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