Nothing Under Us But Air

Ah, home again. Back at Arturo and Elisa's house, yesterday I woke to a sunny day. We had smoothies for breakfast before beginning our day. Arturo had offered to take me flying in his Trike. This is a small airplane that is directed based on weight shifting. It's pretty incredible in my opinion. 

I sat behind Arturo, since he was flying. There is nothing to stop the wind from hitting you as we moved 120km/hour over the land. So I made sure I dressed warmly. Before we left Arturo informed me that if I drop anything, not only will it plumet towards earth, but it will also go through the propeller behind my seat. You can imagine both of these things are not what we'd like to happen. Let me tell you... You never have such a death grip on your phone as that moment. I took my gloves off, deciding an hour of frozen hands clutching my phone was better than a broken propeller with an iPhone lodged in it. 

We soared past castle ruins, sheep grazing, rock formations, and even farmers who we circled and waved to. It was incredible. The wind pushes you back into your seat and yet makes you feel completey free. Also, if you are at all afraid of heights, this is not the ride for you. There is nothing to look at but the open ground beneath you. It's awesome. The quick turns allow you to get close to these rock formations or castles. Arturo would circle a cool feature, take his hands off the bar in front of him, and snap pictures. The plane would slowly angle downwards and Arturo would calmly put his big camera away as he took control again. Amazing. 

My favorite part of the hour and a half flight was the last cliffs before we went home. Imagine a more rocky and jagged Flatirons. Cliffs overlooking flatlands. Imagined? Okay. Now imagine soaring over those. On the top of these cliffs ran a herd of mountain goats, frightened by the sound of the airplane. Arturo took pictures and let the plane swoop low over the edge of the cliff. That was my favorite. Elisa later told me there is a great line for climbing. It was obvious that this cliff edge was meant to be climbed. Beautiful. It was the perfect end to the flight. Despite frozen hands, I was ecstatic when we landed. 

The sun was warming the day to around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. So we used the day to wash cars and airplanes. After that, I worked on scholarships the rest of the day. When I was finally cursing the system of schooling, I took a break to go watch the sunset. The ultimate breathe of fresh air. Today, we are headed to Bareclona and the area surrounding for a couple of days. The adventure continues!