet some friends and visit the original building of the Universidad de Salamanca.  This one-building university was converted to a museum and shows some of the original classrooms and lecture halls. Unfortunately, my camera died mid-visit so I only got a few pictures. 

Later that evening I went over to Amanda and Leilani's apartment to watch The Parent Trap, but after about an hour we decided to venture out into the city.  Amanda had met a British girl who invited us on a tapas-tour so we met up with them in this really cool area in the north part of Salamanca called Van Dyke.  It's incredible how much of a night life Salamanca has: even people well into their 60's were sitting at cafes and bars past 2 am.  Being a wuss, I initially resisted heading out so late, but I am glad that I did because it was so much fun! I saw a part of the city I might never have otherwise and discovered that Salamanca is just super beautiful in the dark.

SUNDAY:

I woke up around 11 am (that was much-needed rest, don't judge) and decided that today I would just relax and see what came my way.  The first part of the day included a very-legal online viewing of It's Complicated -- I'd forgotten how much I like that movie -- some homework, and a search for an open grocery store.  Spain takes the whole closing-on-Sunday thing a lot more seriously than America does!

When I got back, Amanda and Leilani asked to come over and use my dorm's gym.  That turned out to be an absolute JOKE. The gym's machines were all broken in some way or other (I almost had a very bad encounter with a elliptical machine...) and there were various pieces of equipment strewn all over the floor. We made a collective decision that we missed America sometimes.

So instead of exercising, we decided to eat! We took a walk down what has to be my favorite street in all of Salamanca. 

I was super into these columns.

Cute cafes lined the street. 

A fountain! I was excited. 

We found this cool cafe and ordered some tapas (which are basically small bits of food that range from sandwiches to pizza to potatoes, there's a lot of variety).  I got a chicken sandwich and some sort of baguette with cheese, tomatoes, and chorizo. Both of them were absolutely delicious. 

Here's your food picture, Helene!

We continued to walk around for a bit and it was an absolutely beautiful day outside. I think I'll try and continue to find new parts of Salamanca that I haven't seen, because I am pleasantly surprised each time!

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day.