Last night, I made it back to Madrid after two amazing weeks travelling and spending time with my family. We did so much during those two weeks that I'm sure I won't remember to tell every detail, but I'm going to try my best to capture the higlights.
Here is a brief summary: The first week, my mom, dad, and sister arrived in Madrid, dead tired, after a long trip. They were in Madrid for half a day, and then we went to Portugal (Lisbon, Tomar, Mafra, Sintra) for several days, and then back to Madrid for a day. Melissa then headed home (back to work) and my parents and I went to Tenerife (one of the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa) for a week.
As I said, when they first got here, they were REALLY exhausted, after basically not having slept for a whole night. Nonetheless, we still got to see some of the city. They came to my apartment and met Ruth (which was great!), and then I took them on a walking tour for a few hours- around my neighborhood (Arguelles/Moncloa), and then to Plaza Espana, Gran Via, Callao, Sol etc. It was Christmas Eve and we were nervous that we wouldnt be able to find a restaurant open for dinner, but sure enough, we stumbled upon something near Sol. We ate some tapas around 7 pm (they couldnt wait any longer haha), and then we basically called it a night.
The following day, we all flew to Lisbon, where we were only for a short time, before heading to the train station to go to Tomar (about 2 hours away). However, Melissa, our wonderful tour guide for the week, wanted to make the most of our time, and insisted that the cab driver stop at two sites in Lisbon that were near the train station, on our way. Now, I have to make a disclaimer so that my sister doesn't get upset with me- I'm not poking fun at her here, she worked really hard to plan our few days in Portugal and I really appreciate it! But...when we got in the cab and tried to explain to him that we wanted him to stop so we could see a tower and a bridge (mind u..it was raining and super windy out), he looked at us like we were crazy. He then proceeded to (lovingly, i think) poke fun at Melissa for the rest of the cab ride, telling her that she didnt actually want to see those things, and asking her if the tour book was "a good book?" I'm not sure if i'm catching the comedy of the situation here, but it was quite hilarious.
Anyway, the bridge was pretty cool, ill admit (the longest bridge in Europe). Some of the other funny moments of the trip also occured while we were in transit. For example, we were on a bus from Mafra to Sintra, and at one of the stops, this woman gets on and starts speaking to the whole bus of people (at least it seems). Apparently, she knew almost everyone...shes laughing, and handing out chocolates...of course we cant understand anything (Spanish and Portuguese actually sound basically nothing alike, even though they look very similar on paper), but it was quite the scene. And then, when we were in Lisbon on a trolley ride, this woman gets on and starts yelling out loud, about what, again we had no idea, but she seemed quite upset. Everyone is staring at her, and she just goes on and on, for at least 10 minutes. Then, some guys get off and take a picture of her, and she starts yelling at them, even once they are out of the trolley!! It was another very interesting scene.
And..let's see, some other great moments- definitely climbing the old castle/fortress in Sintra- that was absolutely breathtaking! It was quite the climb (I must say, a little scary for someone like me, who is rather scared of heights), but it was totally worth it! The views were absolutely amazing; probably one of the most incredible sights i have ever seen. I now understand why so many people told me that I had to go to Sintra while I was visiting Lisbon. Also, Lisbon itself is a beauitful city! Its very hilly- and when you start climbing, you can see the most amazing, colorful views of the city; it really is unique-looking. We also had a lot of great food everywhere we went; in Portugal, lots of great seafood (Bacalao, their specialty...as well as shrimp, octopus etc).
Back in Madrid, my family really enjoyed seeing where I had been living for the past several months, and hearing me speak in Spanish at every available opportunity. On Weds night, I took Melissa to Cien Montaditos for the one euro weds, which she really enjoyed. For those who dont know, Cien Montaditos is a bar/resaurant where they literally have 100 different little sandwiches for you to choose from. The sandwiches are mini, so you usually order a few for a complete meal..but its really fun to try different combos. Its normally pretty cheap, but on Weds, everything costs just one euro, including the drinks, so it always gets REALLY crowded. Melissa got a good taste for Spanish culture (incl the smoking, which she didnt enjoy), but otherwise, it was a really fun night (Side note here- Spain just passed a new law that outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants, so this will be different now...something i'm thrilled about!)
The next day, we managed to go to the Palacio Real, the Reina Sofia, Plaza Mayor, La latina, have lunch AND churros with chocolate, do some souveneir shopping, and end up back at my apt...so that was pretty successful in my book! We also had a very lovely dinner that night at my apt(courtesy of the Carrefour, the grocery store that i often frequent) of wine, bread, cheese, and olives (very Mediterranean! haha).
After this very fun but busy week, we said goodbye to Melissa, who had to go back to NY for work, and headed to Tenerife for a week of sun and relaxation. It was really beautiful there, and it was so nice to just chill, read, go for walks, work out, and most of all, soak up some sun! It was also fun speaking with the people there in Spanish...they always got really excited and were very friendly when I spoke to them in Spanish, probably because they are so used to having so many tourists visiting, and are not used to finding tourists who actually speak their language.
So, all in all, it was a great two weeks. It was really nice to see my family after being away for several months, and it was nice to have some time off!! But..I'm also happy to be back home in Madrid and to get a chance to catch up with friends here, settle back in to a normal routine, etc. Anywayy, I think thats it for now. Happy New Year!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
New Years Resolutions...and other end of the year thoughts
So..before I get ready to go on vacation and recieve my family here in Madrid, I thought I should reflect a little bit on the year so far. Overall, its certainly been a great experience (as though of you who have been following my blog can certainly tell), but I still have some resolutions for the coming year...ways to make my experience even more worthwhile. With respect to my job- I think I'm trying really hard and teaching the kids pretty well, but I feel like maybe I could get through to them more, maybe find a way to convince them that they should care more about school.
The thing that I find most frustrating is that so many of the kids are so smart but just don't realize their full potential. Now, I know that this complaint has probably been around ever since teaching started as a profession...and I know that it certainly crosses cultural boundaries. Sooo...given that this is such a widespread problem, I know it's not realistic to think that it's one that I can solve in just a few months. Nevertheless, I've been thinking about this issue a lot lately, and I hope I can find some new, innovative ways to get through to the kids, to get them more excited about learning, during the next semester.
As far as my non-work life, I feel like I've done a good job integrating myself into Spanish culture. While I do hang out with a few American friends pretty often, I also am with Spaniards all the time, and I spend most of my time outside of school speaking Spanish. That being said, I think I want to try to take fuller advantage of all that Madrid has to offer culturally and artistically. In the past few weeks, I've been to an art museum, a poetry reading, and a photography exhibit, reminding me just how much I love art and culture...and how much Madrid has to offer in these arenas. I want to try to go to more events like this next year! I also think this will be easier now that Im really settled into my life and routine here.
And while part of my resolution is to become more connected to Madrid and more involved here and now, I also want to make an effor to be better connected with everyone back home. I have recently spoken with many friends from home, and I realize how happy it makes me to catch up with them, especially after we haven't spoken for a long time. I know its really hard to stay in touch, given the time difference and everyone's busy schedules, but I know I can also make more of an effort.
Anywayy..those are the three things I can think of for now. And as far as the immediate future- I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and having some time off to spend travelling with them. Next time I write, it will probably be 2011! So happy holidays and happy New Year everyone :)
The thing that I find most frustrating is that so many of the kids are so smart but just don't realize their full potential. Now, I know that this complaint has probably been around ever since teaching started as a profession...and I know that it certainly crosses cultural boundaries. Sooo...given that this is such a widespread problem, I know it's not realistic to think that it's one that I can solve in just a few months. Nevertheless, I've been thinking about this issue a lot lately, and I hope I can find some new, innovative ways to get through to the kids, to get them more excited about learning, during the next semester.
As far as my non-work life, I feel like I've done a good job integrating myself into Spanish culture. While I do hang out with a few American friends pretty often, I also am with Spaniards all the time, and I spend most of my time outside of school speaking Spanish. That being said, I think I want to try to take fuller advantage of all that Madrid has to offer culturally and artistically. In the past few weeks, I've been to an art museum, a poetry reading, and a photography exhibit, reminding me just how much I love art and culture...and how much Madrid has to offer in these arenas. I want to try to go to more events like this next year! I also think this will be easier now that Im really settled into my life and routine here.
And while part of my resolution is to become more connected to Madrid and more involved here and now, I also want to make an effor to be better connected with everyone back home. I have recently spoken with many friends from home, and I realize how happy it makes me to catch up with them, especially after we haven't spoken for a long time. I know its really hard to stay in touch, given the time difference and everyone's busy schedules, but I know I can also make more of an effort.
Anywayy..those are the three things I can think of for now. And as far as the immediate future- I'm really looking forward to seeing my family and having some time off to spend travelling with them. Next time I write, it will probably be 2011! So happy holidays and happy New Year everyone :)
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
¿Hablas español?
So, I know I just wrote an entry the other day, but I felt compelled to write another one, because I realized that there is one topic that I've been meaning to write about for weeks now. I continue to be amazed at how many people do not believe that I speak Spanish as well as I do...somehow they think that being American and speaking Spanish fluently is incompatible (unless you are Latino of course!) I'm not saying that all Spaniards believe in this stereotype, of course not...but I've gotten it a lot, and its started to make me think.
So- this amazement comes in two forms: there are the people who I meet while I'm out, friends of friends etc...and then there are my students. Every time I meet someone new, he or she is, without exception, impressed with my Spanish. Now...I'm not trying to say this to brag; I mean, of course I'm proud that Spaniards think I speak well, but I also know that after so many years of studying and practice, and for someone who is genuinely interested in the language, I SHOULD speak fluently by now.
But for whatever reason, people don't seem to understand that we have some really great Spanish programs in US high schools and colleges. When I tell people I've only been living here 3.5 months, they all say "but how is it possible that you speak like that after 3.5 months? I simply don't understand this question...my response is always.."of course i've been studying the langauge for years!! Learning a language isn't magic- of course I don't speak this way just by living here for 3.5 months. It took lots of hard work and the desire to learn" In my opinion, that is how you have to learn!
I don't know, maybe a lot of people here are just really unhappy with the way English is taught (I have heard that from a lot of people) and don't believe that you can really learn to speak the language in school (of course, they didn't have the luxury of being in a bilingual program like the one I teach in, with Fulbright teaching assistants!! haha).
Of course, my practical experience living in Spanish-speaking countries has helped me enormously, but still...I would be nowhere near as comfortable with the language without the extensive academic base that I have from hs and college.
And---then there is the topic of my students. This I just find funny...of course, I'm not supposed to be speaking Spanish with my students, because the whole point of my position is to get them to speak in English as much as possible. However, when I first met them, I told them all that I speak Spanish, that I've lived in Spain before, that I love the language, that I studied it in college etc etc.
Well, either none of them were listening, or they have short-term memories, because they always seem to be amazed when they "discover" that I understand and speak Spanish. Of course, this makes even less sense to me because, even though I techincally am not supposed to use any Spanish at school, I end up doing a lot of translating for both the teachers and the kids all the time. And..the kids ask me for translations...and I give them to them...yet they still don't know that I speak Spanish!
I just find this hilarious- I think they have just identified me completely with English, and even if its obvious that I speak Spanish, some of them keep forgetting that. Now, I guess that's not necessarily bad, because of course, I do want them to speak to me in English so that they can improve and become more comfortable with their language skills. And they are SUPPOSED to identify me with English...so, I'm not necessarily complaining, just reflecting I suppose.....
Anyway, I suppose thats enough reflecting for now. Feel free to provide your thoughts :)
So- this amazement comes in two forms: there are the people who I meet while I'm out, friends of friends etc...and then there are my students. Every time I meet someone new, he or she is, without exception, impressed with my Spanish. Now...I'm not trying to say this to brag; I mean, of course I'm proud that Spaniards think I speak well, but I also know that after so many years of studying and practice, and for someone who is genuinely interested in the language, I SHOULD speak fluently by now.
But for whatever reason, people don't seem to understand that we have some really great Spanish programs in US high schools and colleges. When I tell people I've only been living here 3.5 months, they all say "but how is it possible that you speak like that after 3.5 months? I simply don't understand this question...my response is always.."of course i've been studying the langauge for years!! Learning a language isn't magic- of course I don't speak this way just by living here for 3.5 months. It took lots of hard work and the desire to learn" In my opinion, that is how you have to learn!
I don't know, maybe a lot of people here are just really unhappy with the way English is taught (I have heard that from a lot of people) and don't believe that you can really learn to speak the language in school (of course, they didn't have the luxury of being in a bilingual program like the one I teach in, with Fulbright teaching assistants!! haha).
Of course, my practical experience living in Spanish-speaking countries has helped me enormously, but still...I would be nowhere near as comfortable with the language without the extensive academic base that I have from hs and college.
And---then there is the topic of my students. This I just find funny...of course, I'm not supposed to be speaking Spanish with my students, because the whole point of my position is to get them to speak in English as much as possible. However, when I first met them, I told them all that I speak Spanish, that I've lived in Spain before, that I love the language, that I studied it in college etc etc.
Well, either none of them were listening, or they have short-term memories, because they always seem to be amazed when they "discover" that I understand and speak Spanish. Of course, this makes even less sense to me because, even though I techincally am not supposed to use any Spanish at school, I end up doing a lot of translating for both the teachers and the kids all the time. And..the kids ask me for translations...and I give them to them...yet they still don't know that I speak Spanish!
I just find this hilarious- I think they have just identified me completely with English, and even if its obvious that I speak Spanish, some of them keep forgetting that. Now, I guess that's not necessarily bad, because of course, I do want them to speak to me in English so that they can improve and become more comfortable with their language skills. And they are SUPPOSED to identify me with English...so, I'm not necessarily complaining, just reflecting I suppose.....
Anyway, I suppose thats enough reflecting for now. Feel free to provide your thoughts :)
Monday, December 13, 2010
December in Madrid
Well..it's certainly that time of year- its a few weeks before winter break and everyone is getting restless and excited for the holiday. Madrid is pretty this time of year, with all the Christmas displays and lights- its certainly quite festive. I certainly prefer the springtime when its warm and sunny, but there's definitely something beautiful about all the festive, winter decorations. Its pretty hard for me to believe that two years ago, when I was studying abroad, I would already be going home by now (actually, it was exactly 2 years ago, on December 13th, that I left Spain and returned to the US- WOW). On the one hand, I feel like I've been here a long time- i feel quite settled into my life here and it more or less feels like home. At the same time though, I can't believe I've already lived here for three and a half months (AND that i still have six more months!)
This whole experience is still a bit unreal- its like having two different lives at the same time. On the one hand, I'm still the same person here that I am back home and of course, I still talk to my family and friends back in the States. At the same time, I feel like the life I have here is so different from my life back home, like this year is just some strange pause from "real" life....it's a strange feeling for sure, one that I'm having trouble expressing (as is probably obvious right about now). Anyway...thats probably enough philosiphizing for now- on to other things...
School has been pretty busy lately. Our Global Classrooms project is taking up a lot of my time, now that we have our topics and countries, we have been working with the students a lot to begin to teach them about the topics. We were given two topics to work with (Children in Armed Conflicts and Trafficking of Wild Animals), so some students will be debating one, and some will be debating the other.
I have also had to do my first round of actual evaluations, which is rather tough! On the one hand, I don't want to be too easy on the kids, because I want to show some of the slackers that they are only going to earn the grades that they deserve. Also, I want to kids to know that I DO in fact have some real authority, because sometimes they tend to forget that! At the same time, I feel bad being really harsh (the Spanish grading system is different than the one in the US; there is much less grade inflation, so really low grades are much more common). Anyway, I'm trying hard to find a good balance, as always...
This past weekend, although I did have a bunch of work to do, I also had a chance to enjoy many of the fun things that Madrid has to offer. I had a REAL Spanish weekend experience, and went out every night! (which takes quite a lot of stamina, when you stay out soooo late, I've come to realize...)
Each night I spent time with a different group of friends, which was really nice (my Fulbright friends, Ruth and my Spanish friends, and some new friends!) The new friends included a girl that Kelly and I met in Sevilla...she lives here in Madrid and invited us out with her and her friends. Even though I already have a nice group of friends here, its always nice to meet new people and find new things to do. I hope we will hang out with them again- they were all really nice. Actually, some of them are poets of sorts and invited Kelly and I to a poetry recitation (I guess like a poetry slam?) that they are participating in tonight. So, we are planning to go; I figured-its something different to try out.
I also finally made it to the Prado Museum this weekend (for the first time!) For those of you who don't know, the Prado is one of the biggest, most famous museums in Madrid, kind of the equivalent of the Louvre in Paris or the Met in NY. I had been meaning to go for weeks now and finally got around to it! It was really fun- saw a lot of the Spanish greats (Velazquez, El Greco, Ribera, Goya etc) and also lots of other 16th-19th century art. There was also a special exhibit on Renoir, who is one of my all-time favorite artists, so I especially enjoyed that. We also had a nice warm spell this weekend, so it was nice to be able to walk outside a little less bundled up than I am used to.
I can't believe i only have two more weeks before winter break (and before my family comes to vist!) I can't wait!! These will be a busy two weeks but after that, two whole weeks of vacation to look forward to!! Wooo :)
This whole experience is still a bit unreal- its like having two different lives at the same time. On the one hand, I'm still the same person here that I am back home and of course, I still talk to my family and friends back in the States. At the same time, I feel like the life I have here is so different from my life back home, like this year is just some strange pause from "real" life....it's a strange feeling for sure, one that I'm having trouble expressing (as is probably obvious right about now). Anyway...thats probably enough philosiphizing for now- on to other things...
School has been pretty busy lately. Our Global Classrooms project is taking up a lot of my time, now that we have our topics and countries, we have been working with the students a lot to begin to teach them about the topics. We were given two topics to work with (Children in Armed Conflicts and Trafficking of Wild Animals), so some students will be debating one, and some will be debating the other.
I have also had to do my first round of actual evaluations, which is rather tough! On the one hand, I don't want to be too easy on the kids, because I want to show some of the slackers that they are only going to earn the grades that they deserve. Also, I want to kids to know that I DO in fact have some real authority, because sometimes they tend to forget that! At the same time, I feel bad being really harsh (the Spanish grading system is different than the one in the US; there is much less grade inflation, so really low grades are much more common). Anyway, I'm trying hard to find a good balance, as always...
This past weekend, although I did have a bunch of work to do, I also had a chance to enjoy many of the fun things that Madrid has to offer. I had a REAL Spanish weekend experience, and went out every night! (which takes quite a lot of stamina, when you stay out soooo late, I've come to realize...)
Each night I spent time with a different group of friends, which was really nice (my Fulbright friends, Ruth and my Spanish friends, and some new friends!) The new friends included a girl that Kelly and I met in Sevilla...she lives here in Madrid and invited us out with her and her friends. Even though I already have a nice group of friends here, its always nice to meet new people and find new things to do. I hope we will hang out with them again- they were all really nice. Actually, some of them are poets of sorts and invited Kelly and I to a poetry recitation (I guess like a poetry slam?) that they are participating in tonight. So, we are planning to go; I figured-its something different to try out.
I also finally made it to the Prado Museum this weekend (for the first time!) For those of you who don't know, the Prado is one of the biggest, most famous museums in Madrid, kind of the equivalent of the Louvre in Paris or the Met in NY. I had been meaning to go for weeks now and finally got around to it! It was really fun- saw a lot of the Spanish greats (Velazquez, El Greco, Ribera, Goya etc) and also lots of other 16th-19th century art. There was also a special exhibit on Renoir, who is one of my all-time favorite artists, so I especially enjoyed that. We also had a nice warm spell this weekend, so it was nice to be able to walk outside a little less bundled up than I am used to.
I can't believe i only have two more weeks before winter break (and before my family comes to vist!) I can't wait!! These will be a busy two weeks but after that, two whole weeks of vacation to look forward to!! Wooo :)
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
La vuelta a Sevilla! (The return to Sevilla)
This past weekend (well, fri-tues am, since we had yet another holiday here in Spain!), my friend Kelly and I went to Sevilla. It was my first time back since I had studied abroad there two years ago, so it was a really special trip for me. We had a wonderful time, really got to enjoy everything great about the city and it made me really happy to be back in what i consider to be a home away from home.
On Friday, we had great sunny weather (much warmer than Madrid) and we spent the day just walking around the city, seeing all the main sites. We were staying in a hostel right by the Cathedral, so we were in a great location. We walked all through the center of the city-by the cathedral, the university, avenida de la Constiutucion, Plaza Nueva, Calle Sierpes etc. We had chocoloate and churros in the morning and a nice menu del dia for lunch. We walked around Plaza de Espana and then walked along the river, taking beautiful pictures of the sunset. We crossed the bridge into Triana and saw all the Christmas lights and then walked back towards the cathedral and found a nice place to get some tapas for dinner. At night, our hostel had arranged a pub crawl and we went to several different bars and a discoteca with a whole bunch of people from our hostel and other nearby hostels. It was really fun to experience the Sevilla nightlife once again, and to meet travellers from all over the world- we talked with other Americans, as well as people from Italy, Spain, Brazil, Scotland, England, Denmark, the Netherlands etc....it was a really great day!!
Saturday we toured the cathedral and climbed the Giralda (the big tower) and got a beautiful view of the city. We had another great Spanish-style lunch and then took a walk down memory lane...the walk from the center of the city to Julia's apartment (Julia was my host mom in Sevilla two years ago)!! It was very nostalgic to repeat that walk that I did every single weekday while i was living in Sevilla..and in the end, I remembered it perfectly! It felt like such a familiar path, even though it had been two years since i had been there! We ended up spending 2.5 hours with Julia- which was great! We talked about basically everything under the sun...caught up on our lives and shared lots of laughs. I also got to see Julia's daughter, son-in-law, sister, and brother-in-law, which was really nice. It was so great to see her again and she was just as sweet as always!!
The great night continued as we went back to the hostel and headed to a flamenco show arranged by the hostel staff. The show was awesome-the dancers and musicians were amazingly talented!!
On Sunday, the weather changed for the worse and it basically rained all day. So, we decided to go to the contemporary art museum in the morning...seemed like a good rainy day activity. We had mixed feelings about the museum-it was full of strange videos (very contemporary), which aren't really my style, but there were also some really cool and interesting pieces. We found another great place to have lunch after the museum, and then just walked around and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. We decided to go out that night with the people from the hostel again, since it was so fun the other night, and since it provided us with a guide to show us the best places to go!! We met lots of interesting people and it was another great night!
Monday was another really fun day...we spent a very typical Spanish afternoon with 2 Sevillanos, which was great. Kelly's aunt used to live in Spain and still has some very close friends here. One of her closest friends is from Sevilla...and so we met up with him and his friend for the afternoon. We went to the Archivo de las Indias and saw a cool exhibit on pirates in Spanish America (back during colonial times) and then proceeded to have a long afternoon full of drinks and food. We first went to a typical outdoor bar, which was full of people chatting and enjoying their day off. Then we went to another place with great tapas...also quite crowded! The afternoon continued as we sipped some cafe in another bar..and then continued even longer as we had some post-coffee drinks (apparently thats very typical!) It was really fun to just have a relaxing afternoon, chatting and enjoying ourselves. That night, we relaxed a bit at the hostel, hanging out with some of our new friends, enjoyed some more great food, and went out for a bit with some of the other hostel guests.
And finally, tues am, we woke up bright and early and caught the train back to Madrid. It was SUCH a great trip; I'm soo glad we decided to go! And who knows..maybe i'll be back again soon..after all, its not too far away!!!
On Friday, we had great sunny weather (much warmer than Madrid) and we spent the day just walking around the city, seeing all the main sites. We were staying in a hostel right by the Cathedral, so we were in a great location. We walked all through the center of the city-by the cathedral, the university, avenida de la Constiutucion, Plaza Nueva, Calle Sierpes etc. We had chocoloate and churros in the morning and a nice menu del dia for lunch. We walked around Plaza de Espana and then walked along the river, taking beautiful pictures of the sunset. We crossed the bridge into Triana and saw all the Christmas lights and then walked back towards the cathedral and found a nice place to get some tapas for dinner. At night, our hostel had arranged a pub crawl and we went to several different bars and a discoteca with a whole bunch of people from our hostel and other nearby hostels. It was really fun to experience the Sevilla nightlife once again, and to meet travellers from all over the world- we talked with other Americans, as well as people from Italy, Spain, Brazil, Scotland, England, Denmark, the Netherlands etc....it was a really great day!!
Saturday we toured the cathedral and climbed the Giralda (the big tower) and got a beautiful view of the city. We had another great Spanish-style lunch and then took a walk down memory lane...the walk from the center of the city to Julia's apartment (Julia was my host mom in Sevilla two years ago)!! It was very nostalgic to repeat that walk that I did every single weekday while i was living in Sevilla..and in the end, I remembered it perfectly! It felt like such a familiar path, even though it had been two years since i had been there! We ended up spending 2.5 hours with Julia- which was great! We talked about basically everything under the sun...caught up on our lives and shared lots of laughs. I also got to see Julia's daughter, son-in-law, sister, and brother-in-law, which was really nice. It was so great to see her again and she was just as sweet as always!!
The great night continued as we went back to the hostel and headed to a flamenco show arranged by the hostel staff. The show was awesome-the dancers and musicians were amazingly talented!!
On Sunday, the weather changed for the worse and it basically rained all day. So, we decided to go to the contemporary art museum in the morning...seemed like a good rainy day activity. We had mixed feelings about the museum-it was full of strange videos (very contemporary), which aren't really my style, but there were also some really cool and interesting pieces. We found another great place to have lunch after the museum, and then just walked around and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. We decided to go out that night with the people from the hostel again, since it was so fun the other night, and since it provided us with a guide to show us the best places to go!! We met lots of interesting people and it was another great night!
Monday was another really fun day...we spent a very typical Spanish afternoon with 2 Sevillanos, which was great. Kelly's aunt used to live in Spain and still has some very close friends here. One of her closest friends is from Sevilla...and so we met up with him and his friend for the afternoon. We went to the Archivo de las Indias and saw a cool exhibit on pirates in Spanish America (back during colonial times) and then proceeded to have a long afternoon full of drinks and food. We first went to a typical outdoor bar, which was full of people chatting and enjoying their day off. Then we went to another place with great tapas...also quite crowded! The afternoon continued as we sipped some cafe in another bar..and then continued even longer as we had some post-coffee drinks (apparently thats very typical!) It was really fun to just have a relaxing afternoon, chatting and enjoying ourselves. That night, we relaxed a bit at the hostel, hanging out with some of our new friends, enjoyed some more great food, and went out for a bit with some of the other hostel guests.
And finally, tues am, we woke up bright and early and caught the train back to Madrid. It was SUCH a great trip; I'm soo glad we decided to go! And who knows..maybe i'll be back again soon..after all, its not too far away!!!
Friday, November 26, 2010
A successful Thanksgiving in Madrid
Last night, I celebrated my second Thanskgiving away from home (the first time was two years ago, when I was studying abroad). It was a very unique and interesting experience, so I wanted to reflect on it now, before I forgot all of the details.
Two years ago, I went to Prague with a Duke program during Thanksgiving, so I had a traditional, sit-down Thanksgiving meal with about 20 other Duke students at a restaurant in Prague. That was certainly an unforgettable experience, but of course, I didn't have to think about cooking or making plans, because the plans were sort of made for me. This time around, things were different; I wanted to be sure to celebrate Thanksgiving, in one way or another, with my "family" here in Spain.
My friend Christina proposed having a Thanksgiving meal at her house and inviting a bunch of our American friends, as well as some other non-American friends, who have never experienced Thanksgiving before. I immediately thought it was a great idea. I had been feeling a bit homesick lately (I think the combination of the time of year and being sick can do that to you!) so it really made me happy to think that I would still be doing something special for Thanksgiving, even if I wasn't going to be at home with my family, like usual.
The plan was to do a sort of potluck- everyone would bring one of their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, given that they could find the ingredients here in Spain (which proved to be more difficult than one might expect!) My roommate Ruth, for whom this was her first ever Thanksgiving meal, was quite nervous about the whole thing. However, I reassured her that this experience was very new for almost all of us too. I know I, at least, have never really cooked a Thanksgiving meal before. Of course, I'm usually in the house when my mom is cooking, and I help out a bit here and there, but I've never been in charge of preparing the meal myself (nor have i ever prepared it with friends). So, basically, although I'm of course much more familiar with the holiday and the typical foods than Ruth, I also didn't really know what to expect.
I told Christina that I would bring a festive salad (complete with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, raisins, walnuts, garbanzo beans...) because I figured no one else would think to bring that. I also went to Christina's apartment a few hours early to help out with misc cooking tasks. Christina was able to find a turkey at the Corte Ingles (the big department store here)...none of the normal supermarkets carry turkeys! When I arrived at her apartment at 5:15, the raw turkey was still sitting in a bag, and Christina and her roommates were still preparing the stuffing to put inside. So, we were a bit delayed (the goal was to have the turkey in the oven at 4, but since Christina didnt end up getting home from work until 4, that wasn't exactly possible). Anyway, I rushed to help finish up with the stuffing, and in a few minutes, Christina and I were walking across the street with a raw turkey and two tupperwares of stuffing in hand.
Now- you might ask, why were walking across the street with all of this food? Well, Christina doesn't actually have an oven in her apartment. But, her landlord lives just around the corner, and was nice enough to let us use her oven! So, we arrive at the landlord's house, take out the turkey, clean it, and attempt to figure out what to do with the huge bird. I have never cooked a turkey before and Christina is a vegetarian, so it was quite a hilarious situation. But, sure enough, we figured it out, with the help of a recipe and some online videos, and stuffed that bird with our stuffing, and got it into the oven as quick as possible. Then...the mad dash back to Christina's apartment to help her roommates with the rest of the food.
Over the next few hours we (Christina, George (another Fulbright), Christina's roommates and I) were busy at work, chopping and preparing all sorts of vegetables- mushrooms with onions, green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, and squash. The kitchen was quite hectic, to say the least. At the same time, it was really fun to be there with friends, all cooking together and preparing for the rest of the guests. Christina had invited everyone to come at 8 pm, and we knew that the turkey was now not going to be ready until about 10. So...we were a little worried, but decided that most people would arrive late anyway (everyone was doing last minute cooking, plus we are all on Spanish time now!). Anyway, at 7:40, we were just finishing up all of the vegetable dishes, and ran back over to the neighbor's house to check on the bird. As expected, it was still quite raw, so we came back to Christinas place to attempt to tidy up a bit.
Next, another Fulbrighter, Jason, came over, and the two of us prepared some hot wine on the stove. Christina and i had really enjoyed this yummy drink in Budapest and had decided that it would be fun to make for Thanksgiving (its basically red wine, brandy, cinnamon, sugar, oranges, cloves all heated up on the stove). Luckily for us, everyone was late, as we had predicted. At about 8:30, the guests started to arrive. Several other Fulbrighters came, all bearing different Thanksgiving treats (Kelly, Noel, Kara, Cassandra) and Ruth arrived as well, with her first ever corn bread in hand!!! (which turned out great! yayy Ruth!)
I was absolutely amazed at the spread we had. We were unsure whether or not we would have enough food (we were 13 people in total), but it turned out great! By the time everyone got there, our table consisted of the following items: lots of stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, mushrooms and onions, salad, green bean cassarole, corn bread, two different kinds of sweet potatoes, squash, deviled eggs, and three different pies for dessert!) It was about 9 pm, and we knew we still had about an hour to wait for the turkey, so we decided we could all start eating the other foods, while they were warm, and go back for seconds by the time the turkey arrived. So, we all dug in..and the food was all great!! I was so impressed with all of us :) All of the non-Americans (Ruth, Christina's roommates (a British guy, a Belgian girl and a French girl) and another Mexican friend) all really enjoyed the food as well! It was also just really fun to be relaxing and lauging amongst good friends. It felt really good to share such a wonderful holiday with other people who had never experienced it before. I think they all really appreciated what a nice day it is!
At around 10 pm, Jason, Christina, and George went across the street to check on the turkey. After a few minutes, when they hadn't returned yet, we were starting to get a little worried. But sure enough, a few minutes later, they walked through the door, golden turkey in hand, and all hysterically lauging. I really wish I could have seen the scene they described. Picture this- three 22 year olds walking across the street in Madrid at 10 pm, carrying a huge turkey in a pan (or course, there wasn't really any way to cover the turkey). Apparently, EVERYONE in the street was staring at them and pointing, laughing, oohing and aweing. Apparently some people even congratulated them! I'm pretty sure most of them didn't realize the turkey was for Thanksgiving and also probably didn't understand why they were carrying a huge turkey outside, so i can only imagine how funny that must have been!
So, the turkey arrived AND...it turned out great too!! Christina and I were worried that it would be dry, because we werent really sure that we had done enough to season it. But, it was actually really good; everyone really liked it!! We did a really good job with the food- there were some leftovers, but we ate most of it! The hot wine also went over really well :) We all talked about our different Thanksgiving traditions and even spoke about how thankful we were to have the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving in Spain with people we care about :)
A little later..it was time for dessert! I was already completely stuffed..but that is a sign of a good Thanksgiving, right? We told all the non-Americans that if there is one day when you are not allowed to worry about how much you are eating, it's Thanksgiving!! Of course..at home, I would have eaten a lot earlier, and had a few hours to sit on the couch watching football or whatever else! Anyway, we had three different wonderful pies- a pumpkin pie, a pumpkin walnut pie, and a pecan pie. And, someone even brought ice cream! The desserts were all wonderful, just like all the other food!
Around midnight, the celebration began to wind down and people started to head out (some people were even travelling the next morning!) Over all, it was a really wonderful night- the whole experience made me feel really at home, which is hard when you are thousands of miles from home during such a family-orientated holiday like Thanksgiving. While I'm excited to be home again for Thanksgiving next year, I will never forget this very special Thanksgiving that I celebrated here in Madrid.
Ohhh and I almost forgot- we might be having a Thanksgiving 2 soon, because all of my other Spanish friends are anxious to experience the holiday as well (and im sure after Ruth raves about all of the food, they will be even more excited!) Soooo..we'll see what happens! Anywayyy....happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
Two years ago, I went to Prague with a Duke program during Thanksgiving, so I had a traditional, sit-down Thanksgiving meal with about 20 other Duke students at a restaurant in Prague. That was certainly an unforgettable experience, but of course, I didn't have to think about cooking or making plans, because the plans were sort of made for me. This time around, things were different; I wanted to be sure to celebrate Thanksgiving, in one way or another, with my "family" here in Spain.
My friend Christina proposed having a Thanksgiving meal at her house and inviting a bunch of our American friends, as well as some other non-American friends, who have never experienced Thanksgiving before. I immediately thought it was a great idea. I had been feeling a bit homesick lately (I think the combination of the time of year and being sick can do that to you!) so it really made me happy to think that I would still be doing something special for Thanksgiving, even if I wasn't going to be at home with my family, like usual.
The plan was to do a sort of potluck- everyone would bring one of their favorite Thanksgiving dishes, given that they could find the ingredients here in Spain (which proved to be more difficult than one might expect!) My roommate Ruth, for whom this was her first ever Thanksgiving meal, was quite nervous about the whole thing. However, I reassured her that this experience was very new for almost all of us too. I know I, at least, have never really cooked a Thanksgiving meal before. Of course, I'm usually in the house when my mom is cooking, and I help out a bit here and there, but I've never been in charge of preparing the meal myself (nor have i ever prepared it with friends). So, basically, although I'm of course much more familiar with the holiday and the typical foods than Ruth, I also didn't really know what to expect.
I told Christina that I would bring a festive salad (complete with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, raisins, walnuts, garbanzo beans...) because I figured no one else would think to bring that. I also went to Christina's apartment a few hours early to help out with misc cooking tasks. Christina was able to find a turkey at the Corte Ingles (the big department store here)...none of the normal supermarkets carry turkeys! When I arrived at her apartment at 5:15, the raw turkey was still sitting in a bag, and Christina and her roommates were still preparing the stuffing to put inside. So, we were a bit delayed (the goal was to have the turkey in the oven at 4, but since Christina didnt end up getting home from work until 4, that wasn't exactly possible). Anyway, I rushed to help finish up with the stuffing, and in a few minutes, Christina and I were walking across the street with a raw turkey and two tupperwares of stuffing in hand.
Now- you might ask, why were walking across the street with all of this food? Well, Christina doesn't actually have an oven in her apartment. But, her landlord lives just around the corner, and was nice enough to let us use her oven! So, we arrive at the landlord's house, take out the turkey, clean it, and attempt to figure out what to do with the huge bird. I have never cooked a turkey before and Christina is a vegetarian, so it was quite a hilarious situation. But, sure enough, we figured it out, with the help of a recipe and some online videos, and stuffed that bird with our stuffing, and got it into the oven as quick as possible. Then...the mad dash back to Christina's apartment to help her roommates with the rest of the food.
Over the next few hours we (Christina, George (another Fulbright), Christina's roommates and I) were busy at work, chopping and preparing all sorts of vegetables- mushrooms with onions, green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, and squash. The kitchen was quite hectic, to say the least. At the same time, it was really fun to be there with friends, all cooking together and preparing for the rest of the guests. Christina had invited everyone to come at 8 pm, and we knew that the turkey was now not going to be ready until about 10. So...we were a little worried, but decided that most people would arrive late anyway (everyone was doing last minute cooking, plus we are all on Spanish time now!). Anyway, at 7:40, we were just finishing up all of the vegetable dishes, and ran back over to the neighbor's house to check on the bird. As expected, it was still quite raw, so we came back to Christinas place to attempt to tidy up a bit.
Next, another Fulbrighter, Jason, came over, and the two of us prepared some hot wine on the stove. Christina and i had really enjoyed this yummy drink in Budapest and had decided that it would be fun to make for Thanksgiving (its basically red wine, brandy, cinnamon, sugar, oranges, cloves all heated up on the stove). Luckily for us, everyone was late, as we had predicted. At about 8:30, the guests started to arrive. Several other Fulbrighters came, all bearing different Thanksgiving treats (Kelly, Noel, Kara, Cassandra) and Ruth arrived as well, with her first ever corn bread in hand!!! (which turned out great! yayy Ruth!)
I was absolutely amazed at the spread we had. We were unsure whether or not we would have enough food (we were 13 people in total), but it turned out great! By the time everyone got there, our table consisted of the following items: lots of stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, mushrooms and onions, salad, green bean cassarole, corn bread, two different kinds of sweet potatoes, squash, deviled eggs, and three different pies for dessert!) It was about 9 pm, and we knew we still had about an hour to wait for the turkey, so we decided we could all start eating the other foods, while they were warm, and go back for seconds by the time the turkey arrived. So, we all dug in..and the food was all great!! I was so impressed with all of us :) All of the non-Americans (Ruth, Christina's roommates (a British guy, a Belgian girl and a French girl) and another Mexican friend) all really enjoyed the food as well! It was also just really fun to be relaxing and lauging amongst good friends. It felt really good to share such a wonderful holiday with other people who had never experienced it before. I think they all really appreciated what a nice day it is!
At around 10 pm, Jason, Christina, and George went across the street to check on the turkey. After a few minutes, when they hadn't returned yet, we were starting to get a little worried. But sure enough, a few minutes later, they walked through the door, golden turkey in hand, and all hysterically lauging. I really wish I could have seen the scene they described. Picture this- three 22 year olds walking across the street in Madrid at 10 pm, carrying a huge turkey in a pan (or course, there wasn't really any way to cover the turkey). Apparently, EVERYONE in the street was staring at them and pointing, laughing, oohing and aweing. Apparently some people even congratulated them! I'm pretty sure most of them didn't realize the turkey was for Thanksgiving and also probably didn't understand why they were carrying a huge turkey outside, so i can only imagine how funny that must have been!
So, the turkey arrived AND...it turned out great too!! Christina and I were worried that it would be dry, because we werent really sure that we had done enough to season it. But, it was actually really good; everyone really liked it!! We did a really good job with the food- there were some leftovers, but we ate most of it! The hot wine also went over really well :) We all talked about our different Thanksgiving traditions and even spoke about how thankful we were to have the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving in Spain with people we care about :)
A little later..it was time for dessert! I was already completely stuffed..but that is a sign of a good Thanksgiving, right? We told all the non-Americans that if there is one day when you are not allowed to worry about how much you are eating, it's Thanksgiving!! Of course..at home, I would have eaten a lot earlier, and had a few hours to sit on the couch watching football or whatever else! Anyway, we had three different wonderful pies- a pumpkin pie, a pumpkin walnut pie, and a pecan pie. And, someone even brought ice cream! The desserts were all wonderful, just like all the other food!
Around midnight, the celebration began to wind down and people started to head out (some people were even travelling the next morning!) Over all, it was a really wonderful night- the whole experience made me feel really at home, which is hard when you are thousands of miles from home during such a family-orientated holiday like Thanksgiving. While I'm excited to be home again for Thanksgiving next year, I will never forget this very special Thanksgiving that I celebrated here in Madrid.
Ohhh and I almost forgot- we might be having a Thanksgiving 2 soon, because all of my other Spanish friends are anxious to experience the holiday as well (and im sure after Ruth raves about all of the food, they will be even more excited!) Soooo..we'll see what happens! Anywayyy....happy Thanksgiving everyone!!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Budapest! (With a short stop in Milan)
This weekend was quite the adventure! My friend (I should say- my VERY adventurous friend) Christina and I went to Budapest. But first...we went to Milan...for a few hours! We started our trip with a shaky start- it wasn't the BEST time for us to be travelling; I was feeling sick and Christina was really busy and stressed w/ grad school apps, but we were both troopers and decided we would go anyway and try our best to enjoy. Anyway, we flew to Milan on Thursday night and didn't leave for Budapest until 7 am. So, we decided we would take advantage and go into Milan for a few hours, instead of just hanging out in the airport. However, by the time we made it to Milan, it was already almost midnight. Anddd...although Christina swore that something would be open (its a city right? like Madrid? of course we will find food at midnight!), it turned out that the city was quite dead.
We did get to see the Duomo (the main cathedral/square in Milan) and a bit of the center of the city, which was pretty cool. However, we couldn't find any open restaurants or bars. So, we decided we would just head back to the bus station and then back to the airport. However, it turned out that we had misread the bus schedule and long story short....the 1:20 am bus that we thought we would take did not exist, and the next bus wasn't until 4:15. So, we had to figure out what to do with ourselves for three hours in a city that was cold, pretty dead, with very little open. Luckily, the bus station was close to a bunch of hotels, and a nice hotel receptionist agreed to let us chill on the couch in the lobby while we waited for our bus. That was quite the relief! So...we spent 2.5 hours in a hotel lobby...I was drifting in and out of sleep while Christina was working on her computer and we were occasionally laughing (in our deliriously tired state) about our crazy, adventerous night.
Anyway, we made it back to the bus and to the airport, and on our way to Budapest. When we first arrived, the weather was pretty crummy (cold and rainy), but we still managed to enjoy our day. We went on a hop-on, hop-off bus, which took us all around the city, to all of the main sites. Budapest is divided into two parts (Buda and Pest, which are divided by the Danube River). The bus tour took us to all the main sites on both sides of the city, and we also went on a boat tour on the Danube. We learned all about the history and culture of Budapest, which was really interesting! The Buda side of the city is the hilly part, which is where the famous Fisherman's Bastion is, and where you can see an amazing panoramic view of the city. On our way up the hill, we also saw the Parliament building, which was an absolutley beautiful building and is one of the largest Parliament buildings in the world.
We also went past several other impressive monuments on both the bus and boat tours, including the famous medicinal baths (Budapest has the largest medicinal bath in Europe). We took a long walk across the famous Chain Bridge (one of the many bridges that divides the two parts of the city), and got some great views of the entire city (although the pictures would have certainly been better if the weather had been sunnier!).
At this point, we were exhausted and hungry...we made our way back to the Pest part of the city, where we found what they call "Fashion Street," which is a very popular pedestrian street with lots of shops and restaurants. We found a nice restaurant, where we had some traditinal Hungarian food (goulash soup, some sort of Chicken/pasta dish, and a Hungarian crepe-like dessert). After lunch, we walked around the area a bit and then came across the annnual Christmas market. We got really lucky- the Christmas market opened the day we arrived- and it was probably one of our favorite parts of the weekend. The market was full of traditional foods and desserts, hot wine (one of our favorite parts of the weekend!), and all sorts of great gifts, artwork etc. We walked around for awhile and snacked a bit before we decided we were so exhausted that we needed to walk back to our hostel. So, we got back early, hit the sack, and called it a night.
The next day- we had much more energy, and certainly made the most of our time. We left the hostel at 9 am and didn't come back again until after 11 pm!! First, we walked down Andrassy ut, which is the main, famous street in Pest. We walked along the street, away from our hostel, towards Hero's Square. Along the way, we saw all sorts of beautiful houses and buildings. Then, we arrived at Heros Square, which is a monument for Hungarian soldiers that have died during the various wars. Also at the same square are two different, beautiful mesuem buildings. And, right behind the square, there was a beautiful old castle and a nice, big park, where we walked around for a bit. After we finished touring that area, we walked toured the Dohany Street Synagogue, which is the largest synagogue in Europe! Since it was Saturday, we were unable to go inside, but just the outside of the building was quite impressive! It was absolutely beautiful!
Next, we went back to the Christmas market to do a little shopping, now that we had a little more energy to think about what we wanted. We both bought some great gifts :) We also ate some traditional Hungarian snacks for lunch- I had a kebab with chicken, onions, and some other substance that we were unable to identify (not sure i want to know?), and we shared this really yummy sweet dough- it was basically dough rolled in cinnamon, sugar, walnuts etc (delicious!)
After the Christmas market, we walked to the Opera building, which is another amazing site in Budapest! We took a tour of the building, which was really great, and learned all about its history (even learned that Franz Liszt was the director there for a few years). Then, we walked back towards the market (Christina still had some gifts to get), and sat for a bit, talking with some other Americans we met there. Then, we walked along the Fashion street again, and found a nice restaurant on a side street, where we had some more great tradtional food. I had pumpkin soup and stuffed cabbage. Christina also had the soup and had a pasta and mushroom dish. After dinner, we walked along the water, but in another part of the city that we hadn't seen before. We wandered around for quite awhile, before heading back towards our hostel.
And, near our hostel, there was this really cool outdoor food and wine market going on. There were all these stands set up where they were selling all different types of wine and also different foods, buffet style. So, we decided to sit and enjoy another cup of that hot wine we enjoyed so much, and take in the ambience. Eventually, after our long and exhausting day, we made it back to the hostel and called it a night.
Sunday morning, we woke up and took a short walk around the area where our hostel was (in another direction, where we hadn't walked before). We found a cafe to have some breakfast, and then we headed to the airport. Our trip back was another adventure. We were flying from Budapest to Munich, and then on to Madrid, but had a very short layover. We knew that even if our first flight was on time, it would be pretty tight. So, our flight did leave on time (more or less), but we still ended up landing about five minutes late. Then, it turned out that we needed to take a bus to the terminal (which adds about five mins) and we needed to wait for everyone to get on the bus (another 2-3 mins), and as you know if you have ever ran through an airport trying to make a connection (or if you have ever missed a flight that way), you know that 7-8 minutes makes a big difference in these situations.
So, by the time we got to the terminal, it was already 2:40 (or maybe later?) and our flight was supposed to leave at 2:50. We dashed across the airport towards our gate, with the hope that we might get lucky. AND, it turned out, that when we arrived, completely out of breath, that the flight hadn't even started boarding yet! (delayed for one reason or another). So, we made it back to Madrid as planned...and although i came back still sick and a bit stressed with a lot of things to do, I realized that I'm really glad I went on this trip (i had considered not going at one point, because i hadn't been feeling well). I thought about it- when again am i going to go to budapest for the weekend? So...this week will be a bit hectic, but its totally worth it for this incredible adventure of a weekend that Christina and I shared :)
Anywayy..i know this is a long entry, but i just had sooo much to say! I hope I didnt forget too much (i'm sure there are plenty of things I left out...Christina can add if she thinks of anything!)
We did get to see the Duomo (the main cathedral/square in Milan) and a bit of the center of the city, which was pretty cool. However, we couldn't find any open restaurants or bars. So, we decided we would just head back to the bus station and then back to the airport. However, it turned out that we had misread the bus schedule and long story short....the 1:20 am bus that we thought we would take did not exist, and the next bus wasn't until 4:15. So, we had to figure out what to do with ourselves for three hours in a city that was cold, pretty dead, with very little open. Luckily, the bus station was close to a bunch of hotels, and a nice hotel receptionist agreed to let us chill on the couch in the lobby while we waited for our bus. That was quite the relief! So...we spent 2.5 hours in a hotel lobby...I was drifting in and out of sleep while Christina was working on her computer and we were occasionally laughing (in our deliriously tired state) about our crazy, adventerous night.
Anyway, we made it back to the bus and to the airport, and on our way to Budapest. When we first arrived, the weather was pretty crummy (cold and rainy), but we still managed to enjoy our day. We went on a hop-on, hop-off bus, which took us all around the city, to all of the main sites. Budapest is divided into two parts (Buda and Pest, which are divided by the Danube River). The bus tour took us to all the main sites on both sides of the city, and we also went on a boat tour on the Danube. We learned all about the history and culture of Budapest, which was really interesting! The Buda side of the city is the hilly part, which is where the famous Fisherman's Bastion is, and where you can see an amazing panoramic view of the city. On our way up the hill, we also saw the Parliament building, which was an absolutley beautiful building and is one of the largest Parliament buildings in the world.
We also went past several other impressive monuments on both the bus and boat tours, including the famous medicinal baths (Budapest has the largest medicinal bath in Europe). We took a long walk across the famous Chain Bridge (one of the many bridges that divides the two parts of the city), and got some great views of the entire city (although the pictures would have certainly been better if the weather had been sunnier!).
At this point, we were exhausted and hungry...we made our way back to the Pest part of the city, where we found what they call "Fashion Street," which is a very popular pedestrian street with lots of shops and restaurants. We found a nice restaurant, where we had some traditinal Hungarian food (goulash soup, some sort of Chicken/pasta dish, and a Hungarian crepe-like dessert). After lunch, we walked around the area a bit and then came across the annnual Christmas market. We got really lucky- the Christmas market opened the day we arrived- and it was probably one of our favorite parts of the weekend. The market was full of traditional foods and desserts, hot wine (one of our favorite parts of the weekend!), and all sorts of great gifts, artwork etc. We walked around for awhile and snacked a bit before we decided we were so exhausted that we needed to walk back to our hostel. So, we got back early, hit the sack, and called it a night.
The next day- we had much more energy, and certainly made the most of our time. We left the hostel at 9 am and didn't come back again until after 11 pm!! First, we walked down Andrassy ut, which is the main, famous street in Pest. We walked along the street, away from our hostel, towards Hero's Square. Along the way, we saw all sorts of beautiful houses and buildings. Then, we arrived at Heros Square, which is a monument for Hungarian soldiers that have died during the various wars. Also at the same square are two different, beautiful mesuem buildings. And, right behind the square, there was a beautiful old castle and a nice, big park, where we walked around for a bit. After we finished touring that area, we walked toured the Dohany Street Synagogue, which is the largest synagogue in Europe! Since it was Saturday, we were unable to go inside, but just the outside of the building was quite impressive! It was absolutely beautiful!
Next, we went back to the Christmas market to do a little shopping, now that we had a little more energy to think about what we wanted. We both bought some great gifts :) We also ate some traditional Hungarian snacks for lunch- I had a kebab with chicken, onions, and some other substance that we were unable to identify (not sure i want to know?), and we shared this really yummy sweet dough- it was basically dough rolled in cinnamon, sugar, walnuts etc (delicious!)
After the Christmas market, we walked to the Opera building, which is another amazing site in Budapest! We took a tour of the building, which was really great, and learned all about its history (even learned that Franz Liszt was the director there for a few years). Then, we walked back towards the market (Christina still had some gifts to get), and sat for a bit, talking with some other Americans we met there. Then, we walked along the Fashion street again, and found a nice restaurant on a side street, where we had some more great tradtional food. I had pumpkin soup and stuffed cabbage. Christina also had the soup and had a pasta and mushroom dish. After dinner, we walked along the water, but in another part of the city that we hadn't seen before. We wandered around for quite awhile, before heading back towards our hostel.
And, near our hostel, there was this really cool outdoor food and wine market going on. There were all these stands set up where they were selling all different types of wine and also different foods, buffet style. So, we decided to sit and enjoy another cup of that hot wine we enjoyed so much, and take in the ambience. Eventually, after our long and exhausting day, we made it back to the hostel and called it a night.
Sunday morning, we woke up and took a short walk around the area where our hostel was (in another direction, where we hadn't walked before). We found a cafe to have some breakfast, and then we headed to the airport. Our trip back was another adventure. We were flying from Budapest to Munich, and then on to Madrid, but had a very short layover. We knew that even if our first flight was on time, it would be pretty tight. So, our flight did leave on time (more or less), but we still ended up landing about five minutes late. Then, it turned out that we needed to take a bus to the terminal (which adds about five mins) and we needed to wait for everyone to get on the bus (another 2-3 mins), and as you know if you have ever ran through an airport trying to make a connection (or if you have ever missed a flight that way), you know that 7-8 minutes makes a big difference in these situations.
So, by the time we got to the terminal, it was already 2:40 (or maybe later?) and our flight was supposed to leave at 2:50. We dashed across the airport towards our gate, with the hope that we might get lucky. AND, it turned out, that when we arrived, completely out of breath, that the flight hadn't even started boarding yet! (delayed for one reason or another). So, we made it back to Madrid as planned...and although i came back still sick and a bit stressed with a lot of things to do, I realized that I'm really glad I went on this trip (i had considered not going at one point, because i hadn't been feeling well). I thought about it- when again am i going to go to budapest for the weekend? So...this week will be a bit hectic, but its totally worth it for this incredible adventure of a weekend that Christina and I shared :)
Anywayy..i know this is a long entry, but i just had sooo much to say! I hope I didnt forget too much (i'm sure there are plenty of things I left out...Christina can add if she thinks of anything!)
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