Here it goes...
On the beach in Ibiza!! :)
Ibiza was probably the most relaxing trip I have EVER been on. We spent the days leading up to the trip cleaning and packing, all in preparation to head back home! It is unbelievable how quickly the time went by!! There was definitely moments when I felt as though I had been there forever and I was excited to go home; but now, it is so bittersweet to be home. But more on that later… first, IBIZA! We took the bus to Barcelona this time because it ended up being cheaper to fly out of there as opposed to Madrid. We then took the short flight over to the island! Even flying in over the beach was beautiful! We landed and stepped out of the plane to be greeted by the warm summer breeze and palm trees at the airport! We knew it was going to be a good trip. In an effort to save some money (always the penny pinchers!!) we decided to take the bus to the center of town instead of taking a taxi to our hotel. We did end up saving money, and getting our exercise!! It took us a while to find the hotel… but, a few nice people and wrong turns later we arrived! We stayed a place that actually rented out little apartments as hotel rooms. We had a bedroom, bathroom, living area, and a little kitchenette! We even had a cute little balcony overlooking the hotel pool. And it was so cheap for all that! Traveling in Europe really was so much more inexpensive than I expected. My money went so much farther than I thought it would, which is great because it allowed me to do all of the traveling! Anyway… our hotel really wasn’t that far from two different beaches, which was very nice. We arrived at the hotel about mid-day on Tuesday and headed right for the beach! We relaxed most of the day on the beach, enjoying the sand between our toes and the cool blue water on our bodies! The water was absolutely beautiful. It was so blue and so clear! It was so nice to swim in! And coming from me… that means a lot!! J It was nice to be able to take a dip after lying on the hot sand for a while. Later that day, we ate dinner a cute little beach-side restaurant. After a long day of travel and beach time, we decided to relax in the room for the night. We took a nice little swim in the pool and then watched some TV before hitting the hay. Wednesday we slept in a little and then took a little walking trip to the other side of town. We had to walk to the Gran Hotel to pick up tickets for the Ibiza Music Festival that was happening that weekend. It was loooooonnnngggg walk in very warm weather, but it was still nice! We got to see the other end of Ibiza Town and stop in at the tourist office. On the way back, we plopped down at the other beach near our hotel and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon there. For dinner that night, we actually bought some pasta and cooked dinner in our little kitchenette. It was yummy and much cheaper than eating out! Thursday, we decided to take a day trip! We traveled across the island to a town called San Miguel. There we visited old caves that were used for smuggling expensive goods like gold. We took a little tour and got to see the insides and everything. The caves were on the side of the mountain so it provided an AMAZING view of the island and the sea!! It was breathtaking. After the caves we decided to take advantage of our day trip and visit a beach on that side of the island. It was a SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL. It was interesting because the beach was very different from the ones by our hotel. The sand under the ocean was much more “pebbley”. But that actually made the water look even prettier. And the beach itself was much more family-oriented. There weren’t as many young people. It was kind of nice. J After the relaxing afternoon in San Miguel we headed back to the other side of the island on the bus. That night we walked to the old part of town, inside the old fortress!! It is like a whole other town inside the walls of the old castle. We walked all the way to the top of the open area of the fortress for our DAVID GUETTA CONCERT!! We got there early so we were able to be in the front row J (although I later decided this was a bit of a bad idea… you’ll see why). It was such an incredible experience to share with friends. We were against the front rails of the concert arena... soooo close to David Guetta. He was such a cool performer and really connected with the audience. You could tell he was just as happy to be there as we were. You could feel the beat of the music in your whole body, which made everything so real. At one point, David Guetta even reached out to my friends and me with the famous heart! In one word... it was AWESOME. We left the concert so happy and still waiting for our hearing to come back. On the way back to the hotel we stopped to get some food. It was there that I realized that I still had no hearing in my right ear!! My left ear was fine and everyone else’s hearing had already returned. I figured it would eventually come back. We settled in that night… so tired. I still had no hearing at this point and my ear was ringing SO LOUD. We slept in a bit the next day. I woke up… still no hearing and still ringing! At this point my ear began to hurt. But, we hit the beach for the last time on the trip and enjoyed a final day of relaxation. The weather was a bit cloudy on Friday, but it was still nice to drift in and out of sleep on our towels in the warm air. The whole day my ear was still bothering me… no hearing, loud ringing and it just felt like I had cotton stuffed in it. I took some acetaminophen and was comforted by reassuring texts from my momma that everything would be okay. J We were scheduled to attend a second concert that night… but no big names were set to perform at this one. I decided to skip out on that event and get some extra rest to help heal my ear. My roommates went, and said it was a good time. I’m sure it was, but it was definitely the right decision for me to say home. The next day, Saturday, we woke up and traveled to the airport. We headed to back to Barcelona by plane. After the quick flight we traveled back to Pamplona for our last time by bus.
I know all of you are probably wondering… did I get sunburned really badly?! Well, I did burn, but not as bad as expected. I only burned from the times we were walking around town. On the beach I was protected by SUPER STRENGTH sunscreen… or at least that’s what I liked to call it. J The stuff was amazing. I could put it on once and lie in the sun, go in the water, lie in the sun again… and no burn!! They must use much stronger chemicals than we do (makes you wonder what’s in there J haha)
Also, I did find out later that I most likely broke my eardrum at the concert. That’s what I get for being too close to the speaker!! I am so LUCKY that I fully recovered and regained hearing in my ear. And, the ringing is gone!! But, I did learn my lesson and I will no longer sit so close. Or, I will at least use earplugs.
And then the end became real...
It was sad returning for the final time, knowing we wouldn’t take any more trips. But it was comforting at the same time. I think a part of all of us was ready to go home. We arrived with only a few days left before departure. We spent the next few days cleaning, packing, and enjoying that last bit that we could of the city of Pamplona. We ate gelato, drank wine, and walked the streets we had become so comfortable with in our time there. We said goodbye to the city that had become our home away from home.
The trip home was a fiasco. After the 6 hour bus ride to Madrid, the flight was delayed and delayed due to “technical problems”. We were boarded and de-boarded several times. Finally the flight was cancelled until the next day. Lucky they put us up in a nice hotel and fed us yuumy food. J We flew out the next day and enjoyed a wonderful homecoming with our parents!!
It’s been 4 months that I have been home now. This experience changed my life. I have a different perspective on the world and a better understanding of other cultures. I have made so many new friends and I have grown so much as an individual. I feel like I can do most anything now. If you are reading this and you have the chance to study abroad… DO IT!!! J
