So the trip over to Lisbon was more or less like the movie Rat Race. One of my friends was unable to use her credit card to book a flight online; so, she ended up having to take a bus. And my other friend had accidentally booked the wrong flight to Lisbon… she booked a flight that was leaving Madrid at the same time as the flight we had discussed BUT the day before. So we were all arriving at different times, and the two others were arriving the night before me. Our mobiles didn’t work in Lisbon (or were too expensive to function), and the hostel we had planned on meeting at was overbooked. So, there was a huge miscommunication at the start of the trip and lots of panicked e-mails to people who didn’t have access to computers, etc. I had to spend the night in the Madrid airport to avoid spending money on a taxi, but I ended up running into 2 girls from class who were in a similar situation; so, it ended up being pretty pleasant. Once we all finally found each other in Lisbon, we were definitely excited.
Day 1 we got to our hostel and dropped our stuff off. The hostel owner perked up at the sight of my last name and kept calling me Maria and telling me all the directions to places (like I can speak Portuguese…and well, I was the only one of the three of us who had any sort of experience with the language… which doesn’t bode well, but I was actually pretty functional). We ended up finding our way around fine. We walked around the entire city, to a castle, just stopping and peeking into little shops or stumbling upon terraces and gaping at the view of the ocean. The weather was 23 degrees Celsius and sunnier than anything. It wasn’t muggy heat though, it was really nice (twisting the knife, I’m sorry). We had been walking around all day and decided to have a picnic in a botanical garden; so, we stopped into a little fruit shop and got cheese, rolls (Portugal has the BEST bread), salami, wine and a bunch of bananas, plums, and strawberries. We just sat around in the sun and enjoyed that. Then we went back to the hostel and took a nap before we went out that night. We went to a couple bars and I tried a caiparinha a.k.a. the mojito’s crazy cousin. If you waited for the ice to melt and stirred it a lot, it was okay, but… at points it tasted like cough syrup. Very strange. Anyways, we ended up at this club where there were two djs in a row of pretty weird electro/hip-hop stuff, but fortunately we ended up sticking around because this underground hip-hop “legend” from the UK showed up and did an impromptu show. We had never heard of him, but we decided to make the most of it and ran up to the front and were dancing crazy and throwing our hands in the air like we just [don’t] care. It was so fun, until we realized there were cameras there recording the gig, and at one point one of my friends went up on stage with a bunch of other people (I got shy). Anyways, we’re thinking there will be videos of this up on youtube at some point, and I haven’t decided if this is a good thing or not…
Day 2 we went to the beach in Cascais, a half-an-hour train ride east on the coast. It was gorgeous and we just lay around for the afternoon and then headed back to town to catch a traditional fado show, two guys playing guitar and a bunch of solo vocalists singing traditional Portuguese musics, odes to Lisboa and the like. We ate a traditional Portuguese meal, I had bacalhau à lagareiro, a salty cod fillet that was grilled and served with small roasted potatoes and grilled onion and pepper and it sat in a bunch of olive oil. So good… so rich.
Day 3 we walked around and then took a train 20 minutes east along the coast to the cultural center at Belem (Bethlehem). We went to this famous pasteis de nata pastry “factory” and grabbed some of those delights as well as some coffee. Then, we had collected enough energy to go to a contemporary art museum there and then lay around in a park in front of the Monastery of the Jeronimos. Then we grabbed some fresh fruit from a fruit store and headed off to the airport and caught our plane home. When we got home, it was almost midnight and we caught the last train home… which we had to run to catch and would have been a crying shame to have missed, as we would have had to wait an hour and a half for a bus, and we had class the next morning.
It’s allergy season in Spain and Portugal; so, I got some medicine from the Farmacia here, but… it’s still a pain in the butt. I can’t really complain though, other than the fact that the allergies were aggravated at the beach, which is very weird to me. I think that was the first beach I’ve been on in 6 years or something ridiculous like that; so, it felt pretty good, and the sun wasn’t too intense, but I’m pretty golden brown I suppose. I’ll be getting my disposable camera pictures back tomorrow. So, I’ll post those when they come! Okay, I should go get some Smithwicks (if they sell it) and celebrate St. Paddy’s day!
P.S. Lisbon might be better than Barcelona....
modern tales of quixotry from the land of la vida loca
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Toledo Santo
So... after a bit of deliberation, I have decided that Toledo beats out Segovia for the best Madrid daytrip I have been on. They are very similar vibes, straight out of medieval times... and they are both very accessible (2 hours North to Segovia, a little over an hour south to Toledo), affordable (12 euro train roundtrip to Segovia, 8 euro bus roundtrip to Toledo), and they are both teeming with history.
Toledo is a bit bigger than Segovia, and there was a path you could go down that Don Quixote traveled down in the book. There is a Jewish influence in Toledo that there isn't in Segovia. This influence is fairly restricted to one small neighbourhood with some old synogogues. Also, there is a really nice cathedral here, that is less aesthetically appealing from the outside than the one in Segovia, but, you can go through the backdoor and get a peek for free (or pay 7euro to enter the front door); whereas, you have to pay to get into the cathedral in Segovia. Toledo also has more artisan work (mainly gold, leather and swords... as I mentioned, this is where the Lord of the Rings swords were crafted). It is interesting because I got a cheap necklace with a cross, and the patterns on it are almost gaelic-looking. Any boys would go crazy for the weaponry and armour in the windows, pretty cool-looking stuff, and I kept saying "my brothers would love that"... somehow, my friends were under the impression that they are 12 years-old or so... and I said they pretty much are! Hah just kidding...
Toledo has a nice art gallery and the house of El Greco. Also, there is a really cool fairy tale bridge on the south side of the city that goes over a gorgeous river. The views really were great. The only downside is that Alcazar, the castle in Toledo, is under construction so we couldn't go there. And, as many know, I was quite taken with the Segovian alcazar. We didn't have a meal in Toledo; so, I'm not so sure what they have that would rival the Segovian pig hoof, but I did see some promising signs for paella. Toledo is full of little restaurants you just want to take pictures of and quaint alleyways. While I was there, one of my friends had a toledana, which is a traditional pastry, crusty and scone-shaped, with hard frosting flaked on the top and filled with pumpkin marmalade, if that makes sense. I tried some, and it was pretty good, very sweet. I tried marzipan (mazapan) that was shaped like little fish. They sell it everywhere, and it's a pretty big deal there. It was really delicious, too sweet perhaps, like bread with doughy, sugar clumps keeping it together. It was my first experience with marzipan, and I'd say it was overall a good one.
What really set my trip to Toledo apart from my trip to Segovia was the weather. It was about 72 and sunny on Saturday, and we walked everywhere. It seemed like EVERY hill was uphill, I don't think that's possible, but maybe in Toledo. The little shops around Toledo are so interesting, especially if you had a lot of money and were going to be renovating a house or something, there were antique lantern shops and decorative glassware, pretty cool stuff! Also, we sat around in a park for an hour or so that was really gorgeous in the sun.
I shouldn't judge Segovia on account of its weather... though snow is obviously such nonsense! I would say the Roman aqueduct and alcazar there are very cool, and the trainride a bit more picturesque than the mostly urban busride to Toledo... even though I said Toledo wins out, it is definitely a close call.
Sorry this post is kind of rambling and not well-written. I'm exhausted, and I have to brush up on my elementary-level portuguese so I can navigate my friends and myself around Lisbon this weekend!! Again, the pics for this post are on my disposable cam. So, be patient. Okay, I'm going to go now. Until later!
Toledo is a bit bigger than Segovia, and there was a path you could go down that Don Quixote traveled down in the book. There is a Jewish influence in Toledo that there isn't in Segovia. This influence is fairly restricted to one small neighbourhood with some old synogogues. Also, there is a really nice cathedral here, that is less aesthetically appealing from the outside than the one in Segovia, but, you can go through the backdoor and get a peek for free (or pay 7euro to enter the front door); whereas, you have to pay to get into the cathedral in Segovia. Toledo also has more artisan work (mainly gold, leather and swords... as I mentioned, this is where the Lord of the Rings swords were crafted). It is interesting because I got a cheap necklace with a cross, and the patterns on it are almost gaelic-looking. Any boys would go crazy for the weaponry and armour in the windows, pretty cool-looking stuff, and I kept saying "my brothers would love that"... somehow, my friends were under the impression that they are 12 years-old or so... and I said they pretty much are! Hah just kidding...
Toledo has a nice art gallery and the house of El Greco. Also, there is a really cool fairy tale bridge on the south side of the city that goes over a gorgeous river. The views really were great. The only downside is that Alcazar, the castle in Toledo, is under construction so we couldn't go there. And, as many know, I was quite taken with the Segovian alcazar. We didn't have a meal in Toledo; so, I'm not so sure what they have that would rival the Segovian pig hoof, but I did see some promising signs for paella. Toledo is full of little restaurants you just want to take pictures of and quaint alleyways. While I was there, one of my friends had a toledana, which is a traditional pastry, crusty and scone-shaped, with hard frosting flaked on the top and filled with pumpkin marmalade, if that makes sense. I tried some, and it was pretty good, very sweet. I tried marzipan (mazapan) that was shaped like little fish. They sell it everywhere, and it's a pretty big deal there. It was really delicious, too sweet perhaps, like bread with doughy, sugar clumps keeping it together. It was my first experience with marzipan, and I'd say it was overall a good one.
What really set my trip to Toledo apart from my trip to Segovia was the weather. It was about 72 and sunny on Saturday, and we walked everywhere. It seemed like EVERY hill was uphill, I don't think that's possible, but maybe in Toledo. The little shops around Toledo are so interesting, especially if you had a lot of money and were going to be renovating a house or something, there were antique lantern shops and decorative glassware, pretty cool stuff! Also, we sat around in a park for an hour or so that was really gorgeous in the sun.
I shouldn't judge Segovia on account of its weather... though snow is obviously such nonsense! I would say the Roman aqueduct and alcazar there are very cool, and the trainride a bit more picturesque than the mostly urban busride to Toledo... even though I said Toledo wins out, it is definitely a close call.
Sorry this post is kind of rambling and not well-written. I'm exhausted, and I have to brush up on my elementary-level portuguese so I can navigate my friends and myself around Lisbon this weekend!! Again, the pics for this post are on my disposable cam. So, be patient. Okay, I'm going to go now. Until later!
Friday, March 6, 2009
TGIViernes!
So, I'm just having a relaxed Friday night at home, updating the blog... add a pint of ice cream and a dozen cats and I would sound pretty pathetic. BUT on the contrary, I am up to some pretty cool stuff! Some of my friends were going out tonight, but my friend Julia and I are going to Toledo tomorrow around 9am... It was the former capital of Spain (and where they made the swords for Lord of the Rings... look how cool I am now ha). Anyways, we're just going for the day and coming back to hit the town tomorrow night! I'll take some pictures with my disposable cam! You'll all have to be a tad bit patient (how conditioned we are to the instant gratification of the digital camera)! The bus to Toledo is only 4euros. So, it's a pretty good deal, and I've heard it's really cool. The painter El Greco had a house (now museum) there!
Hmm, what else happened today? I went grocery shopping. Oh, I got up early for a morning class that ended up being cancelled. It was worth going though because a girl in the class told me I look a lot like Aishwarya Rai... I walked away without administering an eye exam because when all else fails, there's always delusion! I'll take what I can get!
Oh, I also booked a trip to Lisboa today (don't call it Lisbon or the locals will think you are saying "lesbian"). I'm going with two of my friends, the aforementioned Julia (the Aussie, far left with black hoodie in first pic below and then the one really close to the camera in the 2nd) and one of the Germans, Sibs or Sibkins (one pictured in the white hoodie...I call her these names because I quite frankly cannot pronounce/don't really know her name). I'm so excited because it's supposed to be 20 grados (20 degrees C... I think that converts to about 70 degrees F) and sunny!! It's been cold for the past two days in Madrid, but I won't say the temperature because I understand it's all relative! So.........I'm SO excited to go to a city/country where finding a novelty item with the name "Marie Figueiredo" printed on it isn't absurd! Call me crazy... I just want a nice license plate or pen with my name on it for once!
I'm excited, and hopefully I will be able to go to Cristiano Ronaldo's CR7 boutique that his sister runs. And if she tries to set me up on a date with her brother, then so be it... Sorry, what was I saying? I think I just drifted off into a daydream!
Okay, I'm going to take a shower and do some homework and get my act together! I'll post a few pictures from last weekend so you guys don't think my friends are "Gossi"s... I hope all the Rochesterians have fun celebrating CAT's bday.
so, 2 of the pics below were taken by Jess'(denim jacket) camera, and 2 by dad's old Palm Pilot. Guess which are which...
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Update!
Hey everybody, sorry this post is so delayed!! I've been pretty bad about this and even keeping in touch with people because my residence internet sometimes goes down for 2 days at a time... pretty frustrating! Anyways, I'm sure many of you are aware that the digital camera I received for Christmas is gone forever... possibly into the hands of gypsy children at the open-air market near the Sol/the city center. Also, for the gypsy-fearing, here's a funny little sidenote- there is a Christmas carol here that talks about how Joseph told the gypsies in Bethlehem to watch their hands because he didn't want them to steal the baby Jesus. Pretty funny, and definitely reflective of the Spanish culture's xenophobia (in my opinion)... that's a generalization. Anyways, I was almost pick-pocketed again today, I'm pretty sure... but I was prepared this time.
I was in this store called Blanco with one of my friends just browsing, and I had my wristlet with a couple of euros in it (all my important stuff was hidden away)... ANYways, this guy and his girlfriend were next to me looking at shirts, and the guy was putting shirts in his hand one by one and ever so gently pulled my wallet between two shirts. Little did he know, my wallet is attached to my wrist, and I had the wallet in my hand... so I felt it leave my hand and shot him a look of pure and utter loathing... he had this unapologetic look on his face and knew EXACTLY what he was doing, and I pulled my wallet away and told him exactly what Joseph said to the gypsies ("cuidadido con las manos"... "careful with your hands")... in retrospect, I should have added an expletive. Luckily, he hadn't taken anything, but my adrenaline was definitely pumping after that!
Okay, let's see, other than that what's going on?! Oh, I'm taking 5 classes (3 spanish -- Morphology, the history of the Spanish language from the 15th century on, and Varieties in Peninsular Spanish)... I'm taking two electives because I can (one is in English on Contemporary English Poetry and the other is in Spanish and is about the History and Culture of the U.S. hahaha). It's actually really interesting learning about the U.S. from this vantage point. I have to read the spanish translation of this article on the American frontier that I read in AP U.S. History 4 years ago. I thought that was pretty funny.
It is unbelievable how much I learn from just going to class and listening to the professors speak Spanish. On Tuesday and Thursday, I have a full day of classes, and I sit there all day, mostly understanding (if I'm concentrating)... at the end of the day last Thursday, I seriously felt brain dead, and was speaking Spanish to one of my classmates but was really struggling. It was really discouraging, and I was so confused because I felt like I was really progressing. Anyways, that night, I had a dream that was partly in Spanish (I've had a few). Then, the next day, I woke up and my facility for the language was so good. Honestly, it astounds me what the brain absorbs when you're not even really aware.
So, I was talking to Emily on the phone yesterday, and she was saying she'd love to know what I do on a daily basis because... I just write about day-trips and such. It's so weird writing about mundane daily things if you're living them, but I understand that you guys might find them interesting (or at least Emily will)... mostly because even little things here are quite different.
So, my weekday starts with a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) with some of my friends at the Filosofia y Letras Cafe on campus. The friends I speak of are an Australian girl, a New Zealand girl and 2 German girls... give or take some random Italian and German acquaintances who we see around campus. The Spanish students are pretty cliquey but nice if you get to know them apart from their group. The Spanish guys are nicer to us girls than the Spanish girls are, which I guess is to be expected? Kind of weird though. Anyways, I am thinking the cliquey-ness might have to do with the fact that it's 2nd semester... I'm thinking I'll give that situation a little time. The rest of the day is spent in class, then I come home and make dinner or do homework, and a couple nights a week I'll go into the city center and either go to a cafe or pub or do salsa or just hang around with friends... it's a really cool city. There are random mariachi bands just playing music in the middle of the plazas, and everybody and their brother is milling around! It's a very fun atmosphere and a great way to meet people and speak Spanish and just hang out with friends.
I've been here for a little over a month now... how crazy is that? I looked at the pictures on Ofoto of EAW and Sara's 30th and I spied Elephant Wallace in the background of one picture!! I'm glad I have a proxy... and I'm really glad I sewed a camcorder into that stuffed animal so I can hear what you guys are talking about hahah (I wish I had the foresight). Mostly of course, I just looked at EAW. What a darling!! Those eyes and that little baby body, way too cute!! I feel like I might come home with a suitcase full of baby souvenirs, like Real Madrid onesies and diaper bloomers with Penelope Cruz's face on them (I bet they sell them... she's a national obsession). Anyways, I should probably go do some homework. I have to read a chapter about segmentation in Spanish morphology... should be a blast! I hope everyone is doing well, enjoyed their Mardi Gras and is having a productive Lent.
Speaking of Lent, one more thing... I have my Easter plans booked. I'm going to Italy for 1.5 weeks (Rome, Florence and Venice)... We're taking a train through the country! I'm so excited, let me know if anyone has been to Italy and has any suggestions!!!!
Miss you guys!!
I was in this store called Blanco with one of my friends just browsing, and I had my wristlet with a couple of euros in it (all my important stuff was hidden away)... ANYways, this guy and his girlfriend were next to me looking at shirts, and the guy was putting shirts in his hand one by one and ever so gently pulled my wallet between two shirts. Little did he know, my wallet is attached to my wrist, and I had the wallet in my hand... so I felt it leave my hand and shot him a look of pure and utter loathing... he had this unapologetic look on his face and knew EXACTLY what he was doing, and I pulled my wallet away and told him exactly what Joseph said to the gypsies ("cuidadido con las manos"... "careful with your hands")... in retrospect, I should have added an expletive. Luckily, he hadn't taken anything, but my adrenaline was definitely pumping after that!
Okay, let's see, other than that what's going on?! Oh, I'm taking 5 classes (3 spanish -- Morphology, the history of the Spanish language from the 15th century on, and Varieties in Peninsular Spanish)... I'm taking two electives because I can (one is in English on Contemporary English Poetry and the other is in Spanish and is about the History and Culture of the U.S. hahaha). It's actually really interesting learning about the U.S. from this vantage point. I have to read the spanish translation of this article on the American frontier that I read in AP U.S. History 4 years ago. I thought that was pretty funny.
It is unbelievable how much I learn from just going to class and listening to the professors speak Spanish. On Tuesday and Thursday, I have a full day of classes, and I sit there all day, mostly understanding (if I'm concentrating)... at the end of the day last Thursday, I seriously felt brain dead, and was speaking Spanish to one of my classmates but was really struggling. It was really discouraging, and I was so confused because I felt like I was really progressing. Anyways, that night, I had a dream that was partly in Spanish (I've had a few). Then, the next day, I woke up and my facility for the language was so good. Honestly, it astounds me what the brain absorbs when you're not even really aware.
So, I was talking to Emily on the phone yesterday, and she was saying she'd love to know what I do on a daily basis because... I just write about day-trips and such. It's so weird writing about mundane daily things if you're living them, but I understand that you guys might find them interesting (or at least Emily will)... mostly because even little things here are quite different.
So, my weekday starts with a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) with some of my friends at the Filosofia y Letras Cafe on campus. The friends I speak of are an Australian girl, a New Zealand girl and 2 German girls... give or take some random Italian and German acquaintances who we see around campus. The Spanish students are pretty cliquey but nice if you get to know them apart from their group. The Spanish guys are nicer to us girls than the Spanish girls are, which I guess is to be expected? Kind of weird though. Anyways, I am thinking the cliquey-ness might have to do with the fact that it's 2nd semester... I'm thinking I'll give that situation a little time. The rest of the day is spent in class, then I come home and make dinner or do homework, and a couple nights a week I'll go into the city center and either go to a cafe or pub or do salsa or just hang around with friends... it's a really cool city. There are random mariachi bands just playing music in the middle of the plazas, and everybody and their brother is milling around! It's a very fun atmosphere and a great way to meet people and speak Spanish and just hang out with friends.
I've been here for a little over a month now... how crazy is that? I looked at the pictures on Ofoto of EAW and Sara's 30th and I spied Elephant Wallace in the background of one picture!! I'm glad I have a proxy... and I'm really glad I sewed a camcorder into that stuffed animal so I can hear what you guys are talking about hahah (I wish I had the foresight). Mostly of course, I just looked at EAW. What a darling!! Those eyes and that little baby body, way too cute!! I feel like I might come home with a suitcase full of baby souvenirs, like Real Madrid onesies and diaper bloomers with Penelope Cruz's face on them (I bet they sell them... she's a national obsession). Anyways, I should probably go do some homework. I have to read a chapter about segmentation in Spanish morphology... should be a blast! I hope everyone is doing well, enjoyed their Mardi Gras and is having a productive Lent.
Speaking of Lent, one more thing... I have my Easter plans booked. I'm going to Italy for 1.5 weeks (Rome, Florence and Venice)... We're taking a train through the country! I'm so excited, let me know if anyone has been to Italy and has any suggestions!!!!
Miss you guys!!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Barcelona, where I was meant to be born (...not that Rochester isn't great)
Speaking of birth... happy birthday, SARA!
Okay, so, I went to Barcelona for a long weekend (Friday morning to Monday night). I flew into Barcelona's Girona airport via RyanAir... I was wondering why it was relatively cheap and I found out why! Girona is more than 100km away from the city's center! Luckily, there is a pretty cheap bus that travels frequently between the airport and the city! And I even made a friend on the busride... an American exchange student at Madrid's Compultensive University.
Anyways, Barcelona is an incredible city. There
was not a cloud in the sky for the majority of my trip and the sun was mostly shining (except for in the pictures I'm posting apparently ha) . There are a lot of tourists, and a focal point of the tourist area is a walkway called the Ramblas, with people performing, souvenir stands, flower stands and all types of jewelry and such. The Ramblas lead directly to a statue of Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus, who is allegedly from Barcelona -- although it is highly debated). Beyond Cris C is the port of Barcelona, a gorgeous mess of sailboat masts, mediterranean blue, and booeys that look like statues... 
Below is a picture of the port, the ramblas with a view of the Columbus statue...
Here is a picture of my dad's cousin Octavio's son, Enoch. He is feeding the palomas in Placa Catalunya. For the record, every sign in Barcelona is in catalan; so, you can navigate your way around with castellano (spanish as we americans know it), but you'll find yourself asking information booths for help.
ALSO for the record, Enoch and Jemima (his sister) thought I would enjoy this activity, but they didn't know about my fear of birds AND the fact that their palomas (direct translation:doves) are PIGEONS, something I would not call a dove. but rather a rat with wings.....
Here is a picture of a guy in blackface, yes, blackface and horrible fake dentures pretending to be FC Barca's Ronaldinho. He was in the Ramblas juggling and such. There were a lot of portrait artists in the Ramblas who do caricatures and a lot of them used Ronaldinho as their sample caricature... poor guy.
Other cultural landmarks in Barca obviously center around the grand design of Gaudi. This year is actually the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Gaudi was so devoted to his craft that he was standing in the street sizing up a building and was run over by an oldschool trolley. That's how he died. Crazy, huh? His work is so respected because of the way he makes stone look malleable. The Casa de Gaudi (below left) has some cool mosaic crystal statues on the roof that I didn't get a good shot of and the Church of La Sagrada Familia (below right) is still under construction. Furthermore, some city builders are pushing to get a metro station built underneath the Church. It is highly contested because nobody really knows if the church will cave in or not, and obviously a lot of time and energy (and MONEY) has gone into the church so... we'll see how that goes!
I spent a lot of time in Sant Cugat walking around and I found it to be quite cozy. Octavio's family was really quite nice; although, the 17 yr-old daughter spoke so quickly and she mixed in catalan with her castellano... I could not understand her or her brother. And, for the record, I probably spoke 7 words of English the whole time I was there, struggling to understand Catalan, Portuguese, and French, while I used castellano as my STRONG language.... wow, is all I have to say.
Here is a recipe I found online that is similar to my favorite dish that they gave me. It was cod.
http://www.canyellespetites.com/food-main-ajoarriero.htm She didn't shred the cod, and she served it with baked queso de cabra (some sort of UNBELIEVABLE Spanish cheese)... it was beyond phenomenal.
Okay, so, I went to Barcelona for a long weekend (Friday morning to Monday night). I flew into Barcelona's Girona airport via RyanAir... I was wondering why it was relatively cheap and I found out why! Girona is more than 100km away from the city's center! Luckily, there is a pretty cheap bus that travels frequently between the airport and the city! And I even made a friend on the busride... an American exchange student at Madrid's Compultensive University.
Anyways, Barcelona is an incredible city. There
was not a cloud in the sky for the majority of my trip and the sun was mostly shining (except for in the pictures I'm posting apparently ha) . There are a lot of tourists, and a focal point of the tourist area is a walkway called the Ramblas, with people performing, souvenir stands, flower stands and all types of jewelry and such. The Ramblas lead directly to a statue of Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus, who is allegedly from Barcelona -- although it is highly debated). Beyond Cris C is the port of Barcelona, a gorgeous mess of sailboat masts, mediterranean blue, and booeys that look like statues... 
Below is a picture of the port, the ramblas with a view of the Columbus statue...
Here is a picture of my dad's cousin Octavio's son, Enoch. He is feeding the palomas in Placa Catalunya. For the record, every sign in Barcelona is in catalan; so, you can navigate your way around with castellano (spanish as we americans know it), but you'll find yourself asking information booths for help.
ALSO for the record, Enoch and Jemima (his sister) thought I would enjoy this activity, but they didn't know about my fear of birds AND the fact that their palomas (direct translation:doves) are PIGEONS, something I would not call a dove. but rather a rat with wings.....
Here is a picture of a guy in blackface, yes, blackface and horrible fake dentures pretending to be FC Barca's Ronaldinho. He was in the Ramblas juggling and such. There were a lot of portrait artists in the Ramblas who do caricatures and a lot of them used Ronaldinho as their sample caricature... poor guy.
Other cultural landmarks in Barca obviously center around the grand design of Gaudi. This year is actually the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. Gaudi was so devoted to his craft that he was standing in the street sizing up a building and was run over by an oldschool trolley. That's how he died. Crazy, huh? His work is so respected because of the way he makes stone look malleable. The Casa de Gaudi (below left) has some cool mosaic crystal statues on the roof that I didn't get a good shot of and the Church of La Sagrada Familia (below right) is still under construction. Furthermore, some city builders are pushing to get a metro station built underneath the Church. It is highly contested because nobody really knows if the church will cave in or not, and obviously a lot of time and energy (and MONEY) has gone into the church so... we'll see how that goes!
I actually spent most of my time in Barcelona in Sant Cugat, a suburb/village about 40 minutes outside of the city. This is where Octavio's family lives. Its relation to Barcelona is analogous to Oakville and Toronto. A lot of families live here and there are schools, and a lot of the parents work in Barcelona and commute by train or car. It is essentially much cooler than Oakville however hahaha.... well, it is. It has a 9th century cathedral that's freaking gorgeous, even if a groundskeeper was urinating right in front of it when I went to visit it.
I spent a lot of time in Sant Cugat walking around and I found it to be quite cozy. Octavio's family was really quite nice; although, the 17 yr-old daughter spoke so quickly and she mixed in catalan with her castellano... I could not understand her or her brother. And, for the record, I probably spoke 7 words of English the whole time I was there, struggling to understand Catalan, Portuguese, and French, while I used castellano as my STRONG language.... wow, is all I have to say.
It was easier to understand my dad's Tia Esther (who only speaks portuguese) than to understand the Catalan. Mike Stancs might even come in handy(!) if you guys make it over to Barcelona.
Though in retrospect, it is possible that Esther was easier to understand because she dwelled on the same topics. She is a lovely woman of course, loves her family in a teasing way. Fortunately the Tierney women have made me accustomed to the tough love of a matriarch hahah.
Anyways, as nice as she is, she's also very old-fashioned and wears her indignation on her face. She's very disappointed my dad never h
ad me learn portuguese ("why castellano? why not portuguese?!" she implored). She wondered MANY times about why I do not have a nice Goan boyfriend (...all the Goan guys I know are family, Esther)... She was very funny though, and has such a spontaneous, girlish giggle. She's a lot of fun to be around, and she absolutely loved me because I look so much like her sister (my grandmother Zamira).
ad me learn portuguese ("why castellano? why not portuguese?!" she implored). She wondered MANY times about why I do not have a nice Goan boyfriend (...all the Goan guys I know are family, Esther)... She was very funny though, and has such a spontaneous, girlish giggle. She's a lot of fun to be around, and she absolutely loved me because I look so much like her sister (my grandmother Zamira). The first time she saw me, she broke down into tears. She and my grandma Figueiredo were best friends until my grandma died ("minha irma Zamira nao tenia maldad" she kept saying... "you couldn't say anything bad about my sister Zamira" etc.)
I've always heard that I look like my grandma, but this really confirmed it for me. I guess I look a lot like her when she was younger, and I have the same eyes and facial features.
It was an eye-opening weekend, and I figured out where my dad's fear of dogs comes from (the Fernandes side of the family)... and where his illogical generosity comes from. These people had me living like a queen for 4 days.
They do the traditional Spanish meals, in which they stuff you with multiple courses at lunch. The food is mostly some sliced baguette, a cut of fish or chicken with lentils or potatoes and a salad. Then they finished off the meal with a yogurt, flan or piece of fruit (the pears here are my favorite). Also, they do shots of espresso with steamed milk and sugar at the end of the meal.
It was an eye-opening weekend, and I figured out where my dad's fear of dogs comes from (the Fernandes side of the family)... and where his illogical generosity comes from. These people had me living like a queen for 4 days.
They do the traditional Spanish meals, in which they stuff you with multiple courses at lunch. The food is mostly some sliced baguette, a cut of fish or chicken with lentils or potatoes and a salad. Then they finished off the meal with a yogurt, flan or piece of fruit (the pears here are my favorite). Also, they do shots of espresso with steamed milk and sugar at the end of the meal.
Here is a recipe I found online that is similar to my favorite dish that they gave me. It was cod.
http://www.canyellespetites.com/food-main-ajoarriero.htm She didn't shred the cod, and she served it with baked queso de cabra (some sort of UNBELIEVABLE Spanish cheese)... it was beyond phenomenal.
For dinner, they would have something as simple as toast and yogurt or... one night they sliced up a baguette and put mashed tomato, olive oil and salt on top of it and called it a day, or they put a cheese platter out with sliced up baguette and olive oil.
Barcelona was incredible. It is a city that is so surrounded by art in its everyday landscape that I think the people who live their don't even notice sometimes!! I found myself taking snapshots of random houses and stuff because I just couldn't even believe my eyes. Anyways, I recommend the city, and I hope to return with people my own age when the weather is maybe a little bit warmer so I can hang out and walk around downtown.
And, YES, I am aware this post is rife with errors in grammar. Deal with it!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Pig Knuckles and Sauerkraut...
Segovia is about a 2-hour train ride North of Madrid. The landscape as you move into Castile and Leon looks kind of like what I imagine a small German village to look like, with more and more snow with every 40 minutes or so North and little chalet-style houses. We (2 of my friends from residence, the ones from the last post) arrived and took a bus up a mountain to the Plaza Mayor where there was a gorgeous Cathedral with Moorish-influenced architecture. Also, there was a huge gazebo in the middle of the plaza that reminded me of the "16 going on 17" scene from Sound of Music.
From the cathedral we walked to Alcazar. These are the kind of narrow, cobbled streets you can picture knights in medieval armor walkind down. Alcazar's design allegedly helped inspire Walt Disney's design of the Snow White Castle, but personally I think that claim is erroneous. The view of Castile and Leon in the winter was breathtaking, even though you can't help but imagine how springtime bloom would really make everything pop.
I was watching a behind-the-scenes interview with Pedro Almodovar on the "Volver" dvd, and he had this theory that the Castillian landscape is so blank --few trees and rolling hills--that people from Castilla naturally evolve into storytellers in order to add layers to this barren landscape. I think what he was trying to say that the imagination is spurred to create when presented with such a blank canvas. Of course, Castilla is also Don Quixote/Cervantes territory; so, I thought that Almodovar's theory was interesting, and I looked at the landscape with all that in the back of my head, but I thought it was beautiful because it was so simple. I can see how in such a place, you would get to know the rocks and trees as landmarks because they are so few and far between that they almost have personalities..
Anyways, we went to the top of Snow White's tower where the view was just incredible, even though I am afraid of heights and the stairs up the tower were playing tricks with my mind.
Afterwards, we decided to stop and try the traditional Segovian food, sopa castellana (garlic broth with hard-boiled egg and soaked bread) and cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig hoof)... both were... an experience, and I honestly would not order either again (very strange textures, cutting through the cochinillo was like cutting through a sneaker)... Anyways, the whole Segovian culture is fascinating in terms of this food. The hoof had a tag on it that said how many siblings the pig had, who it's mother was, where it lived and the day it was killed (3 days ante-plate in my case)... Furthermore, after we ate it, the waitress came back and said, "oh, we just logged when it was eaten too. The only thing we don't know about this pig is the name of the person who ate it." Fascinating. After that, we went to catch our bus because the last train was leaving soon, and the bus pick-up was right underneath the Roman Aqueducts, which we obviously wanted to see because they are AWESOME. The most impressive part about it is that rocks that comprise the aqueduct are not bound together by concrete, and it has endured to this day. It appears that the only thing keeping it together is some solid physics and moss... Very cool.
Anyways, here are some pictures of Segovia:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=99405596103.666232539603.1234486059871&page=1&sort_order=0&navfolderid=0&folderid=0&ownerid=0
Let me just brag a bit and say that I took a shower that morning and my hair DRIED like that!!! That is probably the best my hair has looked in LONG while... must be the Spanish air/water! Also, sidenote, the last picture of the album is Retiro park in Madrid on a Sunday afternoon. It is so fun; there are bongos and lots of people in mascot costumes. The people-watching is good, and I tried the most rich traditional Spanish fare: the hot chocolate (chocolate tradicional a la taza)... it is pretty much a cadbury bar melted into a tea cup. So good... must be awful for the insides. That's what they dip churros into for BREAKFAST, which makes even me a bit queasy. Anyways, it was good, and the people-watching from the terrace was very relaxed.
I had my first day of class today. It was good, VERY different from Toronto. I can talk about that later; for now, I don't want to think about it. I am going to Barcelona in like 6 hours and I haven't started packing. I am going to meet Dad's godbrother and his family. He has a daughter a couple years younger than me with whom I spoke on the phone, and they are the nicest. ever. They only speak to me in Spanish, and it's not a big deal to them; so, I just roll with the punches! This should be interesting, especially because I'm meeting Dad's godmother, who was really good friends with my Figueiredo grandmother. So, maybe I'll hear some cool stories and get the REAL scoop on whether or not I look like a lot like my Figueiredo grandma. More soon! I miss you all!
From the cathedral we walked to Alcazar. These are the kind of narrow, cobbled streets you can picture knights in medieval armor walkind down. Alcazar's design allegedly helped inspire Walt Disney's design of the Snow White Castle, but personally I think that claim is erroneous. The view of Castile and Leon in the winter was breathtaking, even though you can't help but imagine how springtime bloom would really make everything pop.
I was watching a behind-the-scenes interview with Pedro Almodovar on the "Volver" dvd, and he had this theory that the Castillian landscape is so blank --few trees and rolling hills--that people from Castilla naturally evolve into storytellers in order to add layers to this barren landscape. I think what he was trying to say that the imagination is spurred to create when presented with such a blank canvas. Of course, Castilla is also Don Quixote/Cervantes territory; so, I thought that Almodovar's theory was interesting, and I looked at the landscape with all that in the back of my head, but I thought it was beautiful because it was so simple. I can see how in such a place, you would get to know the rocks and trees as landmarks because they are so few and far between that they almost have personalities..
Anyways, we went to the top of Snow White's tower where the view was just incredible, even though I am afraid of heights and the stairs up the tower were playing tricks with my mind.
Afterwards, we decided to stop and try the traditional Segovian food, sopa castellana (garlic broth with hard-boiled egg and soaked bread) and cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig hoof)... both were... an experience, and I honestly would not order either again (very strange textures, cutting through the cochinillo was like cutting through a sneaker)... Anyways, the whole Segovian culture is fascinating in terms of this food. The hoof had a tag on it that said how many siblings the pig had, who it's mother was, where it lived and the day it was killed (3 days ante-plate in my case)... Furthermore, after we ate it, the waitress came back and said, "oh, we just logged when it was eaten too. The only thing we don't know about this pig is the name of the person who ate it." Fascinating. After that, we went to catch our bus because the last train was leaving soon, and the bus pick-up was right underneath the Roman Aqueducts, which we obviously wanted to see because they are AWESOME. The most impressive part about it is that rocks that comprise the aqueduct are not bound together by concrete, and it has endured to this day. It appears that the only thing keeping it together is some solid physics and moss... Very cool.
Anyways, here are some pictures of Segovia:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=99405596103.666232539603.1234486059871&page=1&sort_order=0&navfolderid=0&folderid=0&ownerid=0
Let me just brag a bit and say that I took a shower that morning and my hair DRIED like that!!! That is probably the best my hair has looked in LONG while... must be the Spanish air/water! Also, sidenote, the last picture of the album is Retiro park in Madrid on a Sunday afternoon. It is so fun; there are bongos and lots of people in mascot costumes. The people-watching is good, and I tried the most rich traditional Spanish fare: the hot chocolate (chocolate tradicional a la taza)... it is pretty much a cadbury bar melted into a tea cup. So good... must be awful for the insides. That's what they dip churros into for BREAKFAST, which makes even me a bit queasy. Anyways, it was good, and the people-watching from the terrace was very relaxed.
I had my first day of class today. It was good, VERY different from Toronto. I can talk about that later; for now, I don't want to think about it. I am going to Barcelona in like 6 hours and I haven't started packing. I am going to meet Dad's godbrother and his family. He has a daughter a couple years younger than me with whom I spoke on the phone, and they are the nicest. ever. They only speak to me in Spanish, and it's not a big deal to them; so, I just roll with the punches! This should be interesting, especially because I'm meeting Dad's godmother, who was really good friends with my Figueiredo grandmother. So, maybe I'll hear some cool stories and get the REAL scoop on whether or not I look like a lot like my Figueiredo grandma. More soon! I miss you all!
Friday, February 6, 2009
La Vida Loca
Hola todos, it's been a busy couple of days, and I don't know if I'm going to get around to writing about the Prado and Thyssen museums (especially the Thyssen, due to Steve's sensitivity regarding the O'Keeffe from the previous post ha). Anyways, next time I talk to you, ask me about it, although I can't guarantee I'll shut up once I start talking. ALSO, sidenote, I've only used an audioguide once at a museum and it was at the Prado, and it was the best decision I've ever made.
Okay, so last night, I went to Alcala to have my weekly visit with Matt and his Loyola friends. They had a nice tapas potluck and wine dealy that I partook in. Then we went out. For those of you who have been reading the blog from the beginning, they played a couple of SHAKIRA songs at the second bar we went to so I was very happy/ dancing up a storm!
Anyways, after returning to Madrid today, I had a chance to hang out with two kids in my residence who I've been in touch with since the International Students Orientation meeting on Wednesday. Jenny was actually in a bunch of my Spanish/Portuguese courses over the years at U of T, but we had never spoken before the meeting on Wednesday, and she is a very nice girl who actually went to language school in Madrid for 3 months a couple years ago. Andres lives 2 doors down from me, and he's from Mexico/San Diego. He really likes soccer and a lot of the same music as me; so, that's cool, and we're definitely planning to see Real Madrid play.
Anyways, we went into Madrid tonight and met up with Jenny's friend Alberto who's from Barcelona but is doing his Masters in Madrid and he basically took a metro map and circled everywhere we need to go, gave us the lowdown on the weather, the neighbourhoods, the culture, etc. It was really quite fun and informative. Also, Alberto doesn't speak any English, and I felt totally comfortable and could understand what he was saying and interject when necessary. It was good.
We went to this place near Gran Via called Monteditos, I think... anyways, everything there was 1 or 2 euros, and it was delicious! The cerveza clara was SO good. It is Cruz Campo brand beer (which like corona) mixed with lemon soda. It was almost cider-esque but not quite as sweet. I quite enjoyed it. Also, the bocadillos, pictured below, were VERY good. You could order them with pan normal (white bread) or pan integral (wheat), and they came with chips... which I OF COURSE stuffed in my bocadillos just like I used to during hot lunches at Seton hah gives it a nice crunch. Anyways, picture mini sub sandwiches with a variety of fillings... one of mine was filled with brie and chorizo, one with tuna and olive oil and a mayo-esque sauce (alioli?), and the BEST ONE was filled with jamon iberico and some sort of tomato-based oil sauce. Every Spanish person raves about jamon iberico (thinly sliced, cured ham), but honestly ham is not my favourite and I was super skeptical. I am currently going on the record to say that it was highly delicious!
Anyways, I should go to bed now because the three of us are going to Segovia tomorrow morning for the day. It's the capital of Castile y Leon, and it has a Roman aqueduct and a really nice cathedral that I will be taking pictures of and describing to y
ou in my next post!! Take care everybody!
Okay, so last night, I went to Alcala to have my weekly visit with Matt and his Loyola friends. They had a nice tapas potluck and wine dealy that I partook in. Then we went out. For those of you who have been reading the blog from the beginning, they played a couple of SHAKIRA songs at the second bar we went to so I was very happy/ dancing up a storm!
Anyways, after returning to Madrid today, I had a chance to hang out with two kids in my residence who I've been in touch with since the International Students Orientation meeting on Wednesday. Jenny was actually in a bunch of my Spanish/Portuguese courses over the years at U of T, but we had never spoken before the meeting on Wednesday, and she is a very nice girl who actually went to language school in Madrid for 3 months a couple years ago. Andres lives 2 doors down from me, and he's from Mexico/San Diego. He really likes soccer and a lot of the same music as me; so, that's cool, and we're definitely planning to see Real Madrid play.
Anyways, we went into Madrid tonight and met up with Jenny's friend Alberto who's from Barcelona but is doing his Masters in Madrid and he basically took a metro map and circled everywhere we need to go, gave us the lowdown on the weather, the neighbourhoods, the culture, etc. It was really quite fun and informative. Also, Alberto doesn't speak any English, and I felt totally comfortable and could understand what he was saying and interject when necessary. It was good.
We went to this place near Gran Via called Monteditos, I think... anyways, everything there was 1 or 2 euros, and it was delicious! The cerveza clara was SO good. It is Cruz Campo brand beer (which like corona) mixed with lemon soda. It was almost cider-esque but not quite as sweet. I quite enjoyed it. Also, the bocadillos, pictured below, were VERY good. You could order them with pan normal (white bread) or pan integral (wheat), and they came with chips... which I OF COURSE stuffed in my bocadillos just like I used to during hot lunches at Seton hah gives it a nice crunch. Anyways, picture mini sub sandwiches with a variety of fillings... one of mine was filled with brie and chorizo, one with tuna and olive oil and a mayo-esque sauce (alioli?), and the BEST ONE was filled with jamon iberico and some sort of tomato-based oil sauce. Every Spanish person raves about jamon iberico (thinly sliced, cured ham), but honestly ham is not my favourite and I was super skeptical. I am currently going on the record to say that it was highly delicious!
Anyways, I should go to bed now because the three of us are going to Segovia tomorrow morning for the day. It's the capital of Castile y Leon, and it has a Roman aqueduct and a really nice cathedral that I will be taking pictures of and describing to y
ou in my next post!! Take care everybody!
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