Category Archives: Meg in Madrid

Day Tripping: Barçelona

Every year the NYU Tisch Center honors all Sports Management, Hospitality and Tourism scholar students with over a 3.7 in the junior year by taking them on a research trip somewhere in the world. Last year the group ventured to London to study the upcoming Olympics, but this year they chose Barça. Luckily for me, my advisor, Billy, invited me and two of my fellow Sports Management classmates to dinner in Barcelona and I couldn’t pass up the offer – I had friends on the trip, couldn’t pass up a free dinner and had yet to travel to Barcelona.

Friday morning I awoke at 6 to catch the 8AM train to Barcelona. Everything was smooth sailing, until halfway through the trip we stopped on the tracks for an hour – talk about scary stuff. Granted, I was asleep the majority of the trip so the tardiness of the train didn’t really affect me. When we
finally arrived at the Barcelona-Sants train station, I was lacking euros and the walk to the hotel didn’t seem too far (according to my iPhone) so I began my long day of walking. Six hours, two museums, two churches, and a lot of parks later, I made my way back to the hotel on Ramblas de Catalunya. For dinner we went to this cute Italian restaurant where I indulged in this delicious granna salad and pizza de cuatro queso sprinkled with raisins. It was great to be back in the realm of sports as I found myself discussing various issues in the athletic field today with my classmates. The group was accompanied by Billy, my advisor, and Bob Boland, our academic chair and truly one of the greatest professors I’ve met.

Although Perri and I had originally intended on going out, the rest of the group decided to stay in and catch some of the March Madness that was on because a) they had to be up at 6 and b)we’re sports fanatics. Hours later, 4AM to be exact, we retreated to bed only to wake up two hours later to say our goodbyes. Once the group left, I took to wandering the streets and found myself at the train station some hours later. Barcelona was stunning – great weather, tons of art, and very relaxed. I cannot wait to go back this weekend to see Camp Nou and the rest of the city.

One of the many pieces of art

One of the many pieces of art

Sagrada Familia by Gaudi

Sagrada Familia by Gaudi

Arc de Triomf

Arc de Triomf

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Day Tripping: Las Fallas, Valencia

To say that I’m “la princesa” of solo day trips might be an understatement – I feel like “la reina”. Maybe it’s because I don’t like staying in hostels by myself or maybe it’s just because I can feel like I can accomplish what I want in a single 24 hour period, but I’ve got the system down. Aside from the school sponsored trip to Segovia, I’ve embarked on two other días de aventuras – last weekend to Fallas in Valencia and this past weekend to Barçelona. Twas a whirlwind, por lo menos, but here’s a recap of one of the two viajes.

FALLAS 

Before embarking on my adventures abroad, I met a good family friend, Caity Murphy, for lunch to hear her recommendations while living in Spain. Aside from becoming extremely excited over the

A Steve Jobs Falla

A Steve Jobs Falla

course of the meal, I took away one important tip from our conversation – Go to Valencia and experience Fallas. I was a bit hesitant at first, since I had originally planned on traveling to Ireland for St. Patrick’s day but I am so glad I ended up listening to Caity.

Las Fallas is essentially a large festival that shuts down the whole city for five days in celebration of the coming of Spring. It coincides with Father’s Day (Día de San Jose) and is from Friday to Tuesday, ending with burnings on Tuesday night. I’m not entirely sure how to completely describe the festival, but there’s hundreds of girls wearing thousand dollar dresses, fireworks all day long, lots of mojitos, and these giant fallas that they end up burning at the end of the week. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life. Anyways, I was online and saw that BeMadrid offered a 20 Euro day trip to Valencia on Saturday, so I jumped at the change and signed up to hang with 700 of my closest friends. Though I did know some NYU folks on the trip, I felt “naked” and and alone for the first time since being here because my roommates were in London.

With a Fallera

With a Fallera

An early wake up and a five hour bus ride later, I found myself surrounded by thousand of Valencianos, amidst what sounded like a battlefield. We had arrived precisely before las máscletas – the midday fireworks – began. My bones shook with each explosion and though the noise was deafening, I was on cloud nine. Afterwards, a group of us (somehow mostly comprised of BeMadrid tour guides) ended up walking to lunch. After a while of wandering, two girls and I broke off from the large group – Natascha from Cologne, Germany and Mikhalia from Iowa – and grabbed some tapas before the rest of our adventure.

Over the course of the day we walked miles, saw countless Fallas, and indulged in Valencian culture via paella, bañuelos and agua de valencia (a mix between a mimosa and screwdriver). When we grabbed dinner, we luckily found some wifi so I was able to contact Caity and tell her how

Guille and I at Bar Negrito

Guille and I at Bar Negrito

much fun I was having. What was intended to be a quick thank you, turned into her giving me directions to visit her old roommates at Bar Negrito and the start to one of my favorite nights in Spain. The crowded bar was jamming out to some old school nineties music and as soon as I walked in, I knew it was a cool place. I went up to the first bartender I could find, and asked if he knew Caity’s roommate. As luck would have it, he turned out to be her roommate and took care of the three of us the rest of the night – just goes to show how small this world really is. Guille was quite honestly the sweetest Spaniard I have met since being here, and definitely made my trip to Valencia one to remember.

Following Bar Negrito, the three of us headed to the other side of town to a space that BeMadrid had rented out. After a quick hour of dancing and running into other friends from Madrid, I joined two Spaniards to had out to watch the fireworks. Man, does Valencia love fire works. The whole light show was íncreible – it lasted 20 minutes and was unlike anything I had ever seen before. As soon as they ended, it was a race against the clock to get to the buses by two. Five hours later, I found myself waking up on the bus in front of Plaza de Las Ventas (where the Bull Fighting Stadium is). I dragged my weary body down the steps onto the metro back to Sol and was witness to one of the funniest sights of my life: the metro at 7 on a Sunday morning. Here in Madrid, the metro closes at 1 until 6 so most Madrileños stay out all night to catch the train home the next day, and it is an absolute mess/comedy show the following morning.  By the time I reached my apartment, I could barely muster the strength and energy to put my pajamas on before passing out on the couch all day. Though I only went to one day of the festival, I had an amazing 24 hours at Fallas. My only regret is that I didn’t stay longer to see the burning of the constructions.

Natascha, Mikhaila and I with some Falleras

Natascha, Mikhaila and I with some Falleras

Writing Away

It seems I’ve caught an extreme case of “Hemingway” – I have been spending all of my free time in cafés, and parks and empty hotel rooms writing away about my enchantment with this foreign land. My love for writing has only gown fonder, as my life has only gotten more interestingly complex. Sometimes I can’t help but think I was born to write and photograph everything around me. Since coming to Spain, it has become second nature, and I often find myself stopping to write something down or snap a photo of yet another spanish monument.

photoThe past few weeks have been an utter whirlwind – midterms, Fallas, friends visiting, and of course the anticipation of Spring Break. March has passed by quicker than you can say ¡rápida! and it scares me to death that my time here is more than halfway done and I haven’t even accomplished half of what I want to do. Hopefully the two weeks of Spring Break will help me complete my spanish to do list.

Before arrive in Madrid, I made a list of 20 things I waned to experience, festivals I wanted to visit and passport stamps I wanted to collect – similar to my “20 Things Before 20” list. here’s what it includes:

  1. Fallas Festival, Valencia Spain  – DONE
  2. Spanish Soccer Game – DONE (Bonus – El Clásico)
  3. Go to a flamenco show
  4. Go to Italy
  5. Go to Czech Republic
  6. Go to Portugal
  7. Go to Barcelona, Spain – DONE
  8. Go to San Sebastián, Spain
  9. Go to Sevilla, Spain
  10. Go to Granada, Spain – DONE
  11. See a Spanish Bull Fight
  12. Travel by train – DONE
  13. Go to the Prado and see some art – DONE
  14. See the “Guernica” by Picasso – DONE
  15. Play fútbol with some locals – DONE
  16. Try paella, sangria and chocolate con churros – DONE
  17. Travel Solo – DONE
  18. Go wine tasting  – DONE
  19. Ride a moped
  20. Achieve Spanish Fluency

And while I have achieved a vast majority of the items on this list (& so much more) I cannot help but feel incomplete and void of any sense of accomplishment in crossing things off. I feel when you’re abroad there is just so much going on that it’s impossible to achieve everything – but I’m determined (and pretty much refuse to go back to the US) until I cross off everything on the list.

Until next time (and another item crossed off)

Mumford & Sons

There’s only one way to start Spring Break, and that’s with a bang! So on Thursday night, some friends, Liz, Jess, Kevin, Sarah, and I headed down to La Riviera off the green line to see Mumford & Sons play. Before heading down to the arena, we enjoyed each other’s company while chowing down on some nice tapas and watching a beautiful sunset in La Latina. Though I’m not a huge fan, I found myself singing and belting out the words to most of the songs I did know during the concert. It was crazy to see how many Spaniards were there and how enamored they were when they came on stage.

It was an incredible experience and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to share the experience with such a great group of friends. Here are some photos from Thursday.

View from dinner

View from dinner

The Gang

The Gang

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The Moment I thought I Became A New Yorker

            It’s a mid Friday afternoon. Rain is pouring down (by my California standards) and the tips of my Sperry Top Siders are soaked. My roommates are gone for the weekend – two are in Barcelona, while my third roommate is out and about in Madrid, showing her two friends around our beloved city. I am alone at a café – the first café in Spain I ever went to actually- sitting at a
table with my cappuccino, contemplating getting a crêpe but then I remember the lack of Euros in my wallet. Heck, why not. I’m broke as it is and it’s the perfect day for crêpes and people watching. I have the perfect view of the street  – the two large glass doors sit in front of me and my eyes wander to the wonderful wet world outside.

IMG_8282            A runner passes by in his bright neon orange shirt and yellow shoes, scuttling away at a casual pace up the hill towards Atocha.  A story plays out in my head – he lives with his wife and two kids – a boy, 13, and a girl, 9. Probably a business man, a casual runner, and enjoys a nice whiskey at night.  A pair of foreigners sit next to me – speaking in a heavily accented English I can’t quite decipher, sipping each on a café con leche, reminiscing of their youth summers spent somewhere in England. A woman in her late thirties strolls by pushing a stroller, likely a young baby girl wrapped up inside, judging by the pink blankets peeking out from underneath the umbrella. Nothing out of the usual.  Spain you’re boring me – Where are the people running to and from the train station as if their life depended upon it? Where are the crazies? Where are my people?

            People watching has come to be one of my favorite activities in New York – where else in the world do you have access to individuals as eccentric and as electric and as stubborn and as, well, New York? (Yes, I did just use “New York” as an adjective – you’d only understand if you’ve lived here). Where else can you find a woman dressed in all black, standing tall in five-inch stilettos, sipping on a latté, with three hours of sleep under her belt, living the dream? You simply can’t. Nowhere else in the world will you find people as happy to be killing themselves as you will in New York. They work 70-hour weeks, find time to go out at night, and pay more than a small fortune for a shoebox of an apartment. But they’re living in the Big Apple – hoping, dreaming, wishing that their dream of becoming the next big Broadway star or Wall Street exec will come true. They feign the excitement of working for an asshole and getting next to nothing in return.  I guess it’s just part of being a New Yorker.

            You will never feel more alone than you do in a city of millions – that much is true. But while living in New York, you’re part of something bigger than yourself, an unspeakable bond unites us – the aspiring actresses, the recent college grads, the wannabe big shots. We eat dollar pizza, not because it’s good, but because it’s a dollar. We go early to clubs so we don’t have to pay a cover. Yet, we will spend $300 on a pair of fabulous heels, because appearance is everything – it’s part of the never-ending illusion of being a New Yorker. But here, in Madrid, in a country more friendly than your creepy neighbor in apartment 2C, in a city where the taxi cabbies smile at you and the men buy you drinks without a second thought – you are more alone than you think.  It’s not that you lack friends – the other study abroad students, the foreigners, the Madrileños just don’t understand. There is no mutual understanding of “struggling to make it”– everybody is relaxed, moving at a snails pace, eating dinner for hours on end as if there was nothing else more important in the world. In a country where the conversation is as important as the food on the table, I’m at a loss for words with those around me.

            I feel the word lonely is used to describe somebody lost and by themselves – in a somewhat unhappy state, unaware of their own being. And while, yes, I am alone by pure definition of the word; I cannot feel any more aware of myself in this present moment. Nothing screams struggling writer like a twenty-something year old, sitting alone at a Café, sipping on a coffee, dressed in an oversized cream sweater from Urban Outfitters, with a messy bun on top of her head. All she’s missing are some large D&G glasses, a pencil behind her ear and a notebook in an overused black Longchamp. I’m watching myself, aware of my own being, aware of the stares as I type away feverishly. I am aware of my appearance as a New Yorker – jaded, opinionated, and unimpressed of everything around me as I people watch outside the large glass windows.

            I first began to refer to myself as a New Yorker when I moved to Spain to study abroad. Every time my Mom skyped me, she would ask if I was home sick? My answer, without fail was – “Yeah, I miss New York terribly”. The disappointment on her face yielded an equally disapproving response in her eyes – “It’s my home, Mom, you’d never understand.” Her only reply “New York has changed you”. Living in the city transformed me from a carefree and laidback California girl to an uptight, busy young adult, whose life is dictated by the calendar appointments in my iPhone. Similar to the bright lights of Times Square – my life in New York is simply an impressive façade. My newfound beauty routine hides my lack of sleep and the slew of friends who pose for pictures with me at clubs usually forget about my existence by the weekends end.  I appeared to be a New Yorker on the outside and tricked myself into thinking the same.IMG_4414

            I haven’t even lived a full twelve months in the city, yet, when I meet people, I find myself telling them I’m from New York. Spaniards are instantly mesmerized – a bit confused as to why I would ever leave the mystique that is New York, but so am I. Leaving the city has made me realize how much of a New Yorker I am not, but I guess to become one you have to leave and appreciate everything that the city is. The more I realize the way I act and eat and dress and drink and fill-in-the-blank here, the more I realize how much the essence of being a New Yorker is the illusion of having it all together.  And while I am rather composed on the outside, I cannot even begin to fit the puzzle pieces together on the inside.  A true New Yorker knows what they want and when and are not afraid to tell anybody about it. I, on the other hand, do not know what I want, let alone know who I am. I just know I am not a New Yorker. Not yet anyways.

 Quote of the Day: ” One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years” – Tom Wolfe

Recap of Granada

School trips are usually given a bad rap because you’re “stuck” sight seeing all day, then forced to stay in crappy hotels, and so wiped that you can’t even go out and explore the city on your own. This was not the case with NYU and Granada.

Architecture at La Alhambra

Architecture at La Alhambra

When I say Granada was absolutely stunning, what I actually mean is that you should probably need to pack up a bag, get on the next plane to Spain and drive to Granada. Nestled at the base of the Sierra Nevadas (no, not the ones in California as I was reminded), Granada is not only home to the largest “college population” in Spain, but also to the world famous La Alhambra. We had the distinct opportunity to go to La Alhambra, the Cathedral of Granada, El Albacín, and La Capilla Real de Granada (where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel are buried).

Looking out onto my kingdom

Looking out onto my kingdom

On Saturday morning, we were up bright and early for a buffet style breakfast (yum) at the hotel, and then immediately on the bus to La Alhambra. Once we arrived, we were immediately separated into our Spanish and English groups and on our way into the giant palace/fortress/mini town (if that’s what you’d like to call it). Though I speak decent Spanish (just enough to get around, flirt with a waiter, and ask for directions), listening to our teacher for 4-5 hours in pure Spanish is mentally taxing as well as a tad boring – I ended up staying interested by taking millions of pictures. I felt as if I could have spent all day at La Alhambra – it was beautiful, intricately detailed, and quite simply impressive. With panoramic views of Granada, the mountains, and the village below, I was in heaven. We were definitely incredibly lucky to go on such a beautiful day (I think it was close to 65-70 degrees), seeing as it was February and it’s usually not that pleasant.IMG_5711 IMG_5677

Following La Alhambra, we were taken to a wonderful lunch at Mirador de Morayma. They sat all fifty of us down on this beautiful terraza overlooking La Alhambra and served us until we could no longer stuff our faces. We began with glasses of red wine, cheese, olives, bread with a scrumptious blue cheese dip, toasted almonds, and various sausage meats. The next courses included a fish wrapped in vegetables; Salmorejo with avocados (like gazpacho but even better); onions and peppers over hardened crackers; salmon and lettuce salads; and a cheese cake for dessert.  To say that we were full at the end of our meal would be an understatement.

Lunch overlooking La Alhambra

Lunch overlooking La Alhambra

NYU was smart enough to have us “walk off” our lunch and led us on a walking tour of El Albacín. We trudged down the hill, towards the river and back to the city. I was really surprised at how close everything was. From the top of La Alhambra you can see the whole city, yet everything is all in walking distance or close proximity to the next sight. We ended up at La Catedral de Granada – a strikingly different church than the one we found in Segovia. It was extremely large, a lot lighter (in terms of colors) and surprisingly enough, hidden among what appears to be ordinary buildings. We didn’t spend much time here, because people were starting to say “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all?” I used to think like that, but the more churches and cathedrals I go to, the more interesting and distinct they seem to me.

Catedral de Granada

Catedral de Granada

On Sunday, we packed up our things, but before leaving the city we made a final stop at La Capilla Real de Granada and a walking tour through Albacín again. This is the final resting spot for Los Reyes Católicos (Fernando y Isabella), which is unique because the other kings and queens of Spain are buried together somewhere else.

We may or may not be slightly dysfunctional - going delusional on the last day

We may or may not be slightly dysfunctional – going delusional on the last day

I took over 1000 pictures this weekend and not a single one can illustrate how amazing this trip truly was. By the end of the excursion, I was not only  known as the crazy photographer, but also as the “dog photographer” by many of my friends and classmates. Every time there was a pup within a hop, skip, or jump I’d be there snapping away. I think on the last day, I had “photo shoots” with over nine different dogs – maybe I should start a blog/portfolio? Dogs of Europe anybody?

This is Macho the Border Collie. My favorite dog  I've photographed so far.

This is Macho the Border Collie. My favorite dog I’ve photographed so far.

Live Blog from Córdoba

I decided to go back to live blogging and record our school trip to Granada and Córdoba in Andalucía in the south of Spain. NYU Madrid pays for each student to go on one of three trips: Andalucía, Extremadura and Portugal or Valencia. We all chose Andalucía because we all planned on going to Portugal on our own and wanted to go to Valencia for Fallas – a five day long festival in March. Luckily for us, almost all the girls in our group got on the trip so it’s perfect!

12:15 PM – Friday February 15

This morning we were up way too early (at 6:20) to arrive at school by 7:45 and be on the bus by 8. After a quick ride on the Cercancías (similar to the Metro North in the city). As soon as we got settled on the bus we were all passed out – what can I say, we all need our beauty sleep! Two hours later we stopped for café con leche y pincho de tortilla, shortly before entering into the autonomous region of Andalucía. It is the largest region in Spain in regards to population and surface area. Today we will get into to Córdoba around 1:30, grab a quick bite to eat at a Cafetería then head to the Mezquita and Jewish Quarter.

Though Córdoba is rich in its Arabic and Jewish history, we will only be staying a short while before heading to Granada (home to the famous Alhambra).

I’m in dire need of another nap before we arrive so that’s it for now.

– MP

5:37 PM Friday February 15

Córdoba

Córdoba

We are once again back on the bus, except this time headed to Granada. Though my legs are a tad tired from all the exploring, I am sad we are leaving Córdoba after only a few hours.

Córdoba – the old capital of Andalucía – is most commonly known for the Mezquita – a mosque that was converted into a church in the mid fifteenth century. Though the highlight of our trip to this city was La Mezquita, I found some other neat places here. As soon as we stepped off the bus, professors pointed out cute and quaint cafeterias to hit up across the bridge; fortunately for me, my friend Derrick and I were not hungry which gave us a few hours to explore while everybody sat around and ate.

Another Street Performer

Another Street Performer

We set off to the north east part of Córdoba, completely unaware to what we would find. Before we knew it, we were in the heart of a residential area composed of ancient arabesque architecture. White marble, double entrances and Arabic writing greeted us around each twist and turn – it made me only want to go explore Arabia more. 15 minutes later we stumbled upon ancient roman columns from the 1st century. I was less than impressed by the ten foot tall fences surrounding the site and vowed to Derrick to get an aerial view of the historic site. I must have inherited my sense of adventure from my grandfather, because before we knew it, we were on the roof patio of some social security agency. There were breathtaking views of all of Córdoba (along with the columns), but unfortunately we weren’t able to enjoy them for long, as we were kicked off by some worker. Thank god a bright smile and the phrase, “Ohh no sabíamos, lo siento. Somos Americanos” works wonders and gets you off the hook here in Spain. That one was for you Grandpa.

View from above

View from above

The sun began to eat down on our backs so I pulled out my ray bans and we continued on our way, unsure of our next destination. A beautiful park, complete with water fountain and miniature mosque was next up on our adventure. Kids were running and riding their bikes up and down the orange tree lined path as their parents chased them down. We definitely were no longer in the touristy part of the city. As we exited the park, we decided to head back towards La Mezquita because we needed to be back thirty minutes later and still had to score some lunch. Derrick and I ended up making a circle and found the starting point of our adventure and grabbed some bocadillos (sandwiches) before our tour – bocadillo de chorizo for him and a bocadillo de tortilla for me. Yum!IMG_5303

Words, nor my numerous pictures, do any justice to any of the monuments I have visited since being here, especially La Mezquita. The amount of detail inscribed to each column is unreal. I could not even imagine how hard it would have been to work on this Mosque-Cathedral. La Mezquita is a very unique piece of architecture, seeing as it was originally a Muslim place of worship, that was later converted to a cathedral. I have never seen quite the fusion between East and West as I did today. Crosses found their places next to Arabic phrases which were placed among ancient Christian Relics – to say it was a sight to see would be an understatement.

La Mezquita

La Mezquita

 

La Mezquita

La Mezquita

Following our Mezquita visit, our guide María, walked us through the Jewish Quarter. The synagogue we stopped at was nothing more than a 2 story room with a seven tiered menorah on the Southern Wall. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t very impressed with the size nor details of the structure both here and in Segovia.

One more quick snack break and we were once again on the bus. Two hours till Córdoba.

-MP

12:57 AM Saturday February 16

We made it to Granada! Though I slept the whole way, I was so happy to just crash on a bed in the hotel room I shared with Alinah and Jess.

Not much has happened since I last wrote, except we went out to dinner. Grace, Hannah, Lindsey, Taylor, Alinah, Jess, Matt, Sacha, Will and I ended up a small tapas bar about ten minutes from our hotel in downtown Granada. The city itself isn’t that big, but it does boast the largest college population in the country. Though its a ton of fun to go out in large groups, it is rather difficult to chose a restaurant at 10:30 at night that will accommodate a group of ten. Next time we’ll be sure to have a more solid plan before venturing out into the cold. Luckily the place we dined at was able to put to tables in the back together. I wasn’t terribly hungry so I split croquetas and a plate of jamón y queso with Will, which ended up being perfect. After some great conversation and finishing our food we set back towards our hotel. We have to get up early tomorrow for our visit to La Alhambra, so that’s all for now!

– MP

One of the gypsies we saw

One of the gypsies we saw

Meg Does Laundry

So things aren’t quite exactly the same here. I could go on for days about the things that are different: the food, the way of life, the language… but I’m pretty sure you already knew that. One of the most striking (and unfortunate) differences, however, would be laundry. It is the only thing I have to complain about, and it’s not even that bad – just very inconvenient and something I’m not entirely used to yet.

Back in New York, I’m spoiled during the season because the equipment room does all my soccer laundry and I barely wear anything but my sweats anyways. Out of season, I utilize the laundry room in the basement of the dorms but end up doing my laundry once every few weeks anyways. At home, I try and do my laundry, but most of the time my mom comes by and starts a load for me. Here in Spain, it’s a little bit more of a process.

First of all, we don’t have a dryer. Yikes. I’m aware that most countries use clothing lines and drying racks, but I guess it never crossed my mind when moving to Madrid that I wouldn’t have one at my disposal. When I finally decided to dry my clothes, it a) took three days to dry and b) everything was super stiff (ughh).  Second, our washer fits about two pairs of jeans and a couple of t-shirts. To do the amount of laundry I normally do in New York, it takes about 2-3 times longer (minus the drying time) – it just makes doing a load of clothes that much more appealing (note the sarcasm). Third, we find ourselves doing laundry so much more because we are practically living out of a suitcase here for the next five months and go through clothes that much quicker.

Case in point. I hate laundry in Spain. I need to find a dryer pronto.

Two loads later

Two loads later

In the Blink of an Eye

To say that I’ve been having a blast since I’ve been here would be a complete understatement.

To say that time has passed by quickly would be a complete and blatant lie – it has gone by in the blink of an eye.

I’ve been here a month and it’s mind-blowing  to think of all the things I’ve done, the places I’ve seen and the people I’ve met. To put things in perspective I’ve listed my top 20 things I’ve done.

So far I’ve:

  1. Signed a lease… in a foreign language.
  2. Had a week of orientation… tasted wine for credit.

    Casual Wine Tasting

    Casual Wine Tasting

  3. Went on a day trip to Segovia… saw aqueducts and the castle that inspired Disney.

    Panoramic View

    Panoramic View

  4. Visited to El Prado and El Reina Sofia… discovered I don’t understand art.

    El Prado

    El Prado

  5. Ran through Parque El Retiro… determined it’s just a Spanish version of Central Park

    Roomies at Retiro

    Roomies at Retiro

  6. Tapear-ed at Mercado de San Miguel, El Tigre and Lateral… fell in love with tapas.
  7. Spotted Americans out about… realized the world really is small.

    Dubliners for my birthday and I found Nado Peeps

    Dubliners for my birthday and I found Nado Peeps

  8. Experienced El Clasico… dreams really do come true.IMG_7296
  9. Mastered the Metro… after finally getting the abono (unlimited pass).
  10. Became “a regular” at a local hangout… Dubliner’s and San Gínes anyone?IMG_6999
  11. Turned 20… Yikes!
  12. Took 2004 pictures… Yikes again.
  13. Traveled to Brussels… fell in love with Belgian Waffles.

    Waffle, Chocolate, Whip Cream, Chocolate Heaven

    Waffle, Chocolate, Whip Cream, Chocolate Heaven

  14. Discovered new features on my camera… Instant Instagram? YUPIMG_4796
  15. Tried new food – Mussels and Pâté… Yum. Well, not exactly.
  16. Found new obsessions… Pincho de tortilla and Principe cookies. ‘Nuff Said.
  17. Made new friends… and added people on Facebook I barely know.
  18. Ran 20+ miles… and loving every single minute of it (except the huge hill behind our house) IMG_7429IMG_4121
  19. Made Spanish amigos… got terribly lost in translation.IMG_7144
  20. Met the Spanish National Rugby Team… vowed to start watching some more rugby.

    Just chilling with the Spanish Rugby Team

    Soon to be FB Friends

It’s unreal. One month down. Three more to go.

Off to Andalucía this weekend – be ready for more adventures and pictures from Córdoba and Granada!

Brussels to Brugge and Back

I think my computer hates me. Not only is it freaking out because of a proxy I put on it, so we can watch Hulu, but I just uploaded about 800 pictures from this weekend. Simply put, this weekend was picture perfect (minus my fourth roommate Alinah being in Portugal).

From Brussels to Brugge

From Brussels to Brugge

On Saturday morning, the boys and us met up in Grand Place after a quick breakfast waffle (notice a recurring theme?) before heading to the Brussels train station. Much to our surprise, we were able to get roundtrip tickets for the five us for €50 which only made our day better. After trying to decode some French signs to catch our train, waiting half an hour and changing tracks we were on our way to Brugge.

Headed to Brugge

Headed to Brugge

The hour and a half train ride through the beautiful countryside took us to the North West part of Belgium. It felt as if I were riding back in time, as I saw numerous dirt roads, small towns, and ancient buildings throughout the trip. When we finally arrived, we walked towards the tallest landmark we could see – the cathedral. The first fifteen minutes of our journey it appeared as if Brugge was just a quiet town with not much going on – man, were we wrong. We ended up walking through multiple plazas, through two cathedrals, and finding a main street with stores similar to that of SoHo in New York.

Kev, Meg, Erin, Jess, and Sam

Kev, Meg, Erin, Jess, and Sam

Brugge is a small, very rich, super photogenic place that kept me enchanted all day. After finding the canals throughout the city, we ended up taking a million pictures of the swans that are unique to the water system, the deeply rooted buildings, and walking along the waterway – it was absolute perfection (despite the flurrying of snow).

Kev and his girls

Kev and his girls

Roommates on the water

Roommates on the water

Around 2:30 we began to get hungry so stepped into a cute little restaurant, Petit Maxim that looked affordable and had a menu du jour (menú del día). I ended up ordering Pâte, a country omlette (without mushrooms) and the chocolate mousse for dessert. Both Sam and Kevin ended up getting the Pâte, Flemish Stew and a side of warm applesauce, which was absolutely divine.

A Brugge-ian Country Omlette

A Brugge-ian Country Omlette

Out of my comfort zone - trying Pheasant Pâte

Out of my comfort zone – trying Pheasant Pâte

Once we finished our Belgian lunch, we continued to walk around but headed back towards the train station. We once again passed a cathedral and decided to enter. Much to our surprise, a mass was going on and we stayed a bit – even though we couldn’t understand a word out of the Dutch priest’s mouth. It was interesting to note that the churches in Brugge had a tribute to victims of sexual assault (because of Catholic Priests) – I had never seen that before.

Before we knew it we were back at the train station chasing down a train. We were all exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep on the hour train back. Luckily for us the train back to Brussels was pulling up to the platform as soon as we walked up. Much to my dismay, I was unable to pass out, but I did unexpectedly find a creative filters feature on my DLSR which kept me busy the whole train ride (below is my favorite picture from the day).

The most faithful dog I ever did see

The most faithful dog I ever did see

I bet you can’t guess what we did as soon as we got back to Brussels. Yup – you guessed it – got some waffles and fries for dinner and then rested at the hotel before heading back out with the boys. Once we finished our scrumptious snacks and got ready, we met Sam and Kevin in Grand Place. Sam had noticed a cool “Rock”bar on the way over and said we should check it out. Turns out the bar was home to the Local Hells Angels crew and we stuck out like a sore thumb. We were out of there and headed to Delirium faster than you can say AC/DC.

Twins

Twins

Our night at Delirium was hilarious to say the least. As the only Americans in the bar, we ended up singing every word to every song and encouraged everybody to join in. I was a witness to my fair share of dance battles (remind me to take brush up on my European dance moves when I’m back in Spain). We spent another hour in the village and then decided to part ways after we got some frites – the boys had an early flight and we were just exhausted.

Our Favorite Friterie

Our Favorite Friterie

Somehow Jess, Erin, and I wound up at a tiny café eating gyros wraps and found ourselves taking pictures with the owner before heading back to our hotel. We had a great last night in Belgium to say the least. The next morning we were up super early and walked past Delirium to head to the airport. Though our stay was less than two days, I felt like I had known the city for ages.

Making friends while making Halal Food

Making friends while making Halal Food

Once we got to the airport, we made one last ditch effort to find waffles. We proceeded to fail miserably and opted for the much healthier smoothie stand instead. While waiting for our flight, I spotted the Spanish National Rugby Team walking around. Little did we know that they’d be on our flight. Luckily for me, they sat right in front of us and we became immediate friends (sort of, not really, well you get the point). To say it was an awesome way to end an amazing weekend would be an understatement.

That’s all from Brugge – got to get back to work!

Au Revoir!

Just chilling with the Spanish Rugby Team

Just chilling with the Spanish Rugby Team

Delirium: The Morning After

Delirium: The Morning After