Andalusia- Spain

Hey guys,
I spent the last two weeks in Spain, more exact in Rota, which is a smaller village located at the South- East beach promenade under Portugal. 

After a three hour flight we arrived at our hotel, which looked like a little castle and fit perfectly into the old town scenery. The first couple of days we didn't have a rented car yet, so we mostly just hung out at the beach all day and in the evening I even got the chance to windsurf! A funny thing I noticed about the Spanish people was, they'd all bring tons and tons of chairs, umbrellas, food and drinks to the beach and then built their own little get together, where they'd just sit in the shade and talk to the massive group they came with. This was pretty contrary to us, because we mostly just brought sunscreen and a towel and were pretty quiet. I have to admit, that it was pretty entertaining to watch tho. After my windsurfing lessons it was already 9pm when we were showered and ready to eat dinner so we thought we would be late and kitchens might already be closed, but that was the prime time! Most Spanish people didn't eat their dinner before 10 which is my bedtime..lol


The food was really great; clams, fish, squid and more and more seafood. As a matter of fact I habit eaten seafood ever since I came back because I ate SO much over there.
From Wednesday on we rented a car and took our first trip to Cadíz, a city we could see on the other side of the bay.  It is a typical Andalusian city with a wealth of attractive vistas and well- preserved historical landmarks. The older part of Cadíz within the remnants of the city walls is commonly referred to as the Old Town. Its characteristic narrow winding alleys connecting to large plazas are really contrary to the new areas of Cadíz with its wide venues and modern buildings. Plenty parks in the town have exotic plants, including giant trees which supposedly Columbus brought from the New World. 

Another trip we took was to Ronda, which is famous for its three bridges that span between the canyons. I liked Ronda the best, because it was located on several hills, all connected with these old bridges and its small streets and buildings were absolutely gorgeous. On our way there we stopped in Arcos de la Frontera, which has a beautiful old town, and is referred to as the "white city" because all the buildings are painted white.

The most famous city we went to was Sevilla, the capital of Andalusia. It has around 1.5 million inhabitants and its Old Town contains three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar palace compete, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. I personally liked the Cathedral the best, because it was so old and breathtaking. After its completion in the 16th century it was the largest cathedral ever built, and it still is the third largest. Inside there's the actual grave of Christopher Columbus and the Santa Maria. I noticed that believing and church is much more prioritized in Spain, as we attended a service inside that cathedral. It was really impressive itself and I totally recommend it, if you're ever close.

The other days we spent again at the beach (I have an actual tan now!!), eating ice cream, swimming and just enjoying our time. Now its almost time to go back to school, junior year is so close!!
I hope you guys are doing all well
Miss you tons
Clarabara

Amsterdam

Hello guys,

as promised I will try to keep this blog alive and now I finally have something to write about again. I spent the last couple of days in Amsterdam, a city located in the Netherlands. I left early Saturday morning with my friend and together we rode with the train. It took us a total of about six hours to get there, but I personally think taking a train is really relaxing and looking outside and watching the landscape was great too.
We arrived around lunchtime and took the bus to our Airbnb, where we met our temporary hosts. Our room was small, but very cute and right in front if a canal (there's over a thousand canals in Amsterdam). We then went downtown and immediately stopped to get the typical fries and stopped at a canal to eat them and enjoy the beautiful view and watch vivid hustle of the people. Later we went on a boat and had a canal tour, which I really enjoyed. The guide told us that most of Amsterdam was built in the 16th century, which explains the gorgeous old buildings. Amsterdam was originally only a damm built for the river Amstel. After a while people began to settle and e voila there you have Amsterdam.
For dinner we had maleisian food. The asian food culture is really big there, which I think is great.
On Sunday we went to the famous Van Gogh museum and the Rijksmuseum which is located right next to it. After that we felt kind of exhausted and got ourselves some cheese and bread and ate dinner at our hostel. We then went back into town to go to a reggae concert in a park. I really enjoyed it because I liked the music and the people were just vibing there and having a good time.
For dinner we ate Asian food again: this time it was Japanese Ramen... delicious.
Starting the next day we got lucky to get online tickets for the Anne Frank house. Anne Frank, a jewish girl, left hidden for almost three years while Nazi Germany ruled over the most part of Europe and systematically killed all the jews, because they thought only Germans were superior and had the right to rule and do whatever they wanted (social Darwinism). Im really interested in history and seeing that house together with the small movies of the only survivor her dad Otto Frank was an incredible experience.
To get our mind off we went and strolled through vintage shops and flower markets. On our last day we decided to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and took the train to the nearby beach Zaanvort. Even though it was really packed we found a quiet spot and relaxed for the day. For dinner we had some pretty authentic Mexican food.
And that was it.. we drove back home the next day,  a little sad that it was over already but I know for sure that it wasn't the last time!