A Very Interesting Day

por Reagan Harding

Today was very interesting. This morning we met a CCS student, Gulliem’s parents. They gave us a tour of the coastline of Valencia. Afterward, we ate lunch with them and had paella. The paella had snails, chicken, pork, and green beans with the rice. It was very rich and tasty. In total, we had five courses. We learned a few new Spanish caracoles (snails), and altramuces (a bean appetizer.) They were very friendly and patient people. After a long lunch, we went to the heart of Valencia to see the beginning of Las Fallas. There we saw a lot of stores, food places, and celebrations. Guillem’s parents told us a lot about the culture and traditions of Las Fallas. On the streets, groups of people would parade through the streets singing, dancing, and playing music. Each different group was led by a person holding a flag on a pole representing their group. We then went to the middle of the town to see the opening of Las Fallas. There was loud, fast-paced music where everyone was dancing, then Spanish women dressed in traditional dresses, and lastly, there were fireworks. The fireworks were colorful, fast, and very pretty. After the fireworks, we went to a small restaurant that served horchata, churros, and buñuelos. Horchata is a thick chocolatey drink you dip your sweets in and drink alone. The churros and buñuelos (donuts) were very good. They weren’t as sweet as home, but in my opinion, that made them better. After light conversations, we walked a bit more of Valencia and then were driven home by Gulliem’s parents, where we said goodbye.