9th of July
I get the best travel guides one can wish for! After a nice breakfast Alicia shows me around Zaragoza. She and her sister know everything about their city and tell me more than any book could have done. We meet Irene at the university where the two of them have a meeting with one of their teachers while I’m sitting outside, enjoying the sun.
After that we walk back home to have a nice Spanish meal made by their grandmother. We have a short siesta and then go back to town to see the castle, the cathedral and everything else. I didn’t expect much from Zaragoza but have to say I really liked it. But then again the girls made it really easy for me. The whole family is absolutely lovely! It is impossible not to like Zaragoza if you stay with them.
We are really exhausted when we get back home and just watch an episode of Gossip Girl before we go to bed.
10th of July
Alicia and I go to the train station to buy my ticket to Cordoba, then meet Irene and Carolina at the university because they have to talk to their coordinator. Afterwards Alicia and I make our way to the Expo which takes place in Zaragoza this year.
It’s supposed to be one of the hottest days so not too many people are there. Still, for some of the pavilions you have to queue for a really long time. Like the German one that had a waiting time of 1 1/2 hours even though it’s not supposed to be that good.
So we skip those pavilions.
Southamerica presents a great band from Kuba. They are called Karamba and I immediately fall in love with their music and buy one of their cds.
Austria is a bit of a disappointment. There is a giant snow globe with real people dancing inside, wearing traditional Austrian clothes. Later on people from the audience are allowed to change into those clothes and dance.
The idea is great and everyone seems to love it but that is pretty much all the pavilion has to offer and that’s a shame.
We also go to the Swedish pavilion where I’m mostly excited about talking Swedish to the people working inside. The pavilion itself is nice but not very exciting.
After spending 9 hours at the Expo we’re exhausted and ready to meet Carolina and Irene for some cold beers.
Right next to the Expo area is a lovely new place to chill out. It’s a bar-restaurant with a beach area. You sit outside in the sand and it really feels like the sea is only a couple of meters away. You can easily ignore the fact that Zaragoza is situated in the desert. The one thing that is important to know though is where the entrance is. Otherwise you might wander around the building for half an hour like Alicia and I did.
After a great night out we go back home and straight to bed.
11th of July:
Third day in Zaragoza and third time at the university.
While Alicia and Irene try to fix their grades I try to get in touch with my bank after not getting any money out of the cash machine the day before.
15 minutes and about 10€ phone bill later my account is okay again, thanks to my lovely friend Anna who works at the bank and saved my money situation a couple of times before.
We walk through town one more time, meet Carolina to say goodbye and go back home to have lunch.
After that Irene has to go to work and Alicia and I go to the train station where we have to say goodbye.
Once again, thank you so much for the wonderful time!!
From Zaragoza to Cordoba I have to take AVE which is the fastest (and most expensive) train in Spain.
The trains in general are really nice here. They are on time, the seats are comfortable, the toilets are clean, you can watch movies (!) – most of te time even in English and you even get sweets!
My train ride is really comfortable and only 4 hours later I’m in Cordoba where Carmen picks me up.
We arrive at her place round 11.20pm where I meet her mother.
Carmen picked me up with the car but wants to take the motorbike (once again – moped!) to show me the city. Slightly exhausted I agree, take the helmet and go to the garage with her. There she realises that someone broke into her moped and stole her helmet. She checks if the rest of the bike is okay and fortunately it is.
Not very impressed and with only one helmet we decide to take the car.
After a short ride where she shows me the main monuments we go and meet some of her friends in a bar.
There people are singing and playing the guitar.
I’m liking the Spanish flair but am too tired to stay for very long so we go home to sleep.
