Road Trip Spain--February 20-24, 2009

Hola!

Last weekend, Larry, our friend Bayard, and I went for a 5 day/4 night road trip adventure across Spain to Valencia, Alicante, and then back through Toledo. It was a trip of many "firsts": first time "CouchSurfing", first time walking in a Spanish bull-fighting arena, first time seeing fireworks that I thought would end the world......let's take this all from the beginning.

CouchSurfing: this website was created in 2004 as a world-wide, online hospitality service , with the objective of connecting travelers with locals who can offer lodging or hosting during their stay. Having heard about this new phenomenon over the past few years from friends who had tried it out, I remained skeptical of showing up to a stranger's house and sleeping on their couch! But when you're trying to travel on a budget, and traveling with two other guys (strength in numbers!), having a free place to stay for 3 nights can save you 180 euros combined, at least! Plus, when you really look into what CouchSurfing is all about, it's not as scary as it seems. From the members' profiles alone you can get a sense of what the people are like, and select those who don't appear to be sketch-balls, and seem to have things in common with you. Also, past surfers leave references and comments attesting to how their hosts were, so you can get a sense of what staying with a certain person would be like. Finally, once you get in contact with that person, emailing back and forth allows you to get to know one another at a basic level, so as not to feel like you're showing up to a complete stranger.

Our first 'Couch-Search' for Valencia lead us to Elodie and Manu, a Belgian girl and Valencian guy who had rave reviews from their past surfers, and were willing to accommodate three visitors. They lived just outside the city, and seemed cool. So we met them upon our arrival in Valencia Friday evening, and their hippyish appearance and laid-back demeanor allowed us to put some of our apprehensions to rest. We followed them as they took us around the center of the city, and then back to their apartment, where there was a guest room with a bed and couch waiting for us. (The place was very comfortable, very clean, but had an overpowering smell that we could just not describe!) The next day we woke up to what would be the best part of staying with Manu and Elodie: breakfast! They prepared the most delicious fresh orange juice I have ever tasted, along with toast, jams, and coffee. It was great (though the breakfast table conversations were a bit lacking). The second breakfast we had with them was churros and chocolate, a typical Spanish breakfast (good, but still nothing like the croissants and pain au chocolats of a typical French breakfast!)

Asides from a free place to stay and breakfast, the other big advantage of CouchSurfing is getting to know someone who lives in the place you're visiting. This provides you with a local's insight on what to do and see, as well as someone to tell you about local customs and traditions that you would otherwise not know about. For us, this made our third day in Valencia incredibly better than it would have otherwise been, and possibly my favorite day of the trip. Having arrived Friday, visited the Aquarium and done a lot of walking and touring Saturday, our idea was to leave to Alicante Sunday after eating lunch at the famous paella restaurant on the beach. But Sunday morning, Elodie and Manu told us about a couple big events going on in Valencia that day, which they encouraged us not to miss. The first of those was one of my top three favorite experiences of the trip: a Flamenco festival inside the bull-fighting arena! All the Andalusian Flamenco clubs of the Valencia community were gathered for a morning of performances, in the huge Colosseum known as la Plaza de Toros (almost every big city in Spain has one, even Zamora, but only some remain authentic and are still used for bull-fighting.) As cliche as it may be, seeing a Flamenco show was one of the things I had most been looking forward to while traveling in Spain; getting to see something this spectacular by complete chance made it even cooler! We even managed to get down onto the actual bull-rink (where special tickets were needed), and got to sit right up close to the stage and walk around where all the dances were gathered. Some of those dresses were fantastic, not to mention their performances!

From there we headed to the beach for our lunch reservation at La Pepica, a well-known paelleria where Ernest Hemingway frequently ate. This restaurant can sit up to 450 people, and is right on the beach; getting a window table here was a real treat. Watching the chefs prepare giant paellas was quite fascinating as well. The paella we ordered was the house special made with seafood, and it definitely surpassed our expectations. Follow that up with a siesta on the beach....we couldn't have been happier!

That evening we went back to the city center for the traditional event that marks the beginning of Valencia's annual "Fallas", a huge street festival in March where floats and statues are displayed in the streets (and later burnt). Though this festival is not till March, the last Sunday of February marks the "opening" the Fallas season, and is celebrated with a street parade and ceremony known as "La Crida". Thousands of people gathered by the old towers, were there was an areal acrobatic performance, a presentation by the city mayoress, and the most intense fireworks I've seen in my life. The explosions in the grand finale were more like the end of the world than entertainment! Manu and Elodie were defitely right in telling us to stay an extra night to catch that excitement...good thing we listened!

After our third night in Valencia, and our third breakfast at Manu and Elodie's, we packed up and headed south to Alicante for the afternoon. I must mention at this point, the one downfall of the CouchSurfing experience, and how it resulted in us telling a small fib in order to regain our traveling freedom. Though our hosts were incredibly generous and kind, letting us stay with them, showing us around, and feeding us breakfast three days in a row, they seemed to expect to do more 'hosting' than we had in mind. Rather than asking us what our plans were and making open suggestions for joint activities, they acted as though we would follow them wherever they took us without asking any questions or having anything else planned. This, for certain types of travelers who lack the independence of having their own car, or who come with an open calendar and nothings particular in mind, would be a great way to get to know a place. But we had come with the idea that we'd mostly be doing our own thing, and got the feeling this left them a bit disappointed. So when Monday morning came and they asked if we would go with them to a beach town before heading to Alicante, we knew we had to find a reason to part ways. We only had two days left to see Alicante and Toledo and drive back to Zamora (less than we had initially planned), so we knew it wasn't an option. To avoid feeling bad in disappointing them again, we told them we'd be heading straight to Toledo from Valencia, but would look forward to going the next time we visted. As we took the road south towards Alicante after our departure, there was a lasting paranoia that they would somehow pass us on the highway and wonder why we weren't heading west like we had said!

Alicante reminded me a bit of Nice--a coastal city with a nice beach-front strip and boardwalk, as well as an elevated viewpoint overlooking the Mediterranean cost. We had just a short visit there, so we walked around the old center and then took the elevator ride up to the castle for the nice view of the city. Then it was back in the car and off to Toledo.

Now had I known how much I would love Toledo, I would have traded the detour to Alicante for an extra afternoon there. Toledo is probably my favorite city of Spain so far. Sitting on practically an island, the old city is surrounded on three sides by the river Tajo, and definitely merits its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage sight. It has a lot of interesting history and monuments, as it was at one point the capital of Spain, the headquarters of the Catholic Church in Spain, home to El Greco, and a city where Christians, Jews, and Muslims coexisted for years. The Cathedral of Toledo is an impressive one, and holds the title for second largest in Spain, after Sevilla's. It's galeries are filled with artwork from El Greco, Goya, Raphael, and others, as well as beautiful gold work (an artisan specialty of the city), and architecture. We visited a few other churches, one of which housed El Greco's famous painting The Burial of Count Orgaz, another that had many more of his paintings on display, and a Jesuit Church whose twin towers were the highest point in the city and offered nice views. One museum that we opted not to visit was a display of ancient torture instruments from the middle ages! Intriguing, but no thanks. Walking around the old narrow streets of the city center, and then taking the scenic road with panoramic views across the river from the city, our full day's visit of Toledo was a successful one, and made me want to return at some point for a second trip.

All in all, our road-trip was a sunny, fun, and memorable one, and hopefully won't be the last.
Did I mention it's already feeling like spring over here?! I love it!!!

For the rest of the pictures from our trip, click here.

My 26th birthday

The day started with a late rise and a delicious fresh breakfast. Larry had gotten up early so he could have fresh croissants, fruit, coffee, and fresh-squeezed orange juice waiting for me when I got up.

In the afternoon, we drove to Collias, a town about 25km southwest of Avignon, to go canoeing down the Gardon River. (Having a car is definitely a liberating luxury, and offers a new sense of freedom to go experience Provence at will!) We arrived in Collias at about 3:30pm, and it was probably over 95 degrees out. Eagar to get cooled off in the river, we quickly paid for our 2-man kayak, got geared up, and headed out for our paddling adventure. The water of the Gardon River was surprisingly frigid, given what a torrid afternoon it was; a much-welcomed contrast for making the heat bearable.

Over the next two and a half hours, we paddled our way down the river, navigating around swimmers and other kayaks and canoes, and enjoying many refreshing swimming pauses. The river was pretty slow-moving, so the few sections of more noticeable current provided some excitement. We also found a perfect cliff for jumping into the river, which we did three or four times.

About half an hour before the end of the journey, we passed under the Pont du Gard—an impressive ancient aqueduct built by the Romans in the first century A.D. Though I’d already visited this giant structure several times on foot, seeing the bridge appear in the distance then paddling underneath it was a whole new experience. That was definitely the busiest section of the river, for obvious reasons. In fact, it was so crowded that we couldn’t avoid colliding with a group of people wading in the current! Asides from that, the afternoon was awesome and was a great outing for a bday.

At night, we went out for dinner at a restaurant on my favorite plaza of Avignon—la Place des Corps Saints. We sat outside on the tree-covered terrace, and praised every slightest hint of breeze we felt. The food was amazing—a huge fresh plate of deliciously-seasoned salad, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, red cabbage, shredded carrots, goat cheese, vegetable pâté, ratatouille and chicken, and prosciutto, followed by a tasty mushroom, ham, and cheese pizza. After the meal we walked to the best ice-cream place in the universe, aka Amarino’s down on rue Saint Agricole, and got a nutella/hazelnut cone to share. We continued our walk to the giant ferris wheel outside of the walls, and went for a spin, which offered great views of the palace, the bridge, the fort on the other side of the river, and the rest of the city.

To finish off the warm birthday evening we met a couple friends for a drink at another terrace near the palace, and then called it a night. All in all, turning 26 was quite wonderful!

And to top it all off, I received from Larry one of the most meaningful and thoughtful presents I’ve ever gotten—a beautiful, thick, leather-bound journal, with a gold-lettered inscription on the spine which read, “Les Ecrits de Celine Clark” (The Writings of Celine Clark). Inside he had written a short note which read, “Write what comes from the deepest part of your soul. There are people waiting for you to inspire them. Happy 26^th birthday. Yours always, Larry”. Below it he added a quote by Goethe, which said, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it; boldness has genius, power, and magic in it”. It’s my first book, waiting to be filled. And it couldn’t have been a more perfect gift.

An ‘Extreme’ Surprise

(January 2007)

This past Christmas, one item on my wish list was to renovate my bedroom, in which I had lived and amassed ‘stuff’ for the past 20 years. I envisioned my new room with a fresh coat of vibrant paint on the walls—perhaps a burgundy color—to replace the pale-green wallpaper, built in shelves to maximize wall space instead of miss-matching bookcases, and a new meditation corner where the old stereo and speakers took up useless room. When Christmas day arrived, my parents gave me a homemade coupon redeemable for ‘an extreme room makeover’ and said they’d be happy to help me with my project. Excited, I thanked them in advance for being willing to assist with the refurbishing of my room, and got started on some preliminary excavations before leaving for my New Year’s trip to DC. I was thrilled about the plans to continue with the project upon my return from DC on the 4^th of January, and was ready to turn my childhood quarters into a modernized dream room.

So I left to DC for almost a week, ready for a nice dose of travel adventures and colder weather. After a pretty tough first semester of teaching, I was eager to take advantage of my vacation from school. My trip turned out to be an amazing one. Highlights included: going back to Charlottesville for a nostalgic visit and a fun jam session with James, going on an adrenaline-filled solo hike in the serenely beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, seeing my college roommate Korina and sharing the wonderful company of her and her husband’s families, spending New Year’s Eve with my other college best friend Shelby, rollerblading and bike along the Potomac River with Jason and Sasha, and seeing my twin brother as a teacher for the first time in his Arlington high school. It was the perfect trip, exactly what I had been hoping for. I got away from Miami for long enough to feel the joy of independent traveling and the invigoration of cold winter weather, but also for long enough to get a renewed sense of appreciation for my current living situation in Miami, where people really dance in clubs and the sun almost always shines!

Coming back from my trip on the 4^th, I was in great spirits, feeling refreshed and re-vitalized after a wonderful week in Virginia. My joy multiplied when I was greeted first by Kate at the airport, then at home by Mom and Dad, and finally by Howard, Nadine, and Julie (who walked in only seconds after I put down my suitcase). I was overjoyed by the warm welcome they gave me, thinking nothing more than how kind and loving they were for greeting me in such a cheerful way. When I asked why it smelled like paint in the house, Mom told me that Dad had done some work in their upstairs bathroom. After a few moments I decided to go see what changes he had made.

I didn’t find anything to be much different in the upstairs bathroom. But when I turned towards my room to drop off my bags, I noticed a sign on my closed bedroom door that read: “EXTREME MAKEOVER, CC’s EDITION”. I stood bewildered at the thought that they actually pulled together the type of surprise only seen on reality television. They couldn’t have! I thought. Holding my breath, I slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. And as the scent of fresh paint infused my nostrils, also the feelings of shock and awe filled my body, as I got my first glance at a totally transformed room.

There in front of me, as though straight from my initial visions, was a completely and beautifully renovated room! The walls were painted in a faux-suede burgundy—the exact color I had seen and admired in Kevin’s Arlington bedroom only 4 days earlier. (Apparently he had been an accomplice in surprise too!) The trim and ceiling had been painted with a new coat of white, making for a beautiful contrast with the new color of the walls. Even though the room was void of furniture, my rug and meditation pillows had been laid out in the corner with candles lit beside them, welcoming me home to my new serene environment. The most impressive addition of all was the brand new, custom-built wall unit where my old desk and book shelves used to be. Extending from one wall to the other and all the way to the ceiling, the white Formica unit—designed and built during the six days I was gone by the architect of our kitchen—not only looked gorgeous, but would also provide ample shelves and cabinets for storage space, and a wonderful expanse of working space.

I was absolutely stunned! After the initial shock set in, I began to realize how much time and effort this transformation must have required, and how much planning had been done in such a short period of time! I had been gone less than a week, and not only was the “makeover crew” was able to clear out the entire content of my room, strip the wall paper, paint the walls, and have a new piece of furniture designed, built, and installed, but they did it all in only a few days!

More than anything, though, I was left with such a tremendous feeling of gratitude towards the people gave me the most wonderful surprise of my life: my Mom—who spearheaded the initiative over a glass of wine with Marianne the architect, my Dad, Kate, Nadine and Julie, and all the other workers involved. Their hard work created for me a moment I will never forget, and a room that I absolutely love! To know that my family would devote their vacation time to do something that kind and thoughtful for me leaves me feeling more loved than I could ever deserve. The blessings in my life never seem to stop flowing and the generosity and love that surrounds me fills my heart with joy and thanks.

……And my new room ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! J check it out:

"A Prayer in Searching"

I am longing to find deep within me,
A place where my mind, and my heart are set free.

I have searched through the past, for experience is meant to teach,
I have searched in others, whom that place they have reached.

Yet with all of the soul I invest in this journey,
The roads of my future remain daunting before me.

But when my all I have spent I can fall right back down,
For God’s presence will lift me to my true solid ground.

I know not where I’m going, only he knows the way,
And I ask that he guide me, and with him let me stay.

Glad goodbyes I do bid, to my worries and fears,
For when trusting in God...

The heart sheds no tears.

written '03

Devotional Writings from Lent '06

Dear Lord,

On this day and always, may the feelings in my heart, the thoughts in my mind, the words of my mouth, and the actions of my being not only be acceptable to you, but be guided and marked by your will, your wisdom, and your love.

With my eyes, may I see the presence of your greatness in all that I experience. May I find clarity as I walk with you, learning from the past, embracing the present, and not worrying about the future. And may I observe the wonders of your love as it permeates our lives and unites us all.

With my ears, may I hear the constant trickling of your river of life, the source of all that is good. May I listen to your voice as it speaks to me in times of sorrow, but also in times of joy. And may I hear the voices of others, and respond to their calls with compassion, mercy, and love.

In my heart, may I feel the powerful presence of your Spirit. May I be comforted by knowing that you are with me in my journey, guiding me with the light of your love; and may I find strength in the faith that your wisdom is infinitely greater than my own, but that it speaks to me through what’s written on my heart.

In my mind, may I overcome emotions of fear, anger, doubt, and regret, by knowing that you are with me in those times of struggle. May I be mindful of the many ways I experience you, oh God, and may this awareness help me to always be connected with you as I live each day to its fullest. And may I find the peace that comes from the soul’s openness to your will.

Finally, with my all of my being, may I do what is right, love selflessly and wastefully, face my fears with courage, be true to myself, and reach my greatest potential by connecting to my higher purpose through you.

Thanks be to God, on this day, and always. Amen.

"The world calls"--Poem from 3/05

In a train—

The rolling hills upon which I gaze
Their trees and fields and colors
Never restrained
Leaving me in a daze.

In a train,
The world calls.

In a church—
The overwhelming calm that opens my heart
Brings spiritual elevation for which I search
Yet leaves me at the start.

In a church,
The world calls.

In a museum—
The sight of life captured by the strokes of a brush
To be relived, and be questioned
Inspires and tells so much.

In a museum,
The world calls.

In a concert—
The music lifts me to higher grounds
Beauty inside me moves my soul
Life becomes sound.

In a concert,
The world calls.

In a bookstore—
The treasure of writing brought together in masses
So much insight for a curious mind to explore
My eyes need time, but it passes.

In a bookstore,
The world calls.

And in a train,
The world remains
On the outside while I’m looking in.

Questions abound
Answers seem few,
Each day my path begins anew.

When will this journey for me become,
A journey I stop learning from?

These steps I take will never stall,
For outside, and in,

The world

Still calls.

Beach Poem

The shaded silhouettes of the palm trees stretch out before me,
As the sun falls slowly towards the horizon behind.

Dark trunks painted on the sand, now elongated
practically reaching the ocean from where I sit a hundred yards back.

The light on these magnificent trees, as on my skin, becomes golden--
a soothing change from the day's harsh rays.

The breeze from the water drops a few degrees,
continuing its gentle caress over my body as I lay here enjoying the moment.

Every footprint in the sand has become a pronounced shape
and the beach becomes a field of tiny pyramids.

It's getting late, I should go,
but being here feels perfect.

And I want to see how far these shadows can stretch.
7-10-07