Me encanta este ciudad

Hi all!

I finally made it to an internet cafe! :) I only have a half an hour, but just thought I would write a blog before Italia. We leave the 21st, and I could not be more excited. However, it does not feel real yet. We are going to be there for 10 days. Even though that sounds like a long time, we are cramming a lot into that time. It should be a great time, and I´m going to write in my journal while I´m there, so no worries.

Las Fallas (the festival) has been incredible! This city nearly triples in size during it, and I have never seen so many people in my life. Today is the first day that we have been able to walk on the streets, en serio. Tonight is the symbolic burning of the Fallas (statues). The best way I can describe it is spring cleaning. Las Fallas started when people would clean out their houses and put everything they did not want in the middle of their plaza. After that, the neighborhood would burn everything in the pile. Now, the piles have turned into elaborate statues that are burned. Que lastima. What a shame. But it is supposed to symbolize the coming of a new season mas o menos. Every Falla will be burned at midnight, and the ¨winning¨ Falla receives an extra half an hour of life and is burned at 12:30 - great prize, huh? :) The winner was chosen by a panel of judges and also voted on by citizens.

I didn´t think that I could love this place anymore, but Las Fallas proved me wrong. I am going to use tomorrow to recoperate before Italy, so we´ll see how that works out for me.

Expect lots of stories and pictures when I return from Italy! Hope you all have a great week and a good rest of the month!

Miss you and talk to you soon. BESOS Y ABRAZOS FUERTES!