Yesterday six friends and I decided to go to the beach. This was one of the most spontaneous and relaxing days of my life! We woke up at 7:30 am and got a taxi around 8 am to take us to Granada’s bus station. We had all asked our host moms what the best beach to visit was, and most told us of La Playa Nerja. So when we got to the bus station we had intentions of buying tickets to Nerja. But unfortunately, all tickets to Nerja were sold out for the day! So we asked the man at the ticket booth what other beaches there are, and we ended up booking a ticket to a beach called Salobrena. It was a lot closer (an hour away versus 2 hours) and someone had heard good things about it, so we decided to go for it! I was proud of myself for using my Spanish to speak to the cashier and figure out our plans for the day. So then we had 2 hours to kill, so we went down to the cafeteria of the bus station to wait and rest. We had all been out last night until about 4 am, so we didn’t have much sleep. We went to a club called Camboria that is located in the caves of Granada! (I’ll post another entry about the nightlife of Granada at another time; that deserves a whole entry of its own!)

Eventually 11 o’clock came around and we boarded the bus to Salobrena! As the bus passed through the mountains on the way to the beach, I realized how spontaneous the day really was. We had barely heard anything about Salobrena; we didn’t really know where we were going, what there was to do there, or where the beach was! The bus let us off on the corner of a street and drove away. We had to ask locals how to get to the beach! I felt so independent and adventurous in this moment. We had gone out on a limb and took a chance. Gratefully, our risk paid off! As we followed the directions of the locals, we entered into a quaint beach town with the backdrop of mountains scattered with white houses. The streets were lined with palm trees, colorful flowers, and cute restaurants. It was a very tranquil and calm day in Salobrena, but that is exactly what we needed. After our busy schedules during the week and the pandemonium of city life, we all craved a peaceful retreat.

We set camp on the rocky sand and took in the sights. A large boulder jutted off the side of the beach, making our little area seem like a private cove. People were jumping off the cliffs into the translucent seawater and climbing the cliffs of the gargantuan rock. It was a very picturesque scene and I felt completely at ease. We all took naps under the scorching sun and intermittently cooled off in the chilly water. The sand was very different here than sand in the US. It was very rocky, and more of a charcoal gray color. It was so hot to the touch that the bottoms of my feet actually got burned from the heat of the sand!

We spotted these small paddle boats off shore that had slides on them so we decided to check them out! They were cheaper than we expected: 2 euros each for an hour out at sea! We paddled the boat out and each took turns sliding down the slide in the water! It was so incredibly fun, we all took numerous turns on the slide. We all jumped in and swam in the deep Mediterranean; we were so far out that the water was very deep, but it was also extremely clear so that we could see the bottom way below us, the ripples in the sand and everything! I am usually scared of deep water but I didn’t think about my fear and embraced this opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean ocean with great friends!

After our impulsive and spur-of-the-moment trip, I feel so much more excited and ready to take on Granada. Yesterday proved that I should take more chances and I have control of my own fate. We made yesterday happen and we had a blast! I don’t know what the rest of my abroad experience will bring me, but I know that I am ready to do anything! Someone told me before I left that I should never say “no” to trying anything new wile I’m abroad. This small piece of advice really help true today in my trip to Salobrena. “Never say no” may just be my new motto while I’m in Spain! Pues, dos besos xox hasta luego!

Location: Salobrena, Spain