Wow, how philosophical is that title. Yes, I'm that good.
Anywho, I don't know how many of you heard the horror stories of my previous señora, but it's better not to delve into the gory details. Needless to say, I have moved out and now I'm living with a fantastical woman named Mercedes. She is amazing. Period. She looks out for me and makes sure everything is going swimmingly and I am just overwhelmed.
Today, her boyfriend Jose came over and hooked my internet up with her's making this beautiful blog post possible. He was so nice and funny and YAY. I also met her son JuanJo a while ago, the first day that I met her. Also nice and funny and YAY. I knew it was going to be great because the first day I met her, she invited me to dinner and that's when I met her son and we all just kind of sat around for 4 hours and didn't even notice the time go by. She lives alone but now I'm here. :)
Finally I can be in a house where people actually talk to me and joke around and aren't stiff poops. We actually have conversations and laugh.
I'm happy. :D
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Newses! Oh, the updating that is going to follow...
21-22 Feb 2009; MADRID
Well, last weekend I went to San Sebastián and Bilbao with my internship which was lovely. We took a bus and it took about 6 hours only because somebody had the brilliant idea to paint the highway in the middle of the day. En fin, it wasn't too long of a trip since I'm already used to going back and forth from NYC and Boston. When we got there, we had a gigantic lunch at the hotel and then went to walk around with a tour along the beach. It was the first time that I was at a beach in boots and I loved it. It was so pretty..
After walking around and seeing everybody dressed up in their costumes for Carnavales, it was our turn. We looked AMAZING and I'm so happy with the way all of the costumes turned out. We barhopped a bit that night and then plopped into bed because we were dead tired from everything. But finally! Here is a picture of me and my four bosses/coworkers who I love!
From left to right, Silvia (SuperGirl), Alicia (Wonderwoman), Me! (Robin), Laura (Catwoman) and Alejandra (Batgirl). We had way too much fun with this whole dressing up bit, but it was totally worth it.
After San Sebastián we went over to Bilbao and saw the Guggenheim. The Murakami exhibit was really impressive, as was the giant grass puppy outside the museum named Poopie. :D So cute..
And well, that's that. We left pretty early because we had a long trip ahead of us and got back into Madrid around 9pm. I had so much fun seeing what it was like to be on the staff of a study abroad program instead of being a student. I also loved the minor detail of having the program pay for absolutely everything. Hehe..
Well, last weekend I went to San Sebastián and Bilbao with my internship which was lovely. We took a bus and it took about 6 hours only because somebody had the brilliant idea to paint the highway in the middle of the day. En fin, it wasn't too long of a trip since I'm already used to going back and forth from NYC and Boston. When we got there, we had a gigantic lunch at the hotel and then went to walk around with a tour along the beach. It was the first time that I was at a beach in boots and I loved it. It was so pretty..
After walking around and seeing everybody dressed up in their costumes for Carnavales, it was our turn. We looked AMAZING and I'm so happy with the way all of the costumes turned out. We barhopped a bit that night and then plopped into bed because we were dead tired from everything. But finally! Here is a picture of me and my four bosses/coworkers who I love!
From left to right, Silvia (SuperGirl), Alicia (Wonderwoman), Me! (Robin), Laura (Catwoman) and Alejandra (Batgirl). We had way too much fun with this whole dressing up bit, but it was totally worth it.
After San Sebastián we went over to Bilbao and saw the Guggenheim. The Murakami exhibit was really impressive, as was the giant grass puppy outside the museum named Poopie. :D So cute..
And well, that's that. We left pretty early because we had a long trip ahead of us and got back into Madrid around 9pm. I had so much fun seeing what it was like to be on the staff of a study abroad program instead of being a student. I also loved the minor detail of having the program pay for absolutely everything. Hehe..
Monday, February 16, 2009
A Sevilla Valentine's.
15-Feb-2009; 18:59 MADRID
If there were one place in the whole world I would want to spend Valentine’s Day, it would be, without a doubt, Sevilla. It is quite possibly the most gorgeous city to find yourself on February 14, whether it be with friends or a significant other, mainly because it is 75º F and sunny. It was the first Valentine’s Day I spent in a t-shirt and sunglasses, walking along the river without a jacket.
We left on Friday morning at 8:30am on the AVE, Spain’s high-speed train. It only took 2.5 hours! It was like being on a plane. In fact, it was better than being on a plane because I barely felt the train moving. Zero turbulence, if you will. Once we got there, we plopped our stuff in our rooms at the Hotel Don Paco (yes, I do love the name.) and left to go for a walk towards the cathedral, which I cannot describe any other way other than lovely. The sun was shining and all of the buildings were painted these incredibly bright colors that you just felt amazing just to be walking around.
Once we arrived in front of the cathedral, we got an hour to just sit around the plaza and eat lunch.. which is exactly what we did. It was so nice to feel the sun on my face instead of waking up to rain every day like I had been doing for the past month.
After that we went into the cathedral, the third largest in the world and the largest in Spain. We passed the first courtyard/plaza where we saw all of the arte mudéjar (Muslim architechture in a Christian setting). It used to be a Muslim mezquita, complete with the minarete (tower) and patio. Later it was made into a cathedral and you can tell because of the different materials mixed together. (brick for the mezquita, stone for the cathedral) I just love to learn about this history, and Amalia is so good at teaching it.
Inside, the cathedral was beautiful. I still like the one in Toledo more, but Sevilla comes in a very close second. We saw the supposed tomb of Christopher Columbus (no one knows where he is actually buried.) which was a nice monument. Sevilla was the capital of exploration in 1492 and when Columbus came back from his trip to the Americas, he passed through all of Sevilla on his way to Barcelona, where Fernando de Aragón and Isabel de Castilla were, showing off everything he found.
Can you tell I’m enjoying my history class?
After the cathedral, we climbed up the minarete (the tower that let you see all of Sevilla at the top), which didn’t have any stairs, but rather a ramp. That was interesting. By the time we got up there, we were all so tired.. but it was worth it. We saw the entire city, the river, the Plaza de Toros and everything. It was breathtaking. Then the bells started ringing and I think everyone felt like they had gone deaf. I think we all did, just a little.
After that we went to visit the Real Alcázar (Muslim Royal Palace) which was absolutely gorgeous, especially since I’ve been learning about all of its history and architecture. We walked through the gardens, covered in orange trees (just like the rest of the city) and ended up in front of the labyrinth. Tom and I went inside and after about 3 minutes, I got a panic attack because I thought we were lost. But we decided to take pictures anyway..
Of course we weren’t lost because there were little kids running around in there and ways to get out via cheating. Nevertheless, it was quite the experience. A bunch of people found out the hard way that the oranges on all of the trees are bitter and aren’t for eating, but rather just to make the city look pretty. Ahh wellz. They do their job well. The city is absolutely beautiful.
After that we went back to the hotel for a little bit and then went out to dinner. It was so warm that we ate outside and the food wasn’t too bad either. :D
The next day we woke up early to go to the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) where we saw a bunch of paintings, which was exciting for me because of the class I’m taking. However, everything in Sevilla is baroque and we haven’t gotten up to that yet. Still, it was gorgeous and I appreciate it every single bit.
Then we walked to the River Guadalquivir and were given free time to roam. Four hours of roaming to be exact. Chenlan and I walked along the river on one side and then went to the neighborhood across and walked along some more there. We found a tapas place to grab a quick lunch, but it was overpriced. Still, my croquetas de pollo were yummy. Chenlan had something called Flamenquín, which was kind of like a ham and cheese roll that they fried. Then we walked around some more and did some window shopping. By the end of the day, we were pooped. Sevilla was absolutely beautiful.
We left at 7:45pm and got back at 10:15pm. If my friends and family were there, it would’ve been the best of Valentine’s Days.
Missing everyone,
-LittleOne.
If there were one place in the whole world I would want to spend Valentine’s Day, it would be, without a doubt, Sevilla. It is quite possibly the most gorgeous city to find yourself on February 14, whether it be with friends or a significant other, mainly because it is 75º F and sunny. It was the first Valentine’s Day I spent in a t-shirt and sunglasses, walking along the river without a jacket.
We left on Friday morning at 8:30am on the AVE, Spain’s high-speed train. It only took 2.5 hours! It was like being on a plane. In fact, it was better than being on a plane because I barely felt the train moving. Zero turbulence, if you will. Once we got there, we plopped our stuff in our rooms at the Hotel Don Paco (yes, I do love the name.) and left to go for a walk towards the cathedral, which I cannot describe any other way other than lovely. The sun was shining and all of the buildings were painted these incredibly bright colors that you just felt amazing just to be walking around.
Once we arrived in front of the cathedral, we got an hour to just sit around the plaza and eat lunch.. which is exactly what we did. It was so nice to feel the sun on my face instead of waking up to rain every day like I had been doing for the past month.After that we went into the cathedral, the third largest in the world and the largest in Spain. We passed the first courtyard/plaza where we saw all of the arte mudéjar (Muslim architechture in a Christian setting). It used to be a Muslim mezquita, complete with the minarete (tower) and patio. Later it was made into a cathedral and you can tell because of the different materials mixed together. (brick for the mezquita, stone for the cathedral) I just love to learn about this history, and Amalia is so good at teaching it.
Inside, the cathedral was beautiful. I still like the one in Toledo more, but Sevilla comes in a very close second. We saw the supposed tomb of Christopher Columbus (no one knows where he is actually buried.) which was a nice monument. Sevilla was the capital of exploration in 1492 and when Columbus came back from his trip to the Americas, he passed through all of Sevilla on his way to Barcelona, where Fernando de Aragón and Isabel de Castilla were, showing off everything he found.Can you tell I’m enjoying my history class?
After the cathedral, we climbed up the minarete (the tower that let you see all of Sevilla at the top), which didn’t have any stairs, but rather a ramp. That was interesting. By the time we got up there, we were all so tired.. but it was worth it. We saw the entire city, the river, the Plaza de Toros and everything. It was breathtaking. Then the bells started ringing and I think everyone felt like they had gone deaf. I think we all did, just a little.
After that we went to visit the Real Alcázar (Muslim Royal Palace) which was absolutely gorgeous, especially since I’ve been learning about all of its history and architecture. We walked through the gardens, covered in orange trees (just like the rest of the city) and ended up in front of the labyrinth. Tom and I went inside and after about 3 minutes, I got a panic attack because I thought we were lost. But we decided to take pictures anyway..
Of course we weren’t lost because there were little kids running around in there and ways to get out via cheating. Nevertheless, it was quite the experience. A bunch of people found out the hard way that the oranges on all of the trees are bitter and aren’t for eating, but rather just to make the city look pretty. Ahh wellz. They do their job well. The city is absolutely beautiful.
After that we went back to the hotel for a little bit and then went out to dinner. It was so warm that we ate outside and the food wasn’t too bad either. :DThe next day we woke up early to go to the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) where we saw a bunch of paintings, which was exciting for me because of the class I’m taking. However, everything in Sevilla is baroque and we haven’t gotten up to that yet. Still, it was gorgeous and I appreciate it every single bit.
Then we walked to the River Guadalquivir and were given free time to roam. Four hours of roaming to be exact. Chenlan and I walked along the river on one side and then went to the neighborhood across and walked along some more there. We found a tapas place to grab a quick lunch, but it was overpriced. Still, my croquetas de pollo were yummy. Chenlan had something called Flamenquín, which was kind of like a ham and cheese roll that they fried. Then we walked around some more and did some window shopping. By the end of the day, we were pooped. Sevilla was absolutely beautiful.
We left at 7:45pm and got back at 10:15pm. If my friends and family were there, it would’ve been the best of Valentine’s Days.
Missing everyone,
-LittleOne.
SALAMANCA. (Land of frogs.)
08-Feb-2009; 14:23 MADRID
So yesterday a bunch of us hopped on a bus to go to Salamanca for the day. It wasn’t too expensive (24,35 € in the end) and the bus ride was only 3 hours. We left at 8:30am, which was very difficult considering the fact that I had to wake up at 6am on a Saturday morning to do so, and had an 8:30pm bus coming back, which I felt was a little too late because it was really cold and we got bored around 5:30pm.
When we got there, we saw the university, one of the oldest in the world. It was gorgeous, but we didn’t go inside. There was a statue there of a man who I don’t remember, but he looked very intimidating..
Nice lookin’ guy, eh?
After that we went to the courtyard that was part of the university. After being in Spain for a month I have realized not only that they are fans of courtyards but that I have become a fan of the courtyards as well. It’s just such a nice thing to have because you can just go out into the courtyard and sit and have lunch when you’re outside with the sun shining.. but it’s also enclosed so you’ve got privacy. It’s just lovely.
After that we went to the cathedral, which was quite impressive but not nearly as impressive as the one in Toledo. There were bunches of little doors, which of course I fell in love with because, well.. I’m a little person who fits into little doors.
There were little exhibitions in the cathedral as well and afterwards, we were able to go up to a high plaza type thing. It wasn’t quite the roof, but it was definitely up there. From there we could see all of Salamanca and the view was quite the sight. Andrew got scared because he’s afraid of heights so for all of you height fearing people out there.. suck it up and take it like a grown man. :D Because if you don’t, you’re going to miss all of this –
After visiting the cathedral, we realized that it was siesta and everything closed. Including the church. How can a church close? What if people want to go? Hmm? Anyway, we couldn’t see the church and the entire city kind of died so we went to a coffee bar where they made all kinds of coffee + alcohol drinks. It was really good. Andrew got this thing with coffee, whiskey and vanilla ice cream and after trying a bit I nearly died. It was soooo good. (and worth the 3,80 € that he paid for it.) When we got there it was completely empty but about half an hour after we got there, it was completely packed. Obviously, we’re the life of the party. Obviously.
Once everything opened again around 4:30pm, we went to visit the convent next to the church which cost 2 € and was kind of ehh. Them nuns have a pretty nice courtyard but that’s about it. We were pretty much done with everything around 5:30 and our bus didn’t leave again until 8:30pm.. so we ended up walking around and it was FREEZING. I feel we would’ve enjoyed our stay a bit more if it weren’t so damn cold.
Oh well. All in all, it was a good Saturday.
-Peque.
So yesterday a bunch of us hopped on a bus to go to Salamanca for the day. It wasn’t too expensive (24,35 € in the end) and the bus ride was only 3 hours. We left at 8:30am, which was very difficult considering the fact that I had to wake up at 6am on a Saturday morning to do so, and had an 8:30pm bus coming back, which I felt was a little too late because it was really cold and we got bored around 5:30pm.
When we got there, we saw the university, one of the oldest in the world. It was gorgeous, but we didn’t go inside. There was a statue there of a man who I don’t remember, but he looked very intimidating..
Nice lookin’ guy, eh?After that we went to the courtyard that was part of the university. After being in Spain for a month I have realized not only that they are fans of courtyards but that I have become a fan of the courtyards as well. It’s just such a nice thing to have because you can just go out into the courtyard and sit and have lunch when you’re outside with the sun shining.. but it’s also enclosed so you’ve got privacy. It’s just lovely.
After that we went to the cathedral, which was quite impressive but not nearly as impressive as the one in Toledo. There were bunches of little doors, which of course I fell in love with because, well.. I’m a little person who fits into little doors.
There were little exhibitions in the cathedral as well and afterwards, we were able to go up to a high plaza type thing. It wasn’t quite the roof, but it was definitely up there. From there we could see all of Salamanca and the view was quite the sight. Andrew got scared because he’s afraid of heights so for all of you height fearing people out there.. suck it up and take it like a grown man. :D Because if you don’t, you’re going to miss all of this –
After visiting the cathedral, we realized that it was siesta and everything closed. Including the church. How can a church close? What if people want to go? Hmm? Anyway, we couldn’t see the church and the entire city kind of died so we went to a coffee bar where they made all kinds of coffee + alcohol drinks. It was really good. Andrew got this thing with coffee, whiskey and vanilla ice cream and after trying a bit I nearly died. It was soooo good. (and worth the 3,80 € that he paid for it.) When we got there it was completely empty but about half an hour after we got there, it was completely packed. Obviously, we’re the life of the party. Obviously.Once everything opened again around 4:30pm, we went to visit the convent next to the church which cost 2 € and was kind of ehh. Them nuns have a pretty nice courtyard but that’s about it. We were pretty much done with everything around 5:30 and our bus didn’t leave again until 8:30pm.. so we ended up walking around and it was FREEZING. I feel we would’ve enjoyed our stay a bit more if it weren’t so damn cold.
Oh well. All in all, it was a good Saturday.
-Peque.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Toledo, Toledo..
30-Jan-2009; 14:11 MADRID
Yesterday we went to Toledo (in case the title didn’t give it away..) and it was absolutely incredible. I had been there 4 years ago to visit my sister and I remember being absolutely wowed by the cathedral, and I was wowed by it once again yesterday. The entire city is just so small and quaint, but there’s so much history behind it as well.
It was here that the Jews, Muslims and Christians all lived in harmony at one point, until 1492 when Isabel told them all to either convert or leave.
The entire cathedral in and of itself is enough for a history lesson that lasts all day. The architecture shows the grandness of the Christians, who were trying to increase their power, but you also see the Muslims’ influence in their horseshoe arcs and geometric ceiling designs. Everyone left their mark and brought a little something to the table. It was the Christians’ main cathedral and all other cathedrals in Spain followed its orders. I forgot that you couldn’t take any pictures in the cathedral and proceeded to be extremely disappointed that I couldn’t share its beauty with all of you across the pond. Google it. Really. Both times that I walked in there, I literally stood with my eyes wide open in awe. It’s quite possibly my single favorite cathedral I have ever seen. I could go on and on about it.. so I’ll stop myself now.
After visiting the cathedral, we went to a plaza to eat and were given 3 hours to explore and wander. And boy, did we wander. We went to the Museo Provincial where we saw a bunch of ancient things, but the best part was the plaza that was right next to the exhibition. We kind of fell in love with it and took a ridiculous amount of pictures with it.
Then we walked some more and stumbled upon a terrible street musician who was singing about Tijuana, Sexo y Marijuana but she was just yelling. Andrew took somewhat of a liking to her so we took a picture with her because well .. she was kind of amusing in all her awful singing.
After that, naturally, we had to take the traditional Look-How-Small-The-Streets-Are-Here pictures, so we found a teeny tiny street, which, let me tell you, really did not take that long. And the picture taking commenced once more.
Then we met up with the rest of the group to go into La Iglesia de San Juan to see one of El Greco’s paintings of the burial of Santo Orgaz. Also amazing. After that we went to the two synagogues – Museo del Transito and Santa María la Blanca – weird names, I know. Santa María la Blanca was by far my favorite. The entire thing is full of Islamic architecture and it’s absolutely gorgeous.
Pues ya.
It was a long day, but it was great. It started out foggy but then got sunny and wonderful. I kind of wish we could have stayed to have dinner there, but we ended up going to a really cheap place in Chueca where Menú del Día gave us a bunch of food for 9€.
That’s all for now.
-ta luego,
Marianna
Yesterday we went to Toledo (in case the title didn’t give it away..) and it was absolutely incredible. I had been there 4 years ago to visit my sister and I remember being absolutely wowed by the cathedral, and I was wowed by it once again yesterday. The entire city is just so small and quaint, but there’s so much history behind it as well.
It was here that the Jews, Muslims and Christians all lived in harmony at one point, until 1492 when Isabel told them all to either convert or leave.
The entire cathedral in and of itself is enough for a history lesson that lasts all day. The architecture shows the grandness of the Christians, who were trying to increase their power, but you also see the Muslims’ influence in their horseshoe arcs and geometric ceiling designs. Everyone left their mark and brought a little something to the table. It was the Christians’ main cathedral and all other cathedrals in Spain followed its orders. I forgot that you couldn’t take any pictures in the cathedral and proceeded to be extremely disappointed that I couldn’t share its beauty with all of you across the pond. Google it. Really. Both times that I walked in there, I literally stood with my eyes wide open in awe. It’s quite possibly my single favorite cathedral I have ever seen. I could go on and on about it.. so I’ll stop myself now.After visiting the cathedral, we went to a plaza to eat and were given 3 hours to explore and wander. And boy, did we wander. We went to the Museo Provincial where we saw a bunch of ancient things, but the best part was the plaza that was right next to the exhibition. We kind of fell in love with it and took a ridiculous amount of pictures with it.
Then we walked some more and stumbled upon a terrible street musician who was singing about Tijuana, Sexo y Marijuana but she was just yelling. Andrew took somewhat of a liking to her so we took a picture with her because well .. she was kind of amusing in all her awful singing.
After that, naturally, we had to take the traditional Look-How-Small-The-Streets-Are-Here pictures, so we found a teeny tiny street, which, let me tell you, really did not take that long. And the picture taking commenced once more. 
Then we met up with the rest of the group to go into La Iglesia de San Juan to see one of El Greco’s paintings of the burial of Santo Orgaz. Also amazing. After that we went to the two synagogues – Museo del Transito and Santa María la Blanca – weird names, I know. Santa María la Blanca was by far my favorite. The entire thing is full of Islamic architecture and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Pues ya.
It was a long day, but it was great. It started out foggy but then got sunny and wonderful. I kind of wish we could have stayed to have dinner there, but we ended up going to a really cheap place in Chueca where Menú del Día gave us a bunch of food for 9€.
That’s all for now.
-ta luego,
Marianna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)