I decided to put off settling in for the weekend and visit Billie, who hasn't stopped raving about how awesome her little beach town is since she arrived. I was looking forward to seeing it myself, and when I received the word at 4pm on Wednesday that I didn't need to work on Thursday, combined with the fact that I have Fridays off, Tuesday was a holiday, and I'd already asked off for Monday, and I was staring at a long weekend, if I could organize myself in time. I'd spent the morning at our orientation, which was anything but -- it left me more confused than when I'd began. After we'd finished that, all of the language assistants in the region -- there are about ten of us, from the UK, US, and France -- went out to lunch, where we got the chance to get to know each other a bit better. After lunch I went back to my apartment and took a nap, at which point I found out I didn't need to work the next day. I began to look into the various transportation connections, and realized that I'd need to hurry down to Valencia in order to be sure to get a spot on the ferry I'd take to the island. I quickly settled upon a few things to bring, grabbed my camera, and began to walk towards the bus station. After I'd gone just far enough to make it too late to turn back, I realized that I wasn't exactly sure how to get to the bus station. I wandered towards where I thought it was, but didn't quite get there. I left with 25 minutes to go until the train, but with only 10 minutes left, I needed help. I asked a cop, who told me, but with the time pressure I had to jog/sprint the last mile (in flip flops, khaki shorts, and a polo shirt, rocking a full backpack) to make it to the station, just in time to see the train pull in, doors opening and bell clanging. I dashed down two levels to get to the train, where I saw them collecting tickets, which I didn't have. Back up I went, quickly bought a ticket at a machine, and, dripping with sweat and very cognizant of the fact that I'd forgotten to pack deodorant, I made it onto the train.
Once in Valencia I took the metro to the port, which was much bigger than I'd thought -- about 30 minutes of walking (read: more aimless wandering). I eventually made it to the correct terminal, and bought a ticket for the overnight ferry. Although it was almost completely empty of fellow foot travelers, it was still almost impossible to get comfortable enough to sleep, as the armrests on the chairs didn't move, so one couldn't take advantage of the completely empty sections of chairs.
I eventually made it, but we weren't let off of the boat fast enough for me to make the bus that would get me to Billie's town, Porto Colóm, before she left for school. Instead I went straight to the beach and promptly took a 3 hour nap, which I needed after my hours of running, not sleeping, bus-missing, and so on.
It was very nice to see Billie, especially bearing chocolate cookies. Her apartment is very nicely placed, with views of the Med from just about every window and balcony. She has three bedrooms and two bathrooms all to herself, so if you're planning on visiting, visit her!
We spent the weekend walking around her town, and enjoying the rocky coastline and deep blue sea. There wasn't much to do, per se, but we were able to whip up some good food, watch some scintillating TV, and I was able to meet some of her co-workers. Unfortunately, the rain and wind ruined the latter half of the weekend (and delayed my flight back to Valencia) but it was still an awesome trip. I already have tickets to return, as the plan is to visit her while the weather is still theoretically good enough for the beach.
I also should point out that I'm going to try using
Flickr for some of my pictures. I'm still learning how to use my new camera, so you can see the results of my experiments there.
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