Ríos, Caballos, Bosques, y Montañas

With only 9 days left in the program, I can't believe my time in Spain is almost up! However, these last few days in Zaragoza have been pretty great. 

Although I think we did this before going to Madrid, I forgot to write about it then so I will write about it now. We went rafting once again, but this time just down the Río Ebro, which is the major river that runs through Zaragoza. Although it looks pretty dirty, we learned that the brown color is just from the natural sediment. It was really cool to go by La Basilica del Pilar and go under the Punte de Piedra, a giant, ancient bridge next to El Pilar.

 

 

On Monday, we had classes in the morning as usual. To our dismay, it seems as though the teachers have really ramped up the homework this week! In the afternoon, we ventured to a ranch on the (somewhat sketchy) outskirts of Zaragoza to ride horses. Although we only ended up going in slow, small circles over and over in the corral, we all had a good time together.

 

On Tuesday, we had our last all-day excursion from Zaragoza. This time, we went to the Pyrenees! Although the bus ride was rather long and hot, we had a great day. We started off at a high ropes course in a mountainside forest. Although it didn't necessarily have anything to do with the Spanish language or culture, it was really fun! 

 

Excuse the off-kilter helmet 😁

After maneuvering through tons of obstacles 20ish feet above the ground, we all took a break and rested in the shade at the course's bar. Although we were going to eat lunch soon after, everyone needed a cold soda or a little ice cream after the ropes course!

After piling on the bus for another stuffy half hour, we arrived at a dammed lake in the mountains, where we would spend the rest of our day. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, and it was really nice to relax on the shore with my friends. There, we ate our picnics, napped in the sun, and "swam" in the lake. The swimming ended up being more like running in and out, because the lake was freezing, although  I was the first one in thanks to my experience from Lake Vermilion.

 

 After resting on the shore for an hour or so, it was time to kayak in the lake! I love kayaking, so I was super excited to do it in such a beautiful place.

Our last excursion from Zaragoza seemed more focused on having fun with friends instead of learning about Spanish lifestyles and cultures, which was a welcome change considering that we only have a little more than a week left together! Everyone appreciated relaxing amongst the beautiful mountains and forests of Los Pirineos while enjoying each others company. 

As I said above, we're down to the final countdown of my experience in Spain! On Sunday I will say goodbye to my host family and head to the autonomous community of Cataluña to visit the beach and Barcelona until the program ends next Friday. So, since we've almost made it through, thanks so much for reading my blog! Every time I log on and see the number of viewers (don't worry - all anonymous) I'm happy to know that I can share my experiences with my friends and family back home. Until next time, ¡que todo vaya bien!