Week 12 Spring Break Adventure
Spring break was epic. I think if I tried, I could write about this week forever.
When I landed in Majorca, I followed the herd towards the bus system in an effort to get to Palma. After standing at the station for a few minutes, unsure if I needed to use a machine to buy a ticket or not, or when the bus would arrive. I thought to myself, I came here to hike, so might as well start now, with my hiking pack on I started walking towards Palma. Turns out you can’t walk to Plama from the airport. After about thirty minutes, the sidewalk and bike lanes end abruptly, so I defeatedly called a Taxi. However, it was exciting to find out my Taxi driver was doing the same hike as me a few days later.
The camping trip I planned was three days long, so I fueled up with the best food Majorca has to offer: PB and J, Chorizo, and tortillas. Just to get to the start of the hike felt like an adventure on it’s own. On the way to Valdamosa, I met some South Africans on the bus and Scottish students in a park.
The first day on the trial, time moved incredibly slow, I thought I had been hiking for three hours when only an hour had past. I shoed off mountain goats constantly on the trail and eventually set up camp in a small refuge. The whole day I had been climbing towards a peak, which made for a terrible first night. It was freezing and windy, and I couldn’t even eat with a view because my fingers would freeze. I stayed in my tent from 8PM to around 10AM.
I was rethinking the whole solo trip until literally, at the peak of a mountain, I passed a guy from Denmark who hadn’t talked to anyone in three days, and whose birthday it was! He told me we wouldn’t be talking if I went with a friend, and that completely changed my mindset. Shortly after I caught up to a German orthodontist who was hiking at about the same pace, so we talked for a while until we reached Deia. Deia is a super beautiful small town with flowers everywhere, if I were blindfolded, I would’ve thought I was in a perfume factory.
Because wild camping is technically not legal, I structured my days to set up my tent near sundown, which meant I was in no rush. I walked down to the water and watched crazy waves. There, in the masses of families and couples, I spotted someone solo and introduced myself. We walked and chatted for a while, turns out she’s a journalist and a photographer. We made a deal, if I walked with her back to the bus station, she’d be my photographer. (Still waiting on photos)
Back on the trail, near where I had planned to camp, I saw a viewpoint marked on the map. I probably spent an hour trying to access it from the three entrances displayed, but all of them were gated off. Luckily, I found an unmarked trail and could not believe no one else was there. I was convinced a tour group from the next town over would be brought to this point to watch the sunset, but no one came.
The next morning, I had calm chorizo and tortilla breakfast at the lookout. The day before, I had passed a bell with a sign that read “ring bell.” Since it was close to sundown (and I had watched Hostel recently), I was too nervous to ring it, and I promised myself I’d come back. So I backtracked, and it happened to be a local's freshly squeezed orange juice stand, which is much better in the morning anyway. I hiked with a Canadian mom and daughter for a while, and because I had backtracked, I was able to gift them the knowledge of the lookout location.
Eventually, I made it to Sollar, and pretty much the first thing I spotted was the botanical garden, the perfect lunch spot. Downtown, if I didn’t know I was in Majorca I could have easily thought it was Germany. Someone told me hiking Majorca is Germany's Florida. While downtown, looking for some postcards, I wandered into an artist's studio and really put my Spanish to the test with a long conversation.
Because I hadn’t showered in Majorca (and because yolo), I was going to swim. I walked to Port Sollar and saw on the beach only a couple of people, all in winter jackets. When I came out of the water, I was told I was “un poco loco.” At the port, I briefly met a few girls from Argentina and happened to be on the same bus back to Palma, so when we got back, I invited them to come to the beach with me and watch the sunset, despite it being complete overcast.
Walking around the city for a final dinner, I was caught off guard by a Holy Week Parade, which didn’t have the best looks as an American.
That night, I slept at the airport, proud to have secured a spot at the small “cornucopia” of six outlets before security.
The second part of my spring break was spent in Ireland visiting a friend studying abroad. My first introduction to Ireland was not having enough cash for the bus (because they only take cash for some reason) and being saved by the bus driver, who told me not to worry about it. On that bus, I met an Irish guy from New Dehli who confessed to me the love of his life is getting married. He also shared his favorite foods at his family's Indian Restaurant.
I hopped off the bus for a transfer and met the most Irish man in existence. He was an old guy, swearing constantly and never breaking a straight face. I was cracking up for over an hour. When I asked him if he watches the sun set often (because there was a beautiful sunset at the moment), he told me, “It’s always the fuckin same.” I also learned he owns a bar in Ennis and told him I’d check it out.
After over 24 hours in airports, planes, and buses, I met up with my friend in Ballyvaughan. My friend attends a super small art college of less than 20 undergrads, and they all live under the same roof. In addition to a change in scenery and culture, it was incredibly refreshing to experience a change in lifestyle. Immediately, I hopped onto my friends routine, we woke up at 7 am to a beautiful sunrise, journaled, stretched, and ate the most fancy yogurt I’ve ever eaten. The best part of the morning was that slowly, everyone was making their way into the kitchen and dining room, where talking and joking brought the place to life. Also, the Irish dairy Philadelphia cream cheese has changed me.
We walked to school about twenty minutes away and climbed a mountain directly behind the college. I had never been somewhere so green before and with such cool rock formations. After we climbed down, I met a postgraduate student who showed me her thesis project and took a quick tour through the studios. Each undergraduate gets their own space and freedom to work on their own different projects. It was again refreshing to be around people who are so passionate about their work.
For lunch, everyone migrated to the cafeteria on campus. My friend had to leave to work in the kitchen, but I was only alone for a minute before his friends sat down at my table. With everyone going to their classes, and my friend working, one student told me about the crystal caves not too far away. I was told to find the “bull in yard” sign, jump it, find the bee boxes, but with no bees, look for two creepy donkeys that look like the twins from The Shining, follow a long, windy gravel road, and look for a waterfall. Walking for over an hour in the rain, I felt like I was on a Lord of the Rings quest. It was almost comical, every time I thought I had lost the path, the next sign appeared in front of me. It also made me realize I don’t think I’ve ever navigated somewhere where my phone could provide absolutely zero help.
I was envisioning purple crystals like in Minecraft, but it turns out it was more of a white quartz. I hurried back to get to the computer lab for my class registration, but it turns out I had marked the time for EST, so I’d have to register that night, during Irish set dancing. My friend, two others, and I walked twenty five minutes in the rain to a church parking lot where a lady also going dancing picked us up. That’s as good as public transport gets in Ballyvaughan. For three hours, I learned different Irish dancing sets. It was pretty funny, I was dancing with a bunch of older ladies and their husbands. And the regulars, aka my friend and his friends, were impressively good.
The last day I was in Ireland, my friend left to go on a trip to Italy. Instead of saying goodbye to everyone when my friend left, I decided to take his place at school. Every Friday for an Irish Cultures course, a field trip is held, this week's was along the Irish coast, which was literally perfect. I got a free tour with a knowledgeable guide and good company.
With the rest of my last day, I had three things I really wanted to do: Irish bar, Indian Restaurant, and Spice Box.
My original plan was to go to the owner I mets pub as a good way to spend an hour while waiting for the next bus I needed. However, on the first bus to Shannon, we got trapped on the narrow road with another bus coming the other way. For thirty minutes, our bus driver coached the other driver to back up, and traffic controlled the other cars. I felt a little disappointed I wouldn’t be able to make it, then It started to rain, mirroring my emotions. But then most incredible full rainbow appeared, our bus positioned perfectly with the windows facing the coast and sky. That got me talking to the other people on the bus, one of whom was a nut scientist giving talks across Europe. When the bus arrived, I decided to go to the bar with a twenty minute timer so that I could say I had a beer in Ireland. I met two locals who were good company for a few minutes.
I caught a buzz for the second bus to Shannon and stopped at Ireland's Walmart equivalent for the bathroom. There, a high school-aged kid approached me, telling me he was short on bus money. I asked him, “how much is the bus?” and found out we were both short on bus money lol. The ATMs were closed, but I was told I could get cash back if I bought something. So I had this kid and his friend grab me two of their favorite Irish snacks. Turns out cash back only works for Irish cards. Luckily, I shared the snacks with some guys at the bus stop, and when they found out I was fifty cents short, they covered me.
In Shannon, an hour before close, I made it to Bollywood Temple and met the guy's dad I met on the bus, I got exactly what I was told to order, Chicken makati with garlic nan and a side of pilaf rice. Super full circle moment. With only one item on the list left, I felt that the last thing I needed was a Spice Box. I was so incredibly full, but I was told by Irish friends I met abroad that if there’s one thing I do, it’s get a spice box. So, I went to a Chinese place next door and bought one. I snacked on a long walk to the airport. I’m 1/2 in walking to/from airports now.
On the way back to Madrid I had a great layover at the beach in Alicante, is a place I had never heard of before. It’s awesome that chance put it on my map. The last time I left the Madrid Airport was when I first arrived in Madrid, walking out this time felt a thousand times more comfortable than the last. A good sign Madrid feels like home. I found solo travel incredible for meeting new people and forcing you, at every turn, to be open and friendly to a unique degree. Being alone creates a gap and pushes you to seek out connection wherever you go. Still, I think visiting a friend wins out in terms of overall fun.
I also want to mention a few blocks away from me this robot pizza place is opening. I was looking through the glass at the right time, met the owner and got a sample slice. This is so dystopian.
Comillas Pontifical Madrid
