Canary Islands

Hello hello friends,

So after 2 long, hard weeks of midterms, the university was nice and gave us Thursday and Friday off of classes for a "winter break." So Megan and I decided to go to the Canary Islands, more specifically Gran Canaria. Why not go somewhere warm for winter break right? Our flight left late Thursday night so we had all day Thursday to just chill. We walked around Sol and went shopping. It was a fun day, just walking around the busy streets. We also got some churros and chocolate before heading back for dinner. We had a nice meal then headed to the airport to catch our flight. When we went to go get our boarding passes stamped at the ryanair check in, we saw on the screen last call Gran Canaria. So obviously we started freaking out because we thought we calculated the time wrong (this whole military time thing is not enjoyable) and were going to miss our flight. We sprint from the counter through security and then look at the screen to find our gate number, and then we realize that we did have the right time and we had over an hour until our flight left. Stupid ryanair just posted last call for nothing. So that was our little travel scare for the trip. We boarded our plane safely and reached the beautiful island. We took a taxi to our hostel, which had an interesting set up. There were 2 bedrooms (ours was a little bit bigger than the size of a closet) and those 2 bedrooms shared a bathroom, kitchen and common area. So it wasn't too bad, although they did not have any computers which kind of sucked. But to make up for it, it was a 30 second walk to the beach, so we couldn't complain.

Las Canteras

Rocks on the beach

After a good night's rest, Meg and I got up and had a nice breakfast at the hostel. Then we walked down to the beach to check it out. We walked along the shore and picked up sea glass for a long time. I now have an extensive collection. Then we laid out on the beach and read/relaxed for a few hours. I could lay on a beach all day and listen to the sounds of the waves lapping against the shore. It is the most serene experience. Then we went up to the boardwalk and went to a nice little Italian restaurant for lunch (for an island owned by Spain, they sure had a lot of Italian!). I got 4 cheese macaroni (I miss it a lot) and we split bruccetta. It was yummy. Then we went and got some gelato. It was delicious. Then we headed back to the beach for some more relaxing. After an hour or so, the sky started to get really dark. So we packed up our stuff and walked along the boardwalk. I bought a ring and bracelet that is made out of volcanic rock. We also bought some other little touristy things and once it got really stormy, headed back to the hostel to hang out a bit before heading back out for dinner. We just stopped by this little pizza place and hung out there for a bit.

Sandcastle

Sand sculpture

Palm trees

Gelato

New ring

bracelet

Meg and me

In the sand

Cloudy

On the boardwalk

Boardwalk

After dinner, we walked along the boardwalk, looking at all of the different stores and places. I enjoyed looking at the beach the most beach the shoreline looked beautiful with all of the building lights illuminating it. After walking up and down the boardwalk, Meg and I walked along the beach for a while and picked up some more sea glass. We also were having fun goofing around. Then once we got tired of that, we went to a bar and order some strawberry daquiris. Except they tasted like cherry flavored candy, so I'm not sure how that worked. But we finished those up and headed back to the hostel for some rest. Chilling in the sun all day can take a lot out of a girl!

Night time

Again

Mural

Drink

The next morning we got up and had some breakfast and headed out for the day. While we were walking along the boardwalk the night before we noticed a lot of surf schools. So we decided to check it out and see if it was too pricey because surf lessons sounded cool. And lucky for us, they were way less than we expected! So, yes everyone, this clumsy girl learned how to surf. Well sort of. I was given a 2 hour lesson on how to sure with our awesome instructor Ole. The course was supposed to be in Spanish, but luckily he spoke English. That helped a lot. He was very comical which made it all the more fun. Sometimes I would be afraid to try to get up so I would just stay laying down on the surfboard scream and one time he said to me "Who is that guy that lives with the apes and swings from tree to tree?" and I said "Tarzan?" and he said "Yes Tarzan. Is that your Tarzan scream?" He was a funny dude. But he did teach me the mechanics of surfing. I think my problem was I tried to do everything at once instead of going step by step. And that I have terrible balance. But I did get up a few times, although I feel over a couple seconds later. The two hours went by way too quickly for me, however my body was thankful. I now understand the phrase beat the snot out of someone. I literally got beat up by the ocean. The worst I have to say is a tie between my bruised knees, the burning salt water up my nose and my hand (I thought I broke it for about 5 minutes). But alas I am alright, I only feel like I tried to beat up a brick wall. Overall, it was definitely worth it though. It was one of the coolest experiences of my life. And now, with a little more practice, I will be a surfer chick in no time! (Check back later for pictures- I'm waiting for the people to put it on their website so I can download them).

Surf school!

After surfing, Meg and I went and got some mediocre smoothies but I did not care because I was famished. Then we went and took a nap before heading back to the beach. We went and got a late lunch/early dinner type thing, then had a nice little photo shoot on the beach.We just had fun playing in the water and the sand as we walked across the beach. Then we headed over to a big shopping mall. I actually found a couple things, which rarely happens, so I am a happy camper. It was a little bit chilly when we left, so we went back to our hostel and changed our clothes. We went and got some more gelato and walked around the beach/boardwalk are. Then we stopped and ate a few tapas before heading back to our hostel and just having a nice chat before heading off to bed.

In the water

Walking

So graceful

:)

Walking

My favorite

Beautiful beach

Surfers- me one day

Beach

Names in the sand

View from the airplane

We left super early so we would not miss our flight, and this trip went over without a hitch. It was a nice relaxing trip back to Madrid and I've just been lounging all day. My cousin Rob, who is studying in the Netherlands, gets here on Tuesday with some friends so I am looking forward to seeing him. I miss home and my family so it will be nice to have some family around. I'll update in a little while.

Love,
Ash