Sorry I haven't written in a while. I get so caught up with day-to-day life here that it's difficult to actually sit down and write a full entry. This weekend we went to Madrid, the capital of Spain. We took a charter bus there with our school, and got a free guided tour of the Palacio Real-- the King's Palace. It was really similar to the way Windsor Castle in England looked... tall rooms with a lot of chandeliers and clocks and a GIANT dining room. You know, a palace with a ballroom and some sort of Spanish Cinderella in the corner.
After the Palace, we went on a bus tour of Madrid, which I didn't pay much attention to because we were going to be able to explore all weekend. We went to lunch at Museo de Jamón (Museum of Ham), which is pretty much the equivalent of a Spanish Applebee's (containing no hamburgers or mozzarella sticks, but rather bland Spanish "standbys"... more on this later). I was incredibly disappointed, as the school could have provided some kind of typical Spanish food... instead, we were served an American meal of french fries and a breaded chicken fillet. Come on guys... ¿En serio? (Seriously?)
We had grand plans to go to a trendy club that night, so we had to go to H&M to get me something acceptably European (I only brought t-shirts and shorts to Europe-- stupid). It is summer discount time here, so we got a black button-down for 10 Euro. Best purchase ever. After H&M, we got to check into our hostel, which was an experience. My first hostel wasn't full because it was a Sunday, but our hostel was totally full. It's awkward sleeping in a room with 5 other people you don't know, and you really don't have that "hey, I'll be coming home late/waking you up" talk with them--- mostly because they might not speak English.
We decided to split up for a few hours to siesta/shop/do whatever, and I ended up walking around with a few girls to just see the city. There is definitely a stereotypical Spanish architecture, and Madrid full of it (which makes sense, but still). We stumbled upon a Spanish/Argentinean restaurant (I still don't really know what it was called) and had dinner... I ended up sharing a pizza with someone else in the group, and grabbing some Tinto de Verano (Summer Wine (red wine mixed with lemonade)).
After that, we did a botellón in a plaza with a few bottles of wine. We were waiting for the pub crawl at our hostel--- which started at 1:30 AM. We made it to the hostel (and I was exhausted!) to do the pub crawl, which included many free shots of tequila and a salsa club. I guess I'll leave it at that.
The next morning, we got up early, and tried to find some breakfast/lunch. We accidentally ended up at ANOTHER Museo de Jamón, and I ordered a plate of what I thought would be pork. Turns out, it was... but with the skin (and hair) still attached. Disgusting. Worst restaurant experience ever.
After that, we went to an old cathedral (again, I don't have any idea what it was). Again, it looked like a lot of the other cathedrals I've been to, so it wasn't that exciting (although I am still amazed how many of these places there are and how opulent they all are). My friend Sarah and I decided to go to the park while our other friends went to El Prado, the big art museum in Madrid (we're going with a class later in July). About 5 minutes into the park, our friends caught up with us... turns out, the museum is free from 6-7, so we made plans to return that night.
As we explored the park, it quickly became one of my favorite places in Madrid. There were lakes, pools, and topiaries everywhere. Kind of like Alice in Wonderland on crack. It was great. We found a piece of shade (sombra) and took a nap--right there in the middle of the park. It was really relaxing.
I had made dinner reservations at a vegetarian restaurant that night (for Sarah's birthday) and it was one of the better meals I've had while I've been here in Spain. Everything was really fresh, and they kept our water pitchers filled all night. After the restaurant, we went to a few bars and clubs, and Madrid-style, didn't return to our hostel until 6 AM.
The next day, we went to El Rastro, which is a large outdoor Sunday market in the streets of Madrid. It was sort of disappointing, though... especially after going to Otavalo in Ecuador. It definitely lacked that "homemade" artifact feel, and felt manufactured (there were about 20 pashmina stands that all sold the same things).
We wanted to go back to Toledo, so we made our way to the train station and (Amazing Race-style) had to scour the station for the one desk that sells the tickets to Toledo. We were successful, and got on the next high-speed train that can make the trip from Madrid to Toledo in a half-hour, 45 minutes faster than by bus. It was my first time on a train-- I was surprised how similar the interior looked to a plane, but also surprised that there were no "flight attendants" to maintain order in the cars.
We returned to Toledo and I took a shower and a nap. Definitely a great weekend!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
I'm Melting, I'm Melting
THIS PLACE IS SO HOT. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a great time, but I'm also living in an oven.
So, I did the class thing for two days, and it seems like they're going to be challenging, but bearable. We've been going out every night, which is a really great way to meet the people here. I've been striking up conversations with random people and I can already feel my Spanish improving.
On Friday morning, we took a tour of the city, which was cool, but we didn't go in anywhere, which surprised me. Our tour guide was really entertaining, and we got to put everywhere we've been going in the context of the city as a whole.
Our school will pack a picnic for lunch or dinner for you if you ask, so yesterday, about 10 of us decided to picnic on a hill outside of the city and watch the sunset. BEST. IDEA. EVER. The walk was really long, but when we got to the picnic area, we could see the whole city at dusk and it just looked really cool. We took 8 bottles of wine with us, and made our new favorite drink... tinto de verano, which is lemon Fanta mixed with red wine (which is 2 E a bottle here). It was pretty much an all-you-can-drink event, and it only cost 2 E a person when all was said and done! It was great. Check out facebook to see my pictures when I load them.
We're planning weekend trips to Pamplona, Barcelona, Madrid, and maybe even the southern-most tip of Spain. Everyone here is great, I'm meeting a lot of new people from other schools, which is awesome. People are going all over Europe, so I feel like I'll have a lot of suggestions for when Ashley and I go around in August (which seems so far away right now, but I know it will be here so soon).
Miss you all, have some Chipotle/P.F. Chang's/Mad Mex for me!
So, I did the class thing for two days, and it seems like they're going to be challenging, but bearable. We've been going out every night, which is a really great way to meet the people here. I've been striking up conversations with random people and I can already feel my Spanish improving.
On Friday morning, we took a tour of the city, which was cool, but we didn't go in anywhere, which surprised me. Our tour guide was really entertaining, and we got to put everywhere we've been going in the context of the city as a whole.
Our school will pack a picnic for lunch or dinner for you if you ask, so yesterday, about 10 of us decided to picnic on a hill outside of the city and watch the sunset. BEST. IDEA. EVER. The walk was really long, but when we got to the picnic area, we could see the whole city at dusk and it just looked really cool. We took 8 bottles of wine with us, and made our new favorite drink... tinto de verano, which is lemon Fanta mixed with red wine (which is 2 E a bottle here). It was pretty much an all-you-can-drink event, and it only cost 2 E a person when all was said and done! It was great. Check out facebook to see my pictures when I load them.
We're planning weekend trips to Pamplona, Barcelona, Madrid, and maybe even the southern-most tip of Spain. Everyone here is great, I'm meeting a lot of new people from other schools, which is awesome. People are going all over Europe, so I feel like I'll have a lot of suggestions for when Ashley and I go around in August (which seems so far away right now, but I know it will be here so soon).
Miss you all, have some Chipotle/P.F. Chang's/Mad Mex for me!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Fun in Toledo
So... It's day three of my stay here in Toledo, and I kind of feel like I've been here forever. The city is interesting. It kind of looks fake, like a movie set, but it's just really really old.
On the first day, we ended up exploring the city and getting lost (the city is just about as big as campus, but with tiny streets and alleyways), finally finding our way back. We tried to go out to a bar at night, but last weekend was a huge festival here in Toledo, and the Toledoians were... recovering. Only three bars in the city are open on Monday nights, and per my suggestion, we ended up at one of them, Pícaro.
Pícaro also looks like it's out of a movie... it's really cool and chill. They give you tostadas when you sit down, which are really great (our whole group has become addicted). Tostadas are a sort of fried corn(?)... I think.
After Pícaro, we wanted to go to another bar... but we didn't know that all of the bars were closed on Monday. On our way back to the Fund, Sara, someone from my group, and I decided to chat up some of the locals. There were two younger guys sitting on a ledge, so we started asking them about where to go in Toledo, what was open, etc. The rest of the group left, but we stayed to find out more and talk.
The two guys ended up showing us another bar, Centro del Arte Toledo, which is an old church that has been converted into a bar. We stayed there for a while, and learned a lot about Spanish culture, just from this random meeting on the streets.
The next morning, we had a placement test and the scheduling of our classes. My Tuesdays are horrible (5 1 hour, 15 minute classes), but the rest of the days are okay. My first class is at 12:55 today... so we'll see how that goes.
In Toledo, we've heard that drinking in the streets is legal. So, yesterday we took to the streets, vino tinto (red wine) in hand, and found a place to hang out. We got some stares from the locals, but we were a group of about 10 Americans traipsing through the streets with wine.
After our wine adventure, we started to walk home, when I saw a staircase through a door in this old wall. I decided to explore a little bit, and ended up in a free museum, with an awesome view of the city. We took some O-H-I-O pictures, and continued back to the Fund.
We had a particularly boring meeting for an hour and a half, which was all about safety and the rules of the building. After that, they had a welcome reception with all kinds of Spanish tapas and bocadillos (little sandwiches). We all ate our fill of what seemed to be a never-ending stream of appetizers, and then got ready to go out for the night.
Enebro, a bar near the school was open, and we discovered a new drink... tinto de verano (half red wine, half lemonade soda). It was really good. Enebro is chill, but they didn't have any music outside, so we decided to find something else. We returned to Pícaro, which may be our place to hang out... the drinks are cheap, and we've sat at the same table each time. We stayed out until about 3 AM, and then went back to the Fund. where I fell asleep watching a new episode of Weeds.
I sort of slept through breakfast this morning, but now I'm just waiting for my class, which starts in a half-hour. I'm having a great time, and meeting people from all over the place. It's not as hot today as it was on our first day, so that's a relief. Some say that when I get back, 75 degrees will feel like it's freezing.
On the first day, we ended up exploring the city and getting lost (the city is just about as big as campus, but with tiny streets and alleyways), finally finding our way back. We tried to go out to a bar at night, but last weekend was a huge festival here in Toledo, and the Toledoians were... recovering. Only three bars in the city are open on Monday nights, and per my suggestion, we ended up at one of them, Pícaro.
Pícaro also looks like it's out of a movie... it's really cool and chill. They give you tostadas when you sit down, which are really great (our whole group has become addicted). Tostadas are a sort of fried corn(?)... I think.
After Pícaro, we wanted to go to another bar... but we didn't know that all of the bars were closed on Monday. On our way back to the Fund, Sara, someone from my group, and I decided to chat up some of the locals. There were two younger guys sitting on a ledge, so we started asking them about where to go in Toledo, what was open, etc. The rest of the group left, but we stayed to find out more and talk.
The two guys ended up showing us another bar, Centro del Arte Toledo, which is an old church that has been converted into a bar. We stayed there for a while, and learned a lot about Spanish culture, just from this random meeting on the streets.
The next morning, we had a placement test and the scheduling of our classes. My Tuesdays are horrible (5 1 hour, 15 minute classes), but the rest of the days are okay. My first class is at 12:55 today... so we'll see how that goes.
In Toledo, we've heard that drinking in the streets is legal. So, yesterday we took to the streets, vino tinto (red wine) in hand, and found a place to hang out. We got some stares from the locals, but we were a group of about 10 Americans traipsing through the streets with wine.
After our wine adventure, we started to walk home, when I saw a staircase through a door in this old wall. I decided to explore a little bit, and ended up in a free museum, with an awesome view of the city. We took some O-H-I-O pictures, and continued back to the Fund.
We had a particularly boring meeting for an hour and a half, which was all about safety and the rules of the building. After that, they had a welcome reception with all kinds of Spanish tapas and bocadillos (little sandwiches). We all ate our fill of what seemed to be a never-ending stream of appetizers, and then got ready to go out for the night.
Enebro, a bar near the school was open, and we discovered a new drink... tinto de verano (half red wine, half lemonade soda). It was really good. Enebro is chill, but they didn't have any music outside, so we decided to find something else. We returned to Pícaro, which may be our place to hang out... the drinks are cheap, and we've sat at the same table each time. We stayed out until about 3 AM, and then went back to the Fund. where I fell asleep watching a new episode of Weeds.
I sort of slept through breakfast this morning, but now I'm just waiting for my class, which starts in a half-hour. I'm having a great time, and meeting people from all over the place. It's not as hot today as it was on our first day, so that's a relief. Some say that when I get back, 75 degrees will feel like it's freezing.
Monday, June 15, 2009
TOLEDO
So, I finally made it to Toledo. My trip was long, and it was really lonely, but I somehow found a way to 1) entertain myself and 2) stay awake the whole time.
Navigating Madrid was really easy, and I somehow miraculously found my hostel. The hostel was pretty nice, and I was able to meet up with some people in my group a night early, so that was cool.
We ended up going on a pub crawl, which was interesting, but we ended up meeting a few people, some from Ireland, some from Canada. Interesting group of people to party with, but we ended up having a great time.
This morning, we had to navigate the metro system again to get to our bus for the Fundación (hereafter referred to as "the Fund"), and met more people from our group. We were in the middle of the Plaza de Colón, and there was this giant Spain flag in the center, and it finally hit me that I'm actually here.
You know that grimy feeling you get when you've been sweating a lot and then it dries? It's kind of like that.
We arrived at the Fund, and I was really worried that I would have a roommate. Turns out, I don't... just someone I share a bathroom with, which is awesome. My room is really tiny and kind of feels like a closet... and it's pretty hot, but that was expected.
The Fund food is good too, today we had ham and beans, but the bread is the best.
I feel like this summer will definitely be an experience... if anything, I'll just learn to not take a shower for days on end.
Navigating Madrid was really easy, and I somehow miraculously found my hostel. The hostel was pretty nice, and I was able to meet up with some people in my group a night early, so that was cool.
We ended up going on a pub crawl, which was interesting, but we ended up meeting a few people, some from Ireland, some from Canada. Interesting group of people to party with, but we ended up having a great time.
This morning, we had to navigate the metro system again to get to our bus for the Fundación (hereafter referred to as "the Fund"), and met more people from our group. We were in the middle of the Plaza de Colón, and there was this giant Spain flag in the center, and it finally hit me that I'm actually here.
You know that grimy feeling you get when you've been sweating a lot and then it dries? It's kind of like that.
We arrived at the Fund, and I was really worried that I would have a roommate. Turns out, I don't... just someone I share a bathroom with, which is awesome. My room is really tiny and kind of feels like a closet... and it's pretty hot, but that was expected.
The Fund food is good too, today we had ham and beans, but the bread is the best.
I feel like this summer will definitely be an experience... if anything, I'll just learn to not take a shower for days on end.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
JFK Airport- 3 Hours of Random Thoughts
1. My cell phone is dead. It had three bars this morning. Are you kidding me?
2. The only tourists on the Cairo flight were all over the age of 65. Is there an Egyptian age limit?
3. They are playing J. Lo in the restaurant I'm in. They must think it's trendy (update, ten minutes later: Starry-Eyed Surprise)
4. Things I've paid way too much for today a) dollar to Euro transfer b) Saran wrap for my bag, because it ripped (BUT IT HAS A LIFETIME GUARANTEE) c) Internet d) Edamame
5. I forgot to cancel HBO before my phone died.
6. Swine Flu face mask count: 1.
7. I'm tempted to begin drinking with the Irish people that are sitting at the table next to me. Waiting until actual Ireland to do so.
8. Really looking forward to The Pink Panther 2, my in-flight entertainment (am I?).
9. Good ideas: making buckeyelink unavailable during grade posting time.
10. As I use my computer, the estimated charge time increases. It has gone from 3:03 to 3:17.
11. I wish I would have scheduled these layovers with more thought.
12. '90s music marathon in the airport. Current song? "When Doves Cry." I'm a Celebrity...Get me out of this airport! NOW!
2. The only tourists on the Cairo flight were all over the age of 65. Is there an Egyptian age limit?
3. They are playing J. Lo in the restaurant I'm in. They must think it's trendy (update, ten minutes later: Starry-Eyed Surprise)
4. Things I've paid way too much for today a) dollar to Euro transfer b) Saran wrap for my bag, because it ripped (BUT IT HAS A LIFETIME GUARANTEE) c) Internet d) Edamame
5. I forgot to cancel HBO before my phone died.
6. Swine Flu face mask count: 1.
7. I'm tempted to begin drinking with the Irish people that are sitting at the table next to me. Waiting until actual Ireland to do so.
8. Really looking forward to The Pink Panther 2, my in-flight entertainment (am I?).
9. Good ideas: making buckeyelink unavailable during grade posting time.
10. As I use my computer, the estimated charge time increases. It has gone from 3:03 to 3:17.
11. I wish I would have scheduled these layovers with more thought.
12. '90s music marathon in the airport. Current song? "When Doves Cry." I'm a Celebrity...Get me out of this airport! NOW!
Monday, June 8, 2009
5 DAYS... I may be in trouble.
Hey everyone!
Remember when I tried to do a blog in Ecuador, but got so frustrated with the Spanish keyboards that I didn't post very often? Well, this time, I'm taking my own computer, and so I'll be able to update while I'm abroad without the hassle of a ? turning into a é or something weird. Hopefully, I'll also be able to update pictures and stuff while I'm in Spain, so you can see what I'm up to between classes.
The weather forecast for Spain when I arrive is a chilly 99˙ F for a week, so I'm certainly going to be bringing lots of jeans and hoodies. One day, accuweather.com says it could feel like it's up to 120˙F... I feel like that's a little extreme, but we'll see.
I have a lot of packing to do still, but that will all come on Friday. I still have one midterm and 5.5 pages to write for Spanish classes, and senior bar crawl is on Thursday night... so the packing of the backpack will have to wait until after all that.
Back to the grindstone... a.k.a. writing three lines of actual text, then spending a half-hour reading facebook, textsfromlastnight.com and creating blogs.
¡Hasta luego!
-Will
Remember when I tried to do a blog in Ecuador, but got so frustrated with the Spanish keyboards that I didn't post very often? Well, this time, I'm taking my own computer, and so I'll be able to update while I'm abroad without the hassle of a ? turning into a é or something weird. Hopefully, I'll also be able to update pictures and stuff while I'm in Spain, so you can see what I'm up to between classes.
The weather forecast for Spain when I arrive is a chilly 99˙ F for a week, so I'm certainly going to be bringing lots of jeans and hoodies. One day, accuweather.com says it could feel like it's up to 120˙F... I feel like that's a little extreme, but we'll see.
I have a lot of packing to do still, but that will all come on Friday. I still have one midterm and 5.5 pages to write for Spanish classes, and senior bar crawl is on Thursday night... so the packing of the backpack will have to wait until after all that.
Back to the grindstone... a.k.a. writing three lines of actual text, then spending a half-hour reading facebook, textsfromlastnight.com and creating blogs.
¡Hasta luego!
-Will
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