For those of you that read Spanish.
http://www.latribunadetoledo.es/noticia.cfm/Opini%C3%B3n/20090216/sentido/terrorismo/7AB34E8F-1A64-968D-595434B5058AACFD
It's about terrorism.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Ireland
To describe the country of Ireland in two words: beautiful and expensive.
To begin with, the traveling went a lot smoother this weekend. We arrived at the airport and the flight took off with minimal delay. We then got a taste of true Irish friendliness when our cab driver carted us to our hotel. He explained to us the hot spots of Dublin, and pointed out the Gaelic stadium (which is apparently a cross between soccer and rugby). He said that stadium holds 86,000 and some games are even bigger than the Super Bowl.
We arrived at our hotel, which was very nice and about a 15-minute walk from the center of the city, and met my mom and then immediately decided to go get some food. We wandered around the city, ask some friendly Irish folks for directions, and eventually made it to Trinity College (which is in the middle of the city). The Notre Dame kids that study there are lucky—their campus is massive and beautiful and was built in 1592. We went to an Irish pub and quickly ate some fish and chips so we could make it to the Guinness factory before it closed at 5 p.m.
The Guinness factory was also very cool, and delicious. Seven floors of hops and barley, lots of history, and at the top there was a “gravity bar” which gave an eagle eye view of the city. Oh, and they gave you a free Guinness at the top so you can drink a delicious brew while you see the view.
We went back to the hotel to shower and change and wait for the arrival of Phil…so we just ate in the hotel because we were a bit behind schedule. Little did we know that those three euro hamburgers were going to be the cheapest things we ate/drank that weekend (Dublin, yes, is even more expensive than London…but I thought that the money was worth it to see beautiful Ireland). The hotel bar/restaurant is also pretty famous around Dublin. They had a live Beatles cover band there while we ate.
Finally Phil got there, and he ate a three-euro cheeseburger too. We went out to the Temple Bar area, which is the popular bar strip in Dublin. We did a lil’ pub-crawl and hit some pretty neat spots: The “REAL” Temple Bar, Fitzsimons (which had live music as well), and a club called the Purdy Kitchen. The Purdy Kitchen was pretty hilarious because I think it was all 14 year olds in the club on fake I.Ds. In fact, one started talking to me and I asked him how old he was. He said 19, and I responded: “13! What are they doing letting 13 year olds in here.” Needless to say, he did not talk to me anymore and we had a great time dancing by ourselves to American music. They are obsessed with Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon.
Day two: We started off our day at this cute little breakfast joint where I got, yes, a cheese sandwich (it was supposed to be on a croissant but they were out. While there, a little Irish boy came up to us, and said the following, in an ADORABLE Irish accent: “Today is my birfday and I got this camera that takes realllll pictures. We went to Paris last week and I went down the slide at a water park and my bum got wet. And then when I got to the bottom guess what I found? Guess what? All the toys that all other kids lost.” Okay, may not sound that cute via email, but have me do the impression and then you’ll realize that Irish/British kids are far cuter because they have accents.
Then we went on to Dublin Castle and other city center points to take pictures. We decided not to do a bus tour, but went to Malahide Castle on our own. It was located in this cute suburb of Ireland and we were able to see an ancient Irish castle (which was far different from any Spanish palaces I’ve seen). The only setback was the fact that we took a wrong turn after we got off the train and the 15-minute walk turned into a 50-minute walk. Look at the pictures this area was gorgeous.
We thought we’d make it to the James Joyce museum and the coast on the other side of the train stops, but the 50 minute walk set us back a bit. Instead we went to dinner at Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland. It was built in 1165, has delicious Irish food and plays Irish music every night. After dinner we went to a brewery that brews 10 different types of their own beer. We sampled each, went home to get ready, and went out again to a club…this time with some other Notre Dame kids to an area that wasn’t Temple Bar and therefore less expensive but equally as fun.
The next morning we woke early and went to breakfast at Insomnia (the Irish version of Starbucks which is open 24 hours) and did some shopping in some little Irish shops. I bought a clauddaugh ring, just so I can have one that is officially Irish. Then we took cab back to the Dublin airport, and our Irish adventures ended.
It is safe to say we had another fun, and less exhausting than the London experience, weekend of travel.
Next weekend…Carnaval…which is Spain’s even crazier version of Mardi Gras. Apparently, Maria Luisa’s daughter told me I won’t sleep all week because the streets near my apartment will be so loud. Also, sidetrack…I just went for drinks with my friend Conor’s parents (who are visiting), and when I came home (12:30) Maria Luisa was still up. We watch an episode of the Spanish version of Dancing with the Stars together. I guess Spanish and American grandmas are the same.
To begin with, the traveling went a lot smoother this weekend. We arrived at the airport and the flight took off with minimal delay. We then got a taste of true Irish friendliness when our cab driver carted us to our hotel. He explained to us the hot spots of Dublin, and pointed out the Gaelic stadium (which is apparently a cross between soccer and rugby). He said that stadium holds 86,000 and some games are even bigger than the Super Bowl.
We arrived at our hotel, which was very nice and about a 15-minute walk from the center of the city, and met my mom and then immediately decided to go get some food. We wandered around the city, ask some friendly Irish folks for directions, and eventually made it to Trinity College (which is in the middle of the city). The Notre Dame kids that study there are lucky—their campus is massive and beautiful and was built in 1592. We went to an Irish pub and quickly ate some fish and chips so we could make it to the Guinness factory before it closed at 5 p.m.
The Guinness factory was also very cool, and delicious. Seven floors of hops and barley, lots of history, and at the top there was a “gravity bar” which gave an eagle eye view of the city. Oh, and they gave you a free Guinness at the top so you can drink a delicious brew while you see the view.
We went back to the hotel to shower and change and wait for the arrival of Phil…so we just ate in the hotel because we were a bit behind schedule. Little did we know that those three euro hamburgers were going to be the cheapest things we ate/drank that weekend (Dublin, yes, is even more expensive than London…but I thought that the money was worth it to see beautiful Ireland). The hotel bar/restaurant is also pretty famous around Dublin. They had a live Beatles cover band there while we ate.
Finally Phil got there, and he ate a three-euro cheeseburger too. We went out to the Temple Bar area, which is the popular bar strip in Dublin. We did a lil’ pub-crawl and hit some pretty neat spots: The “REAL” Temple Bar, Fitzsimons (which had live music as well), and a club called the Purdy Kitchen. The Purdy Kitchen was pretty hilarious because I think it was all 14 year olds in the club on fake I.Ds. In fact, one started talking to me and I asked him how old he was. He said 19, and I responded: “13! What are they doing letting 13 year olds in here.” Needless to say, he did not talk to me anymore and we had a great time dancing by ourselves to American music. They are obsessed with Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon.
Day two: We started off our day at this cute little breakfast joint where I got, yes, a cheese sandwich (it was supposed to be on a croissant but they were out. While there, a little Irish boy came up to us, and said the following, in an ADORABLE Irish accent: “Today is my birfday and I got this camera that takes realllll pictures. We went to Paris last week and I went down the slide at a water park and my bum got wet. And then when I got to the bottom guess what I found? Guess what? All the toys that all other kids lost.” Okay, may not sound that cute via email, but have me do the impression and then you’ll realize that Irish/British kids are far cuter because they have accents.
Then we went on to Dublin Castle and other city center points to take pictures. We decided not to do a bus tour, but went to Malahide Castle on our own. It was located in this cute suburb of Ireland and we were able to see an ancient Irish castle (which was far different from any Spanish palaces I’ve seen). The only setback was the fact that we took a wrong turn after we got off the train and the 15-minute walk turned into a 50-minute walk. Look at the pictures this area was gorgeous.
We thought we’d make it to the James Joyce museum and the coast on the other side of the train stops, but the 50 minute walk set us back a bit. Instead we went to dinner at Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Ireland. It was built in 1165, has delicious Irish food and plays Irish music every night. After dinner we went to a brewery that brews 10 different types of their own beer. We sampled each, went home to get ready, and went out again to a club…this time with some other Notre Dame kids to an area that wasn’t Temple Bar and therefore less expensive but equally as fun.
The next morning we woke early and went to breakfast at Insomnia (the Irish version of Starbucks which is open 24 hours) and did some shopping in some little Irish shops. I bought a clauddaugh ring, just so I can have one that is officially Irish. Then we took cab back to the Dublin airport, and our Irish adventures ended.
It is safe to say we had another fun, and less exhausting than the London experience, weekend of travel.
Next weekend…Carnaval…which is Spain’s even crazier version of Mardi Gras. Apparently, Maria Luisa’s daughter told me I won’t sleep all week because the streets near my apartment will be so loud. Also, sidetrack…I just went for drinks with my friend Conor’s parents (who are visiting), and when I came home (12:30) Maria Luisa was still up. We watch an episode of the Spanish version of Dancing with the Stars together. I guess Spanish and American grandmas are the same.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The article
Hey,
I know some of you wanted to read my articles in Spanish. The website of the newspaper I work at is sometimes inefficient, but this week, my article was posted.
Here's the link:
http://www.latribunadetoledo.es/noticia.cfm/Opini%C3%B3n/20090209/cultura/flamenco/576E1A1B-1A64-968D-59B942C2DB47E5BD
I know some of you don't speak Spanish...but hey, I guess it's kinda cool to see!
I know some of you wanted to read my articles in Spanish. The website of the newspaper I work at is sometimes inefficient, but this week, my article was posted.
Here's the link:
http://www.latribunadetoledo.es/noticia.cfm/Opini%C3%B3n/20090209/cultura/flamenco/576E1A1B-1A64-968D-59B942C2DB47E5BD
I know some of you don't speak Spanish...but hey, I guess it's kinda cool to see!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Londontown
Because I like to use analogies, I will describe this past weekend as a roller coaster. Extreme lows: flight cancellation, hostel cancellation, sleeping about a combined 3 hours total for the weekend. Extreme highs: London, seeing some of my best friends, free 4 star hotel stay with two free 4-star hotel quality meals. Let’s just say, my friends and I were not fated to go to London this weekend. Just about everything that could have gone wrong, did, but when it came to being in London around old friends and new friends, it became impossible for anyone to be upset.
We left Toledo at 6 am on Friday morning to head to the airport in Madrid. We were supposed to leave Friday morning around 10 am, but right before we were going to board the plane, our flight was canceled. Oddly enough, the flight that was flying out an hour after us (also in to London) was NOT canceled. Easyjet offered us either a refund on our tickets, or a flight out the next morning at 7 am. We chose to stay the night in Madrid with a free four-star hotel and two free meals. We stayed in the Auditorium Hotel, which is supposedly one of the biggest hotels in Europe, but it was located very far outside of Madrid. We went grocery shopping, took a nap, and ate in the hotel for the rest of the day. With less than 3 hours of sleep, we headed to the airport the next morning at 5 am in order to check in for our 7 am flight. When we landed in London, we took a train to London Bridge in order to check into our hostel. Since we had had the hostel booked for Friday, but obviously couldn’t make it because of the canceled flight, my friend Katie had called Friday afternoon and canceled our reservation for that night, but made sure that we still had the reservation for Saturday. The receptionist said everything was fine, but clearly he was incompetent because he ended up canceling our entire reservation for the weekend, and then we had nowhere to stay. Luckily they had availability at their other hostel (but it was 30 minutes further on the tube at the Hammersmith stop). By the time we settled into the hostel we had about 12 hours to see the whole city.
We decided first to go see Notting Hill which is a very chic district of London (also the scene of a Hugh Grant movie). There I met up with my cousin Phil, although it was a little difficult because there were several drunken New Zealanders lining the streets to celebrate their independence. We continued on to the Portabello Market which takes place every Saturday. A two-mile stretch of street is lined with any kind of trinket, food, or accessory imaginable. I bought a dress for 15 pounds and my friend Meghan bought a vinyl Led Zeppelin record for her boyfriend. I met up with my Notre Dame friends studying in London at the market, and Kim who had flown in from Rome for the weekend. After the entire group was together, we decided to do a speed tour of all the hotspots of London: Trafalgar’s square, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, etc. After we finished the walking tour, we finally could check into the hostel (at about 6pm). We went back to the hostel for about 20 minutes and then we to dinner at this restaurant in Trafalgar’s Square (we passed the theatre district on the way which had Les Miserables, Jersey Boys, and several other popular shows playing). Whoever said all food in London is bad lied, because this restaurant was very delicious. Later we again met up with my Notre Dame friends studying in London and went to this three-floor bar/club called O’Neill’s. The first floor was a restaurant, the second floor was more relaxed with tables and loud techno (a little ironic), and the third floor had a really decent live band that covered popular 90s music. We spent a little while on the third floor with the band, but the drunken Irish and British people were a little pushy and the area was too crowded so we spent most of the night on the second floor where we were able to talk for a while. That was one of the main differences: British people like to drink just like American college students do.
We came home at 3 am and left again for the airport at 4:30. Suffice to say, I was extremely tired when I arrived home in Toledo. The 24 hours we spent in London were amazing. I got to see some of my best friends in the world (coming back to Spain only made me miss them more), a family member who I haven’t seen in awhile (but who I will several more times throughout the semester), and hang out with my new friends all together in one what I am convinced is one of the best cities in the world. I have made it my goal to live there at some point in my life (even if it is only for an internship). The city is beautiful and the people are amazingly friendly. My writing is a little less interesting today, probably because I am too tired to think of colorful adjectives that truly describe the excitement of the weekend.
Next weekend I am going to Dublin with a few of my friends to meet my mom and see Phil again. Should be pretty exciting and the Irish folk we met this weekend were INCREDIBLY friendly.
I am pumped.
I can’t believe I’ve been here for a month already.
We left Toledo at 6 am on Friday morning to head to the airport in Madrid. We were supposed to leave Friday morning around 10 am, but right before we were going to board the plane, our flight was canceled. Oddly enough, the flight that was flying out an hour after us (also in to London) was NOT canceled. Easyjet offered us either a refund on our tickets, or a flight out the next morning at 7 am. We chose to stay the night in Madrid with a free four-star hotel and two free meals. We stayed in the Auditorium Hotel, which is supposedly one of the biggest hotels in Europe, but it was located very far outside of Madrid. We went grocery shopping, took a nap, and ate in the hotel for the rest of the day. With less than 3 hours of sleep, we headed to the airport the next morning at 5 am in order to check in for our 7 am flight. When we landed in London, we took a train to London Bridge in order to check into our hostel. Since we had had the hostel booked for Friday, but obviously couldn’t make it because of the canceled flight, my friend Katie had called Friday afternoon and canceled our reservation for that night, but made sure that we still had the reservation for Saturday. The receptionist said everything was fine, but clearly he was incompetent because he ended up canceling our entire reservation for the weekend, and then we had nowhere to stay. Luckily they had availability at their other hostel (but it was 30 minutes further on the tube at the Hammersmith stop). By the time we settled into the hostel we had about 12 hours to see the whole city.
We decided first to go see Notting Hill which is a very chic district of London (also the scene of a Hugh Grant movie). There I met up with my cousin Phil, although it was a little difficult because there were several drunken New Zealanders lining the streets to celebrate their independence. We continued on to the Portabello Market which takes place every Saturday. A two-mile stretch of street is lined with any kind of trinket, food, or accessory imaginable. I bought a dress for 15 pounds and my friend Meghan bought a vinyl Led Zeppelin record for her boyfriend. I met up with my Notre Dame friends studying in London at the market, and Kim who had flown in from Rome for the weekend. After the entire group was together, we decided to do a speed tour of all the hotspots of London: Trafalgar’s square, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, etc. After we finished the walking tour, we finally could check into the hostel (at about 6pm). We went back to the hostel for about 20 minutes and then we to dinner at this restaurant in Trafalgar’s Square (we passed the theatre district on the way which had Les Miserables, Jersey Boys, and several other popular shows playing). Whoever said all food in London is bad lied, because this restaurant was very delicious. Later we again met up with my Notre Dame friends studying in London and went to this three-floor bar/club called O’Neill’s. The first floor was a restaurant, the second floor was more relaxed with tables and loud techno (a little ironic), and the third floor had a really decent live band that covered popular 90s music. We spent a little while on the third floor with the band, but the drunken Irish and British people were a little pushy and the area was too crowded so we spent most of the night on the second floor where we were able to talk for a while. That was one of the main differences: British people like to drink just like American college students do.
We came home at 3 am and left again for the airport at 4:30. Suffice to say, I was extremely tired when I arrived home in Toledo. The 24 hours we spent in London were amazing. I got to see some of my best friends in the world (coming back to Spain only made me miss them more), a family member who I haven’t seen in awhile (but who I will several more times throughout the semester), and hang out with my new friends all together in one what I am convinced is one of the best cities in the world. I have made it my goal to live there at some point in my life (even if it is only for an internship). The city is beautiful and the people are amazingly friendly. My writing is a little less interesting today, probably because I am too tired to think of colorful adjectives that truly describe the excitement of the weekend.
Next weekend I am going to Dublin with a few of my friends to meet my mom and see Phil again. Should be pretty exciting and the Irish folk we met this weekend were INCREDIBLY friendly.
I am pumped.
I can’t believe I’ve been here for a month already.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sevilla
This past weekend in Sevilla started off very quickly. On Thursday afternoon, my friends Rachel, Erica, Pammy, and I decided to go to Madrid earlier in the day. They wanted to go to the Prado to look at El Greco’s famous paintings (I went last weekend), and I wanted to go to the Apple store to attempt to fix my iPOD and computer problems. I did not make it to the Apple store, but instead we made it to this very delicious Italian restaurant. I wasn’t complaining. Hopefully my computer/iPOD situation gets better—for now, crashing word documents, a broken ipod, and a computer that doesn’t consistently turn on does not sound too appealing.
We then continued to the bus stop in Madrid where we took an over night bus ride to Sevilla. We arrived in Sevilla at 6:15. We couldn’t check into our hostel until noon. It is suffice to say I was incredibly cranky while we went to attempt to find something to eat and tour the famous Gothic cathedral (pictures are on Facebook. I had to climb up 35 flights of stairs to see that view. I repeat, I was not a very happy camper at this point…I had not slept in two days and just came from a 7 hour bus ride…all I wanted was bed). I ended up eating my first “churros con chocolate” which is what you are supposed to “drunk eat” in Spain (although I wasn’t in the slightest bit inebriated). Also, I will probably never eat them again. You all know how much I don’t like sweets, and this was four pieces of heavily fried dough dipped in thick chocolate. Delicious for about two bites, and then nauseating. I have a feeling that you would like them, Moe. In fact, I think you do like them.
Since we toured the Cathedral in the morning and everyone was basically a walking corpse, we took a nap after checking into our hostel. Then we woke up and did a tapas crawl (Sevilla is renowned for its cheap wine and delicious tapas). Later that night came my favorite part of the whole weekend. We went to a free flamenco show at this place called “La carboneria.” The inside of this place looked like a German-style beer hall and people from many different nationalities gathered to see this robust woman do some kind of stiff dance. I was in the back of the bar so I couldn’t see much, but I could hear the guy sing (he was good) and I enjoy the drinks and meeting some blondes from Amsterdam. They immediately wanted to know where my friend Rachel (another blonde) and I were from because we and the Amsterdamians totally stood out.
After the flamenco show, we were heading towards a club called Cathedral (how ironic) when we decided we didn’t want to pay 10 euro to dance with some Moroccans. So my friends Conor, Andrea, and I went to this club. Some Spanish optometrist started talking to us and we just told him funny lies. I am not sure why this night was so fun (I just stood at a bar with my friends and lied to some weird Spainard), but I had a blast.
The next day we visited the Alcazar (an Arab inspired palace built in the 700s—think Disney’s Aladdin) and the Plaza de Espana (which is supposed to be one of the most captivating plazas in all the country. It is ). Later that night we kept it low key (minus the pitcher of Agua de Sevilla [water of Seville]: 1 liter pineapple juice or syrup 1 bottle of cava, a pink, sparkling, fizzy wine located in Spain, 1 cup whiskey, 1 cup cointreau, triplesec, rum and heavy cream) and went to a strip of bars that contained a lot of Americans. Oddly enough, I ran into Amelia Cisneros (I went to high school with her) and met Julie Davis’ (I specify last names because I am not sure who is reading this) roommate and close friends from the University of Illinois. It truly is a small world.
We got our last beautiful view of Sevilla’s waterfront, orange trees and palm trees that night. We woke up the next morning to pouring rain and our bus got stuck in traffic. Oh, and the bus driver took a detour to drop his friend off in a random “pueblo.” We traveled from 130 pm to 1 am that day. In wet clothes. Not that I am bitter or anything. I walked in my door at 1 am and debated going to the corner bar to watch the Super Bowl (even though my favorite part—the commercials—were in Spanish). I sat down my cozy little Toledo bed and instantly my mind changed. It really was good to be back to this place I am starting to call home.
Next week I am going to London and I am SUPER excited because many of my friends and my cousin Philip will be there (don’t worry Aunt Norine and Uncle David, I already contacted him). I cannot wait. In fact I got so giddy on my 12-hour transport home that my friends thought there was something wrong with me. My friend Conor told me that it costs 8 pounds for a bagel in cream cheese in London…maybe since I will starve there, I can finally get rid of all the Papas Fritas Maria Luisa has been making me. Actually, I told her I couldn’t eat them anymore and that I wanted more veggies in my diet, and now all I get for meals is a fat bowl of grilled veggies. Better, but no happy medium. And she is hilarious. She is 76-years old and audits classes at the local university. It was her second day of this one class, and she skipped it to go to the Peluquería (Beauty Salon). Oh, Grandmas and their hair…they are the same in every country.
Miss you all—can’t wait to see you (Mom, you are first)—
p.s. Check your facebooks, pictures are up
We then continued to the bus stop in Madrid where we took an over night bus ride to Sevilla. We arrived in Sevilla at 6:15. We couldn’t check into our hostel until noon. It is suffice to say I was incredibly cranky while we went to attempt to find something to eat and tour the famous Gothic cathedral (pictures are on Facebook. I had to climb up 35 flights of stairs to see that view. I repeat, I was not a very happy camper at this point…I had not slept in two days and just came from a 7 hour bus ride…all I wanted was bed). I ended up eating my first “churros con chocolate” which is what you are supposed to “drunk eat” in Spain (although I wasn’t in the slightest bit inebriated). Also, I will probably never eat them again. You all know how much I don’t like sweets, and this was four pieces of heavily fried dough dipped in thick chocolate. Delicious for about two bites, and then nauseating. I have a feeling that you would like them, Moe. In fact, I think you do like them.
Since we toured the Cathedral in the morning and everyone was basically a walking corpse, we took a nap after checking into our hostel. Then we woke up and did a tapas crawl (Sevilla is renowned for its cheap wine and delicious tapas). Later that night came my favorite part of the whole weekend. We went to a free flamenco show at this place called “La carboneria.” The inside of this place looked like a German-style beer hall and people from many different nationalities gathered to see this robust woman do some kind of stiff dance. I was in the back of the bar so I couldn’t see much, but I could hear the guy sing (he was good) and I enjoy the drinks and meeting some blondes from Amsterdam. They immediately wanted to know where my friend Rachel (another blonde) and I were from because we and the Amsterdamians totally stood out.
After the flamenco show, we were heading towards a club called Cathedral (how ironic) when we decided we didn’t want to pay 10 euro to dance with some Moroccans. So my friends Conor, Andrea, and I went to this club. Some Spanish optometrist started talking to us and we just told him funny lies. I am not sure why this night was so fun (I just stood at a bar with my friends and lied to some weird Spainard), but I had a blast.
The next day we visited the Alcazar (an Arab inspired palace built in the 700s—think Disney’s Aladdin) and the Plaza de Espana (which is supposed to be one of the most captivating plazas in all the country. It is ). Later that night we kept it low key (minus the pitcher of Agua de Sevilla [water of Seville]: 1 liter pineapple juice or syrup 1 bottle of cava, a pink, sparkling, fizzy wine located in Spain, 1 cup whiskey, 1 cup cointreau, triplesec, rum and heavy cream) and went to a strip of bars that contained a lot of Americans. Oddly enough, I ran into Amelia Cisneros (I went to high school with her) and met Julie Davis’ (I specify last names because I am not sure who is reading this) roommate and close friends from the University of Illinois. It truly is a small world.
We got our last beautiful view of Sevilla’s waterfront, orange trees and palm trees that night. We woke up the next morning to pouring rain and our bus got stuck in traffic. Oh, and the bus driver took a detour to drop his friend off in a random “pueblo.” We traveled from 130 pm to 1 am that day. In wet clothes. Not that I am bitter or anything. I walked in my door at 1 am and debated going to the corner bar to watch the Super Bowl (even though my favorite part—the commercials—were in Spanish). I sat down my cozy little Toledo bed and instantly my mind changed. It really was good to be back to this place I am starting to call home.
Next week I am going to London and I am SUPER excited because many of my friends and my cousin Philip will be there (don’t worry Aunt Norine and Uncle David, I already contacted him). I cannot wait. In fact I got so giddy on my 12-hour transport home that my friends thought there was something wrong with me. My friend Conor told me that it costs 8 pounds for a bagel in cream cheese in London…maybe since I will starve there, I can finally get rid of all the Papas Fritas Maria Luisa has been making me. Actually, I told her I couldn’t eat them anymore and that I wanted more veggies in my diet, and now all I get for meals is a fat bowl of grilled veggies. Better, but no happy medium. And she is hilarious. She is 76-years old and audits classes at the local university. It was her second day of this one class, and she skipped it to go to the Peluquería (Beauty Salon). Oh, Grandmas and their hair…they are the same in every country.
Miss you all—can’t wait to see you (Mom, you are first)—
p.s. Check your facebooks, pictures are up
Monday, January 26, 2009
Madrid Weekend
I could honestly say that I did not fall in love with Spain until this weekend when I went to Madrid. Being in a city that was far different from any other city that I have seen was quite the experience. The architecture in the country’s capital is perfectly beautiful among the scenery of the fountains and parks. Those of you who of have facebook can see the pictures from the weekend.
Although we have all heard of the terror stories of pickpockets in Madrid, very few of us have experienced it firsthand. The trip to Madrid began Friday morning. Our school, La Fundación Ortega y Gasset paid for all 120 students to go to Madrid and visit the Palacio Real (it is the old castle for the King and Queen of Spain—they no longer live in it but receive guests from other countries there). As we were waiting in line in a group of 120 obvious Americans, I noticed some interesting looking women (clearly not Americans) standing behind us pretending to take pictures with their camera phones. All of a sudden, a girl in our group taps my friend Erica on the shoulder and tells her that she should be more careful with her wallet because it was hanging out of her purse. Erica replied and said that her purse was carefully zipped and held at her hip. She quickly looked through her wallet at noticed that her 85 euro had been stolen and that the women were quickly walking away. She grabbed the two men in charge of the students at the school, José Luis and Miguel, and the three of them chased after the ladies. When Erica confronted them, they said that they had found her money lying on the floor. Erica, who is part Cuban and speaks Spanish pretty fluently, replied “Alright sure, give me back my money,” and the ladies gave it back to her. They had unzipped her purse, taken out her wallet, unzipped it, taken out her money, and put her wallet back all without any of us noticing. Atleast Erica was able to catch them and save herself 85 Euro.
After the Palacio Real, we took a guided tour of the city and ate lunch at a famous restaurant called “Museo de Jamón” (Museum of Ham). The restaurant has pig legs hanging from the ceiling. Oddly enough, our school ordered us fried chicken at the Museo de Jamón.
Then we went to our hostel (which was actually very nice) and walked around the city some more. We came home to take a nap, then went to eat bocadillos (sandwiches) at a very local place where the waiter was not too pleased to serve Americans. Then we went to this infamous 7 story club call Kapital where they play different types of music on each floor ranging from rap to techno to salsa. Also, I think because of this night I will eventually become a brunette while living in this country.
The following day, a few of us went shopping, walking through Parque Retire (which is a big park in Madrid about the size of central park) and the Prado Museum. While at the park we rented rowboats and spent some time on the small lake in the park just paddling around. Seeing the artwork of famous painters such as El Greco and Velazquez was also well worth it.
Later that night, my friend Conor got the idea to do a pub-crawl in order to see the different types of nightlife the city had to offer. We were supposed to end up at this Irish pub that promised us they would show the Notre Dame vs. UConn basketball game, and we did, but the bar (called Dubliners) had made a false promise. Apparently they do not get ESPN in Spain—so the pub crawl continued.
Sunday morning we had to check out of our hostel and then we were supposed to attend the Rastro Market (which is the biggest flea market in all of Spain) but when we stepped outside of our hostel, it was pouring rain. While some people stayed to see the Real Madrid soccer game, a few of my friends and I were exhausted from the weekend and decided to go home to Toledo. I couldn’t go to the game anyway because I have five classes on Monday and the game started at 9 p.m. Sunday night. Those that stayed were returning to Toledo Monday morning.
On another note, my internet problem is going to be fixed. I found a somewhat pricey way to always have internet through a USB modem. I am going to get this internet thing instead of the membership to the gym. Don’t worry, I will not be a gordita—I am going to start running outside frequently because the weather is already nicer. Also, my friends Katie and Flannery are running a half marathon in Prague in April. Maybe if I am disciplined enough I can attempt to run with them. Wouldn’t that be quite the achievement?
Miss you all—
--Ellyn
Although we have all heard of the terror stories of pickpockets in Madrid, very few of us have experienced it firsthand. The trip to Madrid began Friday morning. Our school, La Fundación Ortega y Gasset paid for all 120 students to go to Madrid and visit the Palacio Real (it is the old castle for the King and Queen of Spain—they no longer live in it but receive guests from other countries there). As we were waiting in line in a group of 120 obvious Americans, I noticed some interesting looking women (clearly not Americans) standing behind us pretending to take pictures with their camera phones. All of a sudden, a girl in our group taps my friend Erica on the shoulder and tells her that she should be more careful with her wallet because it was hanging out of her purse. Erica replied and said that her purse was carefully zipped and held at her hip. She quickly looked through her wallet at noticed that her 85 euro had been stolen and that the women were quickly walking away. She grabbed the two men in charge of the students at the school, José Luis and Miguel, and the three of them chased after the ladies. When Erica confronted them, they said that they had found her money lying on the floor. Erica, who is part Cuban and speaks Spanish pretty fluently, replied “Alright sure, give me back my money,” and the ladies gave it back to her. They had unzipped her purse, taken out her wallet, unzipped it, taken out her money, and put her wallet back all without any of us noticing. Atleast Erica was able to catch them and save herself 85 Euro.
After the Palacio Real, we took a guided tour of the city and ate lunch at a famous restaurant called “Museo de Jamón” (Museum of Ham). The restaurant has pig legs hanging from the ceiling. Oddly enough, our school ordered us fried chicken at the Museo de Jamón.
Then we went to our hostel (which was actually very nice) and walked around the city some more. We came home to take a nap, then went to eat bocadillos (sandwiches) at a very local place where the waiter was not too pleased to serve Americans. Then we went to this infamous 7 story club call Kapital where they play different types of music on each floor ranging from rap to techno to salsa. Also, I think because of this night I will eventually become a brunette while living in this country.
The following day, a few of us went shopping, walking through Parque Retire (which is a big park in Madrid about the size of central park) and the Prado Museum. While at the park we rented rowboats and spent some time on the small lake in the park just paddling around. Seeing the artwork of famous painters such as El Greco and Velazquez was also well worth it.
Later that night, my friend Conor got the idea to do a pub-crawl in order to see the different types of nightlife the city had to offer. We were supposed to end up at this Irish pub that promised us they would show the Notre Dame vs. UConn basketball game, and we did, but the bar (called Dubliners) had made a false promise. Apparently they do not get ESPN in Spain—so the pub crawl continued.
Sunday morning we had to check out of our hostel and then we were supposed to attend the Rastro Market (which is the biggest flea market in all of Spain) but when we stepped outside of our hostel, it was pouring rain. While some people stayed to see the Real Madrid soccer game, a few of my friends and I were exhausted from the weekend and decided to go home to Toledo. I couldn’t go to the game anyway because I have five classes on Monday and the game started at 9 p.m. Sunday night. Those that stayed were returning to Toledo Monday morning.
On another note, my internet problem is going to be fixed. I found a somewhat pricey way to always have internet through a USB modem. I am going to get this internet thing instead of the membership to the gym. Don’t worry, I will not be a gordita—I am going to start running outside frequently because the weather is already nicer. Also, my friends Katie and Flannery are running a half marathon in Prague in April. Maybe if I am disciplined enough I can attempt to run with them. Wouldn’t that be quite the achievement?
Miss you all—
--Ellyn
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The first days of Classes
The fun has ended…for the four days of the week that we have class. Monday I have a pretty full schedule, but the rest of the week is not looking too bad. Today I was supposed to begin my internship, but the editor in chief of the newspaper where I am working (La Tribuna Diaria) had to cover some important noticias (news) at the courts. I am meeting with him tomorrow and I am super excited because interns are supposed to work 8 hours a week, but I have the only special case. I do not have to work 8 hours a week because my work is “en casa” (at home). I get to write my articles from home or the school or wherever I want. I don’t have to even write weekly articles and I get to write about whatever I want. My articles are going to published in the Sunday newspaper. I can send you all the link to the Tribuna later…you can try to read them, but they are going to be in Spanish. Even though he wasn’t there today, I went to the newsroom anyway and got to see them film the Spanish anchors doing the news. ‘Twas pretty neat.
Internet update: The lady I live with has WiFi, but she is 65 years old and her daughter set it up so she doesn’t know how to work it. I wrote her daughter a letter asking the questions I need answered (my host mother is going to visit her daughter this weekend when I go to Madrid) so hopefully the problem can be solved. Otherwise, I got this plan for 7 euro on my cell phone where I can call the U.S. after 8 pm for 15 cents a minute. Still kind of expensive, but atleast while I am traveling I can check in with you all for a little bit.
We have found a new place that we like to frequent. It is called Rincón de Boveda, which means corner bar/cafeteria. The owner is named Pablo and he always gives us free things: pastries, tapas, and when we ask for the check, we always get free shots. Oh yeah, and a bottle of wine costs 6 euro.
Since my friends, Katie and Conor, and I live in the center of the city (and pretty much everyone lives a 20 minute bus ride away) we have been trying to explore the city little every night. Even though Katie has been here the whole year, we keep discovering new rincónes (corners) with super neat things. I have discovered more tiny cafés and bars on these windy streets than I can imagine. I even found a shop that serves free café (coffee) between the hours for 5-7 pm, which is good for me because I am going through coffee withdrawals. I told my host mom that I like to drink coffee in the mornings, and she bought me instant decaffeinated coffee. It is suffice to say, I don’t think I will be drinking that any time soon.
We were supposed to go to the Real Madrid soccer game this weekend, but it turns out it starts far to late on Sunday night. Instead we are going to go the largest street market in Madrid.
I promise to put up photos after this weekend.
Miss and love you all,
Ellyn
Internet update: The lady I live with has WiFi, but she is 65 years old and her daughter set it up so she doesn’t know how to work it. I wrote her daughter a letter asking the questions I need answered (my host mother is going to visit her daughter this weekend when I go to Madrid) so hopefully the problem can be solved. Otherwise, I got this plan for 7 euro on my cell phone where I can call the U.S. after 8 pm for 15 cents a minute. Still kind of expensive, but atleast while I am traveling I can check in with you all for a little bit.
We have found a new place that we like to frequent. It is called Rincón de Boveda, which means corner bar/cafeteria. The owner is named Pablo and he always gives us free things: pastries, tapas, and when we ask for the check, we always get free shots. Oh yeah, and a bottle of wine costs 6 euro.
Since my friends, Katie and Conor, and I live in the center of the city (and pretty much everyone lives a 20 minute bus ride away) we have been trying to explore the city little every night. Even though Katie has been here the whole year, we keep discovering new rincónes (corners) with super neat things. I have discovered more tiny cafés and bars on these windy streets than I can imagine. I even found a shop that serves free café (coffee) between the hours for 5-7 pm, which is good for me because I am going through coffee withdrawals. I told my host mom that I like to drink coffee in the mornings, and she bought me instant decaffeinated coffee. It is suffice to say, I don’t think I will be drinking that any time soon.
We were supposed to go to the Real Madrid soccer game this weekend, but it turns out it starts far to late on Sunday night. Instead we are going to go the largest street market in Madrid.
I promise to put up photos after this weekend.
Miss and love you all,
Ellyn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)