Nerja

Hola,

What a busy weekend. Here's the a catch up from Wednesday. Thursday was fairly calm. I just had two classes in the morning, lunch, siesta, a killer spinning class, then a night out on the town. Friday I didn't have class and slept in, then rushed to the gym and back home to eat and pack for the Nerja and its lovely beaches. It was pouring rain in Granada, something that rarely happens in the desert-like terrain of southern Spain, and we hopped on a 4 o'clock bus to paradise. It was sunny and warm in the beautiful city of Nerja, just about 2 hours from Granada. About 30 of my closest IES friends and I hopped off the bus and wandered to our quaint little hostel. Different from what the horror-film Hostel portrays, our hostel was nice, clean, and perfect for what we needed. We grabbed some quick food and spent the night at one of our friends hostels that was basically an apartment.

On Saturday, we got up fairly early and walked to la playa burriana. At this beautiful beach we went sea kayaking! It was amazing. We each got our own kayak and paddled out along the rocks along the coast of Nerja. It was so beautiful and actually a great workout. I found out that my upbringing in the center of the United States, a bit detached from any large body of water, has not prepared me well for kayaking, furthermore, kayaking at sea. It would be an understatement to say I need practice. Nevertheless, it was absolutely beautiful and really fun. The water was the perfect temperature, cool but not too cold, and the weather was perfect as well. After sea kayaking we went to an all-you-can-eat paella restaurant on the beach. (Paella is a delicious Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings.) The owner of this restaurant is a genius. There were about five guys making insane amounts of paella in bulk on the biggest pan I have ever seen and then just shoveling it onto each persons plate. It was 6 euros and you could eat as much paella as you wanted. It was fantastic! After paella we lounged on the beach for the rest of the afternoon before heading back to our hostel for a calm night on our personal rooftop terrace. 


Today, we woke up early, hit the beach for a couple of hours, then caught the 2:30 bus home. Two hours later, I made it back the la casa de María Carmen and plan on having a relaxing Sunday night. Perhaps a picnic dinner and ice cream later. 


Hasta luego!


Ashley