Back to life in Madrid!

It was pretty hard to get up this morning after such a busy weekend and only 5 hours of sleep last night, but somehow I managed! (quite grumpily...) Vivian was in a hurry to get to school because the had a quiz today. I'm sick of classes already haha I would rather just be a tourist! But I need the credit, and going to the museum so often for free is definitely a perk. Grammar was pretty normal. I hadn't had a chance to do the homework for today because our flight was so late last night, but luckily we didn't go over it in class, so I have another day to work on it. I've also got a composition due this week, and our midterm is Thursday. Midterms already! Wow, this trip has been so busy!! I can't believe it's almost half-over.

After grammar I went to Art History. Mondays are a bummer, because the museum is closed, so we have to have a lecture in the class room. We have sub this week because our usual professor is out of town. I almost fell asleep! Not because he was especially boring, but because I could really use a siesta today.

After classes I met up with Vivian and we took the metro back to the apartment. I checked email and facebook until La Comida was ready. It was pretty tasty! Ana makes a sort of cold egg salad with tomatoes and peas. I really like it! I want to put in on a sandwich, but I guess that's pretty American of me hahaha We also had Ana's variation of Shepherds pie. I had some in Australia last summer, but Ana's was really good too!

I was really looking forward to taking a long nap after La Comida, but I realized I had a flamenco lesson that I had signed up for at 4 today, so there wasn't time to sleep! Major bummer! But I figured, hey, I don't want to miss out on the opportunity! So I dragged myself back off my bed and out of the apartment. I bumped into someone else from the program who was looking for the same building as me, so we found it pretty easily together. I had been a little concerned about getting lost.

Flamenco is really interesting! It was at a restaurant, and I was glad it wasn't a dance studio with mirrors, because I don't think it would have been as fun if I had been watching myself! haha We learned a few steps, how to move our arms and hands, and how to stomp! My favorite part was learning how to use the castanuelas. I have always wondered how it's done, and now I know! I might buy myself some at one of the tourist shops in Sol :) They are pretty cool, and I want to show all my friends my mad skills when I get back!!

After Flamenco, the group went to go get some helado (ice cream). I had a flavor called Freddo Freddo. It looked like chocolate chip, but tasted a little different. I've been trying to order new flavors instead of the same thing I would order in the US, so it was a new experience!! When we walked away to head toward the metro station, I realized that I had left my Spanish phone sitting on the bench where we all ate our ice cream! After all the trouble I had gone through to put money on it! I was sure, after all the warnings we got about pickpockets, that it would have been stolen, but it was still right there!! I'm a very lucky girl!!

After that I didn't know how to get to the metro station, but it was so nice out today that I just walked around in that general direction and eventually found it. It was nice to walk around by myself a little.

Tonight I'm keeping it pretty low key. I'm still tired from this weekend, and I have my midterm Thursday, and another day trip on Friday. We are going to a place outside Madrid called Rascafría. We'll be visiting a monastery, and then some natural pools in the Lozoya River! Awesome :)

Sunday: Last Day in Oporto

We tried not to sleep in too late today because we wanted to go to the beach again before we left, but it was pretty hard not to after staying out so late last night!! Hayley and I made it down to breakfast before it closed, and I think Megan was able to grab something too. We went upstairs to change into our beach stuff and pack up our clothes. We had to vacate the beds by 12, but they let us keep our bags in a storage closet for the day while we went to the beach. They are so great! We caught the bus again. I've actually really enjoyed the bus rides here, aside from the fact that we've almost been in a couple accidents. We ride for about 20-30 minutes before we get to the beach (for about $2), and it's just nice to look out the window at the city.

The beach was, if possible, even windier today that it was on Friday. We tried to shelter ourselves by lying next to a really big rock, but we still got covered with sand, which was a bummer because we weren't able to shower until getting back to Spain.

We got pretty hungry, so for lunch we headed over to the same restaurant where we ate on Friday. We all ordered hot dogs because one of they guys last night had ordered one, and it was apparently amazing, so we were all craving one! When they brought them to us, it was essentially the same thing as the burger, minus the meatloaf patty and fried egg. No bun. Weird. But it was pretty good!

Hayley really wanted to surf while we were here, and I did too (as long as I could take a lesson), but it didn't end up working out. We couldn't find a school with lessons at the right time, and they wouldn't just rent us equipment. O well...maybe another time. We got some tasty gelado (i.e. soft-serve ice cream). We all got chocolate/banana swirl, and it was delicious :)

Then we hopped the bus and headed back to the hostel to change clothes and grab our bags before heading to the airport. We were pretty lucky, because as soon as we stepped out of the hostel and looked around for a cab, one pulled up out of nowhere! Just like magic! haha but he drove like a loon and we all held on for dear life. Our flight was at 8pm, so we got there around 6 only to find that we were delayed until 9 :( We got all checked in and through security, sat for a minute, and then went to get some dinner. I had pasta for the first time in about a week and a half! (hey, that's a lot for me...) I also accidentally bought a cheese sandwich that I had been looking at and set on my tray. Woops! It was tasty though. We all bought candy bars from the machine near our flight gate. I got a Mars Bar because I wanted to eat European things while I had the chance! It was good! Our flight ended up being pretty delayed...almost 2 hours! Hayley and Megan were seated together, but I got my own row. By the time we got back to Madrid, it was 12am! Megan and Hayley took the metro back to their apartment, but I felt uncomfortable walking from my metro stop to my apartment alone, so I took a cab. The cab driver didn't know where the Plaza where I live is, and had to look it up on his GPS. I wish he hadn't been driving when he did it!! ugh but finally I made it back here and showered. It's about 2am and I have class tomorrow, so GOODNIGHT, WORLD!!

Saturday: Day 3 in Oporto

Today we slept in again...too late for breakfast! We got up and got dressed to go to the beach, but when we went outside, it was pretty chilly. Megan went to the pharmacy because she got sand in her eye and it was really irritated, so Hayley and I went to grab some breakfast. We ordered ham and cheese omelets, and they came with rice and french fries! I've never had rice for breakfast! We also had bread, which is included with every meal, and coffee. The coffee in Portugal is just as strong as it is in Spain, but it doesn't come with milk unless you ask for it! It's like drinking espresso with sugar in it! Wowzers...

Since it was pretty chilly and cloudy, and Megan's eye was really bothering her, we decided to go back to the hostel and change out of our beach clothes. We realized that there was another woman who will be staying in our room now. We were a little disappointed about that, because the past couple nights we've been lucky enough to be alone in the room, but hey, it's a hostel, and we paid for beds in the room for 6. We spent the afternoon shopping around the streets of Porto. Megan and Hayley liked the clothing stores, but I was more interested in the artisan stands they had in the streets. I bought this really great little leather purse studded with coins from countries all around the world. I love it! I also got a leather bracelet that says 'Emilia'. That's the translation of Emily in Spanish, and apparently Portuguese as well!! I really love hand-crafted things :)

Megan and Hayley wanted to go back down by the river, but I wanted to go back by some of the stands we had walked past. Also, my stomach was bothering me a little...I think it was the the Francesinha from the night before haha. I stopped in a baby store too, just so that I could look at some Portuguese baby clothes for my best friend Kimmie, who is expecting!! But we don't know whether it's a boy or girl yet, so I didn't buy anything.

I headed back to the hostel alone. Sometimes it's nice to walk around by myself and just think. It's very peaceful, and I don't get a lot of alone time anyway here, ordinarily. When I got back to the hostel I checked my email and facebook. I've been communicating with my Mom about what we're going to do when she comes to visit after the program is over :) I went upstairs and got in my bed. I tried to take a nap, but mostly I just lay there. It was a nice rest anyway though. I got up after about an hour because someone came in the door, and I realized it was not Megan and Hayley, but one of the hostel guys showing an very attractive male twenty-something his bed in the room. That was my cue to get up and wash the mascara off my face...

Megan and Hayley came back around 7, and we sat around talking until 8. The hostel was serving and authentic Portuguese dinner for only 5 euros, which is a pretty good deal for all you can eat! The food was delicious! It was a lot like red beans and rice. I think there were several kinds of pork in the beans, like chorizo and ham. I also paid another euro for a glass of red wine, which was really tasty (and they refilled for me for free!). We met our new roommate. His name is Ezra, and he is traveling around writing a food blog because he wants to open a restaurant with his brother back home (Seattle). He seems pretty nice.

After dinner, we went inside for a little bit because it's been getting pretty chilly at night. We planned on hot, beachy weather, so we didn't bring any warm clothes! Around 11pm, one of the guys from the hostel walked a group of us over to an annual festival that they were having. It's basically like a 40-hour-straight art exhibition/outdoor concert, with alcohol and food vendors. I would have liked to see more of the art (what we saw was based on a really interesting concept about the temporality of shadows), but most of the group wanted to go outside to the concert. We stayed out there and just hung out until about 3am. We met some pretty interesting people: a girl from Melbourne, Australia, a guy from Argentina, but living in London, a guy from Connecticut, but living in London, and Ezra was there too. It was a pretty fun night, but we didn't get back until almost 4am, which is a lot later than I am used to staying up!!

Friday: MORE OPORTO!!

Today we slept in until around 10:30, and then headed down to breakfast. I really like breakfast in this part of the world, because I've never been a huge breakfast eater. Some of the other students complain about not being fed enough, but I've never been hungry in the mornings, so I'm pretty content with my cup off coffee and bread with butter :) Plus, almost all the bread here is freshly baked and DELICIOUS! After eating, we all got ready to head over to the beach! We stopped by a drugstore to buy some sunscreen (I definitely DON'T want to get burned), and then hopped the bus like the guy from the hostel told us too. I felt very independent! Luckily, the one of the guys from the hostel (they are all so great!) gave us a list of Portuguese phrases, so I was able to say 'muito obrigado!' (thank you very much) to the bus driver when I paid for my ticket! :) We rode the bus for about 20 minutes, and then got off once we saw the beach. It was very windy! You can tell you the locals are on the beach because they all bring these barriers that stop the wind from blowing sand on you while you lay out. We just got covered with sand. O well! The water was freezing, but I played around in it a little bit. Mostly we just relaxed on the beach all day. We bumped into some other people from our program who are spending the weekend here too. They are staying at another hostel. We got pretty hungry, so we went over to a little restaurant on the beach and ordered burgers. We all tried the 'tango', which is beer (here, the local beer is Super Bock) with currant in it. It was very interesting, and bright pink! haha when the burgers came, we realized that a burger here is a meat patty, which was seasoned more like meatloaf, with lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on top. Almost everything here comes with a fried egg on top!! No joke! It also came with a rolled up piece of ham (also included in almost every meal), and a rolled up piece of cheese. No bun, at all. Very interesting!!

We left the beach in the late afternoon to go back to the hostel and shower. On the bus trip back to the hostel, we were almost in a serious accident! It was very scary! A car pulled out right in front of the bus, so the driver had to slam on the breaks. Luckily we were all sitting down, but there were a lot of people standing, and one teenage kid was flung from the back of the bus and hit the windshield! Then the bus driver got up and they started yelling at each other in Portuguese about who's fault it was (I can only assume), and then he checked to see if everyone was ok. No one was seriously hurt, but a lot of people had been banged around pretty hard! Honestly, at first I thought we'd really been in an accident because of the noise the bus made! WOW! What an adventure...

We finally made it back to the hostel alive. Luckily you can rent towels here for a euro, because the beach towels we brought are covered in sand! Showering felt so great! There was sand EVERYWHERE!

After a thorough de-sanding, we went down to a cocktail hour that the hostel was hosting. We tried this really yummy Brazilian drink call Caipirinha, which is basically sugar, lime, and some Brazilian alcohol. It was very good, but very strong! You'd definitely have to be careful with that stuff! At this point we were hungry again, so we decided to walk around and find somewhere to eat. We went to a restaurant where no one spoke any English, but I'd seen a picture in my guide book about a popular dish here called Francesinha, so we pointed at the menu and ordered 3! Apparently it translates to 'little french girl'. Who knew. It literally had at least 5 kinds of meat on it. Probably 3 of them were variations of pork, but there was also some sort of steak, and maybe roast beef or pastrami...very different. It was covered with melted cheese, and then smothered in a sort of corn-starchy tomato sauce. It was certainly an experience. It's supposed to come surrounded by french fries (batatas fritas!), but somehow we managed to order it without. I think it would have been better with them, because it was pretty strongly flavored by itself!

After leaving the restaurant, we had a sweet tooth, so we went to a little sweet shop and had some delicious crepes! Then we sort of wandered around a little bit. We saw some live music outside a restaurant, and this father and daughter started doing the salsa. It was pretty cool! We followed the crowd to a street where there were a lot of people our age just sort of hanging out. We bumped into these guys we'd seen earlier at the hostel. Their names are Christian and Alessandro, and they are from Italy! They seem pretty nice. We got some drinks from the window of a bar. Basically, everyone just stands in the street and orders drinks that way. In the US it would be illegal to drink the street like that! Very different. After a while, the Italians wanted to go for a walk with us, but I said no sir to that! I'm not gonna go off with some guys were barely know, no matter how nice they seem! We told them we were tired and walked back to the hostel. The sun really takes it out of you, and it's about 1:30am, so we're tired!! Maybe tomorrow we'll stay out later.

Thursday: OPORTO!!

I had to get up incredibly early today. UGH. Vivian had to get up early too, because she was meeting up with a friend to take the bus to Granada, so we were grumbling around the house this morning around 5. Thankfully I packed most of my stuff last night so that all I had to do was wash up and throw on some clothes. I tried to pack light, but my senora says that you can't have ANY liquids on planes here, and that they might take away medications, so I checked a bag. We flew Iberia, and it was free to check one bag anyway, so no problemo! We walked around the airport a lot because we couldn't find our gate. Finally we asked someone and found it. It's a little confusing here because the gates are lettered and numbered...ours was something like K92. We had to take a bus to get to the plane, which wasn't very full at all. Hayley and I sat together, and Megan had a row all to herself. We were all so tired that we spent the whole 1 hour flight dozing off. When we got off the plane, it was foggy and chilly!! That was the exact opposite of what the weather was supposed to be. We had planned to hang out at the beach all weekend! BOO!! We picked up my bag and then grabbed a cab, and then realized a seriously problem. WE SPOKE ABSOLUTELY NO PORTUGUESE!! Not a word. Not even hello, yes or no. We had to point at the address of our hostel so that our cab driver would know where to take us, and even then we probably wouldn't have found it if I didn't see the sign! It makes me really appreciate the fact that my friend Sarah went to study abroad in Denmark. YOU GO! Because being in a country where you can't communicate at all is crazy difficult! Luckily, as we went farther into town, the weather cleared up to perfection! It was breezy and sunny :) wonderful!

After a little trouble figuring out how to open the hostel door (the guy had to come let us in), we checked in. This place was amazing! It has only been open 3 weeks, and is newly renovated. Everything is so clean and modern! I love it here :) I like my apartment in Madrid too, but this will be a wonderful vacation. We are in the room with 6 beds, but so far it is only the 3 of us. After we ate some breakfast (which they provide every morning!) and checking our email (they have free WIFI and 2 computers) we took a LONG nap. And by long I mean like 5 hours. Actually, I only slept for about 3, but Megan and Hayley were out all night last night, so they were pretty tired! I read some, which was really nice. Our room is all white, very bright, and very clean. The windows were open when we came in. This is like another world! I almost feel like I'm in Greece (based on what I've seen on TV).

After our 'nap', we decided to go get some food. We walked around a little bit, and then went into a little sandwich shop that looked quite a bit like a Subway- except I had a prosciutto and brie sandwich on freshly baked bread! Come on subway...man up. You've got some stiff European competition! It was delicious. I had a coke too. I've actually been drinking a lot more coke than usual over here because it's so easy to order. Coka-cola is pretty universal!

We spent the rest of the day walking to all these historical buildings that one of the guys at the hostel pointed out to us on the map. There are a lot of churches here, and they all have beautifully tiled fronts. We actually saw a religious procession going from one church to another. It was very interesting. (The reason I don't have classes on Thursday is because of a holiday in Spain, so I'm thinking maybe it's the same here?)

We went down by the river and went on a boat ride, which was really cold due to all the wind on the coast. For dinner we had pizza haha and a bottle of sparkling white wine. It was pretty good! We bought some eclairs too, because they looked so yummy!

After that, we pretty much headed back to the hostel. We were tired from all the walking, and still pretty messed up on our sleep schedule! Tomorrow we'll go to the beach!

The end of a short week

Today was Wednesday, and honestly, not a lot happened. I went to class this morning and then came back to the apartment for a lovely siesta before La Comida. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I have to take my siesta before La Comida because I have to go the Prado Museum at 4 for my Art History class. Vivian came with me to the museum today because she signed up to take a tour with the IES people that met at the same time as my class started. Class was really interesting again. I do get a little frustrated sometimes, because I feel like I have a lot that I want to say, but it is difficult for me to articulate it in Spanish. It's like I try to say something, and he says, "ya, sorta, but this..." and what he ends up saying is what I meant all along. OR he just talks to much that I can get a word in at all hahaha I guess I'll just have to start asserting myself a little more! After class, I went and met up with Vivian and another friend at the museum cafe for a pineapple juice (which is really popular here!). I left after about 20 minutes because I had to run by the apartment to grab all the stuff that came with my Spanish cell phone. I decided to suck it up and go by the actual Vodafone store. My senora went with me, which I thought was very nice :) and we found out that for some reason (I think because I bought the phone at CorteIngles, which is like Spanish target), I have to go into the store to put more money on it. I can't use the internet or call. BUMMER! Hopefully I put enough on to last me a little while.

Tomorrow I have to get up at the crack of DAWN! Actually before dawn...to make my flight to Porto, Portugal! (That's Oporto en Espanol ;)). I still have to pack because Ana, her daughter (little Ana), Vivian and I went and had a drink at the bar where Ana's friend works. I didn't even realize that it was 10pm when we left because the sun doesn't go down here until 9:30!! Anyway, I've got things to do! I'll post about Portugal when I get back :)

Hasta luego!

First Day at the Prado

Vivian and I are getting into a nice routine. Every school day, we get up and leave the apartments by 8:30 to take the train. We are having to leave a little earlier than we used to because one of our train lines is under construction, so we have to take 3 separate trains to get to school. I got an Abono Transporte, which is like an ID card so that I can get an unlimited monthly Metro Pass. I feel like an official Madrilena now! My first class felt a little bit short because there was some sort of accident on the highway, and my professor was late, so for the first 20 minutes we just sat there talking. Vivian had to go talk to her professor for her independent study, so I took the train back to the apartment myself. When I got here, Ana had cleaned my room and changed my bedding, and was doing my laundry! She is so nice :) I have heard some horror stories from some of my classmates about not being able to go into the rest of the house, and being really limited on their shower time and electricity, but Ana is very relaxed and makes us feel like home. She is also trying to help me add more money to my Spanish cell-phone. I registered it, and it came with 12 euros on it already, but now I'm out and it won't let me add more money. BOO! I decided to go try and put more money on it at the ATM (you can do that here!), but it didn't work there either! I think tomorrow I'll have to go to the Vodafone store and see what they can do for me. Otherwise I'll have to get a new phone! UGH

I also went to the Chino (that's what they call dollar stores here), and got myself a few school supplies. As far as I can tell, they don't make many notebooks with lined paper here, but they use graph paper instead! I bought some plain white paper to take notes on. All the paper here is a little longer and skinnier than paper in the US. I thought that was interesting. I also got a little fan to put next to my bed for nighttime and when I'm hanging out in my room. Ana said I am welcome to use it. I am going to give it to her when I leave because I won't have room for it in my bag, and I won't be able to plug it in at home without a converter.

After La Comida, which was ribs (not as good as my Mom's :)), I went to class at the Prado! I'm glad I stopped for a coke on the way...I didn't get a siesta today! haha Class went really well! We spent two hours there, and only looked at about 5 paintings. I'm anxious to prove myself to my professor. I want him to know I have art knowledge! Hahaha It was also wonderful to see the art for real. I mean, I've taken Art History several times, but it really is different seeing the art in reality. I am excited to go home and tell my professors that I've actually SEEN what we are talking about in class!

Class was great, but it was really hard on my feet and my back. I'm glad I wore good shoes, because it would have been much worse if I hadn't! I know the other girls were complaining too.

I have now mastered leaving through the correct exit at my metro stop. GO ME! After I got out, I decided to go to the store and get everything I need for turkey sandwiches so that I can make them for La Cena. Ana is only responsible for breakfast and either La Comida or La Cena, so I have to provide myself with the other. This way I won't starve, and I don't have to go out every night for food!

I'm going to try to go to bed a little earlier tonight. I will have class at the Prado again tomorrow, and I'll have to go to the Vodafone store to get my phone fixed, go buy some sunscreen and aloe, and then pack for Portugal! I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun! :)