Tuscany Bike Tour!!

Please read Day of Dilemmas, prior to this post.

Ana recommended a Tuscany Bike tour her sister had done a few years ago while she was in Italy, so we decided to go for it. Plus, I had been training in my boot camp for all the walking and cycling. I mean I could do 13 miles over 4-6 hours. So, I thought.....

We woke up Saturday morning and enjoyed our free continental breakfast. I had a yogurt and a croissant with ham and cheese. Then we walked to the bike tour agency. Ana lead the way with her map. Florence is beautiful. The city is full of older, colorful buildings. I also noticed a ton of designer shops: Gucci, Armani, Ferrari Store, Bvlgari, Louis Vitton, Tiffany's, Dior, Salvatorre Ferragamo, Prada, Dolce & Gabana, etc. We walked around for about 40 minutes when I realized that we were suppose to be at the place in 10 minutes. So of course, we started running. We asked people for directions, but they kept leading us in opposite directions. We finally got accurate directions and found the place. We were late, but thankfully they hadn't left. I was exhausted. Oh well, it was like a warm up for the bike ride. Our professor and faculty advisor were already there as well. They joined us on the bike tour, however only our professor rode a bike. Our faculty advisor rode in a van and cheered us along the way. First, they took everyone in a van to a castle. The Tuscan countryside is gorgegous. I saw so many vineyards and olive trees. It was very hilly. Cristina and I sat in the front seat of the van so we wouldn't get car sick. It was the best seat in the van. The one hour ride was really nice.

Once at the castle, they gave us a tour and explained thier winery to us. We climbed to the top tower and took photos. The view was magnificent. Then we had a wine tasting and olive oil tasting. After the wine tasting, I went to the bathroom before our bike ride began. So bathrooms have been quite interesting in Spain. In Spain, I rarely saw any soap and the bathrooms are mostly unisex. In Italy, they were also unisex, but I did find soap. There was also a button on the floor to turn on the sink. It's really neat! Plus, I think it helps to prevent germs from spreading. Well anywho, after I took care of my business, I tried to open the door to the stall and I couldn't. I kept twisting the know and pressing on the door. I finally starting banging my shoulder into the door and pulling on the knob harder. Finally, a girl opened the door from the other side. Thank goodness.

At the beginning of the bike ride, I was feeling rather nervous because I haven't been on a bike in a while. I decided to go for it anyways. The first part of the bike tour was pretty much downhill all the way. It made for an easy bike ride with a relaxing breeze. However, I was scared of going too fast and falling, so I gripped the brakes and handlebars really hard all the way down. My hands were hurting pretty and I was way behind the group. Thankfully, my professor stayed back with me. After about an hour, we arrived at our lunch spot. We had salad, pasta, wine and dessert. I didn't like the wine so I drank alot of water. After that we went on a 20 minute flat bike ride to a large hill. Some people got tired but I felt good and kept a good pace. I was proud of myself, since I had fallen behind earlier. I even motivated Cristina when she got tired. Once we got to the bottom of the hill, we put the bikes on a trailer and got in the van to go up the hill. Some people tried it, but didn't make it up. We had to pick them up along the way. Others jumped off their bikes and walked them up the hill. The last leg of the bike tour was up and down little hills back to the castle. It was fun. The views were amazing. Everything was so green. The vineyards were breathtaking. There was lush vegetation everywhere. At the very end, we went down a hill with tall, green pine trees surrounding us. It was marvelous.

After the bike tour, we rode the van back and walked to our hotel. I went to buy a toothbrush, for some reason I forgot so many things for this trip. I forgot my iphone, my toothbrush, my hairbrush, and hair product. It's very frustrating. Oh well, the only thing I really need is the toothbrush so I bought one.

We walked around that night to find a restaurant to have dinner at. We were looking for one that didn't charge a cover charge, since we had to pay 10 euros the night before. We found a place and ate dinner. I had a salad, it was good! Then we went back to the hotel. Ana opened her bottle of wine so that we could have a glass at the plaza in front of our hotel. I didn't have a glass, since it was red. I think the majority of wine in Spain and Italy has been red. There a very few places that I've found with white wine. I don't care for red wine.

Afterwards, Cristina and I went to Hard Rock Cafe. It was basically the only bar we found with good music, but no dancing :(  Cristina had a loco berry Rita, very tasty. I had a mojito. It was delicious. We met a guy and girl from Texas, so we talked to them for a while. We also met Roberto the bartender. He was a real character. He made the best drinks and had all the "flare" while making them. I bet Hard Rock Cafe makes their bartenders go through some intensive training prior to working the bar. It reminded me of TGIFriday's, especially all the pins on their ID badges. It was an enjoyable night.

Sorry no pics, I have to get them from Cristina.

Day of Dilemmas

I'm not sure what is worse, a thirty minute delayed flight causing you to arrive in a foreign country where you don't know the language and only have 40 minutes to find a bus to take you to a train station or being delayed two hours at a train station to travel 30 minutes to your final destination. Either way both were bad and both happened to me on July 15th.

So lets start from the beginning, Friday was the findal day of school. Our professor Iara decided to take us on a field trip for our last class session. She said we would only be walking a little however a little to her meant a 25 minute walk for me. Once we finally made it to the San Ginnes Chocolate Factory, I was relieved. Although, I wasn't too excited about the churros and chocolate. One, I don't like chocolate and second I'm not very fond of churros. But, Iara insisted I tried one. The first bite wasn't very tasty, but an onlooker told me to put powdered sugar on it. So I did. Then I realized their "churros" are our funnel cakes. It was delicious. I ended up eating like 5 little churros with lots of powdered sugar. The only thing missing was the strawberry topppping. I also tried the chocolate, it was like dipping chocolate. It's just not my cup of tea. After the churros we went back to school to have our final session with Fernando. He gave us a personal questionnaire to fill out and then discuss. It was like a "get to know you" piece. It was alright. Finally our school was over and we took th emetro to the airport.

The visa check in marked the beginning of our troubles. I checked in first, then Cristina went to check in, but there was a problem. She had accidently printed Monica's boarding pass.

*Pause for explanation*
Ryanair is the "low fares" company. However, they get you by charging for everything. I'm honestly surprised they don't charge to use the restroom.

*Back to the story*
So if you don't print your own boarding pass, they charge 40 euros to print it for you. What a joke, "low fares"? Your 20 euro flight just tripled. They aren't so "low fare" anymore. Well Cristina had accidently printed Monicas, so they wanted her to pay the 40 euros. We weren't going down without a fight. We ran around the airport looking for someone, an information desk, the bank, anyone to print her boarding pass from her usb. She even went to the computer/ printer station. But wouldn't you know it the printer was broken. I wonder if Ryanair had something to do with that. After trying relentlessly for an hour, we gave in and split the 40 euros four ways, so Cristina could get a boarding pass.

*End of 1st dilemma, start mini-dilemma #2*
Monica and I decided to go through security while Anna and Cristina went to get the boarding pass. When I got to the other side of security, I noticed that the screen said our flight was boarding. I started to panic. I waited for Monica to get through security then we ran to our gate. By this time our flight now said last call on the screen. Wehen we arrived to the gate no one was there and the monitor just kept flasing last call. I was completely stressed out, the the monitor just went blank. The people standing around us, said it had to be a mistake. Uggh, Ryanair just knows how to upset me. About an hour later, our plane arrived and we departed 30 minutes late. Boo!

*So comes dilemma #3*
We arrived in Italy late and we had to run to find the bus/ shuttle to take us to the train station. It was quite confusing. We didn't know where to go and we didn't speak the language. Then we found two buses, hopped on one and hoped it was the right one. At this point, we had about 40 minutes til our train departed.

*Enter dilemma #4*
The bus ride was a slow one with many stops through town. We arrived to a super busy train station ten minutes prior to our departure. We were frantic and the screen didn't show our destination. No one seemed to be able to help us, then someone told us it was gate 10. We were running through the train station. When we got there, Ana noticed our train #, was set to depart from gate 8. So we ran over there and hopped on the train. Yeah, we made it!! Great, so we think.

*Now, dilemma #5*
I'll start with the positive, the lady next to me spoke English and informed me that we were on the right train to Florence. (happy dance, because we made it, miraculously) The train was headed to Rome but stopped in Florence, the screen just doesn't show the stops. Now the bad part, for some reason, the train just sat there for 2 hours. It was delayed 2 hours, I'm not sure why. I still haven't figured it out. The gossip I sort of heard and could understand was that protestors were standing on the tracks. Either way, we finally arrived in Florence at about 1015pm. The one good thng about the day was that our hotel was three blocks from the train station, so we walked and saved $ on a taxi. We dropped off our luggage and went to have a late dinner next to our hotel. It was a little nice, modern cafe. We really liked it. The pizza was delicious, like ours just more flavorful. Everything was going wonderfully until we got the check.

*Dilemma #6*
In Italy, some places charge a "cover charge" to eat at their establishment. It was 10 euros for the 4 of us. Ugghh, Spain charges you for bread and butter that they place in front of you without asking you if you want it. Now, Italy was charging us a cover charge just to be there. I think they just try to get oer on us tourists. I mean what are we suppose to do, say no, refuse to pay it. We can't, we are in a foreign country. We just paid our tab and left. It did teach us to always ask if they charged a cover charge prior to eating at any restaurants.

Well that was my trip to Italy, the weekend got ten times better. I will tell you about it in my next blogs.

Alcala de Henares

Today, I woke up and decided to straighten my hair so that it would look nice in my pictures. However, I obviously didn't buy the right electric converter/ adapter for Europe. I mean I suppose it works to charge my laptop and my camera battery. It just won't heat up my hair straightener. It is so annoying. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but I'm already not getting a chance to blow dry my hair. So, my hair is super frizzy and half wavy. Both of which are frustrating.

Either way, I went to class today, with wavy hair and my cute little dress my pictures. Today was sort of our last class. We went over some grammar, but mainly discussed the education system here in Spain. It is rather different, because they have different requirements for education. Everything also has a different name. One big difference is that school is required until 16 here. Something else I found interesting is that they have a vocational program for students who aren't on level or have no interest in school. After 16 they attend the bachelerrato (I can't remember how to spell it). It is optional and it prepares them for the university. In the university, they can either receive a 3 year degree (forgot the name for it) or a 5 year degree (licensiatura). There is also a doctorate degree after that. Oh ya, something big, the university only costs 600 euros per year. Also, if you qualify to get it for free, then you pay nothing. That's pretty cheap.

After that discussion, we talked about Spain's education budget crisis. The other professor brought in an article from the newspaper about the crisis. It was all very familiar to what is going on back home. We discussed what programs were being cut and how many teachers were losing their jobs. It's all very sad. They are have similar problems to us. At the end of class, we got certificates for completing the course. We took pictures with our professors.

After school, we were off to Alcala de Henares. It was less than an hour away. I talked to Cristina the whole way there. She was awesome enough to let me listen to her ipod too. Thanks, Cristina! Once we arrived, we ate lunch. It was fabulous. Nine euros bought me paella, calamari, salad, bread, sprite and cherries. The paella was the best I've had so far. The cherries were very fresh and sweet. I really enjoyed it. Then we went sightseeing. We saw an old church, the university, and a cathedral. Our tour guide, Iara (also our professor) told us about legends from Alcala. She told us how there was the fountain in the university that "boyfriends" would prove their "loyalty" to their girlfriends by sticking their hand in the lion's mouth. If the boyfriend didn't get bitten then she knew he was telling the truth. It was a cute story. She also told us that there was a "pope" statue somewhere on/ in the building with a pig's face. If you found it, it would bring you good luck (3000 euros). Unfortunately, I couldn't find it :( She actually says it has never been found. The city itself was very old and beautiful. I liked it.

We came home for dinner. I had penne pasta with tomato sauce, pork chop, tomatoes, and watermelon. Then I did my homework. I still have to pack for Italy tomorrow. I have my last class in the morning, then off to the airport. I hope my flight is on time, since we have to catch a train to Florence about 2 hours after we land. I'm looking forward to Italy, especially the food. I probably won't blog until Monday night, when we return from Italy. My trip is over in 5 days. It has definitely gone by fast. I will need some time to process it all when I get back home. I'm glad I have my blog and my Spanish diary from my class.

Oh ya, I forgot to mention, I took a picture of the dirty floor in the restaurant, because here it is a sign of "good restaurant." So if you walk into a very dirty restaurant, then the food is great. I hate to say it, but it was delicious.

Wednesday

We learned more about accents today, it's still pretty difficult. We also discussed the education system in Spain. It is rather different then the US. Although, both sytems have some similar qualities. Hopefully, I've gained enough information to write my 8-10 page report on both systems.

After class we went to TGIFriday's. It was good and it reminded us of home. Plus, they gave free refills. However, it was rather expensive. Then I came home ALONE! I rode the metro all by myself and made it back to my house safely. Yeah!! I'm starting to feel more comfortable in Madrid and I think I'm getting better at understanding the metro system. (right when I'm about to leave of course)

At 7pm, we went to see a flamenco show called, "Carmen!" It was fabulous. It's probably one of the top three things I've done in Europe. I absolutely loved it. It was so beautiful and artistic! It reminded me of the ballet mixed with tap dancing and sprinkled with some Spanish flavor. The ladies danced so well and they moved their arms and hands in an amazing way, like models. The men were also good dancers. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has an opportunity to see it.

Well that's all, ttyl :)

Toledo

Today, I misprounced "ciudad" in class. Then the teacher corrected me, which is fine, since she always does that. However, as she was correcting me, so were other people in class. I finally had to say, "I can't hear the teacher." Ciudad is pronounced with a "c" then a "u". I believe I was saying "c" then a "we." Totally off, but I'm getting better. We discussed childhood obesity and physical education in school with our other professor.

After class, we went on a trip to Toledo. It is about an hour away from Madrid. It was beautiful. The town was on hills with a river running through it. It was so nice. The first thing we did was have lunch at Adolfo's. I had there 3 course meal. It came with a salad, fish and dessert. It was very tasty, although the dessert was too sweet and rich for me. We also visited a cathedral and a synanogue. The cathedral was amazing. I only got to take one photo before I realized that wasn't allowed. The ceilings were very tall. The arches had peaks. The walls were covered with painted glass, angels, and saints. We walked into rooms filled with old priests' and deacons' outfits. There was gold on the walls and beautiful paintings on the ceilings. It was truly amazing. It made me feel at peace. It was different than the muesums because I felt a greater appreciation for this art. It also made me feel closer to my faith. The synanogue was also very peaceful and pretty. There was also lots to look at there.

After that we came back to Madrid and took the metro home in time for dinner. Tonight we had omelets and spaghetti. I only had the spaghetti. I'm going to write my diary entry for class, then go to bed.

Monday, the 11th

If I get lost in the Metro, then I must be in Madrid. Of course, we got on the wrong train on the way to school this morning. I thought we were doing really good and ran up the stairs and down the stairs to catch the Metro, however, it was the wrong one. Sorry Monica! We only rode it for one stop in the wrong direction. We finally made it to class 10 minutes late. School has been fun. Today we discussed religion in education. Then we practiced using accents.

After class, Monica and I went shopping. I bought some shoes and scarves for my nieces. Then we had lunch, Paella, it was good. The rice was a little hard, but I'm glad I had it at least once. It's one of their famous dishes here. After lunch, we came home to rest. Then we met our crew at Museo de Centre de Arte. I saw some Picasso's and Dali's. They were very nice!!!

Soon, it was dinner time and we rushed home, just in time for some more paella. It was good.

Here are some pics from today and yesterday :)

Porto

So this weekend, we went to Porto, Portugal. It was so beautiful; I absolutely loved it.

Friday, we went to class and Adam (one of my classmates) basically, took over the class. We did go over some topics at first, but then Adam told us about his experiences with his family here in Madrid. He says that they aren't very nice to him and that they have so many rules. It was like a complete vent session for him. I felt bad for him since I sort of felt the same way at the beginning of my stay here. However, after the school moved me from my family, I felt much better. Plus, the new house is so much better, even though are light switches don't work and the food isn't great.

After class, we went to the airport to catch our flight to Porto. We got there by taking the metro. It was actually descent, however, we had to pay one euro to take the metro direct route to the airport. Once we got there, we checked in with Ryanair. They made us check our carry on bag's dimensions and they weighed it. After that we went through security and then ate lunch. I enjoyed a salad and a mimosa! Then we went to the gate, we were the first people in line. The plane was on time. We boarded after we checked our carryon again. After everyone had boarded, they told us that the flight was going to be delayed for an hour. We sat on the plane for 1 hour and 45 minutes before leaving for Porto. My friends and I were rather upset that we had to wait so long. The flight to Porto was short, so I was happy about that. When we arrived, the people there were very nice and they spoke English. They had a help desk, where they informed us how to ride the metro to our hotel. It was so easy, one train. They also gave us a map of the city. Once we checked in at the hotel, we asked the front desk to suggest a restaurant. We ate at an authentic Portugese restaurant. I had the fish, spinach, seafood soup, potatoes, and strawberries. The food was good. Afterwards, we went back to the hotel. I slept well there, since it was air conditioned and quiet. The next day we bought a ticket for the tour bus and river cruise. Unfortunately, the weather was a real pain. It had been sprinkling when we landed and Saturday morning it was cold and rainy. The rain makes for bad pictures and bad hair. So I didn't get great pictures. :( We took the tour bus to the ocean. We got off in the rain and of course, it started raining harder. We still put our feet in the ocean and took some pics. Cristina almost lost her sandals when the waves came in. Ana accidently slipped on the sidewalk and scraped her knee. After we got all cold and wet we went to the bus stop and waited for our tour bus. Afterwards we decided to go the boat tour. There we bought an unmbrella. Shortly after we paid 5 euros for an umbrella (each) it stopped raining. The boat tour was very nice. It showed us the entire port. I really liked it. It was such a beautiful sight. It really made me miss Jay. I wish he could have been in Porto with me. Porto is such a romantic city. I told Jay we should fly to Portugal, rent a car, and visit each port town. I think driving through the country would be so beautiful.

After the boat tour, we got on a cable car. Yeah, I can't believe I did all this stuff. It was so scary, but I did it. The cable cars were super high in the air. Monica had her eyes closed the entire time. She is deathly afriad of heights. After that we shopped and ate lunch at a Pizza Hut. It was your typical Pizza Hut. I had stuffed tortellini. Then we took the tour bus back to our hotel to rest for an hour and shower. Then we went to cross this very tall famous bridge by foot. Again, Monica was terrified but she did it. I was also pretty scared but I was able to take pics. We walked up to this tall park/ church place. It was beautiful. I wished Jay could have been there, so I could have given him the biggest kiss ever. It was very beautiful and the sun was beginning to set. We went back to the hotel to eat dinner and go to sleep.

Sunday, we slept in and then had breakfast. Then to the airport to catch our flight and back to Madrid. I have classes the whole week and two excursions planned. We are also thinking about going to see a Flamenco show. On Friday, we will be off to Florence, Yeah!!

I'm half way through my stay in Europe. I miss home but I am trying to enjoy myself here. I miss everyone so much and I look forward to getting back home to see everyone.

I'm having difficulty upload the photos, so I will try again later, Sorry

Museo de Prado

Today we woke up and got ready for school. Then we rode the metro, 2 lines for a total of 10 stops, to school. I still don't like the metro but it's getting easier to understand. Class was good today, we talked about money and Spain with Iara. Then Fernando talked more about the accents. It is still very confusing to me, but I am trying. He gave us a worksheet for homework to practice with.

After school we had lunch at a place called Nebraska or something like that. I ordered a canadian bacon pizza and Cristina had the lasagna. We shared both plates. It was pretty good, nothing spectacular but good. Afterwards, Claudia and I took the metro to El Museo de Prado. We were suppose to take 2 lines to get there however, one of the lines was shut off for maintenance. I just thought, "well that's typical of the metro." Monica and I have gotten on when another line in our path was turned off and Cristina told me one night it was off and they had to buy a taxi. Taxis are super expensive so they are bad news. Claudia looked at the maps (metro and madrid). She found another route and we were there in two spots. I was pretty impressed. I think she likes the metro, I just can't figure it out I suppose.

Well we went to the Museo de Prado (muesum). It was nice and very relaxing. I saw tons of famous paintings and sculptures. We saw Las meninas by Diego Velazques and  El 3 de mayo de 1808 en Madrid by Goya. We saw others but those were pretty cool. My favorite was Amalia de Llano y Dotres by Federico de Madrazo. It really touched me. Something about the girls face was just so beautiful and innocent, yet mesmerizing.

Then we left. Monica and I came back home. We are now completing our homework and communicating with our families and friends. Tomorrow we are off to Porto, Portugal. I cannot bring my laptop because of ryanair's strict carryon policies. I will try to blog Sunday night if possible.

Here are my pics for today:

Exhausted!!

So I'm starting to notice a trend here, my days are long and there isn't enough time in the day to do all of the things I need to complete. Also, I thought the metro was suppose to help you get places faster. This morning it took us 45 minutes to get to school and tonight it took us one hour to come back home because a line was temporarily closed. I'm exhausted from all of the walking. I'm tired of riding the metro around. I don't want to complain, but I haven't been enjoying every aspect of this trip. I know I can't expect everything to go right, but can I at least have a couple of good days. I gues I'm just feeling cranky and tired and homesick.

Well today was a long day. We had class in the morning, then went to Segovia. I was feeling rather sick this morning because I drank some milk at breakfast that I thought tasted funny. Then I couldn't go to the bathroom at home because we were rushed to get to school on time. Then of course I felt nauseated on the metro. Boo to my tummy problems.

Monica my roommate was so great to tell the school people that I had to ride in front of the bus since I get easily carsick. Well we drove an hour to Segovia. The city was beautiful and the drive their was awesome. I saw so many mountains. In Segovia we saw this really large wall that is super old and is used as a water system or something. Sorry I'm really bad at remembering what the tour guide told us. We also saw some old churches, then went to see Alcazar.

Alcazar of Segovia is an old castle. It was amazing, I took plenty of pics and saw where the Kings and Queens got to hang out. It was very nice!!

Then we rode the bus home. Monica and I got on the metro took an hour ride home. We ate at the local cafe, although, I think the hamburgers were undercooked. I hope I don't get sick again.

Once home I wrote my school diary in Spanish, blogged, will be checking email, and hopefully skypeing with Jay.

Gotta Go! I hope all is well :)

"EL RETIRO"

Today was a long day again, and I'm feeling rather tired, plus I have homework to complete for my class, so this entry may not be as detailed as my other ones. We woke up today in our new home and had breakfast. I actually ate cereal, yum! We had our second day of class. However, prior to arriving there, I got Monica and I lost on the Metro. I was confused by the map and read the wrong line for the exit street. You see the map was sort of small and the name of the street was written in between two lines and I simply chose one without thinking twice. What a big mistake :(    4 lines later we arrived at school about 5 minutes late, but with everyone else, so we were right on time. Oh yeah, lines are like the pathway of that specific metro, it goes along that path (line) only. It only has certain exits and can only take you to certain places. I almost don't think it is useful because if you have to switch lines, which in most cases if you are going somewhere far you switch lines, then you have to walk underground to the next line. It can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes of climbing up and down stairs and walking to your next line. All very confusing and frustrating for me, when I'm use to driving a car everywhere.

Today's class was great. Both of our teachers hold class discussions with us and let us conversate in Spanish freely while helping us learn from our mistakes and questions during the discussions. The first instructor is "Iara" She is awesome! I like her a lot and she seems very knowledgeable. We like how she corrects us politely, then shows us the correct way of writing or saying the Spanish word. Today our topic was stereotypes of Spanish people.

After Iara, our next professor is "Fernando" He is a little bit different. He seems more reserved and allows us to do most of the talking. However, this was his first day with us, so maybe he was getting a feel for our proficiency levels. We introduced ourselves, then he handed out a great article on Education. The article discussed various factors that help determine a student's success level. Of course, it discussed the typical parent involvement, socialeconomic status, and personal determination. However, it also included the impact genetics has on a student's level of achievement and women being teachers as a contributing factor. We had an amazing debate with various cultures, backgrounds, and different opinions.

Once class ended at 1pm, we went to lunch. Then back to Claudia, Ana, and Cristina's apt. Afterwards we went to El Parque del "EL RETIRO" (hence the title).

The park was beautiful. It had many statues, un bosque (wooded area), fountains (not on), flowers, and Estanque (pond) with row boats for rent. We took pics and rented a row boat. The row boat was phenominal. Claudia doesn't know how to swim, so she was rather scared to be in the boat. When Cristina rocked the boat or we would move to much, Claudia would yell out. I would get scared and yell, too. Then Monica and Cristina would laugh so hard, which made me laugh uncontrollably. It was hilarious. We spent most of our time in the row boat laughing, posing for pics, and attempting to row. It was rather difficult.

At the park I also saw the Palacio de Cristal, Velazquez something, puerta de something too. Sorry I'm really horrible with names and I can't recall all of the history I've learned about Spain. Either way, it was a beautiful park, that made me feel completely relaxed.

We left the park separately, oh ya, on the way to the park, I managed to get the 4 of us lost on the metro. So twice in one day I didn't read the map well and caused us to transition onto the wrong line. The tranisitions between lines is difficult for me.

Monica and I came back home, She lead the way on the Metro. We made it home promptly and safely. We even stopped at a store to buy her shampoo and me nail polish remover. Once we got home, we decided to go out for a spritzer at the local cafe. It was very cheap and they gave us tapas (small free appetizer given with purchase of alcoholic beverages only). They were good. As we sat outside of the cafe, with the fresh breeze and discussed our day at the park and how we met our husbands, I finally felt relaxed and happy to be Madrid. It was a good day!

Later we came home, talked with our housemates. There are 3 guys from the US, staying at the same house as us. They are younger and working on their bachelors degree. They are very nice and we talked about our Madrid experiences over dinner. Afterwards everyone was online and now off to bed. I'm exhausted, I thought I said this would be a short blog.   I talk to much.

Here r pics:::

Awkward day

Today was rather interesting! I woke up later than I wanted to but we managed to leave the apartment by 740am. We had to be at the school for our first class at 8am. We got their a couple of minutes later after riding the metro there. As soon as we arrived we took a 15 question test, wrote a short passage, and had a conversation with someone in order to determine our proficiency level. Somehow, someway I actually scored a C2, which is their mastery level. After the test, we went for a brief tour around Madrid. The guide told us some history about the places we saw. I took pics, they are at the bottom of the post. Afterwards, we were talking to our directors from UTA. They asked us how our living conditions were, so I told them the truth. I told them how Monica had to take a cold shower (I did too), because our host turns off her gas, so it doesn't get wasted. I told her how our host wouldn't allow us to store water in the refrigerator because there wasn't any room. I told them how noisy and scary the neighborhood was. I mentioned to them how she had told us, she wouldn't be serving dinner on Sunday, only "bocadilla" (snacks). I also told them she didn't have any hand soap in the bathroom and I was really concerned about that. I mean that is exactly how people get hepatitis A. Anywho, I suppose because of my complaining, they decided to move us. The school was like you can't live like that. So our director talked to the administrator and they found a new host family for us.

We had lunch, then class from 3 to 7. We immediately left to pick up our stuff and move at 7pm. The new house has cold water, yipee! We can also take a bath whenever and use electricity whenever. Yeah!! Seriously, you do not know how good we have it in the States. Although, it sort of makes me think I'm high maintainance. They probably just think I'm some stuck up American. Oh well!!!!

Tonight, we ate chicken and salad, it was delicious and don't you worry, my new host has promised me to show me how to cook tortilla de patata. I think every woman over here knows how to make it. Yeah!!

I've had a very long day and the Spanish class is rather intensive and difficult for me. I was even told by the instructor to not speak English. It made me think of the ESL kiddos back home. One of the professors gave us worksheets and the other professor talked to us a lot and explained lots to us. I like the second one better. Although, she did bring up American stereotypes and politics. Those are just such difficult topics to discuss amongst a class of adults with strong opinions.

Well I'm off to bed, ttyl :)

Tortilla de Patata, I think I LOVE YOU!

Ok, so some of you may know how much I love potatoes. I think I could eat potatoes everyday. The first dinner we had in Spain was Tortilla de Patata. (I blogged about it earlier)

Well, today for lunch Monica and I went to a small cafe. We ordered Tortilla de Patata Rellano (filled). They brought it to us like a sandwich. So they used the tortilla de patata as the bread. It was so delicious. I absolutely love this tortillla de patata. I can't believe that I've never had it before. I googled it earlier and it seems very simple to make. It calls for eggs, which is probably why I thought it was like a quiche.

Today I decided to ask Emma (the house owner/ host) if she would show me how to make tortilla de patata. She has agreed :) It was the only thing she said yes to, today. I'm extremely excited. I plan on making it for Jay and probably my friends as well at get togethers. I can't wait till you guys taste it. It is delicious.

Day 2

Today was a less eventful day and more restful. I woke up earlier and blogged. I had the usual coffee/ crackers for breakfast. After I blogged and ate breakfast, I called Monica. She came and picked me up to go to the local flea market. It was actually right outside our front door. People just set up shop right outside the door. We walked around and had lunch. I'm writing a separate blog for the lunch. After the flea market and lunch, we came back to the apt. for a siesta. I slept for about 3 hours. It was extremely hot but quieter than at night. When we woke up we called Claudia and Anna to meet at Plaza de Mayor. I didn't bring my camera today, so no pictures, but I will carry it around tomorrow.

There was plenty to see at Plaza Mayor, statues, mimes, local vendors, handicapped entertainers, and regular entertainers. We looked around but didn't buy much.

Something else I've noticed are dogs. People love to take their dogs out with them. They walk the streets, some are leashed, some aren't. I've seen two daschunds and they really make me miss my babies. However, I just skyped with Jay for the first time. It was very awesome and I got to see my babies. I love little Jerry and Elaine.

Today was a lot cooler than yesterday, except inside the apt, during our seista.

Tomorrow I have class. I start with an exam to place me based on my Spanish proficiency. I've already been speaking so much more Spanish. I've noticed some differences, the biggest one being "iez" at the end of verbs in singular form. There are other single words which are different. I'm trying to catch on.

Today I asked the house owner if I could keep bottled water in her refrigerator but she said there wouldn't be enough space for the 4 of us to keep our drinks cool. :(
I also asked if we could have a fan, but she said that it could cause a short in the electricity and we could all burn to death. So that was a No :(

I'm writing another blog about something cool that happened today too, be sure to read it.

My first full day, part 2! please read part 1 first

Well then, after we met up with Cristina and Ralph (her husband), we all went for a stroll. Dr. Rosado was going to take us to Plaza del Sol. As we walked through Madrid, I noticed a significant difference between the area where we were walking and the neighborhood in which I live in. There is graffiti everywhere; however, my neighborhood seems to have more. I also noticed shoes hanging from the electricity lines outside of our apt. building. I hope that doesn't signify the same thing as in the states. Although, I didn't see shoes on electric lines anywhere else I've been. I'm just going to think that my neighborhood is a bit more innovative and artistically creative. While walking through town, we stopped in a meat market/ bar for a drink and tapas. I ordered an orange juice, so I didn't receive free tapas. But, Claudia and Anna shared their tapas with me. By the way, the orange juice here is phenomenal.

So after following Dr. Rosado around town for a while, we decided to split up. Ralph and Cristina planned to go to the Real Madrid Soccer Stadium, so Anna, Claudia, Francisca and I tagged along. Ralph and Cristina insisted that we take the metro since it was easy and quick. I was rather nervous but after a couple of rides, I didn't feel as nervous. It is the quickest way to get around and you can get all across the city super-fast.

The soccer stadium was extremely large and neat. We took a tour through the bleachers, locker rooms, press room, on the field sidelines, and where the players sit. I took about a 100 pictures. It was very neat. It sort of made me think about the people that go tour the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Odd, I've never been inside the Cowboys Stadium, but I've toured the Real Madrid Soccer Stadium. Too funny.

After the stadium tour, we had lunch at Brios. It was wonderful, but the service wasn't so great. I think we went at their Siesta time or something because the waiters changed throughout the service. The other thing I didn't like was that they charge EACH individual a bread/appetizer charge for the bread they place on your table. I was made aware of this prior to coming, so I know not to eat from the basket or understand that there is a charge for it. It was also difficult to get your second drink. It's like they bring the first one then forgets about you, even if you ask for it several times. Ok, I shouldn't complain that much, it's just different here. The actual food was TERRIFIC!!! I had the ensalade de salmon con aguacate (salmon salad with avocado). The salmon reminded me of sushi; I think it was raw.

After lunch we rode the metro back to our respected homes. I decided to tag along with Cristina and Ralph, since Monica had left with Dr. Rosado prior to the stadium tour. I went back to their hotel room. It was very nice; they even let me take a shower, since my flat host doesn't let me take long showers. If the water cost goes up, I think it cuts into her profit margin.

Cristina and Ralph decided to have dinner at the oldest restaurant in the world. Of course they invited me and I went. We had dinner at 830pm which is an early dinner time here. The food was delicious. I had the cazuela de pescados (fish bowl). It had a variety of fish and was very tasty. Ralph had the cochinito (little pig). This is a delicacy. Cristina and I both tasted it, it was delicious. The chicarones on the pig were Delicious!! Some of the best I've ever had, crispy with plenty of meat on each slice. The service was like at the other restaurant; they charged us for the bread and get this the butter that they placed on the table. However, the waiter was nice enough to give us the butter for free but charged us for the bread. He also charged us for my second drink (agua con gas/ club soda), which he never brought and Ralph's bread which he didn't eat.  Once we brought it to his attention, he subtracted the charges.

After dinner, we decided to go surprise Anna and Claudia at their house. We rode the metro there. We got lost trying to find their house, but it was only about a 500 feet detour, and then found their house. Thankfully, they were awake and willing to go to the fiesta at the plaza with us. It was like a very large outdoor concert. It was after a Gay Pride Parade. The streets were filled with people and the Plaza Espana was the concert site. They had a band and djs. There were also plenty of vendors to supply food and drinks. Oh ya the time thing, we got there at 1130pm, even though there were 1000's of people there, the party was just getting started. We decided to leave at 200am, because the crowd was just getting more packed and crazy. Walking back to the metro was a nightmare. We had to push our way through the mobs of people. There were also broken bottles, plastic bottles, and trash all over the streets and plaza. It was filled with trash. I can't imagine having to be the cleaning crew there. I just couldn't believe how much trash was on the ground. The worst part of the night was when we were walking down the stairs to the metro and someone threw their drink on us. It was AWFUL!! I was totally disgusted. I didn't get completely soaked but the majority of it fell on me. Cristina and Ralph got a little wet too. It was terrible. :( 

Once on the metro, there were plenty of people riding it to and from the fiesta. I also noticed they were not embarrassed to show some PDA. However, I had noticed that throughout the day, but that night was rather rated R. Everyone uses the metro, so there is a variety of people on it. I'm still going to use it; I just keep track of my purse and hold on to the bar as it moves.

Cristina and Ralph walked me to my house, and then they went back to their hotel. By the way, the escalators were not working on the way back, so we had to climb so so so many steps. I was exhausted. I'm so glad Jay took me to buy walking shoes at Academy the day before my trip. I love my TEVA Tirra's. They are so comfortable and my feet didn't hurt at all. However, my legs were sort of sore from all the walking.

Once I got home, I told Monica about my day then went to bed. I woke up at 815am, after going to bed around 3am. I can't sleep because of all of the noise from the street. It is so loud and I can't believe people sleep through all of this. They are having a flea market today in the streets. So a lot of people were up early setting up their stands and yelling. How am I going to do this during the week? I just want some quiet and A/C, because it's still hot.

Well, I'm going to get ready and head down to the street market. I have another full day ahead of me. I start school tomorrow, wish me well.

Here are some pics from the stadium and city of Madrid.