Sunday, January 30, 2011
reality, and no thanks, malaria
I just took my first dose of pre-exposure malaria prophylactic doxycycline because in 48 hours I WILL BE IN INDIA! (or at least, close) ;)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
dias tres/cuatro
Hola que tal??
Yesterday Chelsea and I had grand plans for waking up early to shop in Gran Via but ended up being lazy (my internal clock is still kind of off from travel) and meeting up around 1pm. We then did what we usually do when trying to eat somewhere: make a few mistakes, find somewhere, almost eat there, go somewhere else... jajajaja everything here is such a game when (in my case) you usually have no idea what is going on. We ended up deciding to head back to Chelsea's host house so i could grab something quick before our trek to the other side of the city to meet up with some Tufts kids for lunch.
Her host family's apartment is so awesome! It is about a five minute walk from my hostel, and a stone's throw away from the Reina Sofia Museum. There's a glassed-in terrace that looks out on a square in the residential neighborhood, all of the walls are covered in her host mom's artwork, and it's just generally very clean and home-y. We only stayed for a few seconds though because we weren't sure if she was allowed to have guests (I did have enough time to grab a really weird banana though.. Madrid bananas have an unfamiliar texture).
We took the metro across the city and met up with some students from Tufts and one from Skidmore and had lunch in a tiny place near the metro stop. Most places have a fixed price lunch for about 8-12E, which includes a first and second course and a drink, and sometimes a dessert or coffee. As per usual, I had no idea what the choices were, but at some point was asked "lentils or asparagus?" and said asparagus in a knee-jerk reaction that sounded more confident than I was... I think that was me trying to compensate in confidence instead of the usual uncertainty jajaja. Well, turns out the dish was pickled asparagus with a huge pile of mayo next to it. It had been drained of all color and was the least appetizing thing I could imagine. I took a few bites and gave up... I felt bad but asked for the delicious smelling lentil soup that my counterparts had. The smell of the lentils and chorizo in the soup bowls surrounding me next to my colorless veggies was hilarious (but kind of sad). Switching was awkward but mmmmhm, so worth it.We all had a good laugh about the asparagus except for my friend in our group who was actually enjoying it... whoops.
After the meal, we got on the metro and split ways because Chelsea and the other students had a meeting and class from 4-7ish. I got off of the metro solo and made my way to Gran Via, the shopping district where we had planned to go that morning. I got off feeling all confident and promptly walked past the exit to the station... twice. Time to get a little more humble about this 'independence' thing, self. I took a look at the purses in the station but everything was expensive and not quite ...right. I spent the next three hours taking pictures, using my first atm en espagnol (hope it worked the way it should have), warming up from the wind/studying Hindi in a Starbucks, and seeing all that the Spanish chain stores had to offer. I tried 'Mango,' 'Blanco,' 'lefties,' and a few other places like 'El cortes ingles' (their target equivalent, basically - it was definitely a different experience though). Everything I found purse-wise was covered in crazy bling... I then started to pay more attention to the bags people carried and realized that's just what's popular here. Tassels, studs, rhinestones.. very little 'classic' leather bags. Sigh.
I ended up finding something cool in Blanco, where they were having a 70% off sale.My 12.99E bag was a little less than 4E after two discounts applied. Yahoo! Nothing fancy, but will hold the essentials in Madrid and Delhi. Still need something big enough for the netbook though. To be continued.
Before I took the metro home, I snapped a picture of the theater where "Los Miserables" is playing. Les Mes is one of my favorite shows, and I know the music by heart, so I think Chelsea and I are going to go see it in Spanish on my last night! Obviously the Spanish will be over my head, but since the whole plot is set to music, I'll still know what's going on.
The metro by myself was fine, but I almost missed the stop. Here you have to open the door to the train yourself in order to get on/off, and when mine didn't open but the one at the other end of the train did, I forgot I could have pushed it open and made a beeline for the open door, hurrying and saying"excusemeexcuseme!" as much as I could (add that to the list of Spanish phrases that I've had to pick Chelsea's brain about since I'm tired of embarrassing myself). While I have never had anyone get outwardly frustrated with me for not speaking the language, several times people have come up to me to say something in stores, in museums, etc, and when I say "lo siento, ingles" and point to my ear, I feel like I'm saying "I'm deaf, and probably stupid." Without much money on me, no cell phone, and not being able to speak the language, I definitely am vulnerable when I travel around solo and I have promised myself that Spanish has to become something I learn in the next year or so, not something I should and want to learn "sometime" in the future. The time is now (well, Hindi time is now. Spanish is soon though!!).
I should also mention that I had NO idea what time it was. I had this very dumb thought "wow how will i tell time when i don't have my cell phone on me?!" (That would be a watch, Laura. A watch. You own one?). It could have been 830 for all i knew, so I was happy when it was 7, and logged on to digitally meet up with Chelsea after her class. Meanwhile outside the sounds of a protest in the streets...
We relaxed for a while and met up at 10ish to go to a REAL tapas bar (it was overdue). Elena, the lady at the desk at Hostal Barrera, gave me advice for two really close and delicious places to the hostel. "But it is for local people!! I don't know if you want something more modern!!" That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Apparently there are hundreds of bars in Madrid that attempt a modern take on tapas, but the best and most delicious ones are the oldest (the one that we ended up going to was from the 1870s). She also told me something strange: "When you see peppers on the floor, you know you are in for some good tapas. It is not because it is dirty, it is just how we eat - we throw the peppers on the floor." Peppers? Why would peppers be on the floor? I told her I was used to bars with peanuts on the floor, but not peppers. There was an awkward moment where neither of us really knew what we were talking about anymore. This happens a lot for me in Spain...
We left the hostel and found the restaurant within minutes (super close) and the peppers mystery was promptly cleared up - used paper napkins littered the floor from the tapas and bar foods. We ordered wine and a plate of tapas came with the food - success! A plate of croquetas (fried cheese.. I've eaten SO. MUCH. CHEESE.), a tortillita made with potatoes, cheese, onions, and red pepper, and slices of bread and meat (four drinks and two plates of food for only 8E total!) were our late dinner. We also scoped out the spread that three Spanish men had next to us. When I asked Chelsea what it was that the men had, she was SO impressive and didn't skip a beat before turning to them and just asking. They insisted we try the patatas bravas - a Madrid specialty of "homefries" (but more delicious somehow) smothered in a pepper-cheese sauce (that's actual peppers this time, not papers).
We left in search of another bar that had been recommended to us and ended up in a dance club that was almost completely empty (midnight is still too early for the Spanish to party on a Thursday). We met up with a girl from Chelsea's program, Dana, and after free shots in yet another empty club that was just trying to get people in the door, we finally found one that was super touristy but delicious on el Calle de las Huertas.
Inside we ordered a pitcher of sangria that came with slices of chorizo and jamon and the best potato chips on the planet. We ended up talking to a guy studying abroad from Penn State, of all places. We stayed there for a while, went dancing afterwards, and came back to the hostel and hung out. It was a great night out but ended early by Madrid standards (still, that was 3:30am - people usually stay out long enough to catch the first metro trains in the morning around 6 or 630).
The next morning, I was supposed to meet Chelsea at 9:45am with the rest of the Tufts/Skidmore in Madrid kids for two museum tours. Unfortunately, I somehow managed to turn off my alarm and I woke up around 10. I sent her a text via skype (who knew?) and left my hotel hoping that if I went to the second of the two museums after breakfast, I'd eventually run into her.
I headed to McDonalds and grabbed an espresso (scalding hot) and a yogurt (iced over). McDonalds here is GORGEOUS, and excellent for breakfast as the coffee/croissant combo is only 2E and there aren't really any breakfast places around. It is also ideal because you can point and use numbers and I feel at least slightly more competent ordering there than in other places. I headed to the Reina Sofia afterwards, in search of Picasso and Chelsea.
I realized when I got there I had forgotten my Tufts ID, and it was worth the 6E to go back and get it (free for students!). 15 minutes later I was back and got an audioguide. After listening to a British voice tell me about cubism for about 5 minutes, I was bored to death and ditched the guide for my iPod instead and replaced him with some Bon Iver (good museum thinking music). I checked out Dali, Picasso (standing in front of Guernica was pretty incredible - I feel like I learned about that painting in every art class since I was 7), and a really neat painting I had never heard of before by Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa called Retrato de Sonia de Klamery. I'm not sure why, but this chick reminded me of my mom, and something she would like. The face was incredible, and her gaze followed the viewer around the room. I bought a postcard of her and of Guernica.
I eventually ran into a bunch of the Tufts kids from the Alcala program who were kind of shocked to randomly spot me in Madrid. I knew I had to be close to finding Chelsea, too (again, so odd without cell phones). I checked out the modern exhibits (Renia Sofia is a lot like MoMA in New York) but passed through them fast since they were pretty weird, and sat in the courtyard for a while and took pictures.
Miraculously, I ran into Chelsea by the entrance and we left with a group of girls from the Tufts program for lunch. We ate in an Italian restaurant and continued my record of nothing but cheese, bread, meat, and alcohol to eat for days on end (well I guess now pasta, too). I really miss green stuff. Gotta get a salad in before Delhi (no salads allowed - can't trust the water).
We rested for a few hours and took siestas, and then hung out for a while before getting dinner and calling it in early. Dinner was awesome. We ate at a place called Macieras, and ordered chorizo, croquetas, bread, and local beers (read: meatcheesebreadalcohol). It was CRAZY loud, and at one point the whole restaurant went dark and a woman lit a bowl of alcohol on fire and kept sloshing it around in the air. Bagpipes played loudly as a soundtrack, and a recording narrated. We have no idea what it was saying. They poured a bunch of people flaming shots afterwards but we were so confused by the protocol that we let that particular experience go.
Chelsea has a bus tour with her group tomorrow that lasts until 5ish so I have all day to explore! My plans for now are to hit up the Prado since I missed it today and check out the Retiro Park. Also on my list are checking out a Flamenco show, the Botin restaurant (oldest in the world!), the Madrid Cathedral, and the famous flea market on Sunday (still on the purse hunt). And, as I mentioned, maybe Los Miserables.
love and chorizo,
Laura
Yesterday Chelsea and I had grand plans for waking up early to shop in Gran Via but ended up being lazy (my internal clock is still kind of off from travel) and meeting up around 1pm. We then did what we usually do when trying to eat somewhere: make a few mistakes, find somewhere, almost eat there, go somewhere else... jajajaja everything here is such a game when (in my case) you usually have no idea what is going on. We ended up deciding to head back to Chelsea's host house so i could grab something quick before our trek to the other side of the city to meet up with some Tufts kids for lunch.
Her host family's apartment is so awesome! It is about a five minute walk from my hostel, and a stone's throw away from the Reina Sofia Museum. There's a glassed-in terrace that looks out on a square in the residential neighborhood, all of the walls are covered in her host mom's artwork, and it's just generally very clean and home-y. We only stayed for a few seconds though because we weren't sure if she was allowed to have guests (I did have enough time to grab a really weird banana though.. Madrid bananas have an unfamiliar texture).
We took the metro across the city and met up with some students from Tufts and one from Skidmore and had lunch in a tiny place near the metro stop. Most places have a fixed price lunch for about 8-12E, which includes a first and second course and a drink, and sometimes a dessert or coffee. As per usual, I had no idea what the choices were, but at some point was asked "lentils or asparagus?" and said asparagus in a knee-jerk reaction that sounded more confident than I was... I think that was me trying to compensate in confidence instead of the usual uncertainty jajaja. Well, turns out the dish was pickled asparagus with a huge pile of mayo next to it. It had been drained of all color and was the least appetizing thing I could imagine. I took a few bites and gave up... I felt bad but asked for the delicious smelling lentil soup that my counterparts had. The smell of the lentils and chorizo in the soup bowls surrounding me next to my colorless veggies was hilarious (but kind of sad). Switching was awkward but mmmmhm, so worth it.We all had a good laugh about the asparagus except for my friend in our group who was actually enjoying it... whoops.
After the meal, we got on the metro and split ways because Chelsea and the other students had a meeting and class from 4-7ish. I got off of the metro solo and made my way to Gran Via, the shopping district where we had planned to go that morning. I got off feeling all confident and promptly walked past the exit to the station... twice. Time to get a little more humble about this 'independence' thing, self. I took a look at the purses in the station but everything was expensive and not quite ...right. I spent the next three hours taking pictures, using my first atm en espagnol (hope it worked the way it should have), warming up from the wind/studying Hindi in a Starbucks, and seeing all that the Spanish chain stores had to offer. I tried 'Mango,' 'Blanco,' 'lefties,' and a few other places like 'El cortes ingles' (their target equivalent, basically - it was definitely a different experience though). Everything I found purse-wise was covered in crazy bling... I then started to pay more attention to the bags people carried and realized that's just what's popular here. Tassels, studs, rhinestones.. very little 'classic' leather bags. Sigh.
I ended up finding something cool in Blanco, where they were having a 70% off sale.My 12.99E bag was a little less than 4E after two discounts applied. Yahoo! Nothing fancy, but will hold the essentials in Madrid and Delhi. Still need something big enough for the netbook though. To be continued.
Before I took the metro home, I snapped a picture of the theater where "Los Miserables" is playing. Les Mes is one of my favorite shows, and I know the music by heart, so I think Chelsea and I are going to go see it in Spanish on my last night! Obviously the Spanish will be over my head, but since the whole plot is set to music, I'll still know what's going on.
The metro by myself was fine, but I almost missed the stop. Here you have to open the door to the train yourself in order to get on/off, and when mine didn't open but the one at the other end of the train did, I forgot I could have pushed it open and made a beeline for the open door, hurrying and saying"excusemeexcuseme!" as much as I could (add that to the list of Spanish phrases that I've had to pick Chelsea's brain about since I'm tired of embarrassing myself). While I have never had anyone get outwardly frustrated with me for not speaking the language, several times people have come up to me to say something in stores, in museums, etc, and when I say "lo siento, ingles" and point to my ear, I feel like I'm saying "I'm deaf, and probably stupid." Without much money on me, no cell phone, and not being able to speak the language, I definitely am vulnerable when I travel around solo and I have promised myself that Spanish has to become something I learn in the next year or so, not something I should and want to learn "sometime" in the future. The time is now (well, Hindi time is now. Spanish is soon though!!).
I should also mention that I had NO idea what time it was. I had this very dumb thought "wow how will i tell time when i don't have my cell phone on me?!" (That would be a watch, Laura. A watch. You own one?). It could have been 830 for all i knew, so I was happy when it was 7, and logged on to digitally meet up with Chelsea after her class. Meanwhile outside the sounds of a protest in the streets...
We relaxed for a while and met up at 10ish to go to a REAL tapas bar (it was overdue). Elena, the lady at the desk at Hostal Barrera, gave me advice for two really close and delicious places to the hostel. "But it is for local people!! I don't know if you want something more modern!!" That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Apparently there are hundreds of bars in Madrid that attempt a modern take on tapas, but the best and most delicious ones are the oldest (the one that we ended up going to was from the 1870s). She also told me something strange: "When you see peppers on the floor, you know you are in for some good tapas. It is not because it is dirty, it is just how we eat - we throw the peppers on the floor." Peppers? Why would peppers be on the floor? I told her I was used to bars with peanuts on the floor, but not peppers. There was an awkward moment where neither of us really knew what we were talking about anymore. This happens a lot for me in Spain...
We left the hostel and found the restaurant within minutes (super close) and the peppers mystery was promptly cleared up - used paper napkins littered the floor from the tapas and bar foods. We ordered wine and a plate of tapas came with the food - success! A plate of croquetas (fried cheese.. I've eaten SO. MUCH. CHEESE.), a tortillita made with potatoes, cheese, onions, and red pepper, and slices of bread and meat (four drinks and two plates of food for only 8E total!) were our late dinner. We also scoped out the spread that three Spanish men had next to us. When I asked Chelsea what it was that the men had, she was SO impressive and didn't skip a beat before turning to them and just asking. They insisted we try the patatas bravas - a Madrid specialty of "homefries" (but more delicious somehow) smothered in a pepper-cheese sauce (that's actual peppers this time, not papers).
We left in search of another bar that had been recommended to us and ended up in a dance club that was almost completely empty (midnight is still too early for the Spanish to party on a Thursday). We met up with a girl from Chelsea's program, Dana, and after free shots in yet another empty club that was just trying to get people in the door, we finally found one that was super touristy but delicious on el Calle de las Huertas.
Inside we ordered a pitcher of sangria that came with slices of chorizo and jamon and the best potato chips on the planet. We ended up talking to a guy studying abroad from Penn State, of all places. We stayed there for a while, went dancing afterwards, and came back to the hostel and hung out. It was a great night out but ended early by Madrid standards (still, that was 3:30am - people usually stay out long enough to catch the first metro trains in the morning around 6 or 630).
The next morning, I was supposed to meet Chelsea at 9:45am with the rest of the Tufts/Skidmore in Madrid kids for two museum tours. Unfortunately, I somehow managed to turn off my alarm and I woke up around 10. I sent her a text via skype (who knew?) and left my hotel hoping that if I went to the second of the two museums after breakfast, I'd eventually run into her.
I headed to McDonalds and grabbed an espresso (scalding hot) and a yogurt (iced over). McDonalds here is GORGEOUS, and excellent for breakfast as the coffee/croissant combo is only 2E and there aren't really any breakfast places around. It is also ideal because you can point and use numbers and I feel at least slightly more competent ordering there than in other places. I headed to the Reina Sofia afterwards, in search of Picasso and Chelsea.
I realized when I got there I had forgotten my Tufts ID, and it was worth the 6E to go back and get it (free for students!). 15 minutes later I was back and got an audioguide. After listening to a British voice tell me about cubism for about 5 minutes, I was bored to death and ditched the guide for my iPod instead and replaced him with some Bon Iver (good museum thinking music). I checked out Dali, Picasso (standing in front of Guernica was pretty incredible - I feel like I learned about that painting in every art class since I was 7), and a really neat painting I had never heard of before by Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa called Retrato de Sonia de Klamery. I'm not sure why, but this chick reminded me of my mom, and something she would like. The face was incredible, and her gaze followed the viewer around the room. I bought a postcard of her and of Guernica.
I eventually ran into a bunch of the Tufts kids from the Alcala program who were kind of shocked to randomly spot me in Madrid. I knew I had to be close to finding Chelsea, too (again, so odd without cell phones). I checked out the modern exhibits (Renia Sofia is a lot like MoMA in New York) but passed through them fast since they were pretty weird, and sat in the courtyard for a while and took pictures.
Miraculously, I ran into Chelsea by the entrance and we left with a group of girls from the Tufts program for lunch. We ate in an Italian restaurant and continued my record of nothing but cheese, bread, meat, and alcohol to eat for days on end (well I guess now pasta, too). I really miss green stuff. Gotta get a salad in before Delhi (no salads allowed - can't trust the water).
We rested for a few hours and took siestas, and then hung out for a while before getting dinner and calling it in early. Dinner was awesome. We ate at a place called Macieras, and ordered chorizo, croquetas, bread, and local beers (read: meatcheesebreadalcohol). It was CRAZY loud, and at one point the whole restaurant went dark and a woman lit a bowl of alcohol on fire and kept sloshing it around in the air. Bagpipes played loudly as a soundtrack, and a recording narrated. We have no idea what it was saying. They poured a bunch of people flaming shots afterwards but we were so confused by the protocol that we let that particular experience go.
Chelsea has a bus tour with her group tomorrow that lasts until 5ish so I have all day to explore! My plans for now are to hit up the Prado since I missed it today and check out the Retiro Park. Also on my list are checking out a Flamenco show, the Botin restaurant (oldest in the world!), the Madrid Cathedral, and the famous flea market on Sunday (still on the purse hunt). And, as I mentioned, maybe Los Miserables.
love and chorizo,
Laura
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A few visuals
I've been uploading my pictures to a Picasa Web Album in order to save space on my netbook and make sure they're backed up. You can click on the show to be taken to the photo host album if you so choose :D
madrid dias uno/dos
hola! i got in yesterday to Madrid's extremely cool airport and met Chelsea (miraculously - no cell phones or anything... realizing my connectivity dependence...) by the baggage claim. We took a bus into Madrid and I got my first glimpses of the city in the afternoon light. The Spanish do it up right - giant statues outside of every government building, balconies/look-outs on every window, and everyone looks fashionable all the time (my travel clothes and sneakers felt a little ridiculous haha). Chelsea had to go to class so she pointed me in the direction of my hostel and I was off.
Hostal Barrera is gorgeous - a mom and pop owned place with really cute (really tiny, but really cute) rooms. I relaxed there for a while and met with Chelsea after her class. We walked around for a bit and had dinner around 9pm Madrid time in a place that was known in the guidebook as good for its brie con bacon and mojitos... Brie wrapped in bacon on toast might be best thing I've ever tasted (more like scarfed down since I still hadn't eaten since my last post about airplane peanuts). The delicious food combined with how hungry I was after travelling made for an amazing meal.
We then walked around Lavapies and Sol (something centro? apparently all distances are given from here). At every intersection and in front of every bar there are barkers who in a Miami-style ask you to come in for cheap drinks and usually talk about something getting something free blah blah blah. Some are more aggressive than others- in Miami they don't continue to follow you down the street, haha.
Also - It's not too cold here but apparently the Spanish think it's FREEZING. I know this is unseasonably cold for them (14 o centigrade in the sun most days) but it's really not that bad. I think of my friends in the -20 F windchill at Tufts and am grateful for the 45 F temperature here. It is pretty funny to watch people walk around in parkas and scarves in the 40s.. but I do have to say, when it's night or if you're even standing in the shade the temp massively drops... even if you turn down a street cast in shadow you can feel the difference.
After considering a couple of places we ended up in Javier Bardem's family's bar for vino and a tortillita (omelette sort of deal). We headed back around one and I slept for the next billion years.
Surprisingly, I woke up to discover that I had only slept for 8 hours, not a billion years, after all. Chelsea and I met up and headed to Sol, grabbing a coffee in a cafe on the way. It was getting to be lunch time, so after some window shopping and some touristy viewings of the Plaza Mayor, we consulted her guidebook for a place to eat. Continuing in the vein of delicious cheese dishes, we ate cauliflower smothered in cheese and then a plate of cooked ham in roquefort. mmmm. Everything closes from 2-5 for siesta/lunch, so a long lunch is nice to relax and pass the time.
Chelsea had to head back to her program center for a meeting, so I did some wandering on my own back to the hostel. I'm on the hunt for a purse or bag that I can use in India that could hold my netbook. I instantly felt so much more vulnerable without Chelsea the pseudo-Spaniard (she's modest about her Spanish but it is seriously awesome) to respond to store clerks when they ask if I need any help. Other than simple pleasantries, my Spanish sucks (you know what else does? My Hindi. Good thing I don't need Hindi.. wait...). But exploring on one's own is fun and I scoped out a pizza place that we went back to later that night.
After a skype sesh with Jenna (when I should have been practicing Hindi) Chelsea and I hung out in the room and headed out in search of tapas. After a terrifying moment when I thought I had lost my wallet (and Chelsea was awesome and put up with my neurotic need to go make sure I had left it in the room - i did), we took the metro to the coolest place I've seen so far in Madrid, a market that can only be compared to a much more awesome version of Quincy Market in Boston. You walk around from stall to stall and get a drink (cheap ones 2-3E, more expensive 10+E if that's what floats your boat) and then pick out different bite sized options from each stall (fish, olives, cheese, meats, croquetas, ...even a sushi bar - it's super trendy in Madrid). Unfortunately even though the signs said the market didn't close until midnight, it started closing pretty much as soon as we got there. We were there long enough to get some croquetas and sangria and a mini pizza (minizza i just accidentally typed? i think yes), and stopped at the other pizza place I had seeen earlier that day for something more substantial.
At the pizza place, the clerk noticed I didn't speak Spanish so took the opportunity to tell me about all of the toppings on the pizza, including a few phrases Chelsea and I couldn't quite figure out: "Now this pizza, this is topped with very educated mushrooms." ??? He also informed us that the place used to be a publishing company, but he said it wasn't going so well so they were trying to do both, and you could buy a book and a slice of pizza for 4E if you were so inclined. Definitely a new business model. It was delicious. The pizza, that is.
We came back and poured over a Lonely Planet Spain guidebook and a "walking tour of art" pamphlet I got from the lobby. I think we're going to shop tomorrow around the Gran Via and then meet up for lunch with some Tufts kids.
And if you've read this far, bear with me, I know I'm painfully detailed now :) I'll work on it for India. If you've read this far, you're probably my Mom, or you're just awesome.
Love,
Laura
Hostal Barrera is gorgeous - a mom and pop owned place with really cute (really tiny, but really cute) rooms. I relaxed there for a while and met with Chelsea after her class. We walked around for a bit and had dinner around 9pm Madrid time in a place that was known in the guidebook as good for its brie con bacon and mojitos... Brie wrapped in bacon on toast might be best thing I've ever tasted (more like scarfed down since I still hadn't eaten since my last post about airplane peanuts). The delicious food combined with how hungry I was after travelling made for an amazing meal.
We then walked around Lavapies and Sol (something centro? apparently all distances are given from here). At every intersection and in front of every bar there are barkers who in a Miami-style ask you to come in for cheap drinks and usually talk about something getting something free blah blah blah. Some are more aggressive than others- in Miami they don't continue to follow you down the street, haha.
Also - It's not too cold here but apparently the Spanish think it's FREEZING. I know this is unseasonably cold for them (14 o centigrade in the sun most days) but it's really not that bad. I think of my friends in the -20 F windchill at Tufts and am grateful for the 45 F temperature here. It is pretty funny to watch people walk around in parkas and scarves in the 40s.. but I do have to say, when it's night or if you're even standing in the shade the temp massively drops... even if you turn down a street cast in shadow you can feel the difference.
After considering a couple of places we ended up in Javier Bardem's family's bar for vino and a tortillita (omelette sort of deal). We headed back around one and I slept for the next billion years.
Surprisingly, I woke up to discover that I had only slept for 8 hours, not a billion years, after all. Chelsea and I met up and headed to Sol, grabbing a coffee in a cafe on the way. It was getting to be lunch time, so after some window shopping and some touristy viewings of the Plaza Mayor, we consulted her guidebook for a place to eat. Continuing in the vein of delicious cheese dishes, we ate cauliflower smothered in cheese and then a plate of cooked ham in roquefort. mmmm. Everything closes from 2-5 for siesta/lunch, so a long lunch is nice to relax and pass the time.
Chelsea had to head back to her program center for a meeting, so I did some wandering on my own back to the hostel. I'm on the hunt for a purse or bag that I can use in India that could hold my netbook. I instantly felt so much more vulnerable without Chelsea the pseudo-Spaniard (she's modest about her Spanish but it is seriously awesome) to respond to store clerks when they ask if I need any help. Other than simple pleasantries, my Spanish sucks (you know what else does? My Hindi. Good thing I don't need Hindi.. wait...). But exploring on one's own is fun and I scoped out a pizza place that we went back to later that night.
After a skype sesh with Jenna (when I should have been practicing Hindi) Chelsea and I hung out in the room and headed out in search of tapas. After a terrifying moment when I thought I had lost my wallet (and Chelsea was awesome and put up with my neurotic need to go make sure I had left it in the room - i did), we took the metro to the coolest place I've seen so far in Madrid, a market that can only be compared to a much more awesome version of Quincy Market in Boston. You walk around from stall to stall and get a drink (cheap ones 2-3E, more expensive 10+E if that's what floats your boat) and then pick out different bite sized options from each stall (fish, olives, cheese, meats, croquetas, ...even a sushi bar - it's super trendy in Madrid). Unfortunately even though the signs said the market didn't close until midnight, it started closing pretty much as soon as we got there. We were there long enough to get some croquetas and sangria and a mini pizza (minizza i just accidentally typed? i think yes), and stopped at the other pizza place I had seeen earlier that day for something more substantial.
At the pizza place, the clerk noticed I didn't speak Spanish so took the opportunity to tell me about all of the toppings on the pizza, including a few phrases Chelsea and I couldn't quite figure out: "Now this pizza, this is topped with very educated mushrooms." ??? He also informed us that the place used to be a publishing company, but he said it wasn't going so well so they were trying to do both, and you could buy a book and a slice of pizza for 4E if you were so inclined. Definitely a new business model. It was delicious. The pizza, that is.
We came back and poured over a Lonely Planet Spain guidebook and a "walking tour of art" pamphlet I got from the lobby. I think we're going to shop tomorrow around the Gran Via and then meet up for lunch with some Tufts kids.
And if you've read this far, bear with me, I know I'm painfully detailed now :) I'll work on it for India. If you've read this far, you're probably my Mom, or you're just awesome.
Love,
Laura
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
this post mostly concerns food
this post was written when i was DYING for some airplane peanuts..
Good morning from Britain
Hello! It’s currently 6:45am EST, 12:45pm London-time, 1:45pm Madrid time, 3:15am Delhi-time. After the complicated affair of packing up my life into two small bags and a backpack and tying up all of the loose ends of home, I am finally off. Currently I’m at the gate in Heathrow airport waiting for my 12:15pm flight with Iberia to Madrid where I will meet Chelsea in the airport.
The act of getting all of my stuff together wasn’t really the issue – I’ve been packing bit by bit for so long that getting things into the bags happened quickly. It was all of those little things that you mentally remind yourself to do and then have to do allatthelastminute that were killer. My parents and I left for the airport for a last stop at the pharmacy for some things I forgot and to my friend Allison’s house to say goodbye L I’m so excited for this trip, but saying goodbye to friends at home has been sad. But in the words of my friend Kirsten, before I know it we’ll be in my living room looking at pictures from the semester.
My parents and I got to the BWI international wing way early and killed some time in a Starbucks before I headed through security and boarded my first of six flights on this journey. The British Airways flight was filled with study abroad students using Heathrow as a hub to their studies in the rest of the world. It was funny how you could pick them out. My seat was next to my new friend Megan, a UVM student headed to Grenada. It was her 21st birthday, and as it was departure day, she had been unable to celebrate, so we toasted some free white wine (oh hello international waters) to her birthday, to travel, and to two impending incredible semesters across the world.
Over the next seven hours I did do these things: watched Eat, Pray, Love (the book was better) and The Social Network (ok, it was pretty good), ate a (surprisingly) delicious dinner of some veggie pasta, chatted with Megan about our sororities, schools, plans, boys, music, watched as Megan took picture after picture of the gorgeous sunrise rising up to join us above the cloud cover. Over the next seven hours I did not do these things: watch the documentary on Gandhi that my program asked I watch, study my Hindi flashcards, read my required readings, sleep. Decisions, decisions.
We got in at 9:05am London-time, and I was instantly immersed into easily the most intense airport I’ve ever seen. Everything about Heathrow is intense – huge buses from terminal to terminal, security checks that involve opening even my chapstick to have a look around, duty free shopping stores that you literally have to walk through to get where you need to go, and just general confusion of the masses as people try not to miss their flights. Megan had a flight that left soon after landing, so I walked with her to the gate (no easy feat – it was faaaaaaar) and was on my own in Heathrow for a few hours.
My flight didn’t leave until 12:15pm, and every time I checked the board it ready simply that the number of the gate would be unavailable until 11:30am. Cutting it close if you ask me… but I’m not being asked ;) This breaks all kinds of rules of travel (avoiding raw fish in airports is probably a rule), but as soon as I saw this awesome sushi place with revolving dishes circling around the room, my love for sushi won out. I sat down and filled up a cup of water, and quickly realized it was pretty dirty… I was so hungry so I grabbed some edamame from the revolving plates, but the sushi didn’t look so good either. Figuring bad sushi was the last thing I wanted on my first day, I ate the edamame, paid, and left. Next place to hit up was a café offering croissants (worst croissant ever) and some British apple juice that was actually extremely delicious… Ok I know I’m getting super detailed here and you probably don’t want to hear about every single thing I’ve eaten, but I’m SO HUNGRY and food is on the brain. Skip forward if necessary..
This lead me to the Heathrow $$$ dilemma. Do not spend money in Heathrow unless you’re prepared to spend a lot of money in Heathrow, or have exact change, preferably in pounds. Though I paid in Euros, my change was given back to me in pounds, but it wasn’t enough to exchange at the exchange booth. Grrr……. These things are heavy and will have to wait to be spent until next layover. By then I’ve got to get better versed in pounds.
I’m on the plane to Madrid on Iberia Airlines now. Lots of rapid Spanish and no food. I made the mistake of ordering a tea assuming it was complimentary – not so. Farewell, 2E.
Chelsea is meeting me at the airport. So excited to get a sandwich and a NAP!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Packing up my life, cramming Hindi, and doing photo booth a session with my nieces.
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