Cuenca

I cannot thank Mireia and her family enough for everything they've done for me. Ever since I arrived in Valencia, they have been like a family to me: inviting me to their house, showing me around the city, and making sure I have everything I need. This past weekend they invited me to go to Cuenca with them, and I couldn't have imagined a better trip!

Mireia's mother, also the principal of my school, is from Cuenca, and last weekend we went with her brother and his family, too. We stayed at the family's apartment in Cuenca, which was a perfect location for walking around the city. We saw the famous "hanging houses," which are impressively built on the edge of a cliff, as well as the cathedral and old city center, and some incredible lookout spots. The city is built in a valley, where two rivers meet. They say that, when the world ends, you'll be saved if you are "in the cathedral in the city where two rivers meet." Guess I'll be headed back to Cuenca in December 2012 :)

We also ate at some of the best restaurants in Cuenca, and we ate a LOT. Meals included dishes of all kinds of meats, slices of hard white cheese, olives, fried eggs with potatoes, croquetas (like small mozzarella sticks, except with a creamy, fishy filling instead of mozzarella), even pig ears (which were surprisingly delicious), and all kinds of foods that I can't even remember. It was all excellent.

So, once again, I am forever thankful to have met Mireia's family and for everything they've done for me. My year in Spain would not be nearly as wonderful without them!