Picos de Europa

July 5, 2010
8:50 PM
Ten things I have learned so far in Spain that I did not know before hand:
1) Do not use the word “criada” when referring to the housekeeper in a hotel, even though you may have read the word in past Spanish classes. This word has the connotation of slavery.
2) Bring any and all medicine you could possibly need during your visit, not just the medicine you most commonly use. Pharmacies will NOT have what you need, and you WILL likely get sick.
3) Pay attention to symbols on doors. Even though “H” and “M” may not mean anything to you at first glance, walking into the guys’ locker room is usually not what you intended.
4) Your hair will always look bad.
5) You will gain weight, because it is almost impossible (and rude) to refuse food when given to you. On a related note, you will spend your days alternately starving or full to the point of bursting, because food can only be consumed in brief bursts six hours apart.
6) Even if you aren’t a big breakfast person, pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, cereal, and cold milk can be powerful cravings.
7) Internet is not ubiquitous.
8) Pretty shoes are a necessity. They are also very expensive.
9) Despite what you may have previously found, extremely hot weather and air conditioning indoors do not always go together.
10) Cars do not always stop, even when you have a “walk” signal.

Since I last wrote, the coolest experience I have had was this past weekend, when my group took a trip to Los Picos de Europa. We hiked 12 kilometers (~8 miles?) through some of the most gorgeous mountains I have ever seen, and spent the night in the tiny and adorable town of Caín. The pictures I took do not do the area justice, and I’m pretty sure that every one of us has the intent to visit again in the future.

The next day, we toured a cheese factory, something I have no desire to ever repeat (even though my experience was significantly more enjoyable than those of the rest of my group due to my not being able to smell very well with a cold).

And later that day, we went white water rafting! We were separated into groups and each had one guide with us, telling us what to do and instigating battles between the boats when there weren’t too many rapids. The guides were mostly young, funny, and gorgeous – a good combination. The water was about the same as the water in Montana, however, so we had to wear wet suits, jackets, and boots (and I was still cold). We spent a good amount of time in the water too, as a result of the rapids, falling out of the rafts, swimming, jumping off rocks into the river (so high! scary!), intense splash wars, and being pulled or pushed into the water by guides in other boats, who had a running competition of how many people they could hook with their paddles and pull into the water. A lot of time was spent throwing people into adjoining rafts to cause chaos as well. All in all, a very fun experience! Oh, and my guide visited Montana a couple months ago, which made me extremely excited (think I’m homesick!). He spent most of his time in Billings, but traveled through Bozeman at one point. He told me I was very lucky to live in such a beautiful place ☺.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment of much of the trip to Picos and my time in general lately has been hindered by me being sick… I haven’t gone out in days and have been sleeping 8-9 hours a night plus a couple hours during the day, and I’m still not 100%. I’m hoping I’ll be good again in a day or two more, because it’s getting really old and I’ve missed out on some fun stuff – including a game of “Cierto o Hazlo” which was our version of “Truth or Dare” (literally “True or Do It”).
I have to be better by this weekend at the latest, as we have another adventure in store: La Festival de San Fermines (sp?) in Pamplona. We technically have the weekend free and it isn’t a sanctioned group trip, but every year Pamplona is the most common destination. This year, all but one of us are going. We rented a bus to take us there and are also going to visit the beach in San Sebastian (sp?). I haven’t read much about Pamplona, but from what I have heard, it’s CRAZY. This is the place where you can run with the bulls (we are highly advised against doing that particular stunt), drink all day and night (we are advised against that as well), and witness a city in complete chaos for a weekend. Should be fun… I hope!

Brianna