I hate it when people mistake me for a celebrity.

Today will be considered one of the most memorable days on this trip. In the early morning kitty cat (I don't remember it's name) rubbed it's stupid little body all over me. It was already a billion degrees in my bedroom and I didn't need a fur ball cat rubbing up on me, so...I pushed him off the bed. This same action happened at least 7 more times, each time I yelled a little bit and sternly gazed up the cat but it didn't stop him from hopping up on the bed to purr in my face or bite my toes. He eventually got the boot, a swift kick in the behind and he was done for. Except by that point I was wide a wake damnnuggit. It was around 8:30 a.m. and I was pretty bored so I just started cleaning things. Me. Mary Kaercher started to clean things. It was a freak of nature accident, don't expect it to ever happen again...
Our kitchen was infested with little ants but instead of festering in one place they were attacking from every end of the wall. I got out my soapy water and started to kill. Bravely I took  down each and every one of those little buggers with the spray bottle, but when it came to cleaning them up with a towel I was a coward. I would like to note that I am not a bug person. No bugs at all, they all creep me out and I just dont. do. bugs. So I felt really proud when I wiped all their lifeless bodies up, applied the vinegar and continued my freak cleanings.  


My housemates woke up earlier than usual and the day began. A little breakfast and then a quick decision ended Jenna, Morgan and I in tennis shoes and sport bras running around Valencia. The jog was definitely hot, even at 11 am this sun boils your skin. I had sunscreen on because my early morning escapades had led me to applying it vigorously to pass time. Our run wasn't mapped out and we got a little lost, but with the help of the big ol' towers we found our way back home again. This afternoon was dubbed a relaxing/upload photos kind of afternoon and we did so accordingly. We laid out in the sun, swam, uploaded photos to facebook and ate. Wonderful? You betcha. It got even more dynamite when we found the small trampoline...our jumping photos just got an upgrade! 

It was then decided to go into town and check out the night life. We all got ready giggling and listening to music and sipping some bubbly wine from a plastic bottle that actually was pretty good. We all looked fabulous (obviously) and we sat around waiting for 8 o'clock to come around. Yeah so, 8 o'clock came around and we missed it, so we went for the 8:30 bus instead. Waiting at the bus stop Jen realizes she doesn't have her camera, and Manda doesn't have her party ring, necessities. We have ten minutes to spare if the bus is not a minute too early so Jenna goes a running back to the house. Mind you it is still a solid 81 degrees outside. The jeopardy music comes on and the three of us tap our toes angstily waiting for her return. Will she make it? We don't know, but I sure as heck don't want to wait for the 9 o'clock bus...Minutes pass and the angstiness is almost unbearable. Morgan narrates Jen's sprint , "She is rounding the dirt corner..." and BAM Jenna appears, slightly off from Morgan's prediction but even so she made it. It wasn't even bad that she was hot and sweaty because she just glistened. 


We conjectured the idea to walk to the restaurant instead of bike so we didn't have any obligations to attend to (If we bike, they have to be turned back in at midnight...or else...). We followed the river this time making it a lot easier to find the cathedral and our restaurant. Tonight we dined at Du Plex, this cute little cafe stashed away in a small street corner. Our waitress spoke little English but did provide us with American menus. We had some pan and vino and ordered our delectable food. We were sitting in the small upstairs part of the restaurant and all of a sudden our waitress had our food. She didn't walk downstairs it just appeared, and that is when we noticed it: the coolest food elevator ever. Brought the food right up for eating. Clever, shoulda thought of that one. We were all happy and poised until it came time for the bill and we needed to split it. Up until tonight everyone has been very good about splitting the check with four cards but these Du Plex people just didn't have it together. It took about a good 15-20 minutes to run all of our cards and get them signed. It was just a hassle. 


It was then onto the search for the bars. We backtracked using solely our memories (thank you every high school play and acting class for my memorization skills), weaving back though streets and areas to get back to the water. We felt safest next to the water and figured it was our best bet for a good time. We first came across this fun bar just sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. The bartenders were pretty attractive Spanish men and mixed us up some fruity blah blah blahs. On our next hunt we pretended we were celebrities because it definitely felt like it with everyone staring at us. It is like they have never seen four light haired girls (Canadians) in one place, or everyone over here just has a staring problem...hoping not for the later of the two. 


The rest of the night consisted of walking into places and checking out what they had to offer. We most definitely wanted to dance our pants off (not literally). And after a few tries at some not so friendly older people bars we finally found some people our age. American music flowing through the speakers with low lights and lots of people swingin' their hips. The Spanish boys swarmed us asking us questions and asking if they were cute. I thought it was hard at times to understand what they were saying in English and ended up just shrugging my shoulders and saying "no hablo espanol". Clap, clap, clap hippopotamus. Next we traveled a couple doors down where the music was hot and it was looking really inviting. We walked in and heads turned. Now I don't want to sound conceited, it was more like their Spanish heads are triggered to follow blondes. A blonde walks into a bar and (this sounds like a beginning to a lame joke...) heads turn, it is a fact. Anyways we start dancing and this one guy gets up on my grill, steps on my flippy flop and as I try to take a run for it, he takes my shoe, breaking my flippy flop. We asked for tape but the bar didn't have any so we resorted to just having one shoe. After an attempt of switching shoes and Morgan going barefoot then getting told she had to have shoes, I ended up with one regular flip-flop and one broken one, completely useless except for to stand directly on. I WOULD BREAK A FLIP FLOP. Just had to get that out of my system. Morgan had the brilliant idea of using a bobby pin, so we weaved and heaved and pressed a bobby pin in there to make it work, which it did if I walked carefully, not really suitable for the dance club scene. The bouncer who told Morgan she needed shoes smiled and thumbs us up when he saw we all had two shoes. Eight shoes total. Morgan got a photo with him, he was cool except he occasionally went for the butt touch, but then again it might just be a coincidence. 


At one point in this club we were surrounded and packed together with tons of Spanish boys. We were dancing with our arms like all Americans do as the Spanish boys danced without their arms....when Manda got run into by some guy he said sorry but in Spanish and she replied with an English "Oh that's okay". He: "You speak English?" Manda: "Yes, do you?" He: "I'm from Philadelphia" Manda: "Montana"...and the friendship began. These American boys saved us from the impassioned Spanish boys who were up in our bidnesssss. He saved Morgan from getting her rump rubbed by asking to swing dance. They swing danced away to the Spanish music and told us to just look for him and say "Novio" whenever we needed rescued. Hippopotamus. So from then on he was our "Novio" aka "Boyfriend". Later we had a conversation with him and his brother and found out that they were leaving tomorrow but had been here for four weeks, kind of like us. Hugh and Owen were our knights in sweaty armor last night. We also got very good at saving each other, we yelled SAVE ME and instantly someone was there to pull you away, beeline for the door but right before the exit swerve and get right back into the fun. Repeat. Repeat again. Hippopotamus. For the rest of the night it was dodging lustful Spanish boys, hoping on one foot, and kissing the cheeks of a birthday boy. We had danced all night long and had to catch the three am bus. We left in a rush and met one more boy from South Dakota on the way out. 

NOVIO aka Hugh

My poor brown flip-flop had had enough fun for the night, it wouldn't even stick together for the walk home. So I went with one, limping down the rickety streets of Spain with one brown flip-flop, sweat pouring down my face, and a slight droop to my right eye from tiredness. We were on the bus, Jenna fell asleep and almost knocked me out when we woke her up... and then we were home in a jiffy...well walking from the bus stop wasn't so jiffy since I was limping and it actually kind of hurt at that point...those roads are rocky not smooth...But we all brushed our teeths and went to bed making it one heck of a night to remember. I was glad it was a good one because we are scheduling in going out because it was one adventure for the books. Adios...until next time! :)