Continuing on - we had our first long Spanish weekend (because classes are done on Thursday, score), and on Friday we took a day trip by bus to Ronda, a Mediterranean city about 2 hours away. Of course we obligitorily saw all the historical sites, Roman bridges and ruins, art museums and Moorish underground bathhouses (in which we took jumping pictures, duh). However, the coolest part about Ronda was the ambience, tranquility, and AMAZING views - it's basically built on a cliff, and you look out to this huge valley below with mountains in the distance. As we looked out over the olive groves and pastures, we heard a man playing soft Spanish guitar in the park behind us. It was quite magical.
After wandering the twisty streets of white houses with flower boxes and tiled patios (and almost going into someone's house because we thought it was a restaurant, it smelled so good), we came across the perfect tapas bar. So we got a very Iberian lunch, with a stewed eggplant goulash, chorizo, queso, ensalada mixta, and sangria of course. It was such a pity to leave at the end of the day - I may have to go back. It was like the Breckenridge of Andalucia.
Then, Saturday morning our program took us on an excursion to a vineyard in Jerez, which was absolutely so much fun. I love wine, learning about wine, tasting wine - until I tasted Spanish wine. Guh. It's like 17% alcohol (a mild white, in their terms), and tastes like death. Oh well! Still a great afternoon. Then we took a bus tour of a beach town called Cadiz, and made our final stop for the weekend in Chiclana. When we got off the bus, we were BLOWN AWAY - the program had booked us a 4-star hotel for Saturday night! So basically we lived it up in the amazing rooms, tanned by the amazing pool, and hung out at night at the amazing beach. Then we stuffed our faces at the buffet and did it all again on Sunday! I even snuck in some beach yoga - Emily Rae, that one's for you. :0)
However, here is where our story takes an unfortunate turn: beach=bichos=bugs. I guess that some vindictive Spanish insect attached me when we were at the beach that night, and I got some pretty bad bug bites. One of them happens to be on my face. My extremely sensitive skin means that this has resulted in the incredible swelling of the entire left side of my face, and as such I went to the doctor today. I was actually very curious and a little excited to see what the healthcare system would bring, but I didn't want to sound like a dork so I didn't say anything to my senora, who brought me there. When we arrived I had to present my European health insurance card (with my name written as "hohnstone," nice) and passport, sign a very unofficial-looking copy, and wait in the waiting room. The building was very cold and industrial - I'm not sure if it was a hospital, or a public clinic, or a private one, but as long as the doctor saw me I didn't really care. Saw the doctor, described my ailment, got my face probed (face-touching, ahhhhh), and then got three prescriptions. The entire process took maybe 30 minutes, and I got a cortizone shot too. And it was really sweet, after the entire ordeal Rocio offered to buy me an ice cream for being brave. Legit! So hopefully my face returns to normal size, because I'm tired of wearing my bangs over my face like a misunderstood youth.
Moral of the story: there can exist simultaneously a public and private option with high-quality healthcare. Go Spain!
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