A rainy day in Salamanca

November 27^th

Today was off to a fast start. Erik and I packed up all of our things (once again) and headed down the open road. Someone should put a free online tutorial out on backpacking. I think it would be great, highly informative, and save many of us some serious curiousity. Hopefully it would go something like this:

Attention over ambitious backpacker. What a great concept to put all of your things in a pack on your back! Kudos to minimizing. While you feel you are consolidating, know you are actually accumulating. You are accumulating a temper which will be easily flared after 20 minutes of walking with your +80 lb. pack. You will accumulate some serious back problems because your mom isn’t there to tell you to take it off and rest. You will accumulate a momentary sense of humor when the thought crosses your head that you indeed are paying to do this. Lastly, you surely will have accumulated the most manly Hulk back and shoulder muscles at the end of your trip. Does this make you nervous? Don’t be. You’re accumulating many good things too. Patience, for instance. Patience to walk around a huge city you have never seen in hopes that Google maps isn’t a liar. You will accumulate many forms of appreciation when you reach a place of rest and realize how lucky you truly are that your knees aren’t buckling at the door. And lastly, the clincher. You will of course accumulate some of the best memories of your life.

This small and helpful disclaimer probably would have been just that. When Erik and I arrived in Salamanca, we had very vague directions to where we were staying. It was off the main road, so we assumed logic and navigation could guide us there. Why I continue to assume such things.. I do not know. So, we’re off the train and walking..10 minutes pass… 20, 30, 40 minutes pass.. My back is starting to throb and my voice is whining. Clouds roll in, and we’re now walking (with no true direction) in down town Salamanca, with 50+ lb (total) on our backs, shoulders, and arms. Sometimes I don’t know how Erik puts up with me, because my finite window of grin and bear it had expired 15 minutes in. It took us FORTY FIVE minutes to find their house. When we got there, I could hardly move. I was so relieved yet agitated; it took everything in me to compose a smile.

After warming up and unpacking, we went out on the town. Stopping at a café, I of course had the same delicious churro and café con leche. Erik and I are spending these four days in Salamanca with two girls from Puerto Rico. They are so kind, and FULL of vivacious personality. Their stories are hilarious, and each of them have such different personalities. Melissa has long dark hair, is curvy and has high cheek bones. She’s told Erik and me about every story from Puerto Rico she’s ever heard. I love every second of it. She tells these stories with her hands and her body, so before you know it you’re inevitably engaged. Lyvette is her best friend, and is her opposite. She is short and petite, and soft spoken- although concise when she does speak. She leaves a lot of the talking to Melissa, but when she does have something to say it is always entertaining.

At night we ate a homemade Puerto Rican lasagna… AMAZING!!! We split a couple bottles of wine, and relaxed with the girls. They told us all about their lives, and how they arrived in Spain. There was lots of picture exchanging, story exchanging, and general laughter. By the end of the evening I didn’t know if I was relaxed or exhausted, so I settled with both and hit the hay early. Salamanca had to be a great city, we already put so much work into just getting there.