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Why yes. I did quote Calvin and Hobbes for an introduction. Accept how great that is now.
Okay, ready to go now? Alright.
This morning, I said goodbye to Arturo. How odd that was. I can't believe my time in Spain is coming to a close! I felt like I just got here. How time flies... We ended our farewell's by saying, "I'll see you in Alaska." The ultimate place to reconnect. Or something like that...
Elisa and I headed to our morning adventure spot. Albarraćin is a town nestled in the mountains between Torremocha and Teruel. Despite being a crazy picturesque spot, it also is known for it's bouldering surrounding the town. As an especially boisterous climber always said to me, "Rinky dinky climbing." Still makes me laugh. Elisa and I drove to the area, parked the car, and began to hike around. The tricky part for us was finding a trail amidst the ice and mud. Either the path was ankle deep mud that would eat your feet, or ice that would eat any of your traction. See what I did there? It's okay. You can laugh later.
The red rocks enclosed the entire area. Everywhere you looked was obvious bouldering possibilities. We saw several groups of people climbing. Including, my favorite, two parents and a small boy, who was no more than three-years-old clambering along. Crash pads... Crash pads everywhere. It was super fun to see. Have no fear, my fellow travelers! If you are not a climber, you too will enjoy this hiking area! Why? Because on some rocks are cliff drawings that are apparent and easy to access. The trails, when not muddy or icy, are very well kept and easy hiking. It makes for quite the nice day in a quite, nature filled area. Elisa confirmed my suspicions by saying the weekends and summer time is quite crowded. I can imagine. So you're options are muddy trails or crowded paths. Either way, you will see a magnificent spot. I was quite taken.
We walked for a bit. The paths go on for kilometers on kilometers. We didn't have time for that, although we both agreed we could easily spend all day hiking around there. So we found a good lookout over the valley below. I gazed being eerily reminded of a certain lookout near my house overlooking Boulder. I had to pinch myself. You're in Spain, Rebecca. Gorgeous views every where in life!
Finally, we headed back. We went back to the town of Albarrćiin. I asked Elisa to stop at the climbing shop "Sofa Boulder." I desperately hoped they would have a sticker with that name. They did not. Oh well. A fun store nonetheless.
Continuing on, we explored the town for a little bit. It is a classic medieval town with narrow cobblestone streets, castle walls, cramped houses, and the like. What makes it so picturesque is where the town rests. Most, if not all, of the buildings sit on top of rocky edges and are made of vibrant red rocks from the surrounding area. The river runs at the bottom of the valley beneath the town. Across the valley, rock cliffs watch over the town. The town is busy during the summer I imagine. But now few people quietly walked around and their voices were heard less than the roar of the river. Beautiful.
We headed to Teruel, now. Since my time in Spain is coming to a close, Elisa's niece and nephew wanted to spend one last day with me. So Elisa dropped me off at their house for the afternoon. When I arrived, Carmen lured me into a game of Monopoly. I taught her the important rule of waiting a bit to buy things as to not lose ground quickly. We never found out the real winner because, really, does Monopoly end? Has anyone ever finished a game fully? It was very fun though because the Spanish-English got going full speed. A sentence would contain English, Spanish, and jibber-jabber contributed by Icar.
I had lunch with the whole family. Delicious. Jose took the kids back to school. Amparo and I cleaned up a bit, then headed into Teruel. We went to a bar for cups of coffee. We sat and talked for a while. I am confident my Spanish was not well presented. However, I felt like it was one of the most understood conversations I've had. I felt very accomplished. Her friend joined us after a while. We discussed differences in schooling between America and Spain, my upcoming trip to China, my job in Alaska, and so on. I remembered my first lunch with Elisa's family. I don't think I said one word. And now I was having a full conversation! I remember the introductions and now I felt like a member in this amazing family. Day to day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon... everything is different. I'm so fortunate to have met them. Splendid people through and through. I already can't wait to come back.
Around five, after Amparo and I picked up the kids from school, Elisa met us back at the house. I said my final goodbye's and thank you's, then Elisa and I headed to our final stop of the day. The spa. Yes. Oh my goodness, so much yes. So here's how this works. It's a dark quiet room (no kids under 14 years old!) with a bunch of different pools. There is a whole route you take. Each pool is different. Some are colder, some hotter. Some have salts and such, some not. Some have certain jet streams that massage sore muscles. If you follow their suggested route, it's fantastic. They have it figured out. One has a reclining chair immersed in water with massaging jet streams lining the whole chair. Another has this thing that shoots water up at exactly the level of your feet so that you can float effortlessly. Get the picture? And you just relax and enjoy life. The last stops are saunas, a bed of hot rocks to walk across for your feet, steam showers, and finally warmed reclining chairs in an entirely dark room with "stars" above you. Whew. Amazing. Any sloppiness in my writing I'm attributing to the relaxed, sleepy state I'm in post spa.
I couldn't help think about how crazy fast my month here has gone. I know, I know. I still have a couple days. So I'll save my full on speech. But I just wanted to tag a few thoughts here. I remembered my first month or so in Europe. It was a lot harder than I'd like to admit. There were times I just wanted to go home. But I knew if I did, I would hate myself even more. So I toughed it out. And now? (Don't listen Mom...) The thought of going home seems kind of crazy. I love what I'm doing! How can I stop this?! And I look back. There was never a moment of thinking "Okay, I'm good now!" No. Instead, day by day, pretty soon... Everything was different. That scares me a bit. Life can so easily change without us knowing. But at the same time. Thank God it does. Because now I have my Spanish family who I play Monopoly and drink coffee with. Because now I know I can conquer any fear in my life. Because now I know I'm stronger than I ever thought I could be. I may not have felt the change, but I can see it now. Day by day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon... everything is different.
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