Back in Calgary

Back in Calgary… has been very uneventful. I have been applying to jobs, working out here and there and catching up on the TV shows I missed while in Spain (pretty much just The Hills). Well I guess not fully uneventful, I did go up to Edmonton for my convocation!! I can now officially say I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. Only one step towards the end though, now comes the planning for September.

I have been back a little more than a month now and things have gone by so quickly, Christmas is only 2 weeks away and it feels like it should still be September. I guess when you are in Madrid and just hanging out all the time until November you kind of miss all the hustle of things. So that is where I am now, trying to get back into the swing of things…

Things I learnt and loved about Espana!

1. Lunch is eaten at 2 or even as late at 4. When I first arrived I had a hard time with this but now I am so used to it. Also one thing I really enjoyed is lunch is the bigger meal of the day, whereas dinner (at 9-10ish) is very small and often just protein. This makes sense as you can use the day to burn off the calories of a large meal compared to going right to bed after.

2. People know how to parallel park!! You really can’t park any other way, but still you have to know how to do it. I would have a little trouble in this department that’s for sure.

3. Traffic circles make sense here, and people know how to drive in them! It keeps traffic moving, which in Madrid is very necessary. I would think of the new traffic circles they just built behind Western on 18th ave in Calgary and it makes me laugh.

4. Transit is amazing! The metro runs throughout the whole city and is comes on a very regular basis. I think the longest I ever had to wait for a train to come was 5 minutes. Also they have buses that run to all the nearing cities and sites for very good prices. For a trip from Madrid to Segovia (comparable distance Calgary to Red Deer) it was 12€ (~$17) round trip. I am pretty sure greyhound doesn’t offer the same deal. Also these above buses run very often. Yes I know the large population in Madrid an area does help in this but I was still very impressed.

5. In Spain, Spanish has a slightly different accent than Latin America Spanish (which is what most of us in North America would have learnt or heard). I only note this as when I first arrived I found myself having a hard time saying all the words with z’s and c’s with a “th” sound. Also when hearing the word and then seeing it writing with a “z” was also very confusing, but now I have gotten very used to it and yes Plaza is not pronounced pla-za, but pla-tha!

6. Fruit and veggies are so yummy. When I came back to Calgary I grabbed a pear and then almost had to spit it out as it just tasted very pulpy. I never realized how horrible the fruit is we get until experiencing fresh fruit on a daily basis.

the yummy Tortilla a Patata

(this is not my photo, but just thought you guys should get a visual)

The tortilla a patata is a Spanish specialty, it is a potato and onion omelette. It sounds so simple but sometimes its the simplest things that are the best! It is sooo yummy!! So my last morning Andres taught me how to prepare it, and it was my turn to try it out. It isn't the easiest thing to make, well everything is easy until you get to the flipping part. My first attempt at flipping didn't go so well as I lost half of the tortilla on the counter/sink, luckily managed to salvage it and it wasn't a total disaster. Andres helped with the flipping the second time, but now I have the basics and will just need to practice!

Last week in Madrid

These last few days I have managed to keep myself busy. On Oct 31 was my last day with a transit pass so I had a few things on my list. I ended going to the Prado museum, they had just opened up a new exposition and it was free, so I mean what was I going to lose. It ws super super busy though (because it was free) so it was hard to really appreciate it all. From Prado I headed to Plaza de Castilla, all I wanted here was a photo and then I headed back downtown to Gran Via. Gran Via is the street with all the main shops and things, I just wanted one last look of european fashion before I left.

Oh I forgot to mention... being halloween the kids got all dressed up for school, it was fun to see them in costumes. Rebeca's whole class had to dress gothic so she was all in black, Diego was a mad scientist, Jamie was a millionare (his whole class the same), Marcos a indian, Patri was half man half woman (it was a pretty sweet costume) and Sarah was a black dressed bride. In the evening I went along with Marcos, Patri and Sarah trick or treating. Halloween here isn't very popular so it wasn't the same as back home. We went for about an 1 and half and maybe 6 or 7 houses gave out candy. I was trying to explain to the kids that we used to fill pillow cases with candy when used to go!! However although the lack of candy.. one house felt bad so they gave us a full box of ferrero rocher chocolates, mmm now that is a sweet halloween candy.

The kids don't get the 31st off school but Nov 1 is a holiday here so no school Thursday or Friday. It was nice to spend my last few days with the kids around! Thursday evening we went ice skating. Rebeca really enjoys going so was pretty excited. I haven't been on skates for almost 2 years now so I was worried I would fall, but it went well, I even taught the kids how to skate backwards a bit. 3 hours of skating and my feet hurt but it was fun to get some activity in with the kids before I leave. Also another thing that made me happy at the rink was there was a huge poster of Kipper!! yay Go Flames Go!!! I am sure the people don't really know who he is but I sure was excited about it.

Weekend in Rota and Cadiz

This trip was originally planned to be super super busy, I had hoped to go to Sevilla and see a few other things but in the end I ended up just going to Cadiz and Rota and just hanging out on the beach and things. It was nice to just relax a little nearing the end of my trip, but since I didn't get to see Sevilla and Grenada yet it just means I will have to come back!!

Once in Rota we spent a few hours at the beach then headed to Cadiz by ferry. I little 30 min ride over to Cadiz and then we wondered to find our hostal. Once getting organized at the hostal we went to roam our surroudings. A few of the girls had been to Cadiz already so they knew a few spots but we pretty much just wondered until we could find food. Lunch was umm ok but the ice cream made my day. I really can't turn down a good ice cream! The big group of us (8girls) ended up splitting up a little to explore things so Kristin, Jodie and I decided to be tourists and check out some of the sights. In the end our sight seeing turned into a search for churros (fried dough that you dip into chocolate mmm), but we were not successful at this. Churros are more of a breakfast thing it seems. One back at the hostal we made some pasta and enjoyed some cheap wine and sangria(from a box hahaha). The evening was filled with tyring to find the popular spot in town, botellon (big bottle) and the discoteca. Botellon is where all the young people (15-24) meet up and bring their own drinks and just hang out until about 3am when the discotecas open. This was very interesting, its like a party without the host. There were at least a few hundred people here so it was very eventful.

The next morning we enjoyed some yummy churros con chocolate (mmm finally I got to try to joys of churros) and then just lazied around Cadiz until our ferry back to Rota. That evening just went to the beach, watched a little spanish television and ordered chinese. My last day in Rota was purely relaxing, woke up late, headed to the beach then just in teh evening headed back to the dreaded bus station to go to Puerto Santa Maria and take the 7 hour night bus back to Madrid. In the end I managed to get some sleep this time but it wasn't that great.

Bus ride to Rota

As I mentioned in my last post I just came back from the south of spain (Cadiz and Rota, in Andalucia, Spain).

I have found it more expensive to travel within Spain so when my friend Kristin found this bus that goes for only 36 euros I was so there. The only problem is the bus ride is 7 hrs, so I decided I would take the night bus so it wouldn't affect my days and I could just sleep on the bus. The bus left the bus station at 12am but I had to purchase my ticket and was worried it would be sold out so I got to the station at about 10:30. The bus station isn't really a nice place so I was happy to get on the bus. However when I realized what seat I had I wasn't so happy. You don't get to choose your seat when purchasing your ticket (well maybe you can but I wasn't really in the mood to complicate things when getting my ticket) so I was stuck with sitting right behind the driver. This was horrible as it was nearly impossible to get some sleep. The driver had a radio on and a fan so I was freezing the whole time. Once I finally got into a somewhat comfortable position and was almost asleep the bus stopped at some random restaurant and gas station to refuel. I was so confused with what was going on because the driver made everyone get off the bus. I wasn't sure where we were and what was going on really, I was worried I had missed my stop and this was the last stop and I had no idea where we were, but I eventually figured it out but really all I wanted to do was sleep!! Another 3 hours and we made it to my destination. Well I say destination but really here at el Peurto de Santa Maria I had to wait for another bus to get to Rota (where Kristin lives). There were 4 or 5 buses that go to Rota so I thought at least one would come in time, however this was not the case and I had to wait 3 hours at the bus stop. I was so tired at this point but once at the bus station in Rota I thouth I would find my way to Kristins on my own. I had some awesome directions so managed my way quite easitly, however since I was dressed for the cold nights and the bus ride I was in many layers, so when I got to Kristins doors I was sweaty and tired (not a pretty sight when giving hellos). Once at Kristins it was nice to sit that's forsure!!

Three days in Paris!

I have had a busy last couple of weeks thats forsure... I just got back from the south of Spain but I think I should first write about my trip to Paris. I had decided to go to Paris to visit my friend Greg (who had lived in res for a term as an exchange student from france), and also how could I turn down the opportunity of visiting Paris, especially whent the flight was only 26 euro.

Travelling:
I had booked my flight a month in advance and managed to get a great deal on my flight but since its a cheap airline the flight times aren't always the best. The flight was departing at 5:30am on Sunday the 21st. This would have been ok but to make it to the airport from where I am it is very difficult. I had to catch the last bus from Pozuelo at 11:30pm and then take the metro to the airport. I made it to the airport at about 1am and then just had to wait until ryan air opened for check in. This evening was probably the worst night of my entire time here in spain. I was right in the peak of a brutal cold and could barely swallow as it hurt so much, so trying to sleep on the airport floor wasn't going to happen. Those 4 hours at the airport went soo slowly but once on the plane things were fine. Again being a ryan air flight they often don't go directly to the main airport and you have to take a shuttle to Paris. The price of the shuttle was the same as the flight, pretty ridiculous really. The shuttle only took an hour though so wasn't a big deal.

Day 1:
Once in Paris I enjoyed my first croissant before meeting up with Greg. The croissant was amazing, just melted in my mouth, I dont know why they can't be the same everywhere. Once finding Greg we headed to his place, which by the way is in such an awesome area, literally a 10 min walk to la Cathedral de Notre Dame!! I felt bad as Greg had to get up a bit early to meet me at the station because when we got to their place, Mathilde (Gregs girlfriend) and some friends were still sleeping. We had a yummy breakfast of some almost pure butter croissants and chocolate croissants and then headed to a little market to get some things for lunch. This was an excellent Sunday as it wasn't too busy or anything and nice to just visit with friends. When I first arrived it was hard to go into french mode as I have been in Spanish country for so long. I kept answering things with "Si" and "Gracias" at first, but once I got into it speaking in french it wasn't that bad. I was really happy to practice french again, although I have lost a lot of my vocab. That evening Greg, Mathilde and I went to go see the movie "Michael Clayton" at a theatre along Champs Elysee! Got some good photos of l'Arc de Triomphe here, but since we took a little while here we almost didn't get a seat in the theatre. The movie was pretty good and was in english, but had french subtitles so was hard not to read them, but it was interesting to see the translations of things.
Day 2:
This was the frist day of being an intense tourist in Paris. I am really not a fan of looking like a tourist but sometimes you just have to have your camera and map out. The night before Greg pointed out a few places I should really see and I sort of planned out what i would do. I got a lot done this day so that my last day could be a bit more relaxed. I first went to the Cathedral de Notre dame and saw things around here, then went to check out La musee Louvre. I am actually pretty sick of museums and things so didn't actually go inside but got some pictures of the pyramids of course. I don't regret this, it was so busy and I find museums take a lot out of me. From here went to Concorde and L'opera. Opera is a beautiful area and this is where all the fancy shopping takes place!! Then off to la tour Eiffel. (Here is a pic of the view from the top)
I really wanted to go up and decided the more financially appropriate way was to take the stairs. I highly recommend the stairs!! There was barely a line, it was cheap and you get to see so much more. They have posters along the way with tidbits of information and you can take your time and enjoy it. The elevators looked packed and there was a 45 min wait, I didn't have the time for that, so when you are deciding between stairs or elevator, take the stairs! After this I did more quick stops to some tourist spots, such as Les Invalides, and more of la Seine.

Day 3:
I had less to do on my list as I rushed through lots the day before. I spent a few hours at Le chateau Versailles. It was a little longer to get here but well worth it. My transit pass however wasn't valid for this region but I wasn't going to pay more on top of the pass I purchased so I just hopped the gate (both ways going and coming back, nobody seemed to notice). I ended up getting lost (not literally) in the gardens of Versailles. They were awesome, many paths and things. I ended up exploring the Orangerie, and nobody was there, it was actually kind of strange with the amount of tourists all up top they didn't seem to come down. It was nice to be able to just relax here in the gardens, and I was a fan of all the fun shaped bushes. The rest of the afternoon I returned to Champs Elysee to actually go on the Arc de Triomphe, becuase the day before it was closed, but again there was a memorial of some sort but I was able to get some cool photos, nonetheless. Also I went to Montmarte to see the Basilique de Sacre Coeur, this was beautiful and I highly recommend going to check this out. It was nice as there was some guys playing some cover songs right on the steps and there is a great view to admire. Enjoyed some yummy eclairs and croissants throughout the day and just spent the evening at Greg and Mathildes place. Greg had some friends over and it was great practice for my french again.

The trip back to Madrid went problem free, so no stories of sleeping in the airport here.

The whole 3 days in Paris were great. I really tried to not let my cold affect my trip and I think I got a lot out of the three days. I got a little taste of the Parisien lifestyle and it was nice to see some old friends. I have been super lucky to have great friends to let me stay with them! Thanks Greg and Mathilde!!! I Had an awesome time.

Day trip to Segovia

This was a similar trip like Toledo, a short bus ride away (well it was supposed to be 1.5 hr trip but it only took an hour) and lots of walking to see the sites. Segovia is known for three main things, the Aqueduct, Alcazar and the cathedral, so those were pretty much what I went to see. I had found a nice guide online of how to get to A to B with what roads to take and such to get to the next site but I always seem to get a bit lost when looking for the street signs (they aren't as easily displayed on sign posts like in Canada, often they are on the wall of the building in small print). However even though I got lost a few times I found everything in the end. The aqueduct was pretty easy to find, I mean you really can't miss it, its huge!! Pretty cool how its just right there in the middle of all the hustle of the city.

From here I went to the Cathedral which is right at the plaza mayor (main square). I was very impressed with this cathedral and I must say I have seen my share of cathedrals here in spain. There was a small market going on in the main square which was a mini version of El Rastro, pretty much all the same stuff.

Then off to Alcazar! This was the castle that inspired Mr Walt Disney himself for Cinderella. It was really beautiful! I didn't go inside but I walked down the hill to get some better shots. Just to remind you all this is the middle of October and by the middle of the afternoon it was at least 24 degrees out, so it wasn't to easy to get good photos as the sun was right above the Alcazar. This just means you will all have to go and check it out yourselves!! Also if you do ever get a chance to go, I recommend getting a little lost haha, I know that sounds strange but you can find some cute little places and things to see along the way that you probably wouldn't have if you stuck to the main plan. This has become sort of my little moto of travelling. I mean not getting stressfully lost or anything but just turning down a different street than planned, you don't know what you may find.

Out of both small day trips, I enjoyed Segovia more. It is hard to explain the difference between the two (Toledo and Segovia) but I just had a better feeling about Segovia. Perhaps it was the time of year I went with less tourists around and all the fall colours which I love so much, but who knows.

Ahhh home in 10 days, crazy... update of Paris to come...

Working out...

Workouts have become a bit random as I have been having some problems with my knee. Of all things I should know what to do with it and I know I really shouldn't run when my knee hurts. I have read up on some things and have decided to do some quad strengthening and some specific stretching, I have found this has helped a little on my runs. I can now go 40 mins withour pain presenting but to make it 60 is not very fun so I haven't pushed myself.

However I did promise myself I wouldn't put on weight this trip which I think I am still doing ok (the yummy desserst aren't helping though) but I have definatly noticed a decrease in my aerobic fitness.
Going to have to get into the training mode when I get back thats for sure (too bad there will probably be snow on the ground so I won't be able to go on some nice rides, oh how I miss you roadie B.

Although runs have had to be altered a bit I have found a great route and I sort of have a routine now. I run for 25 mins and then do some intervals or a strength circuit at the football field or track and then another 20 minutes running. The break from running in between is really nice for my knee and I get a chance to do my 30 pushs up a day, no no not 30 in a row (well not yet that is!!) and some core work.

Also I really can't complain when I go for runs when its 20 some degrees and only 11am, so far October's weather has been great, but you can tell fall has arrived as the evenings get quite cool and the leaves have started falling. Oh I love the colours of fall!

Day to Day...

I realized I haven't posted about my day to day living here in Pozuelo. I ussually wake up a little late around 9:30 or 10 (I feel a little bad about this, because I don't see the rest of the family as the kids and parents are up at 8 to get ready for school or work). I ussually enjoy a breakfast of cereal and cola coa (chocolate milk) or lately some magdelenas (muffins) and then either try to go for a workout (more about this next post) or set off to Madrid to do some exploring, reading, shopping and what not.

Since October the kids get home at about 5:30 but these are some busy kids. The day does not stop for them after school, I mean I know my brothers and I were a busy family with skiing and swimming but for example Diego has music, swimming and choir all on one evening, but don't forget he has futbol 3 times a week as well. So to figure out all 6 kids (the cousins to) the parents have a schedule of where each kids is and who picks up who when. It can get very complicated Im sure, and after seeing the organization I really appreciate my parents for all the driving to and from swimming and skiing they had to do. While one kid is going out the door another one is coming in, I help the kids with what I can with their homework ( really only English and french) and hang out with them. Enjoy a dinner at around 9:30 and then watch some TV with the family.

Wow things are going by fast, three weeks to go ahhh crazyness.
Miss you all!

Weekend in Soria

(The kids in Quintana Redonda)

This past weekend I went with the family to the north of Spain, Soria. It is a 2 hour drive north of Madrid. The drive up was fun as I sat beside Diego and Rebeca who were either singing or playing on their psp. I wanted to see what diego was playing but I would get a little dizzy whenever I looked at the psp. All in all the drive went well and before we got to the house we went looking for a restaurant/bar to get dinner. We went to a typical Spanish cerveceria, where you can order food, tapas and drinks. Also kids are allowed in the bar and everybody smokes. In Madrid I haven’t really found smoking a big problem but here you could tell more people smoked. The bar was busy with a wide variety of people, young and old. This old man was bugging Diego with a live crab and kept tapping Diego’s shoulder with it, and beside our table was another man playing on the slots machine while watching the tv program above, he was so focused on pressing the slots button but all at the same time ordering drinks, talking to his family and watching tv. Once we got to the small village Quintana Redonda we got settled, made our beds and went to bed.

The next two days the family took me to many small villages and sights.
We went to the villages where the kids grandparents were from. Deserted little villages, really nice though! Where the grandmothers house was, there was fruit that had been planted years ago. Apples, pears, plums, grapes and raspberries, it was nice to be able to just pick it right off the tree and enjoy.

Also on the trip we went to the main city Soria, which is the biggest city in this region. It has a cathedral called Santo Domingo where you can go to the side of the cathedral and buy desserts and sweets from the nuns. I would have never known about this if I hadn’t been with the family that’s for sure. It was really interesting, you weren’t allowed to see the nuns and they had this sliding closet where you would place your money and they would switch it with the boxes of desserts.

In the evening while in Soria everyone heads to the main square and street and walks down to enjoy a chat or drink. We went down to get some of Soria’s mantequilla (butter, either plain or sweet, which is a particular Soria specialty). The sweet butter is almost like icing mmm and really good on these little muffins (called magdelenas). While walking back we ran into Celia’s aunt and uncle so sat down to have a drink with everyone. Saw a few more sights along the trip including some old roman buildings and other cathedrals and castles. Pretty cool to just drive around and spot castles and things every few minutes.

This trip I enjoyed some good times with the family, great food and desserts (can’t forget the desserts!) and beautiful scenery. A weekend well spent!! and very different than all the bustle of the big city.

Mmm dessert!

Thanks again Andres and Celia for letting me come along!!

OSLO!!

Travel day:
I didn’t want to be late for the flight like last time when we went to Barcelona, so I left really early. Took the bus, than the metro and got there with two hours to spare. Two hours would have been fine at the airport but with a delay of 2.5 hours, I was really ready to leave the Madrid airport. The flight was about 3 hours and went smoothly. Being a cheap ryanair trip the flight doesn’t go directly to the main Oslo airport, but to a smaller airport a little ways away, however buses are set up to go directly to Oslo. A nice hour and a half ride to Oslo, and I finally made it at around 12am. Once I got to the bus station I wasn’t sure where I would find Giso, but it was super easy and I was so excited to see her. After such a long day of traveling I was happy to see a familiar face.

Day 1:
Woke up a little late but had a great breakfast of pumpkin bread. Went walking around to some touristy spots, including the palace, the port, the downtown streets and the Feria chocolate store. A very different place than Madrid that’s for sure. Things remind me of Canada with the nature and fall colours. However you do know you are in a Scandinavian country with the many blond heads bobbing around everywhere. The fashion is similar to Spain, many skinny jeans and things but more scarves and layering. It also feels very athletic here, Cy and J you would love it!!! Everyone is on bikes and there are helly hanson and bjorn dhaelie apparel shops everywhere. I can't imagine what it would be like in the winter, you can tell they are very fit people that’s for sure. It took me a while to actually believe I was in oslo, i still can't believe I went, of all places I really would have never thought I would go to Norway on this trip. Its Awesome.

Day 2:
went to the Vigeland Park which had lots and lots of sculptures of people intertwined together and the famous sculpture of a boy complaining. A really nice park, would like to go on a run in this park one day. I think I plan to return here, I really like OSLO. In the afternoon Giso had one class at the university of Oslo so I went with her to check it out. You can tell I sort of miss school when I was excited to go look at the U. It was a nice fall day with many people sitting out with their friends having a coffee. The campus was really nice, more sculptures and nice buildings.

Day 3:
We went to the 1952 Olympic ski jump, and xc ski location, Holmenkollen. This place really reminded me of the Canmore Nordic centre. The ski jump was cool, and such a beautiful spot in the city. Lots of tourists here, but I am sure in the winter it must be a popular spot for skiing. The rest of the day just looked around at shops and things and then headed back to Madrid in the early evening. The whole time I was there I was super lucky with the weather, as it was 14-15 and sunny most of the time! ahh oslo is beautiful.
A great little trip, and I recommend you all to go for a visit if you ever get the chance!

(Thanks again Giso for everything!!)
A link of more photos, here

La Vuelta!

This past Sunday was an awesome yet very long day. The night before the parents had a fiesta for Andres’ birthday and we were all up very late. I managed to get up early to prepare and head to Madrid so I would get a good spot for the last stage of La Vuelta. The reason I left early was because I was unaware of the actual time the cyclists would come through and I was worried I would miss it. I have had this event on my calendar since I knew I would be going to Madrid, so there was no way I was going to miss it. The day before, I had even scoped out where I would go and knew what roads would be blocked off and things. Yes I know somewhat geeky to prepare like this in advance but as I mentioned before there was no way I was going to miss this. The awards stage!

Once I had arrived to the correct location (11ish) there were many people already around and setting up around the barricades to watch the cyclists. All these spectators had come early to watch the younger cyclists do a race prior to the real thing. I was actually glad I got to see this, as it was very different than the races I have seen in Alberta, mainly by the mere numbers of cyclists both boys and girls. They must have all been under 18 and all had super nice bikes and sponsored teams, with their team trucks and vans, pretty impressive really. After the girls race the road cleared a little, I wandered (not knowing I wasn’t allowed) on the road and took some photos of the awards stage. It was nice being so early because there were only huge cyclist fans and tourists who were more interested in the statue and fountain in the middle of the street and weren’t quite sure why the road was all closed down. It was really interesting seeing these tourists trying to figure out what all the hype was, especially because at this point all that was going on were young cyclists, and really no media had come yet. Another thing I found interesting was that during the juniors races the advertisement were different than that for La Vuelta, immediately (I really mean immediately, this was a speedy process) after the youngins race was over billboards and more adds went up and replaced the ones from the jr races. At this point I had found out that I had at least 4 hours before la vuelta, so I walked down the street to get some lunch and just roam the area. The final stage finished with 5 laps around the busiest streets in Madrid. I am very surprised they could actually close the streets but luckily it was a Sunday because otherwise I don’t think it would have been allowed. The street has the huge museum Del Prado, the national library (seems boring but it is really quite nice) and faces towards the Metropolis building up on Gran Via. (which is why all the tourists would be in this area because there would be lots for them to do). Yay for free stuff!

After lunch (2pm) I set up along the barricades to get ready for the cyclists. More people had started coming so I got a spot along the railing but a bit further from the finish line than I had hoped (I would have managed to get so much more free stuff from all the different team girls as they would always stop only a few meters away from me). Waited at this spot for a good 3 hours until the cyclists actually came by (5:30pm). My legs were so tired of standing but there was no way I was giving up my prime spot. The race was awesome, I have never seen such speed and the sprint to the finish was intense. It was hard trying to get photos because I wanted to watch more than take photos, but luckily we saw them more than once so I had enough opportunity to do so. I don’t really know how to explain the race and the final laps so I will describe it in 6 words: speed, cheering, spandex, expensive bikes, and did I already say speed!
You could tell that this race was a grueling 21 days because most of the guys looked pretty skinny, I mean after that much cycling pretty sure anyone would be skinny but still.

After the race I went to see all the team buses and things, it was pretty cool to see all the bikes stacked on the cars and gear everywhere. I felt like I was in wonderland with everything around me. It was a very exciting feeling.

A link with more of my photos here

Esta de Moda en Espana

A quick hello to all those reading... I love all your comments, hope all is well in Alberta, NB, Vancouver (Jennifer), Montreal(Ashley), Israel (Laurence), Australia (Morgan), Tennessee (Kalya) and wherever you all are at the time.

Well I thought I would give you an idea of the style and fashion here in Madrid. Right now it seems the “in thing” to wear are these pants with very low crotches. Known in the fashion world as drop croth pants. This sounds strange and it really is. First being the summer many women are wearing these in a sort of cropped version. They look pretty comfortable but really that is all I think I like about them. They look almost as if there is a large saggy bum and way to much material in the front that they forgot to cut off. As I mentioned in my last blog I wanted to buy a pair just to show you all, but I really don’t think they look good. I am sure after saying this though in a year or so everyone will have them in N. America and I will be debating sporting the fashions (similar to how I didn’t like skinny jeans and now I have a pair, but these I really don’t know). Stores are now bringing in the fall season things and the drop crotch pants are everywhere in jeans, khakis, cords and even in overalls style.
A photo of the pants…after I got told I wasn’t allowed to take photos and the security guard asked me to delete the photo (hehe I am such a rebel).

Another prominent style here is the mullet. The mullet is live and well here in Spain that’s for sure! I think it’s due to many futbol players in Spain with this hairstyle and the young and old fans wanting to follow. Sort of like when Beckham had that fauxhock, but this is oh so much worse. I have even seen many rat-tails on young boys.

Fernando Torres (Mind you a very good futbol player)

Lastly, I am on the search for clothing that has Spanish sayings but all I get is English, even Canadian sayings. I saw a sweater yesterday at a store with the phrase “Calgary ‘where I broke my leg’ 88”, I almost wanted to buy it.

I will post soon about La Vuelta!!
Miss you all,
Shereen

Sundays are for El Rastro

Sunday, I went to the market, El Rastro. I had been before but this time I had planned to go to buy some leggings and some of these drop crotch pants (I will explain later). After doing a few metro line changes I finally arrived. Pretty much the whole metro got off at this stop to go to el rastro, here you could easily pick out the tourists with their maps and guide books (really not a good idea at el rastro, with all the people and excitement for pick pocketers). Being so very busy, walking up and down the streets trying to find what I was looking for was slightly frustrating. Following the masses slowly trying to get from booth to booth was a task in itself. I didn’t end up finding what I was looking for, well actually I didn’t end up finding the price I liked for what I was looking for. You would think you could bargin at this market, but some stations have signs not allowing it, and it seemed everywhere I went nobody wanted bargining. No luck today, oh well! I did spot some nice scarves and things so I think I will have to visit the crazyness of Rastro at least a couple more times.

To do as they do in Toledo...

I went on a day trip to Toledo last Wednesday. Toledo is an hour bus ride away from Madrid. You would think being so close it would be just another suburb but it is a completly different world really. A small city on the top of this big hill, with lots of history. Full of mosques and synagogues now turned into catholic churches, museums and a beautiful view from the top of the hill.
The city is a very popular tourist spot so I am pretty sure that 95% of the people on the bus were tourists. The bus ride was fine, except for the large group of boys from, umm I am going to guess Holand, sitting all around me. Once arrived, the bus droped us off at the bottom of the hill. Luckily I had read about this in advance otherwise I am sure I would be writing this update differently from having to walk up the hill. I took a quick city bus up the hill and got off at the main square, Plaza Zocodover. I knew I had arrived to where I wanted to be when I saw the big Mcdonalds right in the square (sarcasm here), that doesn't seem very historical to me.

Anyway after figuring out where I should go first I headed towards the Museo de Santa Cruz. I will admit I do like museum, art, history and culture but going from museum to museum can get a little boring and costly. Luckily however this museum was free and had some nice original Greco's to view. I didn't go into any other museums or cathedrals, seeing them from the outside was good enough for me. From here I wandered further up the hill to the Alcazar (fortress), which was destroyed and rebuilt but at this time was under construction so wasn't open. Nice from the outside at least. I managed to get some excellent photos of the view from up here as well.


Following a tiny map I printed off I managed to see what I came for, so the rest of the afternoon I people watched, did some window shopping and walked down the many narrow streets. In the past Toledo was known for their swords and armoury so lots of the shops had knights armour and swords on display. I can't imagine having bought a sword and taking it on the bus and then the metro to get back, I am sure I would have gotten some interesting looks. When it was time for lunch, sadly I was feeling like something comforting and decided to go to Mcdonalds.
I know how wrong this is, especially to take in the full experience of Toledo I really should have gone to a small restaurant and gotten a bochadillo but I just really wanted a burger. (As a side note: the Mcdonald burgers in Alberta are much better, it must be that Alberta beef!! )I decided I had time before my bus left and would walk down the hill to the station. It wasn't that bad but I did stop for some water on the way down.

At the beach in Barcelona

Started the day off right with a café con leche and bochadillos con tortilla patatas (sandwich with a Spanish omelette inside), then made our way to the beach.

Seeing as Neeka and I each traveled with one small bag we did not bring towels, shampoo, soap, sunscreen or really any liquid over 100ml (damn new flying security measures). The first day we arrived to Barcelona we bought a bottle of shampoo and used it for nearly everything (Soap, shampoo, body wash, and even moisturizer - Neeka thought I was crazy to use it as moisturizer but my legs were just so dry, I needed something).
When we got to the beach we found chairs set up where you can pay to use them, this was perfect seeing as it made our day much more comfortable than having to lay right on the sand. It was well worth my 5 euros. After lathering up (with shampoo -haha) I was ready to soak up the sun. I didn’t really swim much but when I got in the water I did begin to suds up a little from the shampoo on my body, that was interesting. We left at about 4 to have lunch and then head to the airport. The lack of sunscreen was slightly noticeable as our faces were a little rosy, but what can you do. No real issues at the airport and set off to return to Madrid. All in all it was a great relaxing day.
At our gate before boarding (boarding a bus that is, haha which then took us to the plane)

Day 2 in Barcelona

Neeka and I had decided we would get all the sight seeing done Tuesday, so that Wednesday we could just relax at the beach. This was an excellent plan!

Tuesday we pretty much walked across Barcelona. Starting off with a croissant and café con leche (café o lait) we began the day with more exploring. On our way to Segrada Familia we got off at the wrong metro station, well actually I don’t think it was the wrong station we just went the wrong way when we exited the station. It was funny though because we headed toward what we believed to be the Segrada Familia, but we thought it would have been much bigger, especially according to the photos we had seen. Again a slight detour but at least it was a nice spot, took a few photos and then went off to the real thing. La Segrada Familia is amazing, one of Gaudi’s many creations. It is still not completed and won’t be until at least 2020 they say but thus far I was impressed. Everything had such intricate details, the high vertical towers, the ceilings, the doors and windows, it was all so beautiful.


Then we were off to Park Guell, another hop on the metro and then a whole bunch of escalators to help us climb to the top of the hill to reach the park. I am so glad the escalators were there otherwise I don’t know if I would make it, especially from all the walking the night before. A winding pathway led to the popular square with all the mosaic benches, down to the famous mosaic lizard and to Casa Museu Gaudi.

We got some awesome pictures of the view from up here. We stayed at the park for a few hours. Had lunch there, I say lunch but more like a bag of chips with Ketchup (a Neeka delicacy), candy and a Fanta. Mmm sounds pretty healthy to me! Out of the wonderland of the park we returned to the busy streets of Barcelona to the port and to do a little shopping. I was quite successful with the shopping on this trip, getting a few things, including some skinny jeans (I never thought I would get them but they actually look quite good, sorry Justin I know you don’t like them). At the end of the night we were again exhausted and just fell right to sleep.

Surfing through the stone wave, in Park Guell

Bar"th"elona Day 1

Sorry it has taken me so long to write about Barcelona...

The exploring of Barcelona started right when we arrived. Trying to find our way through the people and to the nearest metro station was a challenge in itself, the signage was lacking and the women at the info booth wasn't very informative (not a very good info booth). Neeka and I had chosen to start at L'arc de Triomf metro station as on the map it looked close to where we wanted to go for the evening. Once we arrived here, we saw no sign of an arc but decided to walk somewhere and then look at the map. At this point we realized were going the wrong direction but had noticed a bridge and at least thought we reached the water. No water, just a futball field, this was rather dissapointing, but still worth a photo.


After having to turn back we stumbled upon a nice little park right behind the metro station, sometimes I guess its worth getting a little lost. Once back on track we found the Arc de Triomf (proper spelling) and another beautiful park. A few museums, art sculptures, many people and most importantly the Geology museum in the parc (well not so much for me but for Neeka). We didn't end up going in though.


Now once again reorienting ourselves, we thought it was best to start looking for a hostal as it was getting dark. This was slightly stressful as the many places we asked were booked for the night, but after trying 5 or 6 we found a place, Hostal Nilo. We decided now that we were much more relaxed from finding a place we would explore the area a bit. The location of our hostal was excellent, right near the port, la rambla (a very popular street), and a short walk away from la barrio Gothic (a community with lots of nice shops and restaurants). We wandered down la rambla and then went to la barrio Gothic for some diner. We returned to a place which we had spotted during out search for the hostal. The restaurant was really busy and seemed to be a popular spot for locals. They served tapas, where you could hand pick what you wanted and bring it to your seat. Mmm it was just what we needed for the night. Once returning to our hostal we were exhausted and went right to bed.

Crab Croquetas Mmmm

Rushed off to Barcelona

The trip to Barcelona started off rather stressful. Neguin took us to the airport and we checked in, here the attendant told us the flight will depart at 6:30 (different than the scheduled time of 4:55). We decided to have a snack at Mcdonals before we left seeing as we had some time. Sitting at Mcd’s we were looking at the departures screen and couldn’t find our flight on it, with a panic Neeka and I said our goodbyes and ran through the airport trying to find our gate. When we reached the gate nobody was there but one flight attendant. Above it says “Last call” Barcelona. The lady didn’t rush us or anything, it didn’t seem like a big deal that we were so late. We were the last to board but the flight couldn’t leave anyway because they were waiting to board the luggage. Neeka and I sat in relief and had a nice one hour flight to Barcelona. I was all worried I would get sick again, due to my last experience on the plane, but it was all fine.

The girls go to Madrid

Neguin, Miad, Anyssa, Giso and Neeka walking the streets downtown

This past weekend...Started things off with a trip downtown to a cute little tea and shisha place. Neguin (Neeka's friend who lives in Madrid) took us through many streets to get us there, I don't think I would have been able to find this place without Neguin. When you order tea you get a nice plate of fruit and baklava desserts. I was very impressed with my 2.50 euro tea to come with all that.
Saturday was a nice day to sleep in and relax. Neguins mom prepared a feast, an excellent persian meal. It was so nice to have some home made persian food, I haven't had it in so long. Seven persian girls can sure eat a lot. Mmm that was an excellent lunch. In the evening we went to Pozuelo as a group to chat and have a drink, and then returned to Neguins for a chick flick and some snacks. All in all a nice change from all the craze that Madrid can be. Mmm looks good!

Sunday we were off to the market, El Rastro. One of the biggest flea markets in Europe they say. It was pretty busy, lots and lots of booths and people. I wasn't really looking for anything in particular but it was still fun looking through everything. After all the rush of people we met up with Miad and Anyssa for lunch at a nice little spanish restaurant. We just saw it around the corner on some street and decided to give it a try. A full 3 course meal for 12 euros, plenty of food and a nice little atmosphere, I was impressed! The rest of the day we went to the gardens of buen Retiro again and just sat, chatted, people watched and listened to the many bongo drummers by the great lake. A excellent way to end the busy day.

Last Sunday.. .oops forgot to post this first

Sunday was a great day.

This was my first day to the the core of Madrid. In the morning however was a slow morning where we all woke a little a late. I prepared a canadian breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup. They all seemed to enjoy this and I think my next meal will be french toast, I just need to get the right bread.

For lunch we went to Celia's parents and had a big lunch. Lots of dishes. Not necessarily big dishes, but small amounts of lots of things. There were 3 kinds of ham sliced, 3 kinds of fish (salmon, a white fish, a small thin fish -haha my description is lacking here), also mushrooms, peppers, home made french fries, lettuce with a special dressing and spanish sausage. I tried everything except the small thin fish, seeing as I am still not a big fan of fish I was happy with trying the others already. The ham is really popular here but I dont' really like it. It tastes very fatty, almost as if they have smeared butter around the piece of meat. Maybe I will learn to like it but for now, not so much.

The evening was the best part of the day... I got to see Neeka and meet her friend Neguin who lives in Madrid. It was nice to see a familiar face and speak to someone with fluent English. We went to the centre of Madrid, Sol. Just walked around in the evening and watched the sunset. (hmm i need to figure out how to post things properly on here, but I can't seem to find how to turn the photo in the proper view, so I guess you can't see Neeka and I in a photo for now). Here at least is the beautiful sunset.


Miss you all,
Talk soon!

Jardines del Buen Retiro

This week has been full of exploring... on Tuesday I went to the gardens of Buen retiro, well actually I had not planned to go here at all, I was just walking down the busy streets and noticed it looked rather nice and decided to walk through. Saying this seems like the gardens are rather small but this is not true, I spent almost 2 hours there and didn't get to see the whole park. First through an array of book kiosks and then you reach the gardens main grounds. The park is entangled with many pathways, sculptures and fountains. Among all this I found an interesting area for the seniors to enjoy... well I am not sure if its for enjoyment or not really... hmm well I can't seem to upload the video but I will try another time its pretty funny.

The end of the afternoon at the gardens was spent walking around the Great Lake. Here people can rent a small paddle boat and row around and feed the many goldfish. This was a very popular attraction. Lots of tourists around here!


Off for another busy weekend and then hopefully Barcelona on Monday!