Note: Marc and I took turns writing blogs describing our trip. Some are from my perspective and some are from his. Enjoy!
On day one of my whirlwind tour through Europe, I woke up early to go to the airport and check a suitcase. Marc was arriving in Madrid about an hour before I was to arrive, and he had the number of my Spanish cell phone. My flight went very smoothly. Shortly after I arrived in Madrid, I got a call from Marc. We had originally planned to meet at Customs, but we decided instead to meet at my baggage carousel for a variety of reasons. I told Marc that I had just landed and would be with him shortly.
My journey to the baggage carousel took longer than expected. The Madrid airport has many signs, some which are slightly misleading. I ended up leaving the correct terminal, taking a tram to the wrong terminal, then taking the same tram back to the right terminal. I eventually found my way over to baggage claim, where Marc was already waiting with my suitcase. It was wonderful to see him after 4 1/2 months away, especially right after getting lost.
We navigated through the rest of the airport and opted to take the 2 euro Metro rather than an expensive taxi. The Madrid Metro is simple, clean, and fast. We quickly found our hotel and settled in. Then we went out to explore our neighborhood. We found what we thought was a tapas bar and Marc had his first sangria. We then found out that there were no tapas, we were in a drinks-only cafe and my guidebook had mislead us. With the strong Spanish wine from a tiny little glass of sangria hitting our empty stomachs, we set out in search of Spanish food.
We eventually found a lovely place with a very inexpensive fixed-price menu. Marc had his first gazpacho and tinto de verano. We went back to the hotel to nap, and when we woke up it was time to find a restaurant for dinner. We tried to find a tapas place and searched for an hour or so, but eventually settled on a little restaurant with some traditional dishes. We had a sandwich and Spanish tortilla.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Back Home
I am now home after an amazing two weeks in Europe with Marc. We had a fabulous time, and we'll soon post blogs and pictures describing the trip. Both of us got sick during the trip, but we're both very close to being better now. I think we took about 2000 pictures during the two weeks, so it'll take awhile to pick and choose which ones to post.
Tomorrow I interview for volunteering at CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse), Thursday I interview for volunteering at Planned Parenthood, and Friday my wonderful little brother graduates from high school. It's going to be a busy week! It's good to be home.
Tomorrow I interview for volunteering at CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse), Thursday I interview for volunteering at Planned Parenthood, and Friday my wonderful little brother graduates from high school. It's going to be a busy week! It's good to be home.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Okay, I'm still here...
Today I took one last walk around Sevilla to see my favorite places before leaving. I went to the Plaza de España, the Parque María Luísa, my university, the Cathedral, and one of my favorite plazas with a delicious ice cream place.
The other day, I was thinking about how much I miss the Renaissance Faire. Ironically, there was a "Medieval Market" in the park today on my way home. There were vendors in costume, large birds of prey, little donkeys, and lots of adorable little booths selling all sorts of neat things.
Only 11 1/2 hours until my flight to Madrid and Marc! I just realized that I'm now a college senior. How odd.
Pictures:
1) Avenida de la Constitución
2) the moat next to my school (yes, my school has a moat)
3-4) Plaza de España
5-12) surprise Medieval Market!
The other day, I was thinking about how much I miss the Renaissance Faire. Ironically, there was a "Medieval Market" in the park today on my way home. There were vendors in costume, large birds of prey, little donkeys, and lots of adorable little booths selling all sorts of neat things.
Only 11 1/2 hours until my flight to Madrid and Marc! I just realized that I'm now a college senior. How odd.
Pictures:
1) Avenida de la Constitución
2) the moat next to my school (yes, my school has a moat)
3-4) Plaza de España
5-12) surprise Medieval Market!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Adios, Sevilla
I just finished my last final exam! I'm now finished with my life as a student in Sevilla. I felt pretty good about all my finals, I think I'll manage A's and B's in each class depending on how the grades transfer from the Spanish system to the American system. I now have the rest of today and all day tomorrow to pack and say my goodbyes to my host family. I'll miss Sevilla, but it's hard to be sad when I know I'll be with Marc in two days beginning one of the most amazing trips of my life. I'm looking forward to the weeks ahead.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Spanish goodbyes
This week I've been having my final goodbyes with some people in Spain. Monday night was our goodbye dinner, and I got to spend a couple of hours with all the people who run Geranios. It was very hard to say goodbye to María José. She told me to let her know next time I was in Spain. We got pictures with everyone and parted ways, and the fact that I'm leaving Spain is becoming more real as my last wind winds up.
Yesterday was my last day working with Miriam. We exchanged many hugs at the end before she left. She got me a necklace as a going-away gift, which was incredibly sweet of her. She also told me that I'd been a very good teacher and friend to her this semester. I told her she had been the same to me. I'm going to miss her! We have each other's email addresses, so hopefully she'll be able to let me know if she's ever in the U.S.
I'm going to a secondhand shop in two days to try and sell my internet router, so I will be without internet for a little while before leaving. I can't believe I'm almost done!
Pictures:
1) Geranios group
2) María José and Nuria, my two Geranios teachers
3) Mercedes and Miriam
4) host brother Alex appropriately wearing one of his heavy metal shirts (all my little brothers are taller than me)
Yesterday was my last day working with Miriam. We exchanged many hugs at the end before she left. She got me a necklace as a going-away gift, which was incredibly sweet of her. She also told me that I'd been a very good teacher and friend to her this semester. I told her she had been the same to me. I'm going to miss her! We have each other's email addresses, so hopefully she'll be able to let me know if she's ever in the U.S.
I'm going to a secondhand shop in two days to try and sell my internet router, so I will be without internet for a little while before leaving. I can't believe I'm almost done!
Pictures:
1) Geranios group
2) María José and Nuria, my two Geranios teachers
3) Mercedes and Miriam
4) host brother Alex appropriately wearing one of his heavy metal shirts (all my little brothers are taller than me)
Monday, May 11, 2009
Weekend in Cádiz
The Geranios program took us to Cádiz Saturday through Sunday. I sat next to my program director, María José, on the train ride there, and we spent the entire time conversing in Spanish. I realize that my Spanish has come a long way since I got here, and María José agreed. I feel much more comfortable conversing now, especially with people I know about topics that I understand. When someone I know starts talking to me and I don't already know what general topic they're talking about, I usually need them to repeat themselves to understand what they said. María José and I had a very nice conversation. She and her husband are actually coming to visit Pitzer while I'm touring Europe with Marc. I recommended some things for them to do while in Claremont. She now wants to make a reservation at my favorite jazz and fondue lounge!
We got into Cádiz, checked into our hotel (another four star, very nice), and then walked around the city. We visited the cathedral, because you can never see too many cathedrals in Spain. Near the cathedral, we saw an incredible market. Vendors set up little tents and sell fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, and fish. The fish market is particularly impressive, since Cádiz is practically an island and has many fish surrounding it. The market was very crowded, and apparently we were there during one of the less busy hours. The vendors called out to us and tried to get us to buy their products. Even though I don't know how to fix up a raw fish and had no kitchen to use, it was quite tempting.
After wandering through the market, we made our way through the tiny alleyways to the Mudeum of Cádiz. We looked at some art and some pottery, but the exhibit that stood out the most was the marionettes. The third floor was filled with little puppet theaters, and marionettes were set up in each of the little scenes. It was a little eerie, and definitely my favorite display.
We had spots of rain throughout most of our afternoon tour, but the forceful wind was what really sent us home in a hurry. After getting back to the hotel, I waited for the sun to come out before venturing out into the town. The weather improved quickly, and I decided to go for a walk around the coast of Cádiz to see what else the town had to offer. I walked all the way down the beach to the opposite end of town. On the far end of town, there was a little island-building made of stone. It had a stone pathway cutting through the ocean and leading up to it, I'll post a picture. I walked out to the island, and at one point, a big wave crashed against the walkway and splashed all the pedestrians. The blast of cold ocean water against my back was quite a shock. Luckily, the sun had decided to stick around and I dried off quickly.
Continuing along the beach, I passed an outdoor art exhibit and a marina with many, many little boats. I also found the city gardens. In the park, I saw what I thought was a bride in a white dress, but thought she looked a little young to be getting married. Perhaps six, seven, or eight. Apparently it's communion season for the Catholics, and I soon came across many more little white-clad girls.
Geranios provided all our meals for us on the trip. After my day of exploring the city, I came back to the hotel and had a delicious three-course meal. I think we were all fiarly stuffed by the end of the night. The bountiful breakfast buffet was included with our hotel, and for lunch the next day, we also had a delicious three-course meal. As if that wasn't enough food for one weekend, tonight is our goodbye dinner, which I'm sure will also be humongous and delicious.
I spent most of our remaining time on Sunday on the beach right behind out hotel. The water in Cádiz is much warmer than the water in Lagos, and I actually was tempted to go in. I didn't bother wearing a swimsuit, since we had already checked out of our rooms, so I just waded in up to my knees and tried to keep my shorts above the water. María José, a fan of natural remedies, said the salt water probably helped all the bug bites I had. I think I made it up to 16 bites. One I am guessing was from a spider, because it got very large and very red. All the bites are healing now, which is a relief. I am now very paranoid about bugs in my room and am keeping the window closed. Anyway, I had a nice, relaxing weekend, and a great break before finals week.
I had my first two finals today, and I think both of them went very well. I have another one tomorrow, my last one Thursday, and then I am done. It's hard to believe I'll be leaving this Saturday. I'm excited to see Marc and travel this weekend, and I'm excited about coming home and seeing my family and friends, but I'll also miss a lot of things about Sevilla. I'm glad that after a slow start, I've reached a point where I feel like I have connections here, and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with the language.
Pictures:
1-2) inside the cathedral
3-5) the market
6) the beach right behind our hotel
7) the wall between the town center and the reast of the mainland
8) someone made a Jesus sand creation
9) little boats lining the horizon
10) waterfalls in the gardens at the far end of town
11) town theater
12) the park across the street from our hotel
We got into Cádiz, checked into our hotel (another four star, very nice), and then walked around the city. We visited the cathedral, because you can never see too many cathedrals in Spain. Near the cathedral, we saw an incredible market. Vendors set up little tents and sell fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, and fish. The fish market is particularly impressive, since Cádiz is practically an island and has many fish surrounding it. The market was very crowded, and apparently we were there during one of the less busy hours. The vendors called out to us and tried to get us to buy their products. Even though I don't know how to fix up a raw fish and had no kitchen to use, it was quite tempting.
After wandering through the market, we made our way through the tiny alleyways to the Mudeum of Cádiz. We looked at some art and some pottery, but the exhibit that stood out the most was the marionettes. The third floor was filled with little puppet theaters, and marionettes were set up in each of the little scenes. It was a little eerie, and definitely my favorite display.
We had spots of rain throughout most of our afternoon tour, but the forceful wind was what really sent us home in a hurry. After getting back to the hotel, I waited for the sun to come out before venturing out into the town. The weather improved quickly, and I decided to go for a walk around the coast of Cádiz to see what else the town had to offer. I walked all the way down the beach to the opposite end of town. On the far end of town, there was a little island-building made of stone. It had a stone pathway cutting through the ocean and leading up to it, I'll post a picture. I walked out to the island, and at one point, a big wave crashed against the walkway and splashed all the pedestrians. The blast of cold ocean water against my back was quite a shock. Luckily, the sun had decided to stick around and I dried off quickly.
Continuing along the beach, I passed an outdoor art exhibit and a marina with many, many little boats. I also found the city gardens. In the park, I saw what I thought was a bride in a white dress, but thought she looked a little young to be getting married. Perhaps six, seven, or eight. Apparently it's communion season for the Catholics, and I soon came across many more little white-clad girls.
Geranios provided all our meals for us on the trip. After my day of exploring the city, I came back to the hotel and had a delicious three-course meal. I think we were all fiarly stuffed by the end of the night. The bountiful breakfast buffet was included with our hotel, and for lunch the next day, we also had a delicious three-course meal. As if that wasn't enough food for one weekend, tonight is our goodbye dinner, which I'm sure will also be humongous and delicious.
I spent most of our remaining time on Sunday on the beach right behind out hotel. The water in Cádiz is much warmer than the water in Lagos, and I actually was tempted to go in. I didn't bother wearing a swimsuit, since we had already checked out of our rooms, so I just waded in up to my knees and tried to keep my shorts above the water. María José, a fan of natural remedies, said the salt water probably helped all the bug bites I had. I think I made it up to 16 bites. One I am guessing was from a spider, because it got very large and very red. All the bites are healing now, which is a relief. I am now very paranoid about bugs in my room and am keeping the window closed. Anyway, I had a nice, relaxing weekend, and a great break before finals week.
I had my first two finals today, and I think both of them went very well. I have another one tomorrow, my last one Thursday, and then I am done. It's hard to believe I'll be leaving this Saturday. I'm excited to see Marc and travel this weekend, and I'm excited about coming home and seeing my family and friends, but I'll also miss a lot of things about Sevilla. I'm glad that after a slow start, I've reached a point where I feel like I have connections here, and I'm feeling a lot more comfortable with the language.
Pictures:
1-2) inside the cathedral
3-5) the market
6) the beach right behind our hotel
7) the wall between the town center and the reast of the mainland
8) someone made a Jesus sand creation
9) little boats lining the horizon
10) waterfalls in the gardens at the far end of town
11) town theater
12) the park across the street from our hotel
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
It's Too Darn Hot
We've broken the 90s. We get some relief at night when it gets down into the 70s. I'm glad I leave Sevilla before it gets too much hotter. I really don't mind the heat that much, it's the bugs that get me. Little tiny black bugs are flying around everywhere, and I keep finding them on me. They stick to sweat, too, which is a little bit gross. Like almost every building in Sevilla, mine doesn't have air conditioning. I leave my window open at night to keep my room from getting too stuffy, but we don't have screens. Two nights ago I got four bug bites, all on my left arm. Today I found four more, two on the left hand and two on the right. I have eight itchy bug bites. Yes, Mum, I'm putting Neosporin on them periodically.
Tomorrow is my last day of regular classes. I give my presentation on Jews in Spain tomorrow, I turn in my seminar portfolio Friday, then all I have to do is study for finals. This weekend we're going to Cádiz with the Geranios program. Cádiz is famous for it's beautiful beaches. I'll bring some study materials with me so I have something to do while sitting on the beach.
I'm very, very excited about seeing Marc in just under a week and a half. I think that time is going to go by very quickly. I've done all my Pitzer essays and finished just about everything I need to do before I leave that I can do at this point. (If anybody knows someone who needs a Spanish cell phone or internet router, let me know, I'm hoping to sell them before I leave.) We've got most of our rough plans for Madrid, Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome, and I know we're going to have an amazing time. Blog posts may be less frequent during the two weeks after I leave Sevilla.
Next Tuesday is my last day seeing Miriam, the Spanish girl I volunteer with. I've had a really fun time with her this semester, and we plan on keeping in touch through email after I leave. She doesn't want me to go and says she'll miss me, which is very sweet. I'm going to miss her too. I recently started teaching her to play a very fun card game called SET (thanks to a wonderful Hanukkah present from Marc's parents), and she's getting better at it every week. I've enjoyed my time with her a lot, I'm glad I had the opportunity to do some volunteering in Spain.
Tomorrow is my last day of regular classes. I give my presentation on Jews in Spain tomorrow, I turn in my seminar portfolio Friday, then all I have to do is study for finals. This weekend we're going to Cádiz with the Geranios program. Cádiz is famous for it's beautiful beaches. I'll bring some study materials with me so I have something to do while sitting on the beach.
I'm very, very excited about seeing Marc in just under a week and a half. I think that time is going to go by very quickly. I've done all my Pitzer essays and finished just about everything I need to do before I leave that I can do at this point. (If anybody knows someone who needs a Spanish cell phone or internet router, let me know, I'm hoping to sell them before I leave.) We've got most of our rough plans for Madrid, Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome, and I know we're going to have an amazing time. Blog posts may be less frequent during the two weeks after I leave Sevilla.
Next Tuesday is my last day seeing Miriam, the Spanish girl I volunteer with. I've had a really fun time with her this semester, and we plan on keeping in touch through email after I leave. She doesn't want me to go and says she'll miss me, which is very sweet. I'm going to miss her too. I recently started teaching her to play a very fun card game called SET (thanks to a wonderful Hanukkah present from Marc's parents), and she's getting better at it every week. I've enjoyed my time with her a lot, I'm glad I had the opportunity to do some volunteering in Spain.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)