When we came back from Barcelona, there was nobody left in our apartment other than Colin and I. In total there might have been 10-15 people out of a program of 120 students that came home. After a loud weekend in Barça, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited to see some quiet in our apartment.
This was the plan:
- Homework
- Plan out the rest of my life
- Appreciate Valencia before leaving
That seems simple enough, right? Well, I didn't have too much luck with the first two at the start of the weekend. I had a full weekend to do homework (don't worry mom, I did it) and I couldn't plan out the entirety of my life just yet, so I started with my schedule for classes in the Fall. But, as Valencia has them, an opportunity came up to do the third.
"Hey, we're checking out new places to take students to for future day trips. There's a seat open. It's yours if you want it," said Colin.
... Why not?
One day and one friendly invitation later, I was in a car with two FSU administrators, Colin (our PA), and my friend, Brittney, headed towards the small town of Anna. Anna is about a 45 minute drive Southwest of Valencia. It's a town that isn't very well known, but those who have stumbled upon it are NOT disappointed by what they find.
When we arrived, we drove around for about 10-15 minutes looking for the tourist information building. In all honesty, I was surprised to hear that one even existed in such a tiny own. In the 10-15 minutes it took to find the building, we must have seen the majority of the city. We found it by the roundabout where we first entered, hidden beneath the shade of a large tree.
From there, we figured out our game plan:
- Lake and Campgrounds
- Two different springs
- A natural pool
And in between each, came a new adventure.
First, we had a brunch at the lake and campground. Alicia was kind enough to bring bocadillos con jamón o atun (Spansh sandwiches with ham or tuna), salchichas de pascua (Easter sausages), and beverages for everyone. While we enjoyed the scenery and our food, some rather aggressive ducks wanted to get a taste of what we were eating. I have never seen a more persistent (and, admittedly, intimidating) group of park ducks. Despite the ducks, we enjoyed our meal with a nice cup of Cafe con leche (Coffee with milk. Valley girl translation: Cafè latte) at the end: a very Spanish way to conclude lunch.
We made our way to the first spring, as seen in the picture of the lake with the red and blue water. Never before had I seen two different hues in a body of water. I felt like I could have taken a hardboiled egg, dipped it in, and, when I removed it, revealed a beautifully painted Easter egg. The water looked great, and cold; well, at least that's what Colin told us.
What really struck me was the beauty of the path that we were walking. Looking out into the distance, the mountains looked like a humongous, painted backdrop to movie set. There was no way the those mountains were real. The sun shone down on us, and its foil character, the breeze, made the weather seem like the perfect temperature.
Next on the list, we were headed to another spring at the bottom of a huge set of stairs. The woman at the tourist info office told us there were about 136 steps between the top and bottom of the staircase. So what does every snarky student do when they something like that? We counted each step.
At the bottom, we found more beautiful clear springs. Only this time, further down the spring was a huge drop off for a water fall.
Don't let the picture fool you: there's a reason my back is against the wall. Heights and I haven't always gotten along, but I decided to be a little more adventurous today. The view was incredible and well worth the edge. (And hey, I don't think it's a bad profile picture either.)
After finding an awesome natural pool (and a quite hysterical encounter with a herd of sheep), we made it to our last stop...
A beautiful Oasis that we almost didn't even bother going to. But, as I've said, when an opportunity arises, take advantage, do it, and never look back.
'Til our roads meet,
Christian Camacho
The Traveling 'Nole
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