'Got along really well with myself:' Spanish women leaves cave for 1st time in 500 days

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – On Friday, Spanish athlete Beatriz Flamini finally emerged from the dark cave where she had spent 500 days alone.

"I've been down there a year and a half ... who's buying me drinks?" she joked to the crowd that welcomed her back above ground.

The 49-year-old mountaineer and rock climber also said she was excited to take a shower.

"It's been a year and a half of silence, without speaking to anyone except myself," she said, describing the experience as "excellent."

Flamini was living in a cave in Granada, 70 meters (230 feet) below ground. She had to briefly emerge after 300 days due to technical issues but stated she remained at the cave's entrance and only saw one person who came to fix a router.

While she was equipped with technology that allowed her to send messages about her condition and needs to the outside world, she said she had no incoming communication or sunlight during the 500 days.

Flamini came up with the idea herself and approached a documentary producer to see if they would be interested in the experiment.

During her experience, people would drop off food or camera gear at a designated spot in the cave without ever seeing her.

Subsequently, several researchers became intrigued and began studying how the darkness and isolation would affect her psychological state, circadian rhythms, and sleeping patterns.

Her days were mostly occupied with fulfilling her basic needs: drinking water and eating food. She also read dozens of books and did exercises.

Despite her intense isolation, Flamini said she never considered leaving earlier than her original plan. "In fact, I didn't want to leave ... I got along really well with myself."