Hey, hey! Welcome to the second week of my Càdiz travel blog! Man, it’s been a crazy fun-packed
week and even more so, the weekend! In what you’re about to read, get ready to hear all
about my weekend, but not just any old weekend where you veg out and stay in pj’s all
day watching Netflix, no. These weekends are filled with day trips to Gibraltar, lots of
shopping, and of course Flamenco! Let’s begin (drumroll please….)
I can easily, without a doubt say Saturday was my busiest day. It started with going to
Gibraltar (a little over an hour away by bus). Make sure you have your passport(very
very important) for this, otherwise looks like you’re staying in Cádiz. The city itself was
pretty but definitely more commercial. There were a ton of people, shops, and tourists. I
bought an adorable dress and shirt from Topshop (because of course), but the currency
was in pounds (and there were no sales!:/ )
Now the fun part! We took a sky tram up to the top of the mountain. As you can see by
scrolling down, it’s unreal like nothing I’ve ever seen before. This view definitely makes
up for my initial impression of the city. I mean whoaaa!! Breathtaking! So in case you
didn’t know, Gibraltar is known for their monkeys!! Not just one of two, but I mean at
least 30! They were everywhere, big, small, and babies!! Pero… ¡¡TEN CUIDADO!!(be
careful!). They go after plastic bags especially because it looks like a food bag. There was
a girl in my group who had her bag stolen by a monkey but inside was her passport and
phone!!! Thank god that someone else in our group threw fruit snacks to distract the
monkeys to then quickly grab the bag, phew!! Don’t get me wrong, they are adorable and
will pose for a cute pic on your shoulders, but on the flip side, can be aggressive if you’re
not careful.
I just can’t get over this view!! ¡¡Increíble!!
Okay so at night there was more than just a party, everyone who lives in Cádiz was out in
the streets celebrating. Celebrating what? Celebrating Semana Santa. Semana Santa is
the holy week for spanish countries the week before easter. Yes, I know it’s not that time
of year, but everyone was just celebrating the procession. It’s typically celebrated by
Catholics and people carry “floats” with Jesus, Virgin Mary, or other important religious
figures on their shoulders!! (Must be CRAZYY heavy)! Anyways, there were at least 30
“floats” and they all eventually went to the cathedral with all of the beautiful music and
candles. Jajaja I had so much fun especially because we learned about Semana Santa in
our AP Spanish class so it was just so cool to take what I learned in class and experience
it in real life!!
I mean, what a way to start the morning, right? Who doesn’t love churros and
chocolate for breakfast (not to mention the chocolate was warm ganache!) ?!! After our
crazy day yesterday, Sunday was just a chill day, a long overdue one. We are staying in
old Cádiz but went to the beach in “Nueva Cádiz” (only about 15 or so minutes by bus). It
was very beautiful of course, but definitely more a city vibe than the cute town of old
Cádiz. Honestly, not a ton happened today because we just relaxed at the beach and
slept. However… last week it was just me staying with my host mom Isabel. My
roommates arrived today!! Their names are Natalie and Maya and they are from
Bermuda!! I was so excited to meet them! They are so incredibly nice, funny, and all the
above. Plus, now I have someone to chill and party with me at home!:)
Ahhh, the dreaded Monday. Don’t worry, it wasn’t one of those Mondays where you go
to school at 8 am, are sleep deprived, and pretty much just wanna go home and sleep.
Okay, so a little bit of that is true. As much as I love our time for siestas, we are still
always doing so much I don’t have much time to just relax for an hour and sleep. I gotta
say though, not a bad problem to have- too much fun if that’s even a thing. My day
started with the Spanish class at 10 am. It was pretty chill and didn’t do a whole much. In
every class we walk around and try and start conversations (en Español por supuesto)
with the locals. At first, it’s always a little awkward, but it’s not too bad. I asked them
about their favorite and least favorite parts of Cádiz (fav: playa, gente. Least: obnoxious
tourists… “big” surprise). Okaay so now the more important matter: shopping!! ¡Sí fui
de compras (por fin)! I went to a store named “Bershka”. Let’s just say (no joke) the
minute I walked in I already had 4 things and bought them all!! ¡¡Todas las rebajas!! In
Cádiz everything is insanely cheap, like 5-12€ cheap.
After a “hard” day of shopping, we went to the torre (tower) at the Catedral. We had to
climb a boatload of steps(all going up!:/) but let me tell you the view was worth a million
dollars. When you’re walking along the streets your perspective of the town is so much
different verses when you are many feet above. You could see the entirety of Cádiz from
up there. I mean, just look at the way the sun and light shapes the building below,
stunning. No words can describe how breathtaking the view is. If course being the
aspiring photographer that I am, I had to take a ton of really cute pics of us and my
amazing view. After climbing back down(wayyy easier) we went inside the Cathedral.
Even though I’m not a very religious person, I had so much respect for the intricate
architecture, statues, and the gold and silver inside.
Much like everyday ours started again with classes. While these aren’t my favorite, its
not bad at all and we do get practice speaking with the locals. Okay, so on to my favorite
part of the trip (up to this point), Flamenco!! Did you know it originated in Spain? How
amazing we got to experience the beautiful dance first hand! Don’t worry, no prior
experience needed just come ready to dance!! Our teacher taught us how to dance step
by step and I just loved it all! I know I say that about a lot, but this was by far my
favorite activity I have done so far! Just remember, it’s all in the wrists and hips!:) Don’t
be afraid to be sassy and have fun !!
As I say in all my blogs, there is truly so much more I would love to tell you about the
trip, but don’t have time to. Everything here is so incredible, my host mom, the friends I
have made, the beauty of the town, everything. Pues, te veo muy pronto ¡hasta luego!
Program: Spanish Studies program in Cadiz