Rupit [roo-PEET]
At first, Spaniards gave me a bad impression because strangers can be pretty rude to each other. No one gives each other friendly nods on the street - a disgusted glare is more common. However, I've realized that they're incredibly warm and open after a quick conversation, or because of the slightest relation.
For example, all of Robi's relatives have been exremely kind - every time I meet someone, they end the visit sincerely wishing me a good stay in Spain, and telling me that I can come to them for help if I ever need it.
Recently, after talking with a Spanish couple for no more than fifteen minutes, we exchanged phone numbers in order to meet and practice our languages. A day later, they (David and Sheila) invited me and a friend on a day trip to nearby Vic to visit the market there.
*David has group photos from the trip; I'll insert one here once I get it from him.
The four of us, along with two others, left around 9:00 AM so we could still have plenty of time to spend there after the hour and a half drive. At Vic, we were told there was no market that day, and so we proceed to Rupit, which is another nearby town that is a perfect example of an old, quaint Spanish town.
This picture, like most of mine, is a poor representation of something incredibly beautiful:
We then went looking for a 'nearby' lake to have a picnic - "Pantano de Sau" [Sau Swamp] is a reservoir that was made despite the fact that there was a town in the valley - Sau. We spent about an hour in the car, with David pulling up beside every hiker and asking for directions. Driving through the countryside, probably lost and definitely hungry, is a lot easier when the countryside looks like this:
We eventually gave up and set up the picnic next to a cow pasture... We didn't pack utensils, which mattered little to most of us. JuanJor, however, had bought a sausage in Rupit that he wanted to cut to make his bocadillo [sandwich]. He dug around in the trunk of his car, and this was the best option he came up with:
That's a hacksaw, and he didn't just joke about using it. He cut his tomatoes with it too.
Here is the Pantano de Sau - that is the church steeple sticking up above the water. David told me that, during the summer, more of the town is above water, which is neat to see, but also means that there's a bad water shortage...
All in all, the day was wonderful. I would really like to see a lot of Spain while I'm here, and having local friends that know the best places is a huge plus.
For example, all of Robi's relatives have been exremely kind - every time I meet someone, they end the visit sincerely wishing me a good stay in Spain, and telling me that I can come to them for help if I ever need it.
Recently, after talking with a Spanish couple for no more than fifteen minutes, we exchanged phone numbers in order to meet and practice our languages. A day later, they (David and Sheila) invited me and a friend on a day trip to nearby Vic to visit the market there.
*David has group photos from the trip; I'll insert one here once I get it from him.
The four of us, along with two others, left around 9:00 AM so we could still have plenty of time to spend there after the hour and a half drive. At Vic, we were told there was no market that day, and so we proceed to Rupit, which is another nearby town that is a perfect example of an old, quaint Spanish town.
This picture, like most of mine, is a poor representation of something incredibly beautiful:
We then went looking for a 'nearby' lake to have a picnic - "Pantano de Sau" [Sau Swamp] is a reservoir that was made despite the fact that there was a town in the valley - Sau. We spent about an hour in the car, with David pulling up beside every hiker and asking for directions. Driving through the countryside, probably lost and definitely hungry, is a lot easier when the countryside looks like this:
We eventually gave up and set up the picnic next to a cow pasture... We didn't pack utensils, which mattered little to most of us. JuanJor, however, had bought a sausage in Rupit that he wanted to cut to make his bocadillo [sandwich]. He dug around in the trunk of his car, and this was the best option he came up with:
That's a hacksaw, and he didn't just joke about using it. He cut his tomatoes with it too.
Here is the Pantano de Sau - that is the church steeple sticking up above the water. David told me that, during the summer, more of the town is above water, which is neat to see, but also means that there's a bad water shortage...All in all, the day was wonderful. I would really like to see a lot of Spain while I'm here, and having local friends that know the best places is a huge plus.
posted by Spoonaloompa | 12:28 PM
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