Old friends, new places.

On Saturday, Keyla, Ale, and I went on a daytrip to Santiago de la Ribera to visit my friend Alvaro, who I met last semester while he was studying at Nebraska Wesleyan. We got there around 9:30 and Alvaro and his friend David took us to the beach of the Mar Menor. The Mar Menor is a lagoon that is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a strip of land called La Manga (The Sleeve.) It’s a really popular place for swimming and sailing because the water stays really calm. Along La Manga there are buildings and restaurants. I can’t wait to come back when it’s a little warmer! We walked out on a boardwalk and took some pictures. The water is so clear and sparkly. We went walking along the water’s edge and I stuck my hand in the water – the first time I’ve ever touched the Mediterranean Sea! ¡Que emoción! I found some sweet seashells, and I was really happy that I managed to carry them around the rest of the day in my coat pocket without breaking them!

After spending about an hour at the Mar Menor, we started driving to Torrevieja, which is about a 35 minute drive. Once there, we started walking toward the beach. Here the water was much rougher, but the sand was so fine and soft. I could barely resist taking my shoes off. Then we sat at this little café and had a cerveza (yeah, it was only about noon, but when in Spain…)

After Torrevieja, we went back to a little town called San Pedro, where Alvaro’s parents live. We went to their house and his mother made lunch for us. I don’t even know where to begin describing it. It was the best food I’ve eaten in the 4 weeks I have here in Spain. First we had bread with ham and cheese and this salad made of seafood and lettuce, and then we had rice with chicken, and then later a fruit salad with oranges, kiwi, and persimmon. It was amazing, and his parents were very sweet and hospitable to us.

It was a wonderful day spent with wonderful people.