Friday, July 31, 2009

7/29/09-7/31/09 Cathedral in Seville and Granada




7/29/09 Maria, Jodi and I met her family at the Seville Cathedral. It is the largest Gothic Cathedral and the third largest church in the world, built in the 1500's. It has 80 chapels but only kings are said to be allowed to marry in the main one. Many sections of the church were closed off but we were able to see Columbus's tomb, many alters and climb the 345 foot tall bell tower. We saw great views of Seville from the tower so the hike was well worth it. After the cathedral we went back to Maria's and had a delicious Spanish lunch and then took a much needed siesta! Jodi and I booked our hostel and train ride to Granada and then we all got ready to walk around the city some more, as well as eat a typical dinner of tapas. 




7/30/09 Today we traveled to Granada via train. We made the train with 5 minutes to spare! We wouldn't have made it at all if it weren't for Maria and her Spanish skills. Phew! We were hoping to sleep on the train but it wasn't comfortable so I finally got to do some reading. When we arrived we found the hostel easily and were greeted by a very friendly older man who owned it. He gave us a map and told us all the cool places to go. Our room is really decent! We have a private room and bathroom... it's all they had. I prefer an 8 bed room so we can meet people but we'll try for that in Barcelona. We grabbed a bite to eat and thank goodness the waitress was so nice. We couldn't read the menu that well and I accidently ordered myself nasty, fried, little fish again! She could tell I made a mistake so we tried again. This time I got lentil stew and it was delicious! Afterward we found some really cool streets and shops. Granada has a very comfortable feel to it and it is gorgeous. One of my favorite places thus far for sure. We took a taxi to the top of the city. The roads are winding, narrow, steep and made from cobble stone. We went to a bar that let us do "take out" drinks and then sat on a rock wall overlooking the Alhambra. A man was playing the Spanish guitar and kids were playing in the streets, even though it was 1:00am. I wanted to see a discotec (a club) so we went to a promising one. Apparently is was too early for Spanish people and/or people have vacated Granada for the summer because it was dead. Moving to the coast for the summer is typical as it's much too hot to be inland. 

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

7/28/09 Walking around Sevilla and meeting funny Americans!



Jodi and I might have slept until 2pm today.. it's what we're supposed to do... I guess... :) Anyway, by 4pm we thought it was safe to go outside. I'm not going to lie it was brutal for the first hour (106 degrees) but we jumped on an hour long boat tour and that was much better! We went up and down the river and saw cool bridges and landmarks. For a snack we sat at a cool spot along the river and had sangria and what we thought was going to be fish nuggets- bad translation apparently.  We tried to ask the waiter what they had for fruit but he couldn't speak English and couldn't find the right words in my Spanish book. What an experience. Afterwards we went to Maria's and hung out until about 1am and then we went out. We ended up meeting some funny, funny Americans which was SO exciting to me (as I hadn't met any yet). One was conveniently named Steve... he reminded me of Steve-O, another was Matt and he was more of a Jack Black character... there was also Shane and Blake. They should all do stand up comedy because they made us all laugh so hard. We ended up staying out until 7am and we only had a coulpe of drinks... it was great entertainment. They were supposed to leave on a 630am flight but they missed it... they said they would pay our tickets to go to Valencia with them... it was tempting... I mean a free flight but we had plans to see the Cathedral of Seville with Maria and her parents in the morning.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tarifa was so hot, hot, hot!!!


Click on the picture to get it larger!!!!!!!











Hi everyone,

  So Tarifa is really pretty. Maria and her friends rented an apartment where we could walk to the beach and see Africa (Morocco) from our door 
 basically. It was super windy so we ate a lot of sand but other than that the beach was perfect. I had to wear 50 spf sunblock (Erin this should make you happy) but I still got a little tanner! Maria's friends were so nice and one spoke English. The others and I just smiled at each other but developed a nice dynamic even without English. They share everything, like for example, after a long day at the beach I was struggling to get my towel on like a dress. Maria's friend took out this beautiful cloth from her purse and within 15 seconds she made it into a beautiful dress and tied it on me. It was a beautiful thing. We went out for a few hours on Saturday night but mostly it was really smoking in the bars (I hate it!) and I was tired from all of the sun. Last night Maria and her friends went out until 6am. I stayed home watching Spanish television and was happy as a clam!! I needed a night in, alone to rest, recoop and be with myself. I got to read a little bit and make my own hamburger! It was nice. Today We got my bus ticket from Tarifa to Seville to pick up Jodi. They were ridiculously late opening the station (typical Spanish I hear) but I got my ticket by 230pm and was able to spend a couple hours on the beach before leaving to meet Jodi. We ate sandwiches on the beach before I left (pepperoni and cheese on french bread) and I was off. I met a Romanian Circus tiger/Cougar trainer. So random. We spoke a little English but mostly we drew pictures to communicate. He somehow told me that we were stopping at one stop for 15 minutes and asked me to coffee- I said "sure". In retrospect, that would have been bad if we got off the bus and it wasn't really a stop break... duly noted!

I was SOOO happy to see Jodi it was crazy! I could speak as fast as I wanted and I have now realized the importance of being understood- we take it for granted. So all you married folks out there, remember that! Jodi and I walked a bit around Sevilla and now we're ready for sleep.. first here are pics! P.S. THANKS FOR ALL THE BIRTHDAY WISHES! My birthday was different that's for sure!

Saturday, July 25, 2009

7/24/09 WHAT A DAY! SHOPPING AND TRAVELING TO SEVILLE




Today was good and bad.... good because I went shopping alone and knew enough Spanish to buy things, etc. . . bad because I got lost on the way back to Maria's. I asked a taxi driver and he didn't speak any English so I wrote her street down on paper... he pointed a lot and when I thought I knew what he meant I realized that I was super lost. I then asked an old man how to get to the street. He didn't know any English but he walked me all the way home!!! Thank God for this man. Maria and I just made our train from Madrid to Seville... Maria thought I was just buying a lot of things... in actuality I was lost for 1.5 hours! So, if that wasn't bad enough.. I ate a bad sandwich on the train... I got really sick here in Seville and it's too bad because Maria's parents took us to a Feria (Spanish Flamenco festival). But I feel better now, especially after a great shower.. tomorrow - Tuesday I'll be out of radio contact because I'll be at the beach in Tarifa. Write soon!

P.S. Happy birthday to me. 

Friday, July 24, 2009

7/23/09

Tonight I tried many thing... squid, octopus, Spanish ham, pron, and anchovies. I like all except anchovies! The food is great here and the people are so nice. The ones below are Maria's friends. 








Thursday, July 23, 2009

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Welcome to Spain

So clearly I haven't written in my blog for awhile. As most of you know, I deferred from school and decided to travel. I saved up about $6,000 and want to see as much of Europe as I can! Here's the plan: 5 weeks in Spain (July 20-August 27) then I begin working at a Quinta in Portugal. My old roommate and I decided that entering a work exchange program would be the cheapest and more interesting way to travel. We will see how it goes. Jodi will arrive in late September and I know I will be happy to see her! The Quinta in Portugal is off the beaten path and my only hope for escape is driving an old manual car. I tried learning before I left but my hour lesson just wasn't enough! :)

So, here I am in Madrid Spain with Maria. Maria and I met when she came to the states for an exchange program. She is beautiful and thank God can speak English (much better now than before)! Her roommates speak a little english but besides them and the man at the fruit store... there are no English speakers that I have met. 

My flight: Boston to Dublin went smoothly... all 6.5 hours of it! Dublin to Spain was also good. I had some trouble entering Spain because the custom's lady did not speak English. She was trying to tell me I needed to fill out a card... finally she got it and handed it to me and I understood. I was supposed to go to the end of the line but it was sooooo long so I snuck back in with the Spanish speakers. I was surrounded by words and people I did not understand. It was surreal. I collected my backpack from the carousel and went outside to get a taxi. I said, "Torre Picasso Por Favor" and we were on our way. He was making conversation except I didn't understand. I told him I knew almost no Spanish and he said he knew some English... which a lot of people have said... and then they speak one or two words of English and the rest Spanish and think that you should understand. Maria said her father is like this too! Great! 

Anyway I arrived at Maria's work and got her paged! It was so great to see her. She feels like my sister and we didn't even spend all that much time together in the states! Anyway, it was a great feeling and she said finally she could stop worrying about me! She dropped me off at her apartment and she went back to work. Spanish summer work  schedule is 9-3. I arrived at 11am. After a shower, a sandwich, a good teeth cleaning and a few emails I was ready for SLEEP! I slept until 4 and when I woke up Maria and I began planning. We are leaving for Seville on July 24th and going to a beach called Tarifa on July 25th (MY BIRTHDAY). Maria will be there until Tuesday July 28th but I am leaving one day early to find Jodi at the Seville bus station. We are staying that night at Maria's parents (who do not speak English) house. The 28th- August 1st Jodi and I will travel around southern Spain (Granada, Cadiz, etc). Maria is leaving for Morocco on August 2nd and Jodi and I are going to Barcelona. I'm hoping it's like that movie "Vicki Christina go to Barcelona". Jodi and I will head back to Madrid around the 7th so she can see the city center before she leaves on the 10th. I'll have a few days alone until Maria gets back from Morrocco and then I will meet her back in Seville to go to her grandparents beach house on the coast or a will stay in a hostel (as the house is small). Finally around the 22nd we will go to Ibiza. Maria is spending a week there but I think I will stay half of that because it is so expensive. We will see.

Now to the present: After Maria and I planned we went for a little walk around the city. People were sitting all around at outside terraces drinking beers and eating tapas (small appetizers Mom). We sat down for a couple beers and some food. I learned I do not like anchovies... the salty little things but I did like the bread with basil, mozzerella and tomato (yum)! Everything was so fresh! We went home around 10 or 11 because we were both so tired (Maria from speaking English and me from listening and trying to understand Spanish! Oy!) 

Yesterday I slept in and woke up and tried to read on the outside terrace (facing the street) but it was much to hot (95 degrees)! Instead I sat at the kitchen window listening to all that is Spain. Her apartment is set up so there is a center in the middle. So around 2pm I could hear dishes clanking, people laughing and speaking Spanish and smell the delicious smell of Spanish cooking. Again, it was surreal... something from a movie really. Maria returned from work and she and her roommate began cooking lunch. They made a Spanish omelet (made from eggs and pototo), a tomoto salad with cucumber, olive oil, tuna, onion and vinaigrette and we had gazpacho (which is like a cold, thin, tomoto soup sort of). You drink it from a cup- it's was different at first but I liked it. Spanish often eat sesame crackers with their meals so we had those too. For lunch dessert it is often fruit, but we were all pretty satisfied.  After lunch (3pm) we took siesta. I think it's too hot to go outside during this time so a nap is wonderful. After we woke up Maria's roommate made us coffee. Spanish coffee is so strong but good! Maria and I went to the store to get me an power adapter for my laptop and camera- both were dead but American plugs to not work with Spanish outlets. Now, I am all set. She also introduced me to the fruit store man. He spoke some English which was nice! The streets are so small in Spain and every shop has a speciality, very anti-super Walmart! Afterwards Maria showed me how to navigate the metro (subway). All of the signs are in Spanish of course so it is difficult. The system seems to be actually quite organized so I think I get it... we will see once I'm alone. Theft is very common on subways and in public markets. Apparently at the markets over 400 wallets are stolen each day. This is scary!!! Luckily Jodi and I thought ahead so we have passport and money holders that go around our necks. Maria told me about her friend who fell asleep on the subway and his wallet was cut out of his pants! She has had her wallet stolen twice!

We took the subway to "old Madrid" which is what I imagined Madrid would be like...pretty white buildings with clothes drying for terraces, narrow streets and people everywhere. I hadn't charged my camera battery yet so no pictures, sorry! We went to old Madrid to try to get tickets to a sold out Flamenco show (with the most famous women flamenco singer and the most famous male flamenco dancer). Maria and her friend Julia were trying to get someone to let us in... it was in Spanish but I knew they weren't getting anywhere. We decided to have beer at the theatre bar just in case we had another chance... the beer was expensive! 4 euros each one... crazy. Anyway, Maria called another man over and I heard her point to me and say, "New York".. there was more Spanish and then I heard him say, "New York Times" and then we were walking up the long, spiral stairs to the theatre!! Apparently she had said that I came all the way from New York to see this show and he joked and asked how I would have heard of it... the new york times? We entered this old theatre in Madrid and our seats were 4 stories up but we could see them very well from overhead. There were about 10 people on stage... some dancing flamenco, some singing, 1 playing Spanish guitar, a couple playing drums and a couple clapping and stomping their feet to the beat. It was one of the most beautiful things I have seen. The crowd was shouting "olay" and clapping with the men. This was Spanish culture to the core. It was amazing to see. It did make me feel that the U.S. is sort of devoid of culture... is it because we are immigrants and our traditions and culture have not translated or that it was lost? The Spanish people are so warm and accepting and proud of their heritage. Thoughts on this? 

Maria and Julia were so happy. It was beautiful for me but to them it was like Justin Timberlake and Beyonce to us. The show would have been 40 euros each but we got in for free (well minus the 12 eurors beer). After the show Julia had to go and Maria and I walked around old Madrid and had beer and tapas until 3 in the morning, with siesta this is easy! I wish I had pictures but I think I will take Jodi here before she leaves!

Today I am attempting to meet Maria for beers and tapas with her work friends. It is about a 15 minute walk and since I can not remember the street names I've tried to remember land marks... you guys know my memory! We are getting me a cell phone today for emergencies.

Ok, so in the future my posts won't be so long. I just wanted to explain the plan and my initial impressions! I will post pictures as soon as I can. 

Here is a link to Flamenco dancing if you've never seen it (copy and past into browser).. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhits_HAeKM&feature=related