No preocupes, I haven't been kidnapped "Taken" style and whisked away to some far away corner of los Vascos never to return. I simply have been enjoying being free from technology.
I know that there have been possibly about nine thousand articles saying this same thing, and I read them all on my Droid smartphone while browsing Facebook on my tank of a laptop. But seriously guys, you don't know how good it feels. I thought a month without a phone would be the most difficult thing in the world, but it has been so liberating. It can be slightly more challenging to make plans with people but remember, there WAS a time when our parents were alive when cell phones didn't exist, and shockeningly, people actually still met up and hung out! I know, crazy concept.
Since being in Spain, my outlook on things has changed. I take things in stride now - before had you told me I would be living in a closet without air conditioning with three other girls I may have run the other direction. But now that I'm here and have seen the way the rest of the world lives I can honestly say I am ashamed of the cavalier lifestyle that most Americans enjoy. People here are content living with much less than what we have at home. I am shocked and disgusted at the standards of living I have considered normal after seeing how thrilled my madre here is to own a flat that probably a 1/4 of the size of my house, and she shares it with 10 students.
But on the other hand before you think I've gone completely yuppie, I do have one large compliment for Amurica. (Yes, that was Amurica.) We have an impeccable work ethic. I can't express how obnoxious it is to try to do errands and have literally the entire city closed from 2 to 6. These stores don't open until 10 at the earliest, and most close for the day at 2 for the siesta, but never re-open. And they wonder why they have such a high unemployment rate... If they had a shift from 2-6, how many more people do you think would have jobs, and more people would buy things, which would better the economy.... but ughh I digress, this is not a political or economical blog I promise hahaha.
About a week ago (who knew I was having so much fun without you guys right?) I took a weekend trip to Mallorca, in the Islas Baleares. The beach there was gorgeous, but there were quite a lot of Germans there. It is a big area for vacations and the European equivalent of "spring break". But, because there are so many different cultures that come to visit - I got probably the biggest compliment on the trip so far. Walking up to a restaurant to eat, the waiter approached me and handed me a menu in what language? Spanish? Wrong. English? Nope. It was a menu in Dutch. Finally, I have managed to convince someone that I am not American. When I looked at the menu, confused, he quickly handed me one in German until he realized I was from the good 'ole US of A. Nonetheless, I'm pretty complimented that I don't blatantly look like a tourist!
The hostal where we stayed was "Hostal Atlanta". But when I think of a hostal, I think of a small dark room with 4 bed high bunk beds and a sketchy man in the corner clutching his suitcase. This was nothing like that. Our room was gorgeous and had three huge windows with plantation shutters and a huge door out to our very own patio. If you ever are in the area, stay there. Olly, the guy who runs the hostal, will become your best friend and you won't ever want to leave even to go back to a place as gorgeous as Alicante.
But now I'm off to get ready for the "fuegos artificiales" or as we know and love, fireworks. After Fogueres (which is a week of fiestas that I haven't even begun to tell you about yet- they have yet ANOTHER week of firework competitions. I'm telling you these people never stop...
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
the heebie jeebies
We've been in Alicante since Sunday night, and so far things have been muy interesante. Our room is nice, but is approximately the size of the cupboard under the stairs in Harry Potter. Our first night was hot, but we were so tired that we didn't mind having to leave the window open. Until we felt little creepy crawlies on us at night and had to throw them off..
But, hey we're in Spain, at a gorgeous beach - we're not going to let a few bugs ruin our fun. And then, we saw it... Actually correction: Whitney saw it - because if I had, we would not still be here today. Some call it a beetle, some think it is a type of caterpillar. The Spanish call it a "cucaracha". Whatever you may call it, one thing is internationally accepted, it gives people the heebie jeebies. A nice, big 'ole juicy cockroach.
As it scuttled into the other room, it took with it all of our confidence in sleeping with our mouths open, and any grasp we still had on clean, spoiled, American living. Luckily, it may have been a one time fluke roach occurrence, as we haven't seen another (knock on wood). So hopefully, we only have flies and mosquitoes to be concerned with giving us the bug bites in the night.
Butttt you can never be too sure... so i am currently investigating what a cockroach bite looks like to diagnose the mysterious, itchy, strange-looking bug bite that has recently taken residence on my ankle.
UPDATE: I'll spare you the gruesome pictures, but good news... I would be in much deeper shit if I had actually been bitten by a cockroach - those bites looked more like you got attacked by fiery polka dots than my rather benign little red bump. I guess I will live to blog another day after all...
But, hey we're in Spain, at a gorgeous beach - we're not going to let a few bugs ruin our fun. And then, we saw it... Actually correction: Whitney saw it - because if I had, we would not still be here today. Some call it a beetle, some think it is a type of caterpillar. The Spanish call it a "cucaracha". Whatever you may call it, one thing is internationally accepted, it gives people the heebie jeebies. A nice, big 'ole juicy cockroach.
As it scuttled into the other room, it took with it all of our confidence in sleeping with our mouths open, and any grasp we still had on clean, spoiled, American living. Luckily, it may have been a one time fluke roach occurrence, as we haven't seen another (knock on wood). So hopefully, we only have flies and mosquitoes to be concerned with giving us the bug bites in the night.
Butttt you can never be too sure... so i am currently investigating what a cockroach bite looks like to diagnose the mysterious, itchy, strange-looking bug bite that has recently taken residence on my ankle.
UPDATE: I'll spare you the gruesome pictures, but good news... I would be in much deeper shit if I had actually been bitten by a cockroach - those bites looked more like you got attacked by fiery polka dots than my rather benign little red bump. I guess I will live to blog another day after all...
where in the world is carmen sandiego?
Well hello, all - I've finally resurfaced from across the big puddle. It's been awhile since I last updated you - and alot has happened since then, so I may need a couple posts to get caught up on everything..
But first, to explain my title - it does actually have significance and isn't totally random. Well, define random.. Anyways my Spanish name in school was always Carmen. Not really sure why, I guess it was as close as you could come to Lauren that could morph me into a fast-talking Spaniard from a Southern little Dutch girl. Secondly, it is the name of the game that my little sister and I played together when we were little. I guess you can say I'm reminiscing back to the good 'ole days...
So what have I been up to? To start, we have spent the past several days in the beautiful cities that form Andalucia. We have been in Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada touring numerous cathedrals, mezquitas and other monuments. We left Madrid behind us, but unfortunately, didn't leave all of it's diseases behind either.
I'm sure most of you current-event savvy kids have heard about the e-coli problems with vegetables in Europe in the past few weeks, well - we got a little dabble of that. My roommate, Nina, had eaten the bocadillio (Spanish term for a sandwich for lunch) that our madre had made us right before we left Madrid for lunch that day. Later in the day, she began to feel dizzy and the next day was very sick. Turns out, Spain still has house doctors- and one came to our hotel room and diagnosed her with a bacteria in her stomach. So, we think it was some sort of salmonella case, but Whitney and I have never been happier with our decision to pass on that sandwich, or we all would have been sick.
But in the end all is well, and after our grueling 6 hour bus ride in the heat (pretty sure we all almost passed out from a heat stroke) we made it to Plaza del Torres in hermosa Alicante, Spain. We were greeted by one of our roommates and Paula, our new madre's 16 year old sassy daughter who has proved to be a hilarious addition to our experience here.
But first, to explain my title - it does actually have significance and isn't totally random. Well, define random.. Anyways my Spanish name in school was always Carmen. Not really sure why, I guess it was as close as you could come to Lauren that could morph me into a fast-talking Spaniard from a Southern little Dutch girl. Secondly, it is the name of the game that my little sister and I played together when we were little. I guess you can say I'm reminiscing back to the good 'ole days...
So what have I been up to? To start, we have spent the past several days in the beautiful cities that form Andalucia. We have been in Cordoba, Sevilla and Granada touring numerous cathedrals, mezquitas and other monuments. We left Madrid behind us, but unfortunately, didn't leave all of it's diseases behind either.
I'm sure most of you current-event savvy kids have heard about the e-coli problems with vegetables in Europe in the past few weeks, well - we got a little dabble of that. My roommate, Nina, had eaten the bocadillio (Spanish term for a sandwich for lunch) that our madre had made us right before we left Madrid for lunch that day. Later in the day, she began to feel dizzy and the next day was very sick. Turns out, Spain still has house doctors- and one came to our hotel room and diagnosed her with a bacteria in her stomach. So, we think it was some sort of salmonella case, but Whitney and I have never been happier with our decision to pass on that sandwich, or we all would have been sick.
But in the end all is well, and after our grueling 6 hour bus ride in the heat (pretty sure we all almost passed out from a heat stroke) we made it to Plaza del Torres in hermosa Alicante, Spain. We were greeted by one of our roommates and Paula, our new madre's 16 year old sassy daughter who has proved to be a hilarious addition to our experience here.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
our last night in madrid
Tonight is our last night in Madrid, it's bitter sweet because I can't say I'll miss thousands of people running into me on a daily basis, or the whiff of urine you get in the streets, but I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the gorgeous architecture in the city, my adorable madre and her flat, and all of the times we've had at the clubs - especially Moondance Mondays.
Last Sunday we went to a veteran's game of Real Madrid at their home stadium against a team from Munich, Germany. The stadium held about 107,000 people from what we heard and I think at least 100,000 people were there, and this wasn't even a real game. All the old players came back to play, including Zidane - but unfortunately he didn't headbutt anyone this game... what a letdown.
Today I visited the Puerta de Europa towers. For those of you who are actually normal and not architecture nerds - they lean at a 15 degree angle, and house their heaviest component, the HVAC system on the top of the building. In normal people terms: this thing should seriously fall down. The two towers lean towards each other and if you stand under one and look across, you can see the reflection on the face of the opposite tower. Unfortunately, it is a private office tower - so you can't go in. I studied it for a class last semester, and couldn't even find plans for it because it is "super-secret". But, when in spain.... live it up. I wanted to see the inside, so I walked in. I got about 5 pictures and was almost all the way through the first floor when a security guard came up to me laughing and told me I couldn't be in here or take pictures. I explained that I was studying architecture, hopefully somehow that would give me an in and I could run around the whole building... but that was a no-go. But, at least I got a few pictures!
Tonight we're visiting the lovely walls of ham legs of Museo del Jamon (translation: Museum of Ham.. hahaha) again before going out to celebrate our last night in Madrid. Then we're on to Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and then finally the beautiful beaches of Alicante. I can't wait for tanning time!
Last Sunday we went to a veteran's game of Real Madrid at their home stadium against a team from Munich, Germany. The stadium held about 107,000 people from what we heard and I think at least 100,000 people were there, and this wasn't even a real game. All the old players came back to play, including Zidane - but unfortunately he didn't headbutt anyone this game... what a letdown.
Today I visited the Puerta de Europa towers. For those of you who are actually normal and not architecture nerds - they lean at a 15 degree angle, and house their heaviest component, the HVAC system on the top of the building. In normal people terms: this thing should seriously fall down. The two towers lean towards each other and if you stand under one and look across, you can see the reflection on the face of the opposite tower. Unfortunately, it is a private office tower - so you can't go in. I studied it for a class last semester, and couldn't even find plans for it because it is "super-secret". But, when in spain.... live it up. I wanted to see the inside, so I walked in. I got about 5 pictures and was almost all the way through the first floor when a security guard came up to me laughing and told me I couldn't be in here or take pictures. I explained that I was studying architecture, hopefully somehow that would give me an in and I could run around the whole building... but that was a no-go. But, at least I got a few pictures!
Tonight we're visiting the lovely walls of ham legs of Museo del Jamon (translation: Museum of Ham.. hahaha) again before going out to celebrate our last night in Madrid. Then we're on to Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada and then finally the beautiful beaches of Alicante. I can't wait for tanning time!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
slightly stupid
Today, we returned from El Escorial. We've been gone for the last two days on excursions and it is good to be back. Yesterday we visited Toledo, which I visited back in 10th grade and is still to this day one of my favorite cities in Spain because of all the rich crafts found in the city. During our free time, we walked into several stores - and one of the store owners we met was such an interesting guy. I sat and talked to him for a long time about how the knives were made, the different types, and learned a few new things about Muslim pottery made in Toledo as well. It was so nice to have someone actually take the time out of his day to explain in detail to me Toledo's history from a perspective not from a tour guide. It was an amazing trip and we've gotten crazy exercise in because I think we have literally walked about 10 miles in the past two days.
But, no rest for the weary yet because tonight is going to be epic. We bought tickets for a music festival event at Fabrik - the #2 Club IN THE WORLD. So, I'll let you know how great my legs feel tomorrow after dancing all night!
Now for some stories - since it seems like interesting occurrences happen to me on a daily basis. The other day - I saw a truly remarkable sight. No, it wasn't a monument, a rare historical item, or even an interesting city. It was a new form of hilarious - texting, and riding. You might think, oh riding in a car? Riding a bike? But no, it is better - texting, and riding a horse. The only thing that could make this more ridiculous is if it was done by a law enforcement individual. Well folks, it's your lucky day. Two policemen came strolling up on horses, with the one behind extremely absorbed in typing his text message. Suddenly, the horse stumbles - and the policeman all but falls off onto the ground. Clearly, I began laughing so hard I almost fell off the bench myself. He gave me a dirty look, gathered his pride and continued down the road. Just when you thought that we were safe of the dangers of texting, it strikes again!
As for my second story, I am slightly stupid (hence the title of this post). On the way to catch the bus to our excursion this morning, we were alerted that our metro line is closed. Oh happy day. So we begin the 30 minute walk that we have to make in 10 minutes, and quickly decided to just take a taxi. We were in such a rush, that I left my european cell phone in the taxi. I called my phone using a friends, and left a message (in spanish!) saying if anyone found this phone, to please call back this number. A few minutes later, we got a call. The taxi driver had found my phone and was bringing it to the "Lost and Found" for the City of Madrid. How awesome is it that a) the taxi driver was honest enough to not keep it for himself, b) actually took the time to get in touch with me and help me out, c) I actually understood what he was saying in Spanish, and d) there is a city-run "Lost and Found". USA, we need to get on that.
Until next time..
But, no rest for the weary yet because tonight is going to be epic. We bought tickets for a music festival event at Fabrik - the #2 Club IN THE WORLD. So, I'll let you know how great my legs feel tomorrow after dancing all night!
Now for some stories - since it seems like interesting occurrences happen to me on a daily basis. The other day - I saw a truly remarkable sight. No, it wasn't a monument, a rare historical item, or even an interesting city. It was a new form of hilarious - texting, and riding. You might think, oh riding in a car? Riding a bike? But no, it is better - texting, and riding a horse. The only thing that could make this more ridiculous is if it was done by a law enforcement individual. Well folks, it's your lucky day. Two policemen came strolling up on horses, with the one behind extremely absorbed in typing his text message. Suddenly, the horse stumbles - and the policeman all but falls off onto the ground. Clearly, I began laughing so hard I almost fell off the bench myself. He gave me a dirty look, gathered his pride and continued down the road. Just when you thought that we were safe of the dangers of texting, it strikes again!
As for my second story, I am slightly stupid (hence the title of this post). On the way to catch the bus to our excursion this morning, we were alerted that our metro line is closed. Oh happy day. So we begin the 30 minute walk that we have to make in 10 minutes, and quickly decided to just take a taxi. We were in such a rush, that I left my european cell phone in the taxi. I called my phone using a friends, and left a message (in spanish!) saying if anyone found this phone, to please call back this number. A few minutes later, we got a call. The taxi driver had found my phone and was bringing it to the "Lost and Found" for the City of Madrid. How awesome is it that a) the taxi driver was honest enough to not keep it for himself, b) actually took the time to get in touch with me and help me out, c) I actually understood what he was saying in Spanish, and d) there is a city-run "Lost and Found". USA, we need to get on that.
Until next time..
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)