Hello again!
I can't tell you how odd it is to be abroad during Thanksgiving. I've never been out of town for Thanksgiving and it's my 2nd favorite holiday (after Christmas of course) because of the food, flavors, colors, friends, and of course, family. I have mentioned the homesickness but this isn't the same as the previous homesickness. I wouldn't even say it's as bad. But rather, I think it'll make me so much more appreciative of the holiday next year.
Anyways, things have been going well and my time here in Barcelona is quickly coming to an end (I have one full weekend left here!). But I am excited that I'll be able to be with my parents for the next ten days or so (we'll reunite in England at my grandmas house this weekend!).
Both of my class presentations went very well this week, so I'm happy to have that stress done and over with. But almost every day now I reflect on how much I've matured here, what I will miss, and just the incredible opportunity that I've had to study abroad and how forever grateful I am to my parents and my school for enabling me to do this. It has truly been a life-changing experience and I wouldn't change it for the world. I couldn't have asked for a better city, country, or time to study abroad.
For my readers, I wish you a very very Happy Thanksgiving and wonderful memories to cherish with your family this holiday season. Here's a classic I thought you might enjoy (one of my favorite shows from all time actually!)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Madrid & Toledo
Hello, hello!
the post for madrid and toledo is FINALLY DONE.... read below....
The weekend of October 28-30(this post is WAYY overdue i know) I went to Madrid and Toledo with Bianca, Bonnie, Jessica, and Lauren. It was super fun (asides from the return part of the trip...but more on that later). Enjoy the post :)
FRIDAY
A cold, wet and rainy start
Our flight was at 7:10 am, so we were up at 4:30 am to catch the metro then bus to the airport. Upon leaving Isabel's, Bianca and I were SOAKED from all the rain. It's hasn't rained much since we've been here, in fact, it's been unusually warm and dry according to Isabel. So, my bag and bottom of my jeans got soaking wet (thank goodness for my semi-functioning umbrella). We met up with Bonnie and Jessica (who live a metro stop away) at Balmes (the main street) and they were even MORE soaked. I mean literally drenched. They didn't think it would rain, or at least certainly not as hard as it was raining at that moment.Originally, we planned on taking the metro but it didn't open till 5:30 am, so we managed to flag down a taxi at 4:45 am (not that hard considering Spaniards party till the late hours of the morning). We split the fare and arrived on time for our flight. Then, Lauren (my friend that went with me to Geneva, Switzerland a month ago) met up with us at the gate. However, we flew Iberia Airlines and departed 45 minutes late (or as others would say are running on "Spanish time"). We all took a power nap and woke up to a chilly but sunny morning in Madrid (I was worried it would rain all weekend due to the weather forecast).
Arrival to Hostel, Exploring Puerta del Sol, & Lunch
For some reason, this was a very busy weekend in Spain such that the 5 of us had to split up into two groups and stay in two different hostels on Friday night (couldn't get it for Saturday night, so we stayed at the Holiday Inn and split it, but more on that later). Jessica and I stayed at the Way Hostel in Madrid and it was incredible! It's the best hostel I have ever stayed at and at only 16 euros a night, even better! If you're ever in Madrid and up for "roughing it" as my friends and I like to call it, I suggest the Way Hostel. Anyways, Jessica and I dropped off our bags and met Lauren, Bianca and Bonnie at Puerta del Sol to find something to eat. I bought a vegetarian falafel right off the main square at Maoz Vegetarian. After lunch, we explored the local neighborhoods and sites (e.g. Royal Palace, Royal Theater, etc)
An Intellectual Evening
We walked hours and hours around Madrid. Although the metro is convenient, sometimes it´s so much better to let your feet be the metro and do the exploring on foot because not only do you so much asides from the touristy areas, but you also learn to orient yourself and become more familiar with the city. Anyways, so we heard the Prado Museum was free for students all day AND after 6 pm, so we prepped for our museum visit with a bit of Chocolate con Churros!
After filling ourselves silly with chocolate con churros, we headed over to the Prado Museum. We only had about an hour before they closed and they didn't let us take photos, so we felt a bit rushed and limited. Either way, it was well worth seeing. We were so wiped out from the day, we headed back to our hostels. However, Lauren, Jessica and I were quite hungry around 11 pm so we went out for Tapas - we felt like such locals having a late dinner!
SATURDAY
Afterwards, we explored the little town on foot and taking pictures of every corner essentially. We entered little convents where you can order sweet treats, got free admission to the museums, and discovered all the nooks and crannies this charming little town has to offer. I can´t really describe how lovely it was, you´ll just have to see pictures for yourself
SUNDAY
We all woke up well-rested and refreshed Sunday morning, not to mention we´d gained an hour (yay for an extra hour in Madrid!). Bonnie and Bianca went to the Parque del Buen Retiro as we suggested and Jessica and I checked out Placa Mayor for the coin and stamp market. There were some realy neat things to see. In fact, I met a very charming elderly man who had the most beautiful paintings I´d ever seen. I was dying to take home a large canvas painting but I could just imagine the headache I would have taking it with me through customs and/or the costs of mailing it. But, he was very kind and gave me a student discount on another painting I bought as a gift. Check out his beautiful work
With my painting wrapped up nicely in my bag, Jessica and I headed off to check out La Reina Sofia museum. Unfortunately,we only had an hour but got in for free and managed to see the highlights, even though we probably only saw 5% (it´s a HUGE museum). Afterwards, we met up with Lauren (who had just arrived from Salamanca on a morning bus) and had a quick lunch at a place called Montaditos, where you can order mini bocadillos for about 1 euro. It was quite tasy if I must say so myself!
A hectic afternoon and trip home
Jessica and I still had to go back to the Holiday Inn to pick up our luggage so that we could arrive to the airport on time. We underestimated how long it would take to get back home on a Sunday (metros, buses, and all forms of public transit) run ridiculously slow and isntead of coming ever 5 or 10 mintues, come every 15 or 20. We managed to get our luggage and take a train back to the airport, but we should have paid extra and taken the taxi. Either way, we arrived at the airport at 4:15, about an hour and 15 minutes before our flight but we were cutting it close. The line was huge but a very nice Italian couple let us go first and explain our situation that we were running late. The lady at the checkout desk said she couldn´t print out our boarding passes because we wouldn´t make it. I asked her why since we were in the main terminal of Iberia. She replied, ¨"well, once you get through security, you have to take a 22 minute train ride to another terminal which will take you to your gate." I couldn´t believe it. Iberia never informed us that about this extra leg of the trip or that we would have to arrive even earlier (2.5 hours) to accomodate for this. She suggested we go to the Customer Service desk to buy another ticket. The lady at this desk was not nice at all and ended up ripping Jessica and I off by saying the only ticket available cost 200 euros. I refuse to EVER fly Iberia again and don´t recommend it to anyone. Bonnie and Bianca arrived a little over an hour and a half early and they were also refused their boarding pass. They may have gotten on the flight but the automated checkin refused to pritn otu their boarding pass and they kept trying several times (which also killed more time). They bought a 145 euro ticket via Vueling but had to wait an extra hour. not to mention, the iberia flight to barcelona (the one we just got ripped off by) left about 45 mintues late. I hate Iberia...with a passion!
But I also learned my lesson...for international airports, ALWAYS arrive at LEAST 2 hours if not 2.5 hours early. And for smaller airports, an hour and a half is plenty.
I had such a nice weekend but my experience at the airport was certainly no fun.
the post for madrid and toledo is FINALLY DONE.... read below....
The weekend of October 28-30(this post is WAYY overdue i know) I went to Madrid and Toledo with Bianca, Bonnie, Jessica, and Lauren. It was super fun (asides from the return part of the trip...but more on that later). Enjoy the post :)
FRIDAY
A cold, wet and rainy start
Our flight was at 7:10 am, so we were up at 4:30 am to catch the metro then bus to the airport. Upon leaving Isabel's, Bianca and I were SOAKED from all the rain. It's hasn't rained much since we've been here, in fact, it's been unusually warm and dry according to Isabel. So, my bag and bottom of my jeans got soaking wet (thank goodness for my semi-functioning umbrella). We met up with Bonnie and Jessica (who live a metro stop away) at Balmes (the main street) and they were even MORE soaked. I mean literally drenched. They didn't think it would rain, or at least certainly not as hard as it was raining at that moment.Originally, we planned on taking the metro but it didn't open till 5:30 am, so we managed to flag down a taxi at 4:45 am (not that hard considering Spaniards party till the late hours of the morning). We split the fare and arrived on time for our flight. Then, Lauren (my friend that went with me to Geneva, Switzerland a month ago) met up with us at the gate. However, we flew Iberia Airlines and departed 45 minutes late (or as others would say are running on "Spanish time"). We all took a power nap and woke up to a chilly but sunny morning in Madrid (I was worried it would rain all weekend due to the weather forecast).
Arrival to Hostel, Exploring Puerta del Sol, & Lunch
For some reason, this was a very busy weekend in Spain such that the 5 of us had to split up into two groups and stay in two different hostels on Friday night (couldn't get it for Saturday night, so we stayed at the Holiday Inn and split it, but more on that later). Jessica and I stayed at the Way Hostel in Madrid and it was incredible! It's the best hostel I have ever stayed at and at only 16 euros a night, even better! If you're ever in Madrid and up for "roughing it" as my friends and I like to call it, I suggest the Way Hostel. Anyways, Jessica and I dropped off our bags and met Lauren, Bianca and Bonnie at Puerta del Sol to find something to eat. I bought a vegetarian falafel right off the main square at Maoz Vegetarian. After lunch, we explored the local neighborhoods and sites (e.g. Royal Palace, Royal Theater, etc)
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| Streets of Madrid |
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| Plaza near the Royal Theater |
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| Artsy street signs! |
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| View of Royal Theater |
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| YUM-O! |
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| Classic Chocolateria (famous for Chocolate con Churros!) |
An Intellectual Evening
We walked hours and hours around Madrid. Although the metro is convenient, sometimes it´s so much better to let your feet be the metro and do the exploring on foot because not only do you so much asides from the touristy areas, but you also learn to orient yourself and become more familiar with the city. Anyways, so we heard the Prado Museum was free for students all day AND after 6 pm, so we prepped for our museum visit with a bit of Chocolate con Churros!
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| Chocolate con Churros |
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| Patatas Bravas with Aioli Sauce |
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| Patatas Bravas with spicy tomato sauce (not spicy at all if you ask me!) |
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| Salad |
SATURDAY
A Picture Perfect Morning at El Parque del Buen Retiro
I slept decently at the hostel but it took me a while to fall asleep because I was too excited about my day trip to Toledo. I heard about Toledo through a Rick Steve´s DVD on Spain and if visiting Madrid, Toledo was a must see! Jessica and I spent the evening at the Way Hostel (which I highly recommend) while Bonnie, Bianca, and Lauren spent the night at some sketchy hostel on the other side of town. Jessica and I agreed to get an early start and had breakfast around 9 am, checked out at 9:30, but the staff at The Way Hostel were kind enough to let us leave our luggage there while we explored Toledo.
I slept decently at the hostel but it took me a while to fall asleep because I was too excited about my day trip to Toledo. I heard about Toledo through a Rick Steve´s DVD on Spain and if visiting Madrid, Toledo was a must see! Jessica and I spent the evening at the Way Hostel (which I highly recommend) while Bonnie, Bianca, and Lauren spent the night at some sketchy hostel on the other side of town. Jessica and I agreed to get an early start and had breakfast around 9 am, checked out at 9:30, but the staff at The Way Hostel were kind enough to let us leave our luggage there while we explored Toledo.
Bonnie and Bianca weren´t feeling well the night before and Lauren went to Salamanca to visit a friend, so they were unable to join Jessica and I. Since we couldn´t get tickets until lunchtime, Jessica and I explored El Parque del Buen Retiro. For those of you who know me well, New York City is my favorite place in the whole world (asides from home and my grandmas house of course!), particularly Central Park. I don´t know if there was something particularly that magical about visiting this gorgeous park on a crisp autumn morning, but it blew Central Park right out of the water (no pun intended… you´ll see why in a few sentences because this park has a small lake). I can´t even describe how beautiful it is. It was like a city escape – I had completely forgotten I was in Spain´s capital. Check out the photos
Trip to Toledo
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| Autumn in Madrid sure is B-E-A utiful |
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| Aah I just want to melt its so pretty! |
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| Look at those gorgeous reds, yellows, oranges, and greens! |
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| Me at El Parque del Buen Retiro |
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| A fountain at El Parque del Buen Retiro |
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| The mini-lake at El Parque del Buen Retiro |
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| Me at the mini lake (recognize this pic? it´s my profile picture!) |
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| Residents strolling through the park on a Saturday morning |
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| Residents out for a boat ride. |
But the two of us had a wonderful time in Toledo! We took the AVE train (Spain´s high speed train…I HIGHLY recommend it) to Toledo around noon, got there in 20 minutes (it was estimated to be 30 minutes) then took a bus to the center of town. Toledo is a beautiful and charming town nestled on the top of a hill and was the capital of Spain for quite some time. In fact, El Greco was so inspired by the town that he chose to live there.
I pretty much fell in love with Toledo. It was such a nice change of pace form Barcelona and was so historical, medieval, and just plain adorable! We were quite hungry once we arrived so we treated ourselves to a menu del dia from a local restaurant.
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| Fabulous potato soup with lemon, cilantro, and olive oil...deelish! |
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| Grilled chicken with patatas |
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| Flan |
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| Restaurant where Jessica and I had lunch |
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| Charming souveneir shops with locally crafted pottery |
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| Beautiful Cathedral |
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| Look at that craftsmanship! |
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| A neighborhood in Toledo |
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| A cute little street in Toledo |
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| El Greco Museum |
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| Beautiful view of Toledo at Sunset |
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| You can see the Alcazar in Toledo (not to be confused with the one in Seville!) |
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| Another cute street near the church in Toledo |
While at the El Greco Museum, we ran into an American couple (who had taken the AVE as well to Toledo) and we exchanged stories about what brought us to Toledo, Spain, etc. For all you hopeless romantics out there(and I´m with ya!), wait for it …the guy proposed to his girlfriend at ……the ALHAMBRA in Granada. Jessica and I pretty much melted when they told us the story and she showed us the diamondS on her ring finger. Aahh soo cute!
As a little souveneir of our stay, Jessica and I each bought ourselves an authentic Spanish fan! I can´t wait to use mine on a blistering hot day. You like?
A fabulous stay at the Holiday Inn Madrid
Jessica and I managed to hit all the top sites in Toledo and arrived back in Madrid around 7 pm. We were SO exhausted from all the walking but it was really nice to spend a night at the Holiday Inn. We didn´t intend on staying there or depleting our bank accounts (it wasn´t that expensive when we split it… about 40 euros per person) but we couldn´t find a hostel to stay in for Saturday night since it was Halloween weekend. Although we weren´t too happy about paying so much for one night, it was well worth it! The Holiday Inn had Dove shower cream, shampoo, and conditioner. Let´s just say we all took very long showers that evening haha!
As a little souveneir of our stay, Jessica and I each bought ourselves an authentic Spanish fan! I can´t wait to use mine on a blistering hot day. You like?
A fabulous stay at the Holiday Inn Madrid
Jessica and I managed to hit all the top sites in Toledo and arrived back in Madrid around 7 pm. We were SO exhausted from all the walking but it was really nice to spend a night at the Holiday Inn. We didn´t intend on staying there or depleting our bank accounts (it wasn´t that expensive when we split it… about 40 euros per person) but we couldn´t find a hostel to stay in for Saturday night since it was Halloween weekend. Although we weren´t too happy about paying so much for one night, it was well worth it! The Holiday Inn had Dove shower cream, shampoo, and conditioner. Let´s just say we all took very long showers that evening haha!
We caught up with Bonnie and Bianca and heard about their day. Around 10 or so, we were pretty hungry so we had dinner at an Italian restaurant across the street. They closed at midnight and we actually closed it! It was great, we reminisced about our days, thoughts about Spain, and tv shows and movies from the 1990´s. With our tummies full and feet exhausted, we all slept VERY well that evening. Not to mention, it was daylight savings on Sunday so we all slept in an extra hour.
SUNDAY
We all woke up well-rested and refreshed Sunday morning, not to mention we´d gained an hour (yay for an extra hour in Madrid!). Bonnie and Bianca went to the Parque del Buen Retiro as we suggested and Jessica and I checked out Placa Mayor for the coin and stamp market. There were some realy neat things to see. In fact, I met a very charming elderly man who had the most beautiful paintings I´d ever seen. I was dying to take home a large canvas painting but I could just imagine the headache I would have taking it with me through customs and/or the costs of mailing it. But, he was very kind and gave me a student discount on another painting I bought as a gift. Check out his beautiful work
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| Local coin and stamp market at Placa Mayor on Sundays |
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| A collector selling his items at the Sunday Coin and Stamp Market |
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| People enjoying the beautiful Sunday morning in Placa Mayor |
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| A local artist capturing the embrace between a father and son |
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| My painter! I bought a stunning picture from him as a gift. I would have GLADLY bought the large picture on the right with red flowers but customs would be a pain in the neck about it. |
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| Placa Mayor on a Sunday morning |
With my painting wrapped up nicely in my bag, Jessica and I headed off to check out La Reina Sofia museum. Unfortunately,we only had an hour but got in for free and managed to see the highlights, even though we probably only saw 5% (it´s a HUGE museum). Afterwards, we met up with Lauren (who had just arrived from Salamanca on a morning bus) and had a quick lunch at a place called Montaditos, where you can order mini bocadillos for about 1 euro. It was quite tasy if I must say so myself!
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| Montaditos! |
Jessica and I still had to go back to the Holiday Inn to pick up our luggage so that we could arrive to the airport on time. We underestimated how long it would take to get back home on a Sunday (metros, buses, and all forms of public transit) run ridiculously slow and isntead of coming ever 5 or 10 mintues, come every 15 or 20. We managed to get our luggage and take a train back to the airport, but we should have paid extra and taken the taxi. Either way, we arrived at the airport at 4:15, about an hour and 15 minutes before our flight but we were cutting it close. The line was huge but a very nice Italian couple let us go first and explain our situation that we were running late. The lady at the checkout desk said she couldn´t print out our boarding passes because we wouldn´t make it. I asked her why since we were in the main terminal of Iberia. She replied, ¨"well, once you get through security, you have to take a 22 minute train ride to another terminal which will take you to your gate." I couldn´t believe it. Iberia never informed us that about this extra leg of the trip or that we would have to arrive even earlier (2.5 hours) to accomodate for this. She suggested we go to the Customer Service desk to buy another ticket. The lady at this desk was not nice at all and ended up ripping Jessica and I off by saying the only ticket available cost 200 euros. I refuse to EVER fly Iberia again and don´t recommend it to anyone. Bonnie and Bianca arrived a little over an hour and a half early and they were also refused their boarding pass. They may have gotten on the flight but the automated checkin refused to pritn otu their boarding pass and they kept trying several times (which also killed more time). They bought a 145 euro ticket via Vueling but had to wait an extra hour. not to mention, the iberia flight to barcelona (the one we just got ripped off by) left about 45 mintues late. I hate Iberia...with a passion!
But I also learned my lesson...for international airports, ALWAYS arrive at LEAST 2 hours if not 2.5 hours early. And for smaller airports, an hour and a half is plenty.
I had such a nice weekend but my experience at the airport was certainly no fun.
Monday, November 21, 2011
A quiet but productive weekend in Barcelona
I can´t tell you all how nice it was to just have a weekend in Barcelona. As you´ve seen in the last few posts, I have been traveling non-stop for the past four weekends: oct 21-23 granada, oct 28-30 madrid and Toledo, nov 1-4 england (to see my grandma), and nov 9-11 seville and cordoba. It´s been one crazy but fabulous month. Anyways here´s a summary of my weekend.
FRIDAY
I slept in and relished every moment today. Normally I would be up at 4 or 4:30 am to catch an early flight but nope not this time! I woke up around 11:30, had some breakfast, and just took my sweet time basically. Bianca and I were going to hang out with Isabel´s granddaughters, Clara and Elena, later that evening and to celebrate thanksgiving, I made a pumpkin pie! I managed to find Libby´s pumpkin puree at a local store called Taste of America and some evaporated milk at the grocery store. Isabel happened to have some fresh cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, and flour on hand. I had bought a box of brown sugar for my oatmeal. So, check, check, check, and check – I had all the ingredients except for shortening for the pie crust (ready made pie crusts don´t exist here). I asked my econ professor who is Catalan but was born and raised in Mexico what they call ¨manteca¨ (or shortening in Mexico) in Spain. He said theres no vegetable based one but I could ask for pancetta or pork fat! EWW! I am NOT putting pork fat in my pie crust… no way Jose! So, I found a great all butter crust recipe that turned out to be very flaky and delicious. So how´d the pie turn out you may ask? Well, it was gone in 24 hours. And we ate it too quickly to take a picture. And we also shared it with Elena and Clara´s parents and brother and sister. And Isabel. It was the best pumpkin pie I´ve ever had if I must say so myself :D
Here´s the pumpkin pie recipe and all butter perfect pie crust recipe I followed. Note I made some substitutions/changes:
For the pumpkin pie, I had no cloves or ginger but I substituted fresh nutmeg and cinnamon instead. Also, I used brown sugar instead of white sugar.
For the pie crust recipe, this was excellent but I ended up using 9 or 10 tablespoons of ice water. But add 2 tablespoons at a time though otherwise you risk making it too moist. Also, one the ball of dough was formed, I wrapped it in saran wrap, put it in the fridge for about an hour or so, then rolled it out, put it in the oven for 15 minutes to bake. The pumpkin pie recipe says not to bake it, but I think it turned out better that way.
I went out for the second time on Friday evening with a group of about 10 IES students. I really wanted to go to the clubs, but they don´t open till midnight, so we went barhopping. One of the bars was cool because they offered complimentary, refillable popcorn bowls for everyone. While everyone else had their shots and drinks, I sipped and munched happily on my sprite and popcorn. I have no problem with drinking, but when people start to pressure me with ¨come on at least have one drink”, not only do I become more resistant to giving in to peer pressure but it just flat out annoys me. I´m so tempted to respond with ¨come on, be a friend and don´t pressure another friend into doing something they don´t want to.” I understand people just want me to have a good time and all, but I don´t think you have to be drunk, intoxicated, or high to have a good time. That´s just my two cents.
The next bar and last bar I went to was called La Bolsa (or stock market in Spanish). It happened to be on the same street and just a flew places down from AmChamSpain, where I intern. It was nice to be in a familiar area, so if I wouldn´t make the metro (closes at 2 am on Fridays), I could just walk home. Now, this bar was super cool, well to an aspiring economist in my case, because as people bought more and more drinks, the tv screen would show an increase in the price of that drink, than the prices of the other drink that are not as demanded would fall (law of supply and demand, baby! Gotta love it!). I got an awesome business idea where I would open a similar bar back home but simulate the Market Crash of 1929 on Black Friday in October and the prices of all drinks would fall just for that day. Aahh, so cool.
It was 2 am and I was quite fed up at this point because I was tired and bored (everyone was drinking at the bar with their backs turned to me). I figured this was a waste of my time and with such a large group, it was unclear when we would eventually go to the clubs. So, I walked home. During this walk, I thought a lot about how much I´ve matured while abroad. Three months ago I would have never walked home by myself in Barcelona, especially at 2 am on a Friday night. But I have absolutely no fear of that anymore (well it also may be because I know the area, but still!) and it´s nice when you face and conquer an obstacle J
SATURDAY
I woke up at 12:50 pm. I was so tired from all that walking the night before I guess my body needed to recuperate. I had a very late breakfast and lunch, but managed to start and finish a class presentation for Tuesday. I stayed in my jammies pretty much all day but it was nice to be productive indoors while it rained outside.
SUNDAY
I woke up at a much more reasonable time today (10:30 am) and got back on my computer to get working on other projects. My parents are coming next week but I´m meeting them in England this weekend, so I´m trying to get ahead on a lot of my projects and internship applications. I managed to almost finish another class presentation (just need to confirm some things with my professor first), applied for three internships with PNC, and bought my parents and I´s tickets for a Barca game next week. I love it when you´re on a productive high and are just crossing things off your to-do list. It feels so satisfying, doesn´t it?
Well, around 2 pm I started to get a bit restless and Alysse texted me asking if we´d like to get together because she needed to get out of the house as well. I suggested we meet up for lunch at BioCenter, a vegetarian restaurant off Las Ramblas. Man oh man was it delicious! Mind you it was a little bit more pricey than I usually pay for lunch, but it was all organic and vegetarian and we went on a Sunday. Their menu del dia is very reasonable (9 euros from Monday to Friday) but I´d heard very good reviews in one of the NUMEROUS tourist guide books I borrowed from the library before I came. I am SOOO going back,especially with my parents. The service was good, it was a nice and charming ambiance, and the food was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I don’t know if it´s because it´s been three months since i´ve had tofu, but I ordered a fabulous dish of sautéed tofu, ginger, and vegetables with soy sauce. Alysse also ordered an excellent dish of homemade ravioli ( I believe parmesan and some herb) with a homemade sun dried tomato sauce. We were both in heaven. To top it all off, I ordered an Almond Sponge Cake with Raspberry sauce… it was SOO delicious. I can´t wait to go back. I´ve added it to my list of “ What to do on my last day in Barcelona”
I got back around 5:30 pm, did more research, and had a really good dinner prepared by Isabel. She cooked a very moist and tender roasted chicken, lettuce with rice and other vegetables, and of course pan con tomate. In all the time I´ve been here I´ve never had a bad meal. I think when I go back home, not only will I replace my salad dressing with just olive oil and vinegar, but I will never be able to have just bread and butter anymore, it will have to be pan con tomate.
Friday, November 18, 2011
I Left My Heart in Seville (or Sevilla as they say in Spain)
The loveliness of Paris
Seems somehow sadly gay
The glory that was Rome
Is of another day
I've been terribly alone
And forgotten in Manhattan
I'm going home to my city in Andalusia
Seems somehow sadly gay
The glory that was Rome
Is of another day
I've been terribly alone
And forgotten in Manhattan
I'm going home to my city in Andalusia
I left my heart in Seville
Surrounded by orange tree-lined streets, it calls to me.
To be where the Giralda and Alcazar
Climb halfway to the stars!
The morning fog may chill the air
but "Sevillanos" are so nice and truly care!
My love waits there in Seville
Above the turquoise blue Guadalquivir river
When I come home to you, Seville,
Your golden sun will shine for me!
As you can tell from the lyrics of this song (from "I Left My heart in San Francisco"), I left my heart in Seville (located in Southern Spain) this past weekend. I absolutely fell in love with the ambiance, weather, culture, and history. It's an absolute gem and I am so happy I got the chance to explore it during my time here in Spain.
Since I'm getting so bad with my posts ( I promise the other two are half way done! I've just been so busy with school, traveling and my internship, I'm short on time!) , I'm going to do little day summaries for you all and include more pictures.
FRIDAY
I arrived early in the morning with my friend Jessica (from Wake Forest) and her friend Laurel (who is studying abroad in London). We took a taxi to the center, checked in to our hostel,signed up for the free Sunset tour and got lunch at a local restaurant. In the meantime, we explored the local neighborhood and met up with Jessica's other friend Carolyn (who is studying abroad in Madrid,Spain). We tried to do the cathedral first, but ended up at Plaza Espanya (which may look familiar to those movie fans out there...apparently this plaza has been featured in movies like Star Wars, Lawrence of Arabia, and Borat). Isn't it beautiful? It's an absolute masterpiece in person.
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| Jess and I at Placa Espana! |
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| Horse carriage in Placa Espana |
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| Some tourists out for a boat ride in Placa Espana. |
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| Placa Espana |
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| Beautiful Seville |
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| Restaurant in Seville |
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| Restaurant in Seville (surrounded by orange trees!) |
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| View of the Giralda |
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| Jess and I near the Giralda and its fountain |
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| Gorgeous architecture and orange trees in Seville |
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| How could I NOT include this little, well rather big, guy in this post??! He's so CUTE! |
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| Another placa in Seville |
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| Typical Sevillano architecture |
After our tour, Jess, Carolyn, Laurel, and I checked out the views from what the call the ¨"Mushroom". It was INCREDIBLE and such a great way to kick off our weekend in Seville.
Then, we grabbed dinner at a local restaurant. It was so cheap, compared to Barcelona that is. For 6.50 Euros, I got a fried egg (which i now like surprisingly), salad, grilled chicken, and patatas (Spanish potatoes with yummy sauce). We went back to the hostel and just hung out in the lobby area till we were ready for bed. I had trouble sleeping this entire weekend because I wasn´t sure whether or not I was going to Cordoba by myself or with someone and I´ve come to realize I have no faith in myself when it comes to traveling solo (even if I speak the language!). So I didn´t sleep too well Friday night.
SATURDAY
I had planned on going to Cordoba, Spain (about 45 minutes by train from Seville) to visit the Mezquita on Saturday but when I found out Carolyn was planning on going Sunday on the way back to Madrid, I decided to join her. So, I stayed with the group most of today doing the morning tour of Seville (we´d done the afternoon tour the day before). Although we walked a tremendous amount and experienced history/information overload, it was certainly worthwhile to do the tour - it helped me orient myself and explore other parts of the city that I would have otherwise not seen. Here are some shots from my walking tour.
Our tour ended later than expected, but our tour guide suggested we join him for lunch at a local tapas/flamenco place. So, for 7 euros, we had a decent lunch. The reason I say decent is because it included 2 plates, a drink, and coffee/tea for dessert. The first plate I ordered, tabbouleh, was pretty good. But the second plate...not so much. I ordered a crepe with cheese, spinach, and chicken. What did I get you may ask? I got a crepe with CHEESE, a few spinach leaves and shreds of chicken. I took two bites and pushed it away from me...I wasn´t going to eat something that I knew would give me an upset stomach. The waiter came by and kindly asked if I wanted another dish since I didn´t like it and he brought me some tortilla espanola (or Spanish omelet). It was okay, but I still prefer Mena´s tortilla espanola! It´s WAYY better and fluffier. I have the recipe now so I´ll be posting that soon,too.
Our lunch ended at 3:30 and most of the sites closed at 5 pm, so we quickly paid for our lunch and went to visit the Cathedral. We all managed to get in for the student price of 2 euros, except for me who had to pay 8 euros. I had my passport with me and was trying toclearly show convince the admission lady that my visa is a student visa and is valid as student ID because the only criteria on the sign was students must be under 25, but since I didn´t have an official student ID, she would only let me in if I pay full price. Oh well. I got some spectacular views from the top of the Cathedral. Check it out!
It was 5 pm and the others (Alysse, Bonnie, Bianca, Mike, and Jessica) had not seen the Jewish Quarter (Since i got in early the day before and managed to do the afternoon tour). So, I was tourguide Alexis for the day and showed them around the area and managed to do quite well considering it was only my second time through these cobbled stone streets. I also took them to the mushroom place from the night before so they could take in the views at Sunset. Meanwhile, I window-shopped and relished in the atmosphere and ambiance of Seville.
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| Absolutely gorgeous view from the "Mushroom" |
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| I like this picture because you can see the mushroom structure on the left. |
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| Picture of Mushroom structure (how cool is it?! fabulous architect!) |
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| The Evening sky in Seville |
Then, we grabbed dinner at a local restaurant. It was so cheap, compared to Barcelona that is. For 6.50 Euros, I got a fried egg (which i now like surprisingly), salad, grilled chicken, and patatas (Spanish potatoes with yummy sauce). We went back to the hostel and just hung out in the lobby area till we were ready for bed. I had trouble sleeping this entire weekend because I wasn´t sure whether or not I was going to Cordoba by myself or with someone and I´ve come to realize I have no faith in myself when it comes to traveling solo (even if I speak the language!). So I didn´t sleep too well Friday night.
SATURDAY
I had planned on going to Cordoba, Spain (about 45 minutes by train from Seville) to visit the Mezquita on Saturday but when I found out Carolyn was planning on going Sunday on the way back to Madrid, I decided to join her. So, I stayed with the group most of today doing the morning tour of Seville (we´d done the afternoon tour the day before). Although we walked a tremendous amount and experienced history/information overload, it was certainly worthwhile to do the tour - it helped me orient myself and explore other parts of the city that I would have otherwise not seen. Here are some shots from my walking tour.
Our tour ended later than expected, but our tour guide suggested we join him for lunch at a local tapas/flamenco place. So, for 7 euros, we had a decent lunch. The reason I say decent is because it included 2 plates, a drink, and coffee/tea for dessert. The first plate I ordered, tabbouleh, was pretty good. But the second plate...not so much. I ordered a crepe with cheese, spinach, and chicken. What did I get you may ask? I got a crepe with CHEESE, a few spinach leaves and shreds of chicken. I took two bites and pushed it away from me...I wasn´t going to eat something that I knew would give me an upset stomach. The waiter came by and kindly asked if I wanted another dish since I didn´t like it and he brought me some tortilla espanola (or Spanish omelet). It was okay, but I still prefer Mena´s tortilla espanola! It´s WAYY better and fluffier. I have the recipe now so I´ll be posting that soon,too.
Our lunch ended at 3:30 and most of the sites closed at 5 pm, so we quickly paid for our lunch and went to visit the Cathedral. We all managed to get in for the student price of 2 euros, except for me who had to pay 8 euros. I had my passport with me and was trying to
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| View of the Cathedral |
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| View from the top! |
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| View from the top 2 |
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| View from the top 3 |
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| Beautiful interior |
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| And of course you can't forget the magnificent organs! |
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| And gold altar... |
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| Another angle from the interior |
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| Aww love this Santa Clara girlies picture: Jessica, Alysse and I outside the Cathedral in the courtyard of orange trees |
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| Aww this one's really cute too: Bonnie and I in the orange tree courtyard. Don't we look related in this picture?! |
It was 5 pm and the others (Alysse, Bonnie, Bianca, Mike, and Jessica) had not seen the Jewish Quarter (Since i got in early the day before and managed to do the afternoon tour). So, I was tourguide Alexis for the day and showed them around the area and managed to do quite well considering it was only my second time through these cobbled stone streets. I also took them to the mushroom place from the night before so they could take in the views at Sunset. Meanwhile, I window-shopped and relished in the atmosphere and ambiance of Seville.
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| Seville at sunset |
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| Another view of Seville at Sunset |
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| Seville at night |
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| Seville at night 2 |
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| Seville at night 3 |
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| Terrace restaurants in Seville |
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| STUNNING fountain |
We headed back to the hostel, rested for a bit, then I had tapas with Alysse, Jessica, and Carolyn at the same place we had lunch earlier that day. The tapas were pretty decent but I think eating so late messed up my sleeping schedule because I was too awake/energized from the meal to fall asleep. Once again, I slept like 4 or 5 hours.
SUNDAY
I woke up not feeling very rested but nervous about doing Cordoba by myself. I´ve been traveling with friends most weekends but I´ve never traveled by myself before. Well, I mean I have, I´ve been to England solo, but airports aren´t that tricky to navigate. But new cities and public transit? yikes!
My stomach was also feeling upset from the butterflies, dehydration, and lack of eating fruit all weekend. All the other girls in the group had bought their return ticket to Barcelona Sunday morning, so they left early. So, it was just me and Mike and we both wanted to tour the Alcazar ( a royal palace, formerly a Moorish fort). We managed to tour it in about an hour and a half, split the price of the audio guide tour, and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. We both agreed it was completely worth the extra cost of the return flight home. Check out pictures below (it was just as breathtaking as Granada..if not more I believe!)
Afterwards, Mike went to complete his agenda and I headed off to the train station to see if I could buy a ticket. I can't even tell you how nervous I was ...all I kept thinking about was "what if I get lost, what if I lose my return ticket, what if I miss the bus, what if i miss my flight, etc" all these "what ifs!", and if finally hit me how ironic it is that I have absolutely no fear of public speaking..but I'm scared to death of small, insignificant and hypothetical things. Then again, that's the whole point of studying abroad isn't? It's about being out of your comfort zone and doing things you don't normally do....and appreciating those experiences for the learning *and maturing!) opportunities they provide you. Anyways, so I managed to buy a ticket at 12:15 pm for a 12:35 pm departure. I managed to find my train and comfortably settled in. This was my 2nd time taking the AVE (the first was on the way to Toledo from Madrid...again, that post is coming this weekend!!!!so look out for it!), and i absolutely LOVE the train in Spain. It's super quiet, prompt (unlike other forms of transportation in Spain...they run on Spanish time, aka, always running late), clean, efficient, and just such a nice change from airplanes. I arrived to Cordoba at 2 pm and met up with Jess's friend, Carolyn (the one studying abroad in Madrid), and we toured the Mezquita together. The Mezquita (or "Mosque" in Spanish) is the official Cathedral of Cordoba, but it was built by Islamic architects and has a tremendous amount of history that goes with it. In fact, I read in a guidebook that it was the inspiration for the Alhambra in Granada, and then the Alcazar in Seville. It was absolutely stunning... I was lost for words while touring it with Carolyn. We split the cost of the audio guide and relished in the beautiful architecture, fascinating history, and overall ambiance in the Mezquita. Apparently, it's one of the top 10 sights in Spain according to DK Eyewitness. Do I agree? ABSOLUTELY! Check it out for yourself.
I left the Mezquita promptly at 3:30 pm, took a bus to the train station, grabbed some lunch, and took the train back to Seville (about an hour and 20 minute ride). I then waited for a bus to the airport (but that was running late... or should I say on Spanish time), so to avoid losing a flight, I paid for a taxi to take me there in 10 minutes. I arrived to my flight an hour before leaving, chatted with my mom on the phone before i left (she called me just as I was lining up to board), and I stepped in to Isabel's apartment at 11 pm. It had been a super long, but extremely productive day. I couldn't help but give myself a little pat on the back for sticking to my plans and agenda (Mike said, "Oh I bet you're not going to do the Mezquita!" HAHA! In fact, when someone tells me I can't do it, it motivates me even MORE just to prove to them that I can), staying on time, and touring Spain solo.
SUNDAY
I woke up not feeling very rested but nervous about doing Cordoba by myself. I´ve been traveling with friends most weekends but I´ve never traveled by myself before. Well, I mean I have, I´ve been to England solo, but airports aren´t that tricky to navigate. But new cities and public transit? yikes!
My stomach was also feeling upset from the butterflies, dehydration, and lack of eating fruit all weekend. All the other girls in the group had bought their return ticket to Barcelona Sunday morning, so they left early. So, it was just me and Mike and we both wanted to tour the Alcazar ( a royal palace, formerly a Moorish fort). We managed to tour it in about an hour and a half, split the price of the audio guide tour, and thoroughly enjoyed the visit. We both agreed it was completely worth the extra cost of the return flight home. Check out pictures below (it was just as breathtaking as Granada..if not more I believe!)
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| Me at the Real Alcazar in Seville (or Royal Palace) |
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| Me at the Alcazar |
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| **I'm druling** Beautiful islamic architecture |
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| Check out that roof mimicking the night sky in Seville! |
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| Gardens |
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| More gorgeous architecture |
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| I'll let you think of a caption for this one :) |
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| And this one... |
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| Me at the "Jardines" of the Alcazar |
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| There's peacocks, too! |
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| Gorgeous. period. |
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| Ahh, more beautiful garden shots! |
Afterwards, Mike went to complete his agenda and I headed off to the train station to see if I could buy a ticket. I can't even tell you how nervous I was ...all I kept thinking about was "what if I get lost, what if I lose my return ticket, what if I miss the bus, what if i miss my flight, etc" all these "what ifs!", and if finally hit me how ironic it is that I have absolutely no fear of public speaking..but I'm scared to death of small, insignificant and hypothetical things. Then again, that's the whole point of studying abroad isn't? It's about being out of your comfort zone and doing things you don't normally do....and appreciating those experiences for the learning *and maturing!) opportunities they provide you. Anyways, so I managed to buy a ticket at 12:15 pm for a 12:35 pm departure. I managed to find my train and comfortably settled in. This was my 2nd time taking the AVE (the first was on the way to Toledo from Madrid...again, that post is coming this weekend!!!!so look out for it!), and i absolutely LOVE the train in Spain. It's super quiet, prompt (unlike other forms of transportation in Spain...they run on Spanish time, aka, always running late), clean, efficient, and just such a nice change from airplanes. I arrived to Cordoba at 2 pm and met up with Jess's friend, Carolyn (the one studying abroad in Madrid), and we toured the Mezquita together. The Mezquita (or "Mosque" in Spanish) is the official Cathedral of Cordoba, but it was built by Islamic architects and has a tremendous amount of history that goes with it. In fact, I read in a guidebook that it was the inspiration for the Alhambra in Granada, and then the Alcazar in Seville. It was absolutely stunning... I was lost for words while touring it with Carolyn. We split the cost of the audio guide and relished in the beautiful architecture, fascinating history, and overall ambiance in the Mezquita. Apparently, it's one of the top 10 sights in Spain according to DK Eyewitness. Do I agree? ABSOLUTELY! Check it out for yourself.
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| The Mezquita |
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| The Interior |
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| Interior |
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| Interior |
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| Such beautiful architecture...lots of themes relating to nature |
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| I love this architecture |
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| makes you feel like the roof is "floating" doesn't it? |
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| Byzantine altar |
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| Too stunning for words... |
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| Me smiling from ear to ear that I got to see la Mezquita!!! |
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| Catholic altar |
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| Carolyn (Jess's friend) and I at the Alcazar |
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| Me in the orange tree courtyard outside La Mezquita |
I left the Mezquita promptly at 3:30 pm, took a bus to the train station, grabbed some lunch, and took the train back to Seville (about an hour and 20 minute ride). I then waited for a bus to the airport (but that was running late... or should I say on Spanish time), so to avoid losing a flight, I paid for a taxi to take me there in 10 minutes. I arrived to my flight an hour before leaving, chatted with my mom on the phone before i left (she called me just as I was lining up to board), and I stepped in to Isabel's apartment at 11 pm. It had been a super long, but extremely productive day. I couldn't help but give myself a little pat on the back for sticking to my plans and agenda (Mike said, "Oh I bet you're not going to do the Mezquita!" HAHA! In fact, when someone tells me I can't do it, it motivates me even MORE just to prove to them that I can), staying on time, and touring Spain solo.
I hope this post gave you a "taste" of Southern Spain. But, i'm afraid that since I left my heart in Seville, I have to go back and reclaim it. Anyone up for a trip to Seville? Haha! Have a wonderful day everyone and thanks for reading :)
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