Cumpleanos Feliz a "Gran-Gran" (March 29th) and "Grand Daddy" (March 31st)

My pics: http://community.webshots.com/user/jamal424

Las Fallas ended early monday morning following the crema (burning) of the main falla. The whole Fallas experience was insane. The only thing that I can compare it to would be what I imagine a warzone being like. The whole week all we heard was contniuous firecrackers/fireworks 24/7. And these were in no way small firecrackers. They were definitely extremely loud and occasionally would shake our apartment. People in the States would be amazed to see kids in strollers rolling down the street throwing firecrackers while their parents push them. This is definitley a city full of pyros. March 1st through the 19th there was a huge fireworks show (mainly just loud firecrackers) everyday in the city along with about 5 big ones at night. The last couple of days all neighborhoods seem to have their own mascleta that would be almost as big as the main one in the city. There were plenty of tourist here and the city was packed no matter where you went. On the other hand, Fallas took a 180 degree turn after the crema when a riot started 10 feet away from where we were standing and talking with some people we just met. Some people were acting wild and jumping into a garage door and the police came and one of our flatmates friends who was visiting was pushed into the the group by one of them and was arrested by the police along with only 2 of the maybe 6 or 7 that caused the scene. This is probably the best example of being at the wrong place at the wrong time that I know of. He has spent the past 2 nights in jail and they won't let him go. They are holding him for resisting arrest which is the complete opposite of what happened and he is finally in court right now. FREE BETS!!!

We went to a Corrida de Toros (bullfight) yesterday and it was probably one of the most incredible things I have seen since coming here. It is definitely one of the best ways to experience the Spanish culture. There were three matadors and they each got to kill two bulls. The second matador could not kill his first bull and the Spaniards got mad and the third matador got taken out by his first bull (which I have on video) but he was fine and finished the fight. It was a crazy 2 1/2 hours. -I have the pics on webshots-

I really like this picture for some reason so I put it on here

I just got in from a parade for Las Fallas and a midnight Mascletà. A Mascletà is a fireworks show that is held from March 1st through March 19th everyday at 14:00 and are known for their loudness rather than display. The one I went to didn't start until about 12:45 am and I really liked it since it was the first one i've seen and it was at night (early morning). I'm pretty sure I will finally make it to the Mascletà during the day and I will definitely see the rest of the night Mascletàs. Buenas Noches

This was our first weekend taking a road trip. Our destination was the cities of Toledo and Cuenca which are both further inland in Spain. We got to Toledo Friday night and found a hostal to stay in. On Saturday the weather started out sunny and windy but quickly turned to pouring rain and extremely windy. Before we headed in because of the rain we went to see this huge cathedral that was there. The pic above is the Lord's Supper that was on the outside of it. We walked around some more and were let down when we found out the castle (pictured above) was closed for renovations. Later that day we went around to see some museums and to explore the area outside the castle. On Sunday, we drove around Toledo a little bit more before heading off to Cuenca. To our surprise, it was snowing in Cuenca. It started off as flurries but by the time we had reached the top of the mountain we were in around 8 inches of snow. We made our way back down the mountain and went to this bridge that connected the different sides of the city. In the parking lot we saw a nice Jaguar S-Type so I had to take a pic of it for my moms :) Anyway, the bridge was fairly high and it was really windy, two things that are not that great of a combo. After a several hours of driving, being lost in the cities, many great quotes/memories and a few scratches on the car, we made it back to Valencia and its warm weather. I am mad that it is warmer in Knoxville than it is here but I AM practically living on the beach so no complaints here. Feliz Cumpleanos to my Aunt Sherry (March 4th) and Uncle Wayne (March 7th). Hit up http://community.webshots.com/user/jamal424 to see all my pics from the weekend. PEACE

Yesterday was the one month mark for my Spanish journey. I finally went to the gym to shoot around since I now have my student card for UPV (la Universidad Politecnica de Valencia). After shooting for awhile I decided to watch some of the Spaniards playing. The only comment that I have to make is that soccer is the national sport in Spain for a reason. After leaving the gym we were told to get off the tram. As we walked down the street we realized that something had happened. A little bit further down we saw that one tram had t-boned another tram. I think it’s crazy that as wild as they drive here, I saw a tram wreck (kinda rare) before a car wreck. The tram situation was pretty bad and 23 people had to be taken to hospitals. Today was big for me because it was the first time since last Thursday that I was able to have/spend money. After many phone calls and trips to banks I got a Spanish bank account open. Hopefully there will not be any more money drama for the rest of my trip/learning experience/vacation.