Espana.

Hola amigos.

Wow, it has now been a week since I left Australia,
exactly seven days, and its been an interesting week to say the least.

We arrived in Alcaraz (Al-car-ath) on the Tuesday, at midnight, and
I had a really, really horrible sleep, tossing and turning, waking up to
try and unblock my nose, and cough up phlegm, it was disgusting.
I got up at eight, and convinced my mother to let me have codeine,
so the pain flew away, but the head cold stayed.
I stayed in bed for most of the time, bored out of my brains, and finally
went out to look around the town, going to what would become my locale cafe,
Bar Tapas, to have coffee, and stopping at a bar to get uber duber duber cheap
cigarettes (3.25€ or $5AUS). It didn't really feel like I was walking that much,
even though I did. The villages in Spain are great, you never get puffed, or tired
because they have been designed for walking, and because everything
is so beautiful, you forget that you have been walking for two hours,
it seems like five minutes.
After exploring, it started to get really cold, so I went back to the apartment,
finding my parents ready to go out again.. so we went to the library to
check emails etc, then out for dinner. The librarian seemed like such a bitch,
she was so snappy, and just snarled at us the whole time.
In Spain, alot of people look down on tourists, get frustrated when we are trying
to speak Spanish etc, like we are just stupid tourists and can't do anything right,
though they are better with Australians than Americans (like most of the world),
but then there are alot of Spaniards who are so polite, and lovely, and excited to
meet a foreigner.
And they eat soooooo much, and so much fatty shit. For dinner, it'll be a salad,
or chips (patata fritas), then a big thing of meat or pasta, then cake or fruit
and icecream, plus tonnes of crap bread, and a lot of wine and beer...
The obesity over here is horrible.
After our lovely dinner, we went back to the hotel (Hostal Los Rosales) and
I watched a film for English (Look Both Ways) and went to sleep around one,
enjoying my first cigarette in nearly three days... hahaha.
I had another night of horrible sleep, tossing and turning, finally waking up at 7,
and unable to go back to sleep.
I was a little better, and kept stuffing the drogas into me, and decided to explore
a little more, going and getting coffee, bored by myself...
Mum and Dad and the kids had gone to Riopar with Richard (the courses organizer),
but I stayed home, not really wanting to go and look at another farm.
When they returned after 8 hours, we got dinner, and went to bed early.
It was that night that I got up to cough up some phlegm, and one piece
was soooooooo big and digusting, it looked like a piece of brain, probably
4cm by 1.5cm, but it unblocked one of my nostrils, so I could breathe kind
of properly again, which was amazing!! I wish I had've taken a picture
to show Em, she would've vomited all over herself!!
Friday was a little more interesting though. Pearl and I decided to have 'sister sister time',
wandering off to get hot chocolates (and coffee for me), calling a few peeps in Aus,
it was so nice to hear my friends voices, I didn't realize I would miss them so much after
so little time, and getting some empanada's for lunch (moi moi bien).
We got back to the hotel to find we were moving over to Riopar, and had got
a nice little 3 bedroom apartment. It was really great to be moving somewhere
different after experiencing all there was to experience in Alcazar,
and Riopar is bigger, and we could finally cook our own food (I was uber excited to
have eggs for breakfast!!).
The apartment is really, really cute. I have a massive bed, a clothes rack, and nice little
windowsill, and lots of cupboard space.
That night we went out for dinner at Hostal Rio Mundos, having this amazing feast,
drinking lots of wine, and being merry..
Richard ordered all the food, and it was absolutely delicious, I have never had such good
Spanish food. Though that may be because we can never read menus, and know carne,
tererne and patata fritas. Ha.
We got home, and everyone went to bed, but I climbed out onto my windowsill,
and did some writing. It was freezing, but so peaceful, apart from the uber loud neighbours
either having a fight or sex .. (Spaniards are quite passionate ...)
I had a great sleep, comfy and warm, waking up to go shopping and get supplies,
and made eggs with tuna, capsicum, olives and cheese with organic rye bread.
It was moi moi bien, and it was so good to have a real cup of tea!
Saturday was mostly uneventful, until later on. I started trying to organize
my trip to Paris to visit Freya, and found European travel prices to be quite
expensive, but I'm still trying! Mum is thinking of roadtripping there with me now.
My mums friend Encarne introduced me to her niece Rosalia, and so we had coffee,
and she invited me to go out clubbing with her and her boyfriend, Jose, that night.
So after dinner (at Hostal Rio Mundo again) I got ready, and went back to Rio Mundo
to have a beer with dads students, Eduardo and Stefan.
We decided to head out at around 11, going to this cowboy bar first, to find another student
of dads absolutely fucking pissed (I don't know how the Spanish do it, they drink all day,
but still manage to live. It's like a country of alcoholics), and the bar practically empty.
So we decided to head out to the club, Barbol, and started by sitting outside drinking
lots of beers (I was having the strongest Spain has to offer, the weaker beers taste like shit,
though it was probably not the best idea in the long run).
(Quick note to Al, Em, Gret: That song, '..put your trust in me, and you will find infinity' just came on the radio, hahahaha gooood tiiimeeezzz bruddazz!)
After Rosalia and Jose turned up, we drank more, getting on to the Jamesons and coke (Rosie,
Jamesons in 9€ over here, thats like 12 bucks!!) and sitting around having all these
weird political conversations, it was like I was stoned or something... haha.
After Ed left at four am, we decided to get on the tequila shots, drinking maybe four too many,
and started to dance. I got up on the podium, and this is where is started to go downhill..
I lost my lonely planet book, and Encarne's dictionary thing that she lent to me, and my silver
and amber ring that I have had my whole life and never take off, and kissed my dads student,
Stefan, who is about two million light years too old for me.
So, from that point on, I really don't remember much, up to walking home, and getting through
the door at 8am to my furious parents, who had been up since 4 worrying about my whereabouts.
I honestly didn't even know my whereabouts after 5-6am until then .. eeek.
But after a few dramas all is fine now, especially after a session in the car with
DC's Seraphim pumped (the only music I have, the best music I could have) and
a few sniffles.
I got up at 1 on Sunday, went and got coffee at Rosalia's dads pub, and hung out with her for
a bit, before going home to sleep at nine..
Today, we went to this amazing waterfall and cascades just out of Riopar. Seeing things
like that really make you appreciate natures wonders.
I haven't really eaten anything in the last two days, apart from a bit of salad, so mum
took us out for lunch, and tried to make me eat, but I really just didn't feel like it.
I've been exercising heaps, and not really feeling like food, all the Spanish food just
makes me feel bloated, but I feel healthier, especially with hardly smoking at all,
and I feel skinnier ... haha, not that I'm trying to become anorexic, smaller portions
of everything just seem better at this point in time (apart from coffee, can you imagine
me not drinking coffee?!?!?! I'd be some uber crazy bitch, without cigs its bad enough,
but coffee as well?! I don't even WANT to think about that .. haha).
But yes, now I am uber excited about potentially going to see Freya's boobies (and Freya)
this week, and parading around Paris with her, but need to find someway of getting to Paris,
with flights being $151 dollars, trains $225, and my mother iffy about leaving dad, but seems
to be getting pretty chummy with the idea of a roadtrip. DC all the way (haha, em & al, thats
all we have been listening to apart from our learn spanish in a day cd, its great!).
I really just want to get out of Riopar, I've kinda been avoiding all of dads course..
Eh, life, life, life, mistakes ...

But otherwise, I'm great, enjoying Europa, missing you guys like fucking crazy,
but great.

Love, love, love,
Bell.