BOOM!

My parents were supposed to come visit me this week for Holy Week, but i received a call from my mother on thursday (i think) saying that my dad's old intestinal problem, that started with a teen car crash, resurfaced suddenly and my mom had to take him to the E.R.. Intestinal blockage/swelling=extreme pain. Anyhoo, the doctors weren't sure if they're have to do surgery, and they had to keep him in the hospital, so they didn't want him to travel. therefore, i went to Valencia with my best friends! my dad is all better, so i don't feel bad for enjoying my time with my friends. :)

Anyway, every year in Valencia they have a week of where they put fallas (stationary floats) all over the city, closing off the streets and placing the fallas directly in between the apartment building and stores. The floats have some sort of political meaning (my wiser roommate Dawn just informed me), but i have no idea what any of them mean. On top of that, the whole week people are lighting and throwing explosives (not real ones, just firecrackers), constantly, all day. it sounded like a war zone. it was crazy. And at night, there are even more people out on the street, and the youth throw the firecrackers in the crowds of people. great fun, dodging those things, let me tell you.

But a few days into it (this year it was yesterday, wednesday) they light all of the floats on fire! Can you imagine, building-sized things just up in flames, lighting up and heating up everything around them? Too bad some of them cost up to 500,000 euros to make. I wonder how many people we could feed with 500K instead of burning tons of colored plastic. Nevertheless, it was pretty neat. Right before they light the big ones on fire, they shoot off a ton of fireworks. (figures).
anyhoo, here are some pictures.

There's also a beach in Valencia. that was the most fun. :)

I say this a lot, but i love my friends.




Giant Paella. (That's not the man, it's the rice.)





beach, boat, spanish kids having a little fútbol fun.





friends chillin.





this is right below the terrace of the apartment of the friends we were staying with. if you look closely, the guys have little piles of explosives right by their feet, from which they continuously grab and light the little annoying things.





Falla and fireworks.





Falla being burned, everybody taking pictures. Kind of cool.





Right outside the terrace.





Boy. :)





Friends. :-D