FOREIGN TOUR BLOG 1

Day 1 … or day 3 in actuality, is drawing to a close.

First, you may ask, is it day 1 or day 3?

Well, the trip started Saturday morning, leaving campus at 9:30 am, boarding a flight to Dallas at 12:30 pm and then a nine-plus hour flight from Dallas to Madrid, which landed at 9 am in Spain to begin day two. We immediately got on a bus and rode about an hour and 45 minutes to the historic city of Toledo. After driving around, seeing some of the sites and eating brunch (at what was 5 am central time) we bused about four hours to our hotel in Valencia. After a much-needed shower and change of clothes as it was the first opportunity to do so in about 27 hours since leaving campus, the group broke out to experience authentic Spanish cuisine … or, for the less adventurous eat their favorite “American” food in a Spanish restaurant.

So back to the real day 1. The team got to “sleep in” and had breakfast at 10:30 am, which is 3:30 am (CT). The squad then made a 100-yard walk from our hotel to the beach for a quick walk-through practice. From that point, the team took two quick team photos and had the rest of the day to enjoy the beach, pool or whatever.

A few staff members and resident zoologist Davonte Davis took advantage of a tour of the biggest and best aquarium in both Valencia and Europe – L’Oceanogràfic.

First thoughts when landing in Spain:
DEVO: It was kinda like being in Arizona. Being in the city, it is really nice. The scenery is so different. I am just going to continue to take as many pictures as I can. I want to take in as much as I can and make sure I really enjoy it.

On the long travel and finally getting to Valencia:
DEVO: I was glad to finally put my bag down and unpack. We were told to put as much as we could in a carry-on bag just in case luggage got mixed up. So it was good to put that bag down for good after lugging it around for two days. Then, it was just nice to chill with the team last night. That is one of the things we as a team were really looking forward to doing.

The first night in Valencia:
DEVO: It was amazing. I was excited to see different cultures and, even though I didn’t understand anything, hear all the people talking around and to me. I have used the translator on my phone and it has worked well enough to communicate a little. But again, just the scenery is nice. I’ve been to three beaches in my life and I can say this is the nicest. I didn’t try any new food. I had me a good steak … well done.

The trip to the aquarium:
DEVO: It was really nice. They have animals we don’t have at home, so it was nice to see new animals. In particular, the beluga whales were something that really stood out to me. They are definitely not something you can see every day. But really, the entire aquarium was nice and glad I got to experience it.