My grandparents are coming tomorrow!! I'm super excited, but also super nervous that I don't have enough things planned for them to do. I set up 2 bus tours, 2 walking tours, and made reservations for a Flamenco show. The rest I guess we'll just play be ear.. I'm so excited to see family.. and it probably doesn't hurt that I'll be getting some serious Spanish practice in.
P.S. We're taking Abuelo and Abuelo to chupitos!! I'm getting Abuela to do a flaming shot.. don't worry!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Newest Updates
So I haven't written in a few days, but I have some updates...
Today was my first day of actual classes. I had 2 other than my Spanish class: Society and Communication in Spain (in Spanish) and Barcelona: The City and its History (in English). I was planning on switching to the Spanish version of the history class, but it seems really interesting, and I just can't see how I would get as much out of the Spanish version since it would be simplified to accomodate all the American students. Therefore, I think I'm gonna stay in it. There are a bunch of field trips and a lot of reading, but it seems like good stuff. For extra credit I get to read a novel on a list and write a paper. I can't complain. The Communications class also sounds pretty fun. We get to learn about propoganda, the media, and forms of communication in Spain. We get to go to the radio station and watch tv and stuff like that. I have one more tomorrow.
So Thursday night we went to Chupitos, which is the shots bar, again. That was a lot of fun, because we got there early enough that we could still move and hear ourselves talk. We did a bunch of shots: Diablo (on fire, and sipped through a straw), Green Giant (another fire straw one) and the Bob Marley (green, red and yellow in layers and tasted like candy). We also had another liter of some mixed drink. We were enjoying ourselves quite a bit by the time we left. We then trecked over to Sutton, which is a club that wasn't too far. It was about a 15 minute walk. The party was for Bread and Butter, which was fashion week this year in Barcelona. We would've loved to go to the shows, but you have to be invited. The club was really nice but the music was all house, and not very good house music, so we left after about an hour. We took taxis home and ended the night pretty early, around 3am.
On Friday night, we opted to stay in because we were all tired from the night before and everyone was still kind of sick.
On Saturday during the day, we did the tourist thing. We went to Park Güell, which is a park that was designed by Gaudi during his life. His original intention was to build a bunch of houses and make it kind of a small city in itself. He ended up being the only one to live there, but built some really cool structures in the process. We took tons of pictures and just wandered for a while. Getting there was quite interesting. We got off at the nearest metro stop, which wasn't exactly close and then pretty much trecked up a mountain to get there. The street was so steep that there was actually an escalator for a part of it. Of course when we got to the top of the mountain to the escalator, that side of the park was closed off and we had to walk about half a mile to get to the other entrance. It made for some good pictures though.
After the park, we went to Montjuïc which is where the Olympics took place. We climbed up another mountain and took a bunch of escalators. The view was amazing. We took tons of pictures, saw the Art Museum (but we didn't actually go in) and where the Olympic ring was. We looked for the Olympic pool but couldn't find it, so we figured we'd leave it for another day.
By the time we got home, I had injured my foot from walking in flats for 8 hours. I guess it was the lack of support, but it feels like a pulled a muscle in my foot, and it hurts a lot to walk.
We decided to go out for Sangria, because we hadn't had any since we had been in Spain. I found a place that was supposedly very popular among erasmus (international) students and backpackers, so we decided to check it out. It was really cool. It pretty much looked like a really big basement and had longs of picnic benches and pool tables and you just sat down with your pitcher of beer or sangria and made friends. We met this couple from England who was on vacation for the week. The husband was apparently in fashion, although we didn't find out exactly how, and were here for Bread and Butter. They were really nice.
Then we decided to go to a club we had gotten free passes for when walking around. That was around 1:30, because the pass was only good until 2. The pass said there was salsa and Spanish music, so we were intrigued. When we got there though, it was house music. It was pretty good, but we got bored after a while, and decided to leave around 3. However, when we were leaving, we saw a bunch of people in a corner and we decided to check it out. It turned out to be stairs to a downstairs floor with Spanish music. We were so excited that we couldn't help but go down and check it out. We ended up staying until 5 and the party was still going when we left. We also made friends, and some guy was trying to hook me up with his friend.
And that's all for now...
Today was my first day of actual classes. I had 2 other than my Spanish class: Society and Communication in Spain (in Spanish) and Barcelona: The City and its History (in English). I was planning on switching to the Spanish version of the history class, but it seems really interesting, and I just can't see how I would get as much out of the Spanish version since it would be simplified to accomodate all the American students. Therefore, I think I'm gonna stay in it. There are a bunch of field trips and a lot of reading, but it seems like good stuff. For extra credit I get to read a novel on a list and write a paper. I can't complain. The Communications class also sounds pretty fun. We get to learn about propoganda, the media, and forms of communication in Spain. We get to go to the radio station and watch tv and stuff like that. I have one more tomorrow.
So Thursday night we went to Chupitos, which is the shots bar, again. That was a lot of fun, because we got there early enough that we could still move and hear ourselves talk. We did a bunch of shots: Diablo (on fire, and sipped through a straw), Green Giant (another fire straw one) and the Bob Marley (green, red and yellow in layers and tasted like candy). We also had another liter of some mixed drink. We were enjoying ourselves quite a bit by the time we left. We then trecked over to Sutton, which is a club that wasn't too far. It was about a 15 minute walk. The party was for Bread and Butter, which was fashion week this year in Barcelona. We would've loved to go to the shows, but you have to be invited. The club was really nice but the music was all house, and not very good house music, so we left after about an hour. We took taxis home and ended the night pretty early, around 3am.
On Friday night, we opted to stay in because we were all tired from the night before and everyone was still kind of sick.
On Saturday during the day, we did the tourist thing. We went to Park Güell, which is a park that was designed by Gaudi during his life. His original intention was to build a bunch of houses and make it kind of a small city in itself. He ended up being the only one to live there, but built some really cool structures in the process. We took tons of pictures and just wandered for a while. Getting there was quite interesting. We got off at the nearest metro stop, which wasn't exactly close and then pretty much trecked up a mountain to get there. The street was so steep that there was actually an escalator for a part of it. Of course when we got to the top of the mountain to the escalator, that side of the park was closed off and we had to walk about half a mile to get to the other entrance. It made for some good pictures though.
After the park, we went to Montjuïc which is where the Olympics took place. We climbed up another mountain and took a bunch of escalators. The view was amazing. We took tons of pictures, saw the Art Museum (but we didn't actually go in) and where the Olympic ring was. We looked for the Olympic pool but couldn't find it, so we figured we'd leave it for another day.
By the time we got home, I had injured my foot from walking in flats for 8 hours. I guess it was the lack of support, but it feels like a pulled a muscle in my foot, and it hurts a lot to walk.
We decided to go out for Sangria, because we hadn't had any since we had been in Spain. I found a place that was supposedly very popular among erasmus (international) students and backpackers, so we decided to check it out. It was really cool. It pretty much looked like a really big basement and had longs of picnic benches and pool tables and you just sat down with your pitcher of beer or sangria and made friends. We met this couple from England who was on vacation for the week. The husband was apparently in fashion, although we didn't find out exactly how, and were here for Bread and Butter. They were really nice.
Then we decided to go to a club we had gotten free passes for when walking around. That was around 1:30, because the pass was only good until 2. The pass said there was salsa and Spanish music, so we were intrigued. When we got there though, it was house music. It was pretty good, but we got bored after a while, and decided to leave around 3. However, when we were leaving, we saw a bunch of people in a corner and we decided to check it out. It turned out to be stairs to a downstairs floor with Spanish music. We were so excited that we couldn't help but go down and check it out. We ended up staying until 5 and the party was still going when we left. We also made friends, and some guy was trying to hook me up with his friend.
And that's all for now...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Inauguration
So, at Tio Andy's request, I'm writing about the Inauguration that happened yesterday. I didn't see it. I saw the recap on the Spanish news, but I know a bunch of people who went to bars to watch it. The country, as well pretty much all of Europe was very excited about it. People are happy to see the change happening. A bunch of people have asked, upon finding out me and my friends are American, whether we voted for Obama, so I guess that's a good sign. Anyway, that was pretty much it.
I have an exam tomorrow. Wish me luck!
I have an exam tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sometimes you just need Taquitos...
So on Saturday night, Hannah and I went out. Michelle (my roommate) and Katie (her roommate) were sick, but we were too bored to stay home. We decided we were gonna go to some club that was free that we've never been to before. We met up at a metro stop that apparently had like 4 exits on completely different blocks and it took us about 20 minutes to find each other. Then we decided to wander for a while since it was only 12am (early for clubs).
We went to a bar and had some beers and found a bunch of lounge places. When we passed them, we got a bunch of free passes so we meandered a bit and went to one called the love factory. It was kinda boring because no one was dancing and the drinks were just ridiculously priced so we moved on. Then someone handed us a flier for Chupitos, which was actually somewhere we had wanted to go and we followed the mini map to get there.
For anyone I didn't explain this to yet, Chupitos is a shot bar. Basically, there are over 500 names of shots on a big sign, and you pick something, tell the bar tender, and cross your fingers. Some of the shots get kind of ridiculous. For instance, we saw one that a group of girls was doing, although I have no idea what the name was. The bartender poured some liquor into a giant penis and then they proceeded to jerk the penis off until foam came out the top and that was the shot that had to take out of it. Another one involved the guy being dressed up like a soldier and getting yelled at and ordered around by the bartender who was dressed like an army drill instructor. We saw some other one with oranges and fire and another one where they lit the shots on fire and then they had to drink the shot out while it was still on fire.
We were pretty close to the front and the bartender asked what we wanted, but we had no idea. He asked us if we wanted something strong or light, and then if we wanted something sweet. We said light and sweet and then he asked us if we liked marshmallows. We said sure and he came back with two sticks for us, with marshmallows on them. Then he lit the bar on fire and we had to roast our marshmallows. When they were sufficiently on fire, we had to put the fire out in our shotglasses, eat the marshmallows, and then do the shot. It was delicious. Then we split a liter of a mixed drink. I have no idea what we drank, but it was wonderful. The bar closed at 3, so then we wandered off to find the original club we had intended to go to.
Once slightly tipsy, we wandered enthusiastically toward the club called Mary's place. When we got there though, the whole block had lost power and so everyone was just hanging out outside. We went to another bar to use the bathroom and then just wandered toward the metro because we didn't know of any other clubs that were around there. The metro trip was interesting because it was really hard to stay awake, but I got home around 5ish, made myself a grilled cheese, and went to sleep.
Sunday I got up around 12 and went to the beach to read, but it was really windy, so I got some hot chocolate and spent most of the day watching episodes of House online. Today I went to school and then the park to read, and now I'm being boring again, because all my friends got whatever it was that I had. Hopefully everyone will be healthy again in a few days.
We went to a bar and had some beers and found a bunch of lounge places. When we passed them, we got a bunch of free passes so we meandered a bit and went to one called the love factory. It was kinda boring because no one was dancing and the drinks were just ridiculously priced so we moved on. Then someone handed us a flier for Chupitos, which was actually somewhere we had wanted to go and we followed the mini map to get there.
For anyone I didn't explain this to yet, Chupitos is a shot bar. Basically, there are over 500 names of shots on a big sign, and you pick something, tell the bar tender, and cross your fingers. Some of the shots get kind of ridiculous. For instance, we saw one that a group of girls was doing, although I have no idea what the name was. The bartender poured some liquor into a giant penis and then they proceeded to jerk the penis off until foam came out the top and that was the shot that had to take out of it. Another one involved the guy being dressed up like a soldier and getting yelled at and ordered around by the bartender who was dressed like an army drill instructor. We saw some other one with oranges and fire and another one where they lit the shots on fire and then they had to drink the shot out while it was still on fire.
We were pretty close to the front and the bartender asked what we wanted, but we had no idea. He asked us if we wanted something strong or light, and then if we wanted something sweet. We said light and sweet and then he asked us if we liked marshmallows. We said sure and he came back with two sticks for us, with marshmallows on them. Then he lit the bar on fire and we had to roast our marshmallows. When they were sufficiently on fire, we had to put the fire out in our shotglasses, eat the marshmallows, and then do the shot. It was delicious. Then we split a liter of a mixed drink. I have no idea what we drank, but it was wonderful. The bar closed at 3, so then we wandered off to find the original club we had intended to go to.
Once slightly tipsy, we wandered enthusiastically toward the club called Mary's place. When we got there though, the whole block had lost power and so everyone was just hanging out outside. We went to another bar to use the bathroom and then just wandered toward the metro because we didn't know of any other clubs that were around there. The metro trip was interesting because it was really hard to stay awake, but I got home around 5ish, made myself a grilled cheese, and went to sleep.
Sunday I got up around 12 and went to the beach to read, but it was really windy, so I got some hot chocolate and spent most of the day watching episodes of House online. Today I went to school and then the park to read, and now I'm being boring again, because all my friends got whatever it was that I had. Hopefully everyone will be healthy again in a few days.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Ocean Ate My Ipod
So today I decided to go to beach to read and relax. I went around 11:30 and it was really nice out. I went back out to the rocks where I went the first time and was sitting there listening to my Ipod. Then I heard some talking behind me, so being the nosy person I am, turned to see who the people were. As I did, the Ipod flipped out of my pocket, bounced onto the rock I was sitting on, bounced off, bounced onto another rock and so on (about 7 rocks) and then will a little clunk, fell into the ocean, never to be seen again.. I was in a fairly shallow area so I tried reaching in, but no luck... figures.
Other than that, my day was pretty uneventful. I saw some like 11 year old practicing bike bouncing (i have no idea what its actually called) from rock to rock, some model posing by the ocean, and some old people swimming topless in the water. I also played fetch with some woman's dog...and yeah, thats about it so far today, but I plan on going out later..hopefully.
Other than that, my day was pretty uneventful. I saw some like 11 year old practicing bike bouncing (i have no idea what its actually called) from rock to rock, some model posing by the ocean, and some old people swimming topless in the water. I also played fetch with some woman's dog...and yeah, thats about it so far today, but I plan on going out later..hopefully.
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Stupid Flu...
So I've been sick these past couple of days, with like a flu/really bad cold. I went to the doctor's yesterday and I had a fever. They gave me a bunch of medications and I'm starting to feel better finally. I've just been sleeping most of the time, so I'll update the blog again when I do something interesting. Until then, my life is going to be pretty boring.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
First Day of Class
So yesterday was my first Spanish class. It was pretty good. We didn´t really do anything that amazing, just getting to know each other. We also learned common phrases used here and how to respond. It was actually one of the most useful Spanish classes I´ve had so far. Today we learned spanish alcoholic beverages, and what is common in Barcelona.
Yesterday I also decided to bake banana bread. The supermarket was quite interesting and it took me an hour to find everything. It could have been seen as quite comical to watch me.
I woke up sick today so it´s been a pretty miserable day, but hopefully I´ll be better by tomorrow. My host brother was sick when we got to Barcelona, so I probably caught whatever it was that he had.
Yesterday I also decided to bake banana bread. The supermarket was quite interesting and it took me an hour to find everything. It could have been seen as quite comical to watch me.
I woke up sick today so it´s been a pretty miserable day, but hopefully I´ll be better by tomorrow. My host brother was sick when we got to Barcelona, so I probably caught whatever it was that he had.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Another Adventure...
So last night, we had decided that we were just going to walk around the Gothic area and see what there was, maybe get some coffee and dessert since we were tired from the night before. Of course, that isn't exactly what happened...
So we met up in the same area we were in on Friday night and grabbed some quick coffee and then just ventured around the area. It's weird because finding the good places goes against all things you were taught growing up.. amongst them, don't go down dark alleyways or places that don't look safe. In Barcelona, that's the only way you can find a good place to go. So of course we were offered some more drugs, got some interesting looks from the various prostitutes, and did some more stalking of random people our age that looked like they knew what they were doing.
Eventually, we ended up walking on Las Ramblas and some club promoters gave us free passes for entrances and drinks so we figured we had nothing to lose. The club we went into, while not the most crowded, had some really good music. It was mostly American, so we decided to hang out for a little while, and have our free shots. We ended up burning off the alcohol in like the first 10 minutes because we were dancing so much. We made friends with a French girl (she was so much fun) and some Italian and Spanish guys, and then some other random people. We were pretty much the life of the party because we got everyone dancing and jumping around.. it was so so much fun. We were being quite ridiculous, and all while sober too..
The club closed kind of early (3:30), and we were going to find another club, but our free passes expired at 3:30, so we ended up wandering in search of food instead. Everything around us was closed except for some little market thing... I got some weird nuts and soda, and everyone else grabbed some random stuff.. We then made our way back to the metro, which thankfully is open 24 hours on Saturday nights, and got home around 5am.
Today after I got up in the afternoon and had a delicious lunch, I decided I'd go exploring. I walked for like 15 minutes on the main road and eventually found the beach. It's really nice, because its the port area and there are lots of restaurants and shops. I ended up reading on the beach for a few hours. There is like a rock formation that goes out into the water kind of like a peer, so I sat there and then watched the sunset. I just wish I would've brought my camera. After the sun went down, it started to get cold, so I walked back to the house, and now I've just been relaxing in my room.
So we met up in the same area we were in on Friday night and grabbed some quick coffee and then just ventured around the area. It's weird because finding the good places goes against all things you were taught growing up.. amongst them, don't go down dark alleyways or places that don't look safe. In Barcelona, that's the only way you can find a good place to go. So of course we were offered some more drugs, got some interesting looks from the various prostitutes, and did some more stalking of random people our age that looked like they knew what they were doing.
Eventually, we ended up walking on Las Ramblas and some club promoters gave us free passes for entrances and drinks so we figured we had nothing to lose. The club we went into, while not the most crowded, had some really good music. It was mostly American, so we decided to hang out for a little while, and have our free shots. We ended up burning off the alcohol in like the first 10 minutes because we were dancing so much. We made friends with a French girl (she was so much fun) and some Italian and Spanish guys, and then some other random people. We were pretty much the life of the party because we got everyone dancing and jumping around.. it was so so much fun. We were being quite ridiculous, and all while sober too..
The club closed kind of early (3:30), and we were going to find another club, but our free passes expired at 3:30, so we ended up wandering in search of food instead. Everything around us was closed except for some little market thing... I got some weird nuts and soda, and everyone else grabbed some random stuff.. We then made our way back to the metro, which thankfully is open 24 hours on Saturday nights, and got home around 5am.
Today after I got up in the afternoon and had a delicious lunch, I decided I'd go exploring. I walked for like 15 minutes on the main road and eventually found the beach. It's really nice, because its the port area and there are lots of restaurants and shops. I ended up reading on the beach for a few hours. There is like a rock formation that goes out into the water kind of like a peer, so I sat there and then watched the sunset. I just wish I would've brought my camera. After the sun went down, it started to get cold, so I walked back to the house, and now I've just been relaxing in my room.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Our First Real Night Out
So not last night, but the night before, we decided we were going to Las Ramblas, because apparently that is the place to be. However, when we arrived there, all we found were random people, a lot of them crazy, walking around. Other than that, it was pretty much dead. So we walked down a few alleys, because that's where stuff is, but all we found were some crazy people who offered us drugs. Some guy poured like flour or something at us on the floor, telling us it was cocaine.. good times. So we quickly got out of that alleyway and went to like a sub shop and had beers and french fries. I had fun, but it was exactly what we had in mind.
Last night however, we went out much later, we met up around 11 and took the metro to what we read was a good club. However, when we got there, it was pouring, so we couldn't see, and couldn't find anything. I was pretty positive that my night was going to turn out the same way, but we were pretty determined after such a failure of going out the night before. We grabbed a cab that took us closer to the right area, and just stalked some people who looked about our age. We ended up in a little whole in the wall bar, but it was actually nice. We stayed there until about 1:30, and then we followed another crowd of people to another place, called sidecar. We made friends with some Mexicans that were on vacation, who wanted us to go to the club that was downstairs to dance salsa with them. We decided to go downstairs to check it out. However, it was definitely not a salsa club. It was weird, because European music is kinda strange, but we had a good time. We got some beers which helped make the music sound much better and we ran into some American guys who were about our age and traveling through Europe for a few months. My friend Hanna also attracted like everyone because she's redheaded and apparently thats a hot commodity here in Spain. We ended up leaving the club around 5:15, although it was still quite alive, and got into bed around 6. Then we had a tour to get up for and had to be at, at 10am, which was just wonderful as you can imagine, with the fact that we hardly slept. We saw some cool stuff but it was a very brief overview since we were mainly on a bus. I definitely want to go back and explore sometime soon.�
Last night however, we went out much later, we met up around 11 and took the metro to what we read was a good club. However, when we got there, it was pouring, so we couldn't see, and couldn't find anything. I was pretty positive that my night was going to turn out the same way, but we were pretty determined after such a failure of going out the night before. We grabbed a cab that took us closer to the right area, and just stalked some people who looked about our age. We ended up in a little whole in the wall bar, but it was actually nice. We stayed there until about 1:30, and then we followed another crowd of people to another place, called sidecar. We made friends with some Mexicans that were on vacation, who wanted us to go to the club that was downstairs to dance salsa with them. We decided to go downstairs to check it out. However, it was definitely not a salsa club. It was weird, because European music is kinda strange, but we had a good time. We got some beers which helped make the music sound much better and we ran into some American guys who were about our age and traveling through Europe for a few months. My friend Hanna also attracted like everyone because she's redheaded and apparently thats a hot commodity here in Spain. We ended up leaving the club around 5:15, although it was still quite alive, and got into bed around 6. Then we had a tour to get up for and had to be at, at 10am, which was just wonderful as you can imagine, with the fact that we hardly slept. We saw some cool stuff but it was a very brief overview since we were mainly on a bus. I definitely want to go back and explore sometime soon.�
Thursday, January 8, 2009
My New Family
So yesterday I met my new family.. don´t worry, I won´t replace the old one. After like a 12 hour bus ride, we finally got to Barcelona, where Mercedes picked us up. We then trecked through the metro with the tons of luggage we had to our new home. It´s cute.. small, but cute. There are 4 bedrooms: mercedes(mom), cynthia(18yrs old daughter), ruben(14 yr old son), and one for me and my roommate Michelle. The mother works as a nurses assistant at a doctor´s office, so she´s gone most of the day. She´s originally from Guinea Equatorial, in Africa, but she´s lived in Barcelona her whole life. She was nice. She made us soup and chicken for dinner, commenting that I don´t eat very much. It was a nice change from all the fried food and bread we´ve been eating. This morning she walked us to the school to take our placement test, and basically we´ve just been wandering around all day. I think I´ll like it here.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The First Few Days
7am in England
So it's 1:55 am, and 6:55 in Gatewick, England. I'm waiting to see what gate my flight is in. So far, I've exchanged some money, which was kind of depressing, $320 converted to 190 euro, and some pounds, but I'm not sure how they work, so I guess I have some souvenir coins now. I'm glad I transfered in a country that speaks English, because this whole traveling alone thing is complicated enough as it is. My flight here was great. I got bumped up to first class, which includes a seat that reclines all the way to form a bed and had a foot stool and my own personal tv. The food probably would have been good too except for the fact that I slept through it, and then when they did give me food, they gave me some sandwich and salad that was really strange. It was shaved corn beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and grain mustard.. not exactly what I'd choose for food, and then I slept through breakfast. So I just got some starbucks and a bagel I bought at JFK. Anyway, that's it for now. I'll write again later.
3 de enero
Finally got to the hotel after a hellish trip across terminals with 100 lbs of luggage. We got to the hotel around 3 and had until 6 to do whatever we wanted, but they told us not to sleep so we wouldn't get all messed up with the time difference. I fell asleep watching tv and then me and my roommate went out grab something to eat. We stopped to eat at some random little bar and I got a ham and cheese sandwich. Then we went for a panoramic view off the city which was nice. The tour guide spoke completely in Spanish, so I actually had to pay attention, but I basically understood everything. After the tour was when I realized just how many people on this trip don't speak any Spanish. A large number of students actually haven't taken it since hight school and were completely lost.
4 de enero
This morning we got up at 7:30 but since I went to bed so early the night before, I got up on my own around 7 and showered. We had breakfast at the hotel. The coffee is so good. Then we took the bus to el Valle de los Caidos, where Franco and those who died during the Spanish Civil war are buried. It was absolutely beautiful. It's a huge area that used to be a monastery, and at the center is a giant cross. It was really peaceful and grand, in the center of the mountains. Then after, we went to San Lorenzo del Escorial, which is a monastery, a college, and where all the Spanish kings were buried. It was gorgeous, and there were so many things held within. Inside was a library and an art gallery and just tons of elaborate works. That tour was also in Spanish, but we split up into a Spanish and an English group. Only like 12 kids took the Spanish tour, out of like 60 students. Then we had free time for lunch and were told to meet back in front at 3. We were there, but no one else was, and we waited for 45 minutes before someone came and found us, because apparently the meeting spot had been changed. When we got back to the hotel, we had a meeting with the directors about school. Apparently all of our classes are taken with American students, but we can do an exchange where we meet with a Spanish student and practice English and Spanish, so I'm going to do that. Then I took a nap, and went out to eat around 8. I had a calamari sandwich was delicious, but I feel like I should've been drunk to eat it. The food schedule is still kind of weird to be because they eat lunch around 3 and dinner around 9. We went to Sol , which is like the center of Madrid and the amount of people there is ridiculous. It looks like a packed football stadium. It was Sunday though, so most of the stores closed early and we didn't feel like drinking since we have to get up really early for a walking tour. We walked around for a bit, saw the palace and then caught the metro back after we had pretty much frozen. Then we just went back to our rooms and packed up to move hotels tomorrow.
5 de enero
So today we did a walking tour of the plaza mayor and the city of Spain. The tour was again in Spanish and really interesting. The tour guide was great and I understood everything he said. We saw all the important main buildings, which was nice. Then we walked around for a while because we had a lot of time to waste before we went to the museum. It was freezing because the sun wasn't out at all, so we sat down for a really long lunch and then through some tourist shops. There were a lot of street performers in the plaza mayor, but they weren't very good and they didn't do anything unless you paid them first. There was a Yoda and a dancing drag queen. Then we went to the Reina Sofia museum. It was a modern art museum that is partly new, and partly an old hospital. We had the same tour guide as we did for the walking tour so I was interested the whole time. I saw paintings by Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso (Guernica), and Miro (sp?). It was amazing. Then straight from there, we took a bus to Toledo, which is about an hour away to the next hotel. We got some down time and then the bus took whoever wanted to go to the main center. We had dinner in some small little restaurant but the food was great, because for once it wasn't a sandwich. Then we explored for a little while, but most things were closed because tomorrow is the celebration of Los Reyes Magos. There were like huge parades and celebrations, but by the time we got there, they were over. We watched a bit on tv of what was going on in Madrid and that was pretty cool. It was huge, like the ones in New York. And that was pretty much the days. My legs hurt from walking so much.
6 de enero
Today we went back to Toledo, because our hotel is right on the outside due to the size of the streets vs. size of the buses. We did another walking tour and basically, this was the prettiest city I've ever seen. The view was absolutely amazing. We saw a bunch of churches and the second oldest synagogue which was later converted into a Catholic church. We also saw a painting by el Greco, which is located in another one of the churches. The tour was pretty interesting, but it was just really nice to look at. Afterwards, we had a lot of free time to do whatever we wanted, but since the city was so mall, we didn't have a lot of options. The city has a lot of artisan shops that have really beautiful metal work, so it was nice. We had a really long lunch and then went to get some coffee. Then we went back to the hotel, I took a nap, and then we've just been in the hotel since. It's Christmas, kind of, so most things are closed, so we didn't feel like trecking out in the cold in a taxi just to find out all the good stuff was closed. Tomorrow we leave for Barcelona really early and don't get there till like 7 at night, so we're trying to stay up as long as possible so that we sleep on the bus. We meet our host families tomorrow, and I'm kind of nervous, but whatever, I think it should be ok. I'm starting to miss home a little, but I love Spain. I just really want to be settled, instead of this living out of a suitcase thing. �
So it's 1:55 am, and 6:55 in Gatewick, England. I'm waiting to see what gate my flight is in. So far, I've exchanged some money, which was kind of depressing, $320 converted to 190 euro, and some pounds, but I'm not sure how they work, so I guess I have some souvenir coins now. I'm glad I transfered in a country that speaks English, because this whole traveling alone thing is complicated enough as it is. My flight here was great. I got bumped up to first class, which includes a seat that reclines all the way to form a bed and had a foot stool and my own personal tv. The food probably would have been good too except for the fact that I slept through it, and then when they did give me food, they gave me some sandwich and salad that was really strange. It was shaved corn beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and grain mustard.. not exactly what I'd choose for food, and then I slept through breakfast. So I just got some starbucks and a bagel I bought at JFK. Anyway, that's it for now. I'll write again later.
3 de enero
Finally got to the hotel after a hellish trip across terminals with 100 lbs of luggage. We got to the hotel around 3 and had until 6 to do whatever we wanted, but they told us not to sleep so we wouldn't get all messed up with the time difference. I fell asleep watching tv and then me and my roommate went out grab something to eat. We stopped to eat at some random little bar and I got a ham and cheese sandwich. Then we went for a panoramic view off the city which was nice. The tour guide spoke completely in Spanish, so I actually had to pay attention, but I basically understood everything. After the tour was when I realized just how many people on this trip don't speak any Spanish. A large number of students actually haven't taken it since hight school and were completely lost.
4 de enero
This morning we got up at 7:30 but since I went to bed so early the night before, I got up on my own around 7 and showered. We had breakfast at the hotel. The coffee is so good. Then we took the bus to el Valle de los Caidos, where Franco and those who died during the Spanish Civil war are buried. It was absolutely beautiful. It's a huge area that used to be a monastery, and at the center is a giant cross. It was really peaceful and grand, in the center of the mountains. Then after, we went to San Lorenzo del Escorial, which is a monastery, a college, and where all the Spanish kings were buried. It was gorgeous, and there were so many things held within. Inside was a library and an art gallery and just tons of elaborate works. That tour was also in Spanish, but we split up into a Spanish and an English group. Only like 12 kids took the Spanish tour, out of like 60 students. Then we had free time for lunch and were told to meet back in front at 3. We were there, but no one else was, and we waited for 45 minutes before someone came and found us, because apparently the meeting spot had been changed. When we got back to the hotel, we had a meeting with the directors about school. Apparently all of our classes are taken with American students, but we can do an exchange where we meet with a Spanish student and practice English and Spanish, so I'm going to do that. Then I took a nap, and went out to eat around 8. I had a calamari sandwich was delicious, but I feel like I should've been drunk to eat it. The food schedule is still kind of weird to be because they eat lunch around 3 and dinner around 9. We went to Sol , which is like the center of Madrid and the amount of people there is ridiculous. It looks like a packed football stadium. It was Sunday though, so most of the stores closed early and we didn't feel like drinking since we have to get up really early for a walking tour. We walked around for a bit, saw the palace and then caught the metro back after we had pretty much frozen. Then we just went back to our rooms and packed up to move hotels tomorrow.
5 de enero
So today we did a walking tour of the plaza mayor and the city of Spain. The tour was again in Spanish and really interesting. The tour guide was great and I understood everything he said. We saw all the important main buildings, which was nice. Then we walked around for a while because we had a lot of time to waste before we went to the museum. It was freezing because the sun wasn't out at all, so we sat down for a really long lunch and then through some tourist shops. There were a lot of street performers in the plaza mayor, but they weren't very good and they didn't do anything unless you paid them first. There was a Yoda and a dancing drag queen. Then we went to the Reina Sofia museum. It was a modern art museum that is partly new, and partly an old hospital. We had the same tour guide as we did for the walking tour so I was interested the whole time. I saw paintings by Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso (Guernica), and Miro (sp?). It was amazing. Then straight from there, we took a bus to Toledo, which is about an hour away to the next hotel. We got some down time and then the bus took whoever wanted to go to the main center. We had dinner in some small little restaurant but the food was great, because for once it wasn't a sandwich. Then we explored for a little while, but most things were closed because tomorrow is the celebration of Los Reyes Magos. There were like huge parades and celebrations, but by the time we got there, they were over. We watched a bit on tv of what was going on in Madrid and that was pretty cool. It was huge, like the ones in New York. And that was pretty much the days. My legs hurt from walking so much.
6 de enero
Today we went back to Toledo, because our hotel is right on the outside due to the size of the streets vs. size of the buses. We did another walking tour and basically, this was the prettiest city I've ever seen. The view was absolutely amazing. We saw a bunch of churches and the second oldest synagogue which was later converted into a Catholic church. We also saw a painting by el Greco, which is located in another one of the churches. The tour was pretty interesting, but it was just really nice to look at. Afterwards, we had a lot of free time to do whatever we wanted, but since the city was so mall, we didn't have a lot of options. The city has a lot of artisan shops that have really beautiful metal work, so it was nice. We had a really long lunch and then went to get some coffee. Then we went back to the hotel, I took a nap, and then we've just been in the hotel since. It's Christmas, kind of, so most things are closed, so we didn't feel like trecking out in the cold in a taxi just to find out all the good stuff was closed. Tomorrow we leave for Barcelona really early and don't get there till like 7 at night, so we're trying to stay up as long as possible so that we sleep on the bus. We meet our host families tomorrow, and I'm kind of nervous, but whatever, I think it should be ok. I'm starting to miss home a little, but I love Spain. I just really want to be settled, instead of this living out of a suitcase thing. �
Monday, January 5, 2009
I´m here!!
I´m in Spain!!! Ahh! I don´t have a lot of time because I´m still in a hotel and paying a ridiculous amount to use the internet, but I´ll update this by the end of the week hopefully. Right now I´m in Toledo. We´ve been in Madrid since I got to Spain. It´s beautiful, so far so good. I miss everyone and hate not having a phone. Anyway.. hope to hear from everyone. I´m trying to check my tcnj email regularly (torrens2@tcnj.edu). Anyway.. love you all.. byes
p.s. there are a lot more details to come.. don´t worry
p.s. there are a lot more details to come.. don´t worry
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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