A Beach in Cádiz"I said, that Juan had been sent to Cadiz -
A pretty town, I recollect it well -
'Tis there the mart of the colonial trade is,
(Or was, before Peru learn'd to rebel)
And such sweet girls - I mean, such graceful ladies,
Their very walk would make your bosom swell;
I can't describe it, though so much it strike,
Nor liken it - I never saw the like"
Lord Byron, Don Juan (Canto II, line 36)
I finally managed to get away for the weekend, since finishing university for the Summer. My friend Nacho has a house near Cádiz, in the south-west of the country. Now, considering Cádiz is an eight-hour bus ride from Madrid, I couldn't leave on Friday and had to be back in the capital for Monday morning due to work committments, I ended up only staying down south for a day. Nevertheless, one day of vacation is better than nothing at all.
Saturday 25th July, 11:00 - 19:30
Bus Journey. Spent the first half asleep and the second half reading. What else could I do?
Saturday 25th July, 21:00 - 02:00Met and ate with Nacho and some of his friends from school. Nacho has a nice house in an urbanización (which roughly translates to housing estate, but in the upmarket, posh sense), and all of his friends, minus one, were incredibly sweet and hot. All straight, though. Urgh.
Sunday 26th July, 12:00 - 15:00
Beach. Swam in the sea a few times, mainly got submerged by the waves, in a fun kind of way (as opposed the frightful drowning kind of way), and sunbathed (ha!) while reading.
Sunday 26th July, 15:00 - 19:00Nacho's pool. More swimming; more sunbathing; more reading.
Sunday 26th July, 20:00 - 22:00
Packed up, ate, played videogames and chatted with the guys.
Sunday 26th July, 22:30 - Monday 27th July, 07:00
Night bus back to Madrid. Not as uncomfortable as I'd feared, but hardly the most enjoyable experience.
Not my usual break, with a distinct lack of tourism, museum and theatre/art gallery visits, or sampling of local gastronomy, but given the circumstances, I won't complain. At least I had a break. Next stops: Segovia and Salamanca.
Oh, and did I mention the weather? 40-45ºC with not a cloud in the sky...
If you go to Salamanca, stuff your face with pinchos (how they call tapas there): cheaper, more elaborate and yummier than those in Madrid.
ReplyDeleteAnd you'll be a shame of a tourist if you don't try to find the frog at the façade of the old university.
Sounds like a much needed break. The beach looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteyeah its a shame u only got to stay for a day, but like u said, its better than nothing. did u even try to look at the scenery on the bus journey. i think u missed some really lovely views on the way to Seville. and Granada. maybe keep ur eyes peeled and out of books next time?
ReplyDeletebtw, what does Nacho mean in Spanish?
Hackney Boy Submerged In Sea
ReplyDeleteVideogames with straight people? Sounds like hell to me.
Sweet beach snap though - weren't you tempted to try some Cristiano tight whities? ;)
Eduardo - will do!
ReplyDeleteDusty - I hadn't had a break since Easter (and we al know how that turned out), so yes, definitely much-needed. The beach was divine.
Stupendous - You're forgetting I'd already beento both Seville and Granada, I know what the Spanish countryside scenery looks like. Nacho is a short form of Ignacio, which comes from the Greek, meaning Proud.
Garçon - If I had gone Plastic Boy Toy, the headlines would have been more like "Deranged Negro in Indecency Scandal!" The videogames were more bearable cinsidering we were all topless and had our legs spread all over the place. I got more than an eyeful.
uh, Ignacio. i once knew a hot one at uni. but i only asked coz i thought it might have some connection to Nachos. like doritos. *giggle*
ReplyDelete