Day 18-A Cádiz

 Today we got up early because we had an overnight trip to Cádiz, which is one of the old cities and really well known for its beaches.  So I threw my stuff together, showered, ate, and headed to the bus.  It was about an hour and a half away and unfortunately couldn't sleep, but it was okay.  When we got there, we went for about a 3 hour tour, which of course everyone in my group hated and complained the whole time, but I liked it a lot!  I also finally went with a Spanish speaking guide and actually did still understand a lot!  We got to see different churches, government buildings, and another cathedral (which we got to climb up again).  It was so chilly though, which we were not expecting, but still saw some beautiful views!  We also saw where Halle Berry filmed her part in Die Another Day!  After the long tour, we went to our hotel and ate our bocadillos.  The hotel was gorgeous!  We felt like we were in a plush room, living the life.  I got to stay with two of my good friends as well.  Then we headed to the beach!  We laid out for a while and I got to read some of Mere Christianity.  The water was so cold, but we eventually got in and swam around for a little too.  Then a small group of us went to a museum of Ruins because our guides were offering to take us, and I am so glad I went!  We got to see so many things that they found when they were recovering the city, and they were really interesting.  We saw the things they used to use for refrigerators, which were crazy!  To keep the food cold they would stake it into the ground near water, and the dampness would keep it cool.  These tombs were
also cool because they would make them unique to the individual inside.  The next floor was a bunch of paintings, which I loved to see.  There were SO many that depicted Christ in some form, and I found those so interesting.  A lot of them were quite different too, so it was interesting to see how the artists chose to portray them.  They also had a picture of judgment day, which I thought was really neat.  The final floor was a bunch of marionettes.  After the tour, Shayna, Ashley, Alice, Lauren, Chloe, Amy and I walked around the city, went into some stores, and then finally got tapas!  They were great too!  I tried some smoked salmon stuffed with cheese, fried cheese in raspberry and honey, and patatas bravas-they were all so good!  And I had a great time because it was a slightly different group of girls, so I got to enjoy time with some new friends!  Then we went back to the hotel for a little to rest and clean up and then we met back up to go get some helado!!  We got back around 12:30, so I got ready for bed, wrote and read a little and then slept cause I was beat!!