I haven't updated in about two weeks... sorry! I was really busy with exams/post-exam activities... I really haven't had much time to post. I guess in two hours from now, I'll be starting the "trip of a lifetime..." and I never even thought it was starting this early, but I'm having two nights in Madrid before Rome happens.
Last weekend(?), I started out on Friday morning with a trip to Segovia with the school... always a pleasure to travel when you're getting reprimanded for speaking your native language. We visited a castle, which is one of the most stereotypical medieval castles I've ever seen. We climbed up to the top of the tower, and got a view of the Spanish countryside. Pretty cool. We also got to see Roman aqueducts, which are HUGE... I guess it took a lot of work to get water all the way to Spain!
On Saturday, one of my classes had a field trip to the art museums in Madrid. We got to see some famous art, including Picasso's "La Guernica" and Velazquez's "Las Meninas." No worries, I had never heard of them before my class, either. During the tour, Leah and I skipped the included lunch to go to TGI Friday's... amazing decision. American food is so good when you've only been having bland Spanish food for weeks. Still on the hunt for ranch dressing, though. After the tours (which lasted 6 (SIX!) hours, my friends and I checked into a hostel for a night in Madrid.
The following things happened, in rapid succession:
1. AMAZING Thai restaurant (going back tonight)
2. Flamenco show
3. Doner Kebap
4. Clubbing
5. Botellóning in the Plaza Santa Ana
EXPLANATIONS:
1. Chicken/Pad Thai in a peanut sauce. This weekend actually ended up being awesome, food-wise.
2. Flamenco is awesome. We had to do something touristy while we were here, and this was definitely it. Sangria and flamenco.
3. I don't think this even needs any explanation, it is our Middle Eastern obsession (basically a gyro, but 100 times better).
4. After searching for a place with a reasonable cover, we ended up at Deseo, which was a pretty good choice until they closed at 3. THREE?!
5. Botellóning (drinking in the streets) is illegal. Everyone does it anyway.
The next day, I walked around town by myself for a while, and ran into some people from our group, and we ended up at a small market where we bought loaves of bread for 1 Euro each, and had glasses of wine with the Spanish at noon on a Sunday. It was great and unexpected.
After that, we went to DOMINO'S (culinary delights). Again, it tasted exactly the same. I hope to go back in the next two days.
From here on out, I won't be able to post Facebook pictures, or post with much ease... I'm sending my laptop home with my friend Kayla. Hasta la vista, Iberian Peninsula, hello rest of EUROPE!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
How Many Camels Do You Want for Her?
This weekend, four of us skipped the Friday morning trip to El Escorial (which turned out to be boring anyway, we heard), and go to the southern-most point of Europe, and possibly take a ferry over to Morocco. We miraculously got up at 6 AM to catch our train to Madrid, and then had to take a 5.5 hour train to Algeciras, where we took a taxi to our hotel. The travel was long, but relatively uneventful. Something that is funny about the train rides--- we get to watch movies in Spanish (I guess "get" is in quotes). Usually they're action or children's movies, and this time, it was Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa.
When we got to Algeciras, we grabbed a cab, and rode the 9 km to our hotel, Meson de Sancho (www.mesondesancho.com). We were surprised at the quality of the place... and it was cheaper than a hostel! We got a quadruple room with 4 beds (we were convinced that we would have to share), a patio with a table and chairs, and an amazing bathroom (with a great shower!). We threw our stuff down, and departed for the beach.
Tarifa is nestled between mountains and the Strait of Gibraltar, and you can see Africa from the coast. The hills are dotted with windmills, and you can see the beach from miles away. The sand was a lot finer than it was in Barcelona, but the water was a lot dirtier with seaweed. We laid out for a while, but then realized that we hadn't really eaten all day, and went in search of food.
We found a small restaurant in the town, and all ate for about 10 Euro, including a bottle of wine. We stopped by a supermarket, and bought some stuff for the evening, and then returned to the hotel. We sat out on our patio, listened to music, and had tinto de verano, and then got ready for our trip to Africa in the morning.
We decided to take a private tour that included the ferry each way, lunch, and the tour for 80 Euro, while the ferry itself would have been 70 Euro anyway. We missed the first ferry (but it wasn't our fault... they told us the ferry was full a half hour before it left), so we had 2 hours to kill in Tarifa. We grabbed coffee and toast and then went back to the ferry. The ride was only supposed to be 35 minutes, but it ended up being about an hour and 15 minutes in extremely choppy water. Motion sickness set in, which really didn't mix well with a lot of rowdy Spanish and Moroccan children and a crowded boat.
We finally arrived in Morocco, and met our guide, a kind of quiet man named Ali ("like Ali Baba," he said). We first went on a van tour of Tangier, a city with no real landmarks, so we just saw roads and got a little background information about the country. For a while, Morocco wasn't a real country, but rather a "world country," so France, the United States, Spain, and other countries all have areas that they built restaurants, houses, and other buildings, effectively making a French Quarter, an American Quarter (called California), etc. We got out at the top of a hill, and we were told we could ride camels for a Euro. We each got a turn for about 45 seconds, and then we were ushered back into the van.
We went and walked around a Moroccan neighborhood, where they have a community oven for baking bread and community running water in the square for the residents of the neighborhood. I had been in Ecuador, where this stuff really wasn't common in the city, but we were in a large Moroccan city... interesting to see that kind of poverty.
Our guide took us to a Moroccan restaurant, where we had a Moroccan soup, kebab, cous cous, and a baklava-esque dessert. The best part was a sweet mint tea, sort of a hot, non-alcoholic mojito. During the lunch, they had a band playing music, which was really cool.
After lunch, we were told that we were going to go shopping, which really just ended up being a huge scam. We were taken to a Persian rug store, where they showed us how the rugs are made. After a flashy presentation, we were asked, "So, what are you buying?" I guess this was a real-world application of the open-ended questions we ask on the phones at work. We didn't want to buy anything, but Alex was swindled into buying a rug. Their price negotiation wasn't even over before the shop owner told an assistant that Alex was buying it and to pack it up. The whole thing happened so fast, we were all just looking at each other with bewildered looks before we even knew what was happening.
The owners kept trying to trade camels in exchange for Sarah, and even were trying to get some of our clothes off of us (the owner told me he would give me a "very good price" in exchange for my hat... and you all know that's a no deal). We wanted to get out of the store as soon as possible, but our guide was nowhere to be found. The shop had a lot of expensive Moroccan things, and all I wanted from the country was a flag and a shot glass. When we told our guide, he "kindly" took us to a small gift shop, where they tried to sell me a flag for 8 Euro, when I had bought a flag that is twice the size in Spain for 5 Euro. I really played hardball with the guy, and got the flag and a leather camel (with someone riding it) for 10 Euro. I know I still got ripped off, but the bargaining was really frustrating.
We went to a jewelry store after that, where the same thing happened again... everyone wanted Sarah to be their wife, in exchange for camels, of course. It was so bizarre. We all bought a little bit, but it was more uncomfortable than fun to be in that kind of situation. Our guide then led us through the streets, where people approached us every 5 seconds trying to sell camel toys, drums, or jewelry. Moroccans just don't take no for an answer.
Probably the weirdest place we visited was a "pharmacy," where a Moroccan named Sayid showed us Moroccan spices and aphrodisiacs during a presentation. Then, like in the rug store, he asked us what we were buying. Nobody really had any need for saffron or dyes, so we took pictures with him (he insisted on taking about 20) and then left.
We were escorted back to the ferry, which was a much smoother ride this time, grabbed some doner kebab to take back to the hotel, and passed the evening sitting outside and talking. I jumped in the pool at about 4 AM, and then went to bed. We got up at 7:30 to get to the train station, and then had another 5.5 hour train ride back to Madrid.
When we got to Madrid, I was convinced that I knew where a Domino's Pizza was, but I apparently was wrong. We ran around the streets for 2 hours until our train was to leave, but ended up pizza-less. We got back to the Fund, and heard stories about Pamplona and the Running of the Bulls, which I am ultimately glad I didn't participate in. I got to see another country, and another culture, and actually got some relaxing sleep in what practically was a resort, instead of sleeping in a park where people were seen getting robbed in their (most likely) drunken slumber.
This weekend, we have to visit Madrid for a class on Saturday, but then Sarah and I may meet up with our friends in Valencia for two nights. We do have a trip planned with the school to Segovia to see the Roman Aqueducts, so that will be cool (and free!).
When we got to Algeciras, we grabbed a cab, and rode the 9 km to our hotel, Meson de Sancho (www.mesondesancho.com). We were surprised at the quality of the place... and it was cheaper than a hostel! We got a quadruple room with 4 beds (we were convinced that we would have to share), a patio with a table and chairs, and an amazing bathroom (with a great shower!). We threw our stuff down, and departed for the beach.
Tarifa is nestled between mountains and the Strait of Gibraltar, and you can see Africa from the coast. The hills are dotted with windmills, and you can see the beach from miles away. The sand was a lot finer than it was in Barcelona, but the water was a lot dirtier with seaweed. We laid out for a while, but then realized that we hadn't really eaten all day, and went in search of food.
We found a small restaurant in the town, and all ate for about 10 Euro, including a bottle of wine. We stopped by a supermarket, and bought some stuff for the evening, and then returned to the hotel. We sat out on our patio, listened to music, and had tinto de verano, and then got ready for our trip to Africa in the morning.
We decided to take a private tour that included the ferry each way, lunch, and the tour for 80 Euro, while the ferry itself would have been 70 Euro anyway. We missed the first ferry (but it wasn't our fault... they told us the ferry was full a half hour before it left), so we had 2 hours to kill in Tarifa. We grabbed coffee and toast and then went back to the ferry. The ride was only supposed to be 35 minutes, but it ended up being about an hour and 15 minutes in extremely choppy water. Motion sickness set in, which really didn't mix well with a lot of rowdy Spanish and Moroccan children and a crowded boat.
We finally arrived in Morocco, and met our guide, a kind of quiet man named Ali ("like Ali Baba," he said). We first went on a van tour of Tangier, a city with no real landmarks, so we just saw roads and got a little background information about the country. For a while, Morocco wasn't a real country, but rather a "world country," so France, the United States, Spain, and other countries all have areas that they built restaurants, houses, and other buildings, effectively making a French Quarter, an American Quarter (called California), etc. We got out at the top of a hill, and we were told we could ride camels for a Euro. We each got a turn for about 45 seconds, and then we were ushered back into the van.
We went and walked around a Moroccan neighborhood, where they have a community oven for baking bread and community running water in the square for the residents of the neighborhood. I had been in Ecuador, where this stuff really wasn't common in the city, but we were in a large Moroccan city... interesting to see that kind of poverty.
Our guide took us to a Moroccan restaurant, where we had a Moroccan soup, kebab, cous cous, and a baklava-esque dessert. The best part was a sweet mint tea, sort of a hot, non-alcoholic mojito. During the lunch, they had a band playing music, which was really cool.
After lunch, we were told that we were going to go shopping, which really just ended up being a huge scam. We were taken to a Persian rug store, where they showed us how the rugs are made. After a flashy presentation, we were asked, "So, what are you buying?" I guess this was a real-world application of the open-ended questions we ask on the phones at work. We didn't want to buy anything, but Alex was swindled into buying a rug. Their price negotiation wasn't even over before the shop owner told an assistant that Alex was buying it and to pack it up. The whole thing happened so fast, we were all just looking at each other with bewildered looks before we even knew what was happening.
The owners kept trying to trade camels in exchange for Sarah, and even were trying to get some of our clothes off of us (the owner told me he would give me a "very good price" in exchange for my hat... and you all know that's a no deal). We wanted to get out of the store as soon as possible, but our guide was nowhere to be found. The shop had a lot of expensive Moroccan things, and all I wanted from the country was a flag and a shot glass. When we told our guide, he "kindly" took us to a small gift shop, where they tried to sell me a flag for 8 Euro, when I had bought a flag that is twice the size in Spain for 5 Euro. I really played hardball with the guy, and got the flag and a leather camel (with someone riding it) for 10 Euro. I know I still got ripped off, but the bargaining was really frustrating.
We went to a jewelry store after that, where the same thing happened again... everyone wanted Sarah to be their wife, in exchange for camels, of course. It was so bizarre. We all bought a little bit, but it was more uncomfortable than fun to be in that kind of situation. Our guide then led us through the streets, where people approached us every 5 seconds trying to sell camel toys, drums, or jewelry. Moroccans just don't take no for an answer.
Probably the weirdest place we visited was a "pharmacy," where a Moroccan named Sayid showed us Moroccan spices and aphrodisiacs during a presentation. Then, like in the rug store, he asked us what we were buying. Nobody really had any need for saffron or dyes, so we took pictures with him (he insisted on taking about 20) and then left.
We were escorted back to the ferry, which was a much smoother ride this time, grabbed some doner kebab to take back to the hotel, and passed the evening sitting outside and talking. I jumped in the pool at about 4 AM, and then went to bed. We got up at 7:30 to get to the train station, and then had another 5.5 hour train ride back to Madrid.
When we got to Madrid, I was convinced that I knew where a Domino's Pizza was, but I apparently was wrong. We ran around the streets for 2 hours until our train was to leave, but ended up pizza-less. We got back to the Fund, and heard stories about Pamplona and the Running of the Bulls, which I am ultimately glad I didn't participate in. I got to see another country, and another culture, and actually got some relaxing sleep in what practically was a resort, instead of sleeping in a park where people were seen getting robbed in their (most likely) drunken slumber.
This weekend, we have to visit Madrid for a class on Saturday, but then Sarah and I may meet up with our friends in Valencia for two nights. We do have a trip planned with the school to Segovia to see the Roman Aqueducts, so that will be cool (and free!).
Monday, July 6, 2009
Te quiero, Barcelona
This weekend was our independent trip to Barcelona. Not only did we plan it all (hostel, trains, etc.) ourselves, but we had to navigate a city where half the people don't even speak Spanish, but speak Catalan (the northeastern language of Spain) and have crazy lisps when they do speak Spanish. Overall, Barcelona was a lot friendlier than Madrid, and we ended up having a great time.
Because we have Eurail passes, my friend Sarah and I traveled by train, while our other five friends traveled by plane to Barcelona. We ended up sleeping through our alarms on Friday morning (even after a relatively quiet Thursday night), but eventually made it to the train station. After grabbing some Coca-Cola Light, sandwiches and Pringles at the train station, we were en route to Barcelona.
We arrived around 2 pm, and made our way to the hostel, which was all the way at the end of a Metro line in an area of town called Badalona. As it turned out, we were 8 blocks from the beach, and we could feel the breeze off the Mediterranean as soon as we got out of the Metro. When we got to our hostel, they told us that it was full, although we had reservations. Sarah and I ended up getting a room in a storage closet for the night (remember that scene in Best in Show?... it's kind of like that) and were told we would be moved to another (real) room on Saturday afternoon. It was a little obnoxious, but at least we had a place to sleep.
We met up with our friends, and decided to split up for the afternoon. Sarah, Lauren, Kayla and I wanted to go see some sights around Barcelona, while the others wanted to take a bike tour around the city. We navigated the subway system in search of Park Güell, a park mostly designed by Gaudi. We got to the park (after hiking a kilometer up a super-steep hill...think San Francisco) and we treated to awesome views of the beach, Sagrada Familia, and the city of Barcelona (which is HUGE). We walked around the park for a while, discovering awesome mosaic buildings (which were kind of Seuss-ian) and a cool breeze off the beach.
We had heard that a great place to go was Las Ramblas, kind of Barcelona's big tourist trap. We Metro-ed over there, and walked around, seeing street performers (people dressed up in crazy costumes... our favorite was Edward Scissorhands) and watching out for ladrones (thieves). We found a market, La Boqueria, and checked out how the Spanish do their grocery shopping. Most of the fruit stands at the market had fruit smoothies pre-made for 1 Euro, so we all grabbed one and tried out all of the flavors. I got strawberry-pineapple, while others got mango-peach, coconut-banana, and other odd combinations. They were a great snack for the afternoon.
On the way back to the hostel, we grabbed some cheap Spanish wine (as always) and got ready to go out for the night. We drank while everyone got ready, saw a restaurant out the window, and decided to go. I had read that some restaurants in Barcelona let you set a fixed price for everyone, and will bring you never-ending sangria, tapas, and bread. I negotiated with the manager (in Spanish!) and for 15 Euro, we ended up having potatoes with calamari, prawn, asparagus, bread, croquetes, salads, and sangria. It was great!
Because we were so close to the beach, we decided to find a beach bar and drink by the beach (it was about 1 AM). We went down and found a small shack, got drinks and watched the surf. I "fell asleep" for about fifteen minutes, and when I woke up, most of our group was in the water, so I decided to join them. I ended up kind of falling into the Mediterranean at first, but it was a great night.
The next morning, we split up again and Lauren, Kayla and I went in search of Sagrada Familia... a giant church that has been under construction since the 1860s. We went inside, and the place is HUGE... and it's not even half-finished. All of the walls are hand-carved with statues of Christ and the story of his life. It was really cool to be in such an awesome place. After Sagrada Familia, there was a Domino's across the street... so of course we had to get our first American pizza of the entire summer. It was amazing... and almost exactly like American Domino's (but better... absence really does make the heart grow fonder).
We made our way to the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) to find the Picasso Museum. We went in, and saw a lot of Picasso's art. Turns out, the Picasso we all know really isn't the bulk of his work: he painted a lot of boring stuff before his cubist period. We slowly made our way through the streets of Barcelona, and headed back to the hostel to go to the beach.
We got to the beach around 2 PM, with fafafel pitas in tow that we had picked up along the way. The water was really clear, and there weren't very many people out. We found a great spot on the beach, and went into the Mediterranean. This time, I ended up staying in the water for about 3 hours, and swam around. Lauren and I ended up being in the water the most, as we swam down the coast to check out a busier beach... we maybe swam 2 km in total.
After the beach, we were in search of a Mexican restaurant. We found one, and had a half-hour Metro ride to get there. It was okay, but the girls all had pretty gross margaritas... I just stuck to beer, and it was not only cheaper, but better tasting. We then made our way to a 150 year-old bar near Las Ramblas that sells absinthe... just to try it. The bar was in a sketchy part of town, but it was really awesome (and EXTREMELY HOT). We got our absinthe...that stuff is FOUL. We still downed it, though, in hopes of chilling with the green fairy. It didn't exactly work, and Sarah and I went back to our hostel, while the others had to catch a bus to the airport to fly home.
In the morning, we walked around the city for a while, and found a place to grab paella, another testament to the laziness of the Spaniards (oh, let's just put everything in a skillet and cook it). It was good, and being satisfied, we made our way back to the train station, and eventually, to Toledo.
This week I have a lot of papers to write for school, but after that, we are off the the southern coast of Spain, and on Saturday, I'll be in Morocco!
¡Hasta luego!
Will
Because we have Eurail passes, my friend Sarah and I traveled by train, while our other five friends traveled by plane to Barcelona. We ended up sleeping through our alarms on Friday morning (even after a relatively quiet Thursday night), but eventually made it to the train station. After grabbing some Coca-Cola Light, sandwiches and Pringles at the train station, we were en route to Barcelona.
We arrived around 2 pm, and made our way to the hostel, which was all the way at the end of a Metro line in an area of town called Badalona. As it turned out, we were 8 blocks from the beach, and we could feel the breeze off the Mediterranean as soon as we got out of the Metro. When we got to our hostel, they told us that it was full, although we had reservations. Sarah and I ended up getting a room in a storage closet for the night (remember that scene in Best in Show?... it's kind of like that) and were told we would be moved to another (real) room on Saturday afternoon. It was a little obnoxious, but at least we had a place to sleep.
We met up with our friends, and decided to split up for the afternoon. Sarah, Lauren, Kayla and I wanted to go see some sights around Barcelona, while the others wanted to take a bike tour around the city. We navigated the subway system in search of Park Güell, a park mostly designed by Gaudi. We got to the park (after hiking a kilometer up a super-steep hill...think San Francisco) and we treated to awesome views of the beach, Sagrada Familia, and the city of Barcelona (which is HUGE). We walked around the park for a while, discovering awesome mosaic buildings (which were kind of Seuss-ian) and a cool breeze off the beach.
We had heard that a great place to go was Las Ramblas, kind of Barcelona's big tourist trap. We Metro-ed over there, and walked around, seeing street performers (people dressed up in crazy costumes... our favorite was Edward Scissorhands) and watching out for ladrones (thieves). We found a market, La Boqueria, and checked out how the Spanish do their grocery shopping. Most of the fruit stands at the market had fruit smoothies pre-made for 1 Euro, so we all grabbed one and tried out all of the flavors. I got strawberry-pineapple, while others got mango-peach, coconut-banana, and other odd combinations. They were a great snack for the afternoon.
On the way back to the hostel, we grabbed some cheap Spanish wine (as always) and got ready to go out for the night. We drank while everyone got ready, saw a restaurant out the window, and decided to go. I had read that some restaurants in Barcelona let you set a fixed price for everyone, and will bring you never-ending sangria, tapas, and bread. I negotiated with the manager (in Spanish!) and for 15 Euro, we ended up having potatoes with calamari, prawn, asparagus, bread, croquetes, salads, and sangria. It was great!
Because we were so close to the beach, we decided to find a beach bar and drink by the beach (it was about 1 AM). We went down and found a small shack, got drinks and watched the surf. I "fell asleep" for about fifteen minutes, and when I woke up, most of our group was in the water, so I decided to join them. I ended up kind of falling into the Mediterranean at first, but it was a great night.
The next morning, we split up again and Lauren, Kayla and I went in search of Sagrada Familia... a giant church that has been under construction since the 1860s. We went inside, and the place is HUGE... and it's not even half-finished. All of the walls are hand-carved with statues of Christ and the story of his life. It was really cool to be in such an awesome place. After Sagrada Familia, there was a Domino's across the street... so of course we had to get our first American pizza of the entire summer. It was amazing... and almost exactly like American Domino's (but better... absence really does make the heart grow fonder).
We made our way to the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) to find the Picasso Museum. We went in, and saw a lot of Picasso's art. Turns out, the Picasso we all know really isn't the bulk of his work: he painted a lot of boring stuff before his cubist period. We slowly made our way through the streets of Barcelona, and headed back to the hostel to go to the beach.
We got to the beach around 2 PM, with fafafel pitas in tow that we had picked up along the way. The water was really clear, and there weren't very many people out. We found a great spot on the beach, and went into the Mediterranean. This time, I ended up staying in the water for about 3 hours, and swam around. Lauren and I ended up being in the water the most, as we swam down the coast to check out a busier beach... we maybe swam 2 km in total.
After the beach, we were in search of a Mexican restaurant. We found one, and had a half-hour Metro ride to get there. It was okay, but the girls all had pretty gross margaritas... I just stuck to beer, and it was not only cheaper, but better tasting. We then made our way to a 150 year-old bar near Las Ramblas that sells absinthe... just to try it. The bar was in a sketchy part of town, but it was really awesome (and EXTREMELY HOT). We got our absinthe...that stuff is FOUL. We still downed it, though, in hopes of chilling with the green fairy. It didn't exactly work, and Sarah and I went back to our hostel, while the others had to catch a bus to the airport to fly home.
In the morning, we walked around the city for a while, and found a place to grab paella, another testament to the laziness of the Spaniards (oh, let's just put everything in a skillet and cook it). It was good, and being satisfied, we made our way back to the train station, and eventually, to Toledo.
This week I have a lot of papers to write for school, but after that, we are off the the southern coast of Spain, and on Saturday, I'll be in Morocco!
¡Hasta luego!
Will
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
