Spain Update

Hey All! GREETINGS FROM CASABLANCA, MOROCCO!!!




I am sorry that I have not been keeping the blog updated, the Spanish culture got in the way, and I will attempt at keeping it updated in the future. I am leaving on a camel trek tomorrow morning so again, you will not get updates everyday as I would like to, BUT, the minute I get back, I WILL spend that night finishing up Spain and tell you about Morocco.



So, Spain. Where to begin.



Saturday we pulled into port around 10:00AM. After about an hour of the customs agents going through everyone’s passport (did not get a stamp which was retarded) we were allowed to get off and explore. I had a trip planned with SAS to go to a sherry winery and have a tour and participate in a wine tasting. The winery, Tio Pepe, was located about an hour and a half outside of Cadiz. The tour lasted approximately five seconds. Seriously. The tour did not last long, there was hardly any talking, we rode on a little kiddie train (the one you would find in a mall which parents would take their kids on to amuse them since little kids L-O-V-E shopping) that took us around the premises. The area we toured was actually very beautiful as you can see from my pictures on facebook, which if they are not already on there they will be the next time I can find a free internet spot to hook up to. After the very short train ride, we got off and went into the holding area with a vast amount of barrels holding the wine, or sherry, to be honest I can not even tell you what the difference is but I can say that wine is much better than sherry. The holding area was interesting since I got to see firsthand how they store and age their sherry. After, we sat in a small picnic type area in which we got to taste the sherry. To be frank, I did not care for the sherry at all. It burned more than wine does, and the taste was not very pleasing. After about an hour here, we made our way to a ranch, where they breed Carthusian horses, a breed that is specific to the Spanish and of great importance to their history. We toured the ranch, saw pregnant mares, saw the young colts, and then we were treated to a show. This show, although I went in and out of sleeping, was really cool. The ranchers had the horses run around, do tricks, and presented the horses leading carriages. After all this was done, we headed back to the ship and returned around 1400, 1500. After returning to the ship, a couple of people I have become friendly with went out to the beach. I can only describe it as A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, not because the women (not from our group) went topless, but because of the environment. Whole families went out to the beach; grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, sons, daughters, they sat and ate together. The beach seemed like a huge family affair for the day, kind of what we do in states. The waves were fabulous, they broke very well, and they were about six feet. Great bodysurfing waves. The only negative comment I can say about the beach is the Atlantic Ocean, (my first time by the way in the Atlantic) is much saltier than the Pacific. We spent about four hours at the beach and returned to the ship around 1800 or 6:00PM. I passed out on the floor in my room, since I have a thing against sleeping in my bed when I am dirty. I did not take a shower because I was planning on going on a run, but that was a failed idea. I woke up around 2030 (8:30PM) took a shower then met a HUGE group (in hindsight this was not the greatest idea and it was not repeated) up in what is known as Tymitz Square on the ship, where the front desk and just a great meeting place, around 2130. We all headed out to find a local Spanish restaurant, sorry kids no Burger King or McDonald’s for me this trip. After about forty minutes searching for one we came upon “El Candil,” or the candle in English. It was here I had my first Spanish dish, and possibly one of the best dishes I have ever had. The dish, Carne Al Toro, consisted of olive oil, beef, French fries, and some spices. What made such a simple dish transform into a fiery fiesta of flavors in my mouth was how they prepared it. The entire dish was swimming in a sea of olive oil and juices from the meat. The meat, placed on one side, was spiced up and contained so many flavors that my mouth was in ecstasy. The French fries were sitting in the olive oil as well, but lightly salted with sea salt (earlier this day I found out how sea salt is obtained. There are these ditches they dig, not very deep at all since when they flood it with sea water they let the water inside evaporate and VOILA! Sea Salt is what is left over) andwere just amazing. I ordered some wine with our meal, Antonio Barbadillo Castillo San Diego (can you tell why I chose this wine? [being from San Diego]) and I fell in love with this specific brand. I still love the French wine but this Spanish wine was surprisingly tasteful. After eating, two girls, Amanda and Hannah, and I headed out back to ship to get some more people to add to our already big group, this is where my night turned into a, well, very interesting night.



We all decided to meet at the cathedral in the middle of Cadiz, but the other group never showed, so the two girls, and the other three girls we picked up, Mandy, Elissa and Jen, and I joined up with this other group of guys and decided to walk around and attempt at finding a bar and a “discotheque.” As we were walking around we came across an interesting crowd. We first met up with a kind local who pointed us to where he thought they were (as it turned out the OPPOSITE way we were supposed to walk). We walked for about twenty minutes then ran across some locals who were fishing with their kids, mind you it is about 2AM in the morning. (The culture in Spain is much more laid back than that of the states. The Spanish go out to eat around 10:00PM, they stay until maybe midnight, then they head out to the bars. After the bars they head to the clubs if they are up to it, and the clubs do not even open until 2AM.) After the fishing families a man called us over, thinking he figured we were looking for a club we went over. Instead of telling us where the clubs were, he decided to try and sell us cocaine and take us back to his house because he was having a “siesta.” We walked away soon after. After about another hour and a half of walking we were fed up trying to find the clubs so we called a taxi and headed back to ship. The next morning, we found out there was one right near where we ended up, and it was great. Oh well, I went out the last night in Cadiz and went clubbing, save that for when I talk about that one. Ok well since I have to wake up tomorrow morning and head out on my camel trek with a nomadic tribe. Sorry again that I am not keeping this updated as much as you would like, but trust me, when I get back I will explain all my stories.



Until my next post,



“Do what you love, love what you do.”

-Unknown (heard by Cali whom I hung out with today when we shared our favorite quotes)