13: Prepare for Bug Bites

Gross picture, I know. That big bite made the inside of my ankle swell up! At first I thought my ankle was inflamed because I was walking too much. But, alas, I've realized that I just react really badly to bug bites.

Every time I'm out late (participating in night life, going to the beach, getting back from the bus station late) or early (out for morning runs, or getting back from the bus station... early, I guess!), I get one or two bug bites. This picture is just one of them. Right now I have a huge swollen red patch on the back of my left thigh from a particularly brutal one.

Everyone reacts to bug bites differently (the locals don't seem to have any!), but it's a good idea to bring some cortizone cream with you. Or, get some ice from the Pencion's freezer, put it in a bag, and ice those itchy spots. Just, whatever you do, do not itch. Way easier said than done, I know.

An alternative to bringing cortizone cream (or spending a lot of money on a tube while in Europe) is to use home remedies, which take advantage of products that are cheaper to buy or that you might already have. I have to credit my mom with these treatments--after I told her about my bug bites, she sent me a link to an awesome website with many, many ways to make a big bite stop itching! Here's the website: Over 40 mosquito bite itch relief tips.

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12: Bring Snacks to Studio

Cacahuetes bañados en chocolate

Studio is from 10AM-2PM. Lunch/siesta is from 2PM-5PM. Studio happens again from 5PM-8PM. Lately, though, we've been ending around 8:30-9PM. The sun is still out at 9PM so it doesn't feel like the day is over, and since we've been in studio for so long, we just want to keep going...

Meal timing to ensure I don't starve has been a challenge but I think I've got it down now. I wake up early--6AM to be exact--and run to the beach at 6:30AM (I'll write a post about exercise later!). At 6AM I eat a couple crackers so I have some energy for running. I eat breakfast around 7:30AM. By 11AM, I need a snack, because lunch is still a few hours away! At 2PM I eat lunch at the Pencion. By 6PM though, I need another snack. At 8 or 9PM, I eat dinner, which is usually a salad with leftovers from lunch.

Notice that both my snack times fall during studio hours (and are around meal times that I am used to!). So what do I bring? The building in which we hold studio is two blocks away from the Mercadona, the supermarket, so if I forget to bring snacks I can hop on over, but I usually bring my own. I fill a little Tupperware container with a combination of fruit from the market (lately it's been apricots, peaches, or plums), nuts (I'm addicted to peanuts), hard-boiled egg (pre-peeled), crackers (the same ones I eat before running), spreadable cheese (similar to Laughing Cow), and/or candy (today I had a honey hard candy that was yummy!). The yummiest snack ever are peanuts bathed in chocolate, as pictured above. I also drink a lot of water and hope to stay not-too-hungry until I can eat again back at the Pension.

There's also a cafe across the street that lets us bring our coffee cups to the studio. Another cafe around the corner has tostadas with cheese for .80 euro. Lots of options, but I like to bring my own snacks.

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11: Internet Ain't Free

FRIENDS Cafe in Torrevieja. Free wifi with purchase!

There's wireless internet at the Pencion, but it's totally, completely, utterly random. I think it has something to do with both how many people are connected at one time and how close you are to where the router is, but truthfully... I have no idea. On some days, I'll be able to connect on both my iPhone and my laptop with no problems. Otherwise it's spotty on both. Most of the time, I get a spotty connection on either my phone or my laptop. On really bad days, I can't get a connection on either. Sometimes, moving down to the bar area ensures a good connection, but today that didn't work.

There are a few other options. I have an account set up with a nearby internet cafe (4.74 euros for 5 hours) where I use their computers on a timer. The library has wifi for free, but it is only open certain hours and is really slow. I've been able to connect sometimes to an unsecured wifi network from next door. The most reliable and expensive option is to purchase a personal wifi hotspot creator-thing (it looks like a flash drive and connects through USB) from any of the mobile phone vendors.

Right now, I've been sitting in Cafe Eligeme for five hours straight after ordering a cafe Americano. Good thing they don't kick people out of cafes in Spain. It's such a luxury to have stable, fast internet! I'm pretty sure I know the melodies to all of the popular soft rock/pop songs in Spain now too, because that's what radio station they're tuned into.

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Toyo Ito Relaxation Spa Ruins in Torrevieja

Torrevieja is a city larger than Guardamar and about a 20-minute bus ride away. It's along the coast as well but it lacks a beach. There's a boardwalk instead.

But we weren't interested in the boardwalk. We walked and walked and walked in the 5PM sun, scurrying from shady spot to shady spot, navigating roundabouts, and zigzagging our way from the city center to the edge of town. We passed so many Chinese restaurants. We walked through a neighborhood built for the British, which had no shady spots on the sidewalk because the British love the sun (that's why they vacation in Spain). I'm pretty sure we made it to the edge of town.

We come to a field overgrown with wild plants and see a black mass off in the distance. It's the ruins of a relaxation spa that Toyo Ito designed (here is more information). The mayor of Torrevieja a few years back commissioned several famous architects to build in the city. The relaxation spa was hated by the locals, and when the financial crisis hit and the project was more heavily scrutinized, it was found that the spa was being built on land protected as a nature preserve by the Valencian government (similar to a state government). Construction was halted and what was already built was abandoned.

We climbed into the foundation of the spa and found it eerie. We could tell that it had been burned and the glass had been shattered. This is a photo of me inside of the ruins. The twisting wood formed a shell shape that sat on a concrete foundation. I am standing on a steel floor deck. It was massive and humbling to be inside. It made me realize that even if I become a famous architects, it's still the luck of the draw that determines whether or not your projects will be realized in the end.

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10: Take a Cab

Looking back on my spontaneous weekend trip to Madrid, I feel lucky that it was such a walkable city. Everything we wanted to see was in the city center and we could walk there in 20 minutes or less.

Since then, though, I've taken cabs and buses. I'd have to say that sometimes taking a cab is worth it! I used to think that busing or walking was always the best option, but there are many factors to consider.

In Granada, getting to the Alhambra looked like a relatively short walk... but most of it was a steep uphill climb and it was still hot out. The bus didn't take you up to the entrance of the palaces. Two other girls and I took a cab (seats 4 passengers max) and arrived 15 minutes earlier than everyone else. We were sweat-free too! We paid less than the bus fare to get straight to the entrance twice as quickly. Good deal!

The bus back from Alicante only runs at certain times. The last bus from Alicante back to Guardamar on weekdays is at 9PM, but festivities such as bonfires and parades usually don't start until after the last bus leaves. The earliest bus in the morning is at 7AM. In this case, it's probably worth the 50 euro cab ride back to the Pencion to sleep and be fresh and ready for the next day. Splitting the cost of a hotel room and then riding the bus for 45 minutes in the morning is also an option, but may add up to cost the same (or more) as a cab ride home.

But your mileage--and price--may vary. In Alicante, our class split up into groups to take cabs to the Centro de Tecnificacion (a sports center) designed by Miralles. This was also an uphill climb, but the meter seemed to be running fast! My cab got away with splitting 6.25 euro, but the other cabs that arrived after us paid 7 euro and up. Your cab luck depends on how well your driver can navigate roads, run yellow lights, and avoid obstacles.

Another option is to ask the driver if there is a flat rate to your destination, but that may not exist, or may be greater than what your actual fare ends up being.

I'm always down to walk everywhere to save a few euros. It adds up! But when I need a cab, I'll call one because it's worth it.

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Mascleta Fireworks

During the first week of the San Juan Festival in Alicante, fireworks are set off every day at 2PM in a public square. The sun is bright at that time of day so it's not about the lights--it's about the thunderous noise, the strength of sound. They are called the Mascleta fireworks, which translates to masculine fireworks. (During the second week, fireworks set off at night on the beach are all about the lights, and are called the feminine fireworks.)

We were about one block away from the fireworks. Every day is a different show and there is a competition on which show is the best. I could feel the sound in my chest--it was awesome.

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