Family Visit: Las Fallas, Alicante and Oceanografic

LAS FALLAS and ALICANTE

My family came to visit during my sister's spring break. They arrived at the tail end (and most spectacular part) of Las Fallas. It must have been overwhelming traveling for the first time in a European country, after a 7+ hour flight and 2 hour drive, seeing Las Fallas taking over the city of Valencia, and not being able to speak the language. I was overwhelmed when I first got to Spain, but I didn't have to deal with the craziness of a festival.

On Friday, they flew into Madrid, and rented

a car to drive down to Valencia. I met up with them once they arrived in Valencia and we went to find some Spanish food. This was difficult because it is Spain and everything closes down during siesta hours. I was surprised that even during a festival, when there are millions of tourists around for the week. We finally settled for doner kebab, which is very common in Spain and Europe, but not in the United States, so it was new to them anyways.

Afterwards, my sister joined me to meet my friends and watch the fireworks with us while my parents went to explore the city. My sister is awesome, so she had no problem fitting in with my friends and had a good time. The next day, was Saturday, the final day of Las Fallas. My sister and I had lunch with my parents and that night, we watched the spectacular burning of the Fallas.

On Sunday, we took a trip to Alicante. Alicante is a beach town about 2 hours south of Valencia. The city was nice and we stayed at a hotel right on the beach with a great view. It was a little bit cold but I would like to go back there during the summer when it's warmer.

OCEANOGRAFIC

In the beginning of the semester, I went to the City of Arts and Sciences and the science museum. This time, I took my family to another part of the City of Arts and Sciences, The Oceanographic. I would consider it an aquarium, but its not just an aquarium, it also contains other marine habitats that are mostly out of the water. Oceanografic represents 100,000 square meters of marine habitats, and is the largest of its kind in Europe with 45,000 animals, and 500 different species.

It was a pretty awesome. My favorite part was the tunnels underneath the water that visitors walk through. You get a different angle on the habitats that the marine life lives in. We also got to see a live dolphin show, which was pretty entertaining. It was definitely a spectacular complex, though it was a little bit pricey.

I had a great week with my family, and I'm glad they got to see the city that I have been living in for the semester, and I can't wait to see them again when I finally go home!