Gulliver and the "Botllón"

Valencia is great for many many reasons, and these are two of my current favorites.

1) Gulliver

If you don't know what Gulliver is, you have to check it out on google maps, and even if you do know what it is, you should still check this out. I'm not sure of any historical significant of this Gulliver character, but it's a playground for kids (or anyone, I guess) in the shape of a man (most likely Gulliver) who has fallen (probably in battle) and he's all splayed out and his sword is on the ground. People can jump around on him and slide down his clothing and climb in his shoe. It's quite possibly the coolest play structure I've ever seen! Plus, it's quirky (or morbid, depending on your perspective). There are all these people jumping around on this guy.

2) The "botellón"

Imagine a tailgate without the (dreadful) football game following it. Here, you have the "botellón." (Wikipedia has an article about it, too) I met a group of students from my program outside of "the center" (where we take classes) and we walked a few blocks to the University of Valencia. We turned the corner and saw a parking lot full of college-aged students (give or take a few years) standing, sitting, mingling, and blasting music from their cars. After spending plenty of time mingling with our fellow Americans, my friend, Jessica, and I decided we really really wanted to have Spanish friends. We asked a girl who did this program last semester what is the best tactic for picking up Spanish guys. Unfortunately, it seems to be asking Spanish men for a cigarette. Fortunately, Jessica smokes on occasion, so it wouldn't be entirely weird to accept a cigarette and do nothing with it. Following a few failed attempts, we met Javi, who told us, in English, that he did not have a cigarette. We did, however, exchange phone numbers and later went to a "discoteca" with him and his friend, Andres. We did not, however, make it into the discoteca. We waited in a long and crowded line for a while until we bailed for fear of being completely trampled to death. That's okay, though, because Javi and I are now facebook friends.

Yesterday, the weather in Valencia was absolutely perfect. I spent some time in the "jardín" near my apartment sitting in the sun and writing in my journal. It wasn't too hot or too cold and there was just a slight breeze. It couldn't have been more perfect. Today, however, is a different story. Cloudy and chilly and a little reminiscent of the dreary Michigan winters.