Super Sabroso Spain

I'm writing this blog from a new bookstore I discovered (thanks to the recommendation of my roommate Elán!) called Vino y Libros, a perfect combination of 2 things I love! I've got my glass of white wine, next to a big window looking out on a beautiful Madrid street, some complimentary cheese and crackers, and my new book in spanish (nevermind that I was recommended a few choice selections from the 12 year old readers section, baby steps here people)

In honor of the impending arrival of the month of September - my last full month in Spain, which is so unreal! Time is flying faster than ever! - I'm going to err on the side of extremely cheesy and go with a themed blog, and the theme is "S". First of all, "S" for September (just in case you hadn't caught that one) but also because as much as I wish I had a million months more here in Spain, there are still things that I have been missing about the States, and that I know I have still to look forward to when this amazing adventure comes to an end! 

To begin with, some things that I am loving/have defined my time here in Spain:
- Street Strolls: one of my favorite things to do in this amazing city is just to walk around! Everywhere you go you find something new to explore, something else beautiful to appreciate. Between the different "barrios," or neighborhoods each with their own unique character, to the impressive monuments scattered throughout the city, to the architecture and everything inbetween, I could spend hours just walking down the street and taking it all in. Not to mention, especially in the summer weather it's really nice to be able to walk really anywhere if you wanted to! (added bonus, if you get tired halfway through there's always a metro stop within a 5 block radius!)
- Seco: I love the dry heat and summer weather here!
- Spontaneity: very much a part of the lifestyle here, and something I would love to bring back to my life in the States. Appreciating the fact that not every minute of every day has to be planned out, and that it is possible to just drop whatever you're doing for a change of direction!
- Sightseeing: I have a new motto, and it's going to be "wherever you are, live like you're a tourist" because I think it's easy to take for granted some of the amazing things, big or small, that each city has to offer for the plain and simple fact that you live there, but here being a cross between a tourist and a (albeit temporary) resident, I've been really motivated to take advantage of everything!
- Sangria.
- Spanish Language: I LOVE being able to practice my Spanish on a daily basis! I'm not sure if I would say fluent, but it's the most rewarding feeling knowing that you can hold meaningful conversations with people in a different language, and to have people tell you that (all grammatical errors taken into account) you speak the language very well
- Sauteé-ing Everything: in home sweet home 51 Calle de los Algodonales, we don't have an oven, and the other utensils are...sometimes a bit on the makeshift side. So we have gotten extremely creative at making do with what we have, whether it be making oven pizzas on the stovetop or meals like "Chickpea Surprise"
- Sistemas de Transporte Publico: absolutely loving the ease and efficiency of public transportation! It's so nice not ever having to worry about how you're getting somewhere, who's going to drive, etc.
- Sunrise: the shifted time frame of normal waking hours is weird at first, but also a lot of fun and I'm going to miss coming home to see the sunrise after staying out all night!
- Sitting on the Balcony: how many hours have I spent with my amazing roommates out on the balcony of our apartment?? It's where I first got to know and love them, where the first Totally Tetuán Thursday took place (and many nights after that), and it doesn't matter if we're eating, drinking, talking, listening to music, it's just nice to be out there with such great company!
- Stepping Outside of your Comfort Zone: this is also something that I've been appreciating about my time here in Spain, mostly for the experiences it has allowed me to have. I feel like I'm much more open and inclined to try new things, and no matter the result to appreciate it for what I learned
- Seeing the World: the traveling that I've been able to do thus far, and still have planned for the next few weeks, has been one of the most incredible parts about my time here. Not only is it easier and a given on a stint in Europe, but it's also extremely encouraged by everyone as an important part of everyone's life! And now that I've been bit by the travel bug, I'm hoping this is also something that will continue way past my time here
- Sol: the historic quarters of Madrid, and where most of the important touristy things are located. It is absolutely a beautiful area, and I always get so happy just walking around there...Plaza Mayor, Gran Vía, the actual Puerta del Sol are all right there, and it's a short walking distance to Parque del Retiro, Museo del Prado, Plaza de Independencia, or La Latina, and absolutely full to the brim with the most delicious restaurants and amazing stores!
- Sharing Food: definitely the preferred style of eating here, and right up my alley! I love that instead of just one dish, everyone orders a few plates for the table and you get to try them all, plus it's a lot more pleasant to work out the bill at the end of the night when you just split it equally!
- Swapping Stories: I have been so inspired by every single person I have met here. Especially when you meet other travelers from all over the world, you learn so much about where they're from, and also everyone has their own unique reason for being in Madrid or for doing what they're doing. I feel like everyone I've met has been incredibly motivated for different, but all truly amazing reasons, and it definitely inspires me to be more adventurous and appreciate what I have but also to keep learning and seeing new things and places on my own.
- Saboroso: means "flavorful" in Spanish, of course in reference to the Spanish food, some of the most delicious I think I have ever had! And the Spanish do Spanish food like no one else can replicate. They also only use real sugar in their coffee, make orange juice with only fresh squeezed oranges...none of this fake nonsense. Although someone was trying to ask me what the American word was for "zacarín," which he described essentially as "sugar without getting fat." Ah, splenda.
- Sundays in Parque del Retiro: one of the most picturesque places in all of Madrid is Parque del Retiro on a Sunday. Tons of street vendors, performers, magicians, fairs, community service events, puppet shows for kids, people bike riding, running, roller blading, families playing or napping with their kids in the grass, picnics like the ones we've had...everyone is just always out and enjoying the sunshine and I love sitting out there with my book or just people watching!
...and So much more! :)

And of course, things that I know I still have to look forward to in the States:
- Sleep: getting more of it! And a bed that feels a little less like a camping cot
- Savings Account: money goes faster in Spain, it must be a rule of physics or something. I had a frightening experience last week in which I thought I wasn't going to be able to make it into work because I didn't have 2 euro to my name to buy a train ticket...
- Shaping Up: missing the gym in a big way
- Salad
- Service: because it is not customary to leave tips here, the waiters and hosts at restaurants or food stands know it and treat you like they're not getting a tip. You have to flag someone down just to be seated, and will often be waiting sometimes an awkward amount of time to order/receive your food or the bill. Never did I ever think I'd be excited to hear "How's everything going over here?"
- Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt: obviously.
- Shows: while actually it´s been really nice not having a TV to waste time in front of, I miss all of my favorite TV shows! Plus, all of my trusted sites (Hulu, Netflix, etc) conveniently don´t function in Europe. Probably a good thing, because I´ve had too much to do here to waste time with TV, but I have some much anticipated marathons in front of me when I get back home
- Seeing all of you guys of course!

Who's Your Papa?

So admittedly, last week, I may have spoken too soon when I said that Madrid was a bit more on the empty side in August, because this past week there was an absolute invasion, for lack of a more appropriate word.  This past week, Madrid hosted JMJ, the Journada Mundial de Juventud, or World Youth Day, which is an absolutely enormous, annual religious conference for the Catholic faith, and the Pope, or "el Papa" made an appearance in Madrid for the event. Needless to say, the entire city went absolutely nuts. There was a huge amount of time, effort, and repairs that went into preparing the city to receive the pope and the thousands upon thousands of youth groups that came from every single solitary corner of the world. At first, it was really cool to see flags waving and groups of people everywhere from countries I have never even heard of, and to see so many people from all over the world congregating in one city at one time.



And then, I had to take the metro.

I have never been so claustrophobic in my entire life, and by day 2 they had literally taken over the city. You physically could not walk anywhere in the streets because they were so clogged with teenagers (strike 1) waving huge flags, chanting, singing, yelling, blowing obnoxious whistles (whoever thought that was a good idea was actually mentally unstable) at all hours of the day and night in al parts of the city, and just in general causing absolute chaos. They were literally unescapable, even at the train station at work which is a good 40 minutes outside of main Madrid, they had to start making public announcements asking the participants not to wave their gigantic flags on the train or the metro. The METRO for goodness sake. However, because they made themselves so blatantly obvious as tourists with matching hats, backpacks, and t-shirts, I looked like a local, and felt like I was treated as such, by other local Madrilenos and by attendees of the conference. The groups of teenagers would often ask me for directions or help with the Metro, and I exchanged a few quite comical eye-rolls with other extremely agitated Madrid locals who were also being smushed in the streets, trains, restaurants, bathrooms, escalators, etc.

In case you're interested in better pictures or more information, here's the press releases/photos site from the week: http://www.madrid11.com/pressoffice/en/multimedia

Needless to say, I was pretty ready to take a break from the crowds and extreme heat of Madrid just for a bit, so when my friend Bárbara from work invited me for the weekend to her family's home in Palomares, right on the southeast tip of Spain - on the coast - I couldn't resist! I wasn't about to pass up such an incredibly nice and generous offer, and I'm so glad I didn't because it was honestly one of the best and definitely the most "Spanish" experience I've had yet!

We left on Friday for the 5 hour drive, my first "Spanish Road Trip," the first half of which we practiced Spanish and the second half English, and I even discovered some new Spanish bands and music. We arrived that night in Palomares, a very small town in Andalusia with a small center, beautiful homes, a few bars, restaurants and markets, an incredible view of the beach, and some of the nicest, most welcoming people I have ever met. The town is known for its agriculture, and Bárbara said that no one ever buys produce or fruit from the grocery store unless it can't be grown in the region, because one of their neighbors in the town most likely grows it and whenever it's ripe will bring some to all of their friends. Right away you could tell that this pueblo had an extreme "open door" policy, which was one of the things I loved most about it. Neighbors and friends would drop in unannounced at any time of the day or night, just to chat or for some food and a drink, and everyone knew everyone. Never, ever was it an imposition or inconvenient to have people come over - spending time with friends always comes before obligations.

Bárbara's parents and aunt abide by the Spanish eating/time schedule, and dinner that night around 10:30 pm was an incredibly delicious home-made Spanish tortilla (the Spanish omlette) accompanied by a customary communal salad in the middle that everyone just picked at, consisting of tons of fresh vegetables - cucumber, tomato, corn, onions, tuna, olives, peppers - tossed with salt and olive oil that I would come to discover was made from the olives that their family grew in a grove on the land that they owned in a different part of the city. Dessert was slices of the freshest melon I have ever tasted. Absolutely delicious, to say the least! And then because it was so hot even at that time of night, not to mention humid, we went swimming in their backyard pool, and when it got to be 12:30 I was exhausted and thinking bedtime, but nope! Bárbara, her boyfriend Gines and I made an appearance at a family reunion for a guy who also happens to work at Alcandora with Bárbara and I, and that was quite a sight to behold. A huge family, everyone dancing and eating and drinking on a huge front area of a beautiful house, who insisted that we come have a drink with them ("The question here is not 'Would you like a drink?' it's 'Rum or whiskey?'") complete with delicious home-made donuts covered in sugar, and the most exciting/terrifying do-it-yourself fireworks ("fuego artificial") display I have ever seen!! It was so cool to be able to partake in something so authentic and "typical Espanish" (one of many that I would come to experience that weekend) as a huge family reunion. After that, we drove to the next pueblo over, on a road that followed the coastline the entire way (admittedly I may have siesta-ed during the 15 min drive) to a street full of really cool bars and summer terraces, with lots of music and places to sit and drink or dance. That part of the coast is extremely popular for tourists during the summer to escape to the beach, especially from other parts of Spain and England, and in fact there is a bar, restaurant, housing complex, and market in little Palomares known as being just for English speakers.

The next morning, we had another very typical Spanish breakfast tostada (remember that means "toast," not like Mexican food tostada) of toasted fresh baguette (which they eat with every meal from the local bakery or "panadería") with this delicious fresh grated tomato spread (tomatoes donated by the neighbors), fresh cheese, and topped with their homemade olive oil. And not to mention on the side, some fresh figs from the grove out in front of their house, which also included orange trees and a pine tree they're growing for christmas, among a million other fruit trees.

Grove in front of their house

Then, Bárbara, Gines and I went on a drive along the coast towards Almería, through Mojacar and the port of Garrucha, to Bárbara's favorite view, which is from a somewhat hidden tower, like many others that line the coast, that used to be used to protect against Arab invaders. Like the rest of Andalusia, there is a really strong historical Arab influence because the Arabs inhabited the land before the Spanish. The towns were so cute, all pretty small but beautiful, pueblos situated one right after the other with cool beachside cafés and terrazas lining the beach. (Side note, last year it was made legal to bathe nude on any beach of the Mediterranean sea coastline.) After that we drove through the hills just behind the towns, an extremely dry and desert-y landscape.

Bárbara and I on top of Torre del Pirulico, her favorite view of the coast!

 

A little more sightseeing later, we met up with her parents at a restaurant for lunch of some traditional Andalusian food. What an experience. First of all, no one orders their own plates, there's just a tons of dishes put out for the table and everyone picks at/takes whatever they want and shares everything - I loved it! First on the menu was...snails. Caracoles. Literally, like someone just plucked it off the sidewalk and doused it in sauce. I was kindof terrified but just chalked it all up to experience and went for it (after a little bit of squeamish deliberation) - and it actually wasn't too bad! Mostly because all you can taste is the sauce. Traditionally you either just slurp it out of the shell, I opted to pull it out separately. Then there was also calamari, sardines (eyeballs included, looking almost alive), migas (couldn't tell you exactly what they were, probably better that way) the customary pick-at-it-salad, 3 different kinds of soup, I think one was called triga, battered patatas fritas with peppers, and much more! I kindof adopted a "the less you know the better" mantra when experimenting with food in Andalusia, and actually ended up loving most of it!

Contemplating las caracoles

After lunch her parents gave us another driving tour through the desert hills, some incredibly impressive mansions hidden there, a lot of them owned again by wealthy English people, and a few were made in the style of a town that we passed through on the way into Palomares called Las Cuevas, ("The Caves") where homes are actually built into the mountain in caves that were already there, so all you can see from the outside is the entrance and almost the entire rest of the house exists within the mountain.

Then we stopped in the port town of Garrucha for some ice cream and souvineer shopping, and Bárbara was so nice as to buy me a souvineer that I had been eyeing - a ring with the Almerían symbol of el Indalo, found everywhere in the architecture and streets of the provinces and pueblos, that was discovered in caves and is believed to date back to 4000 B.C., and is now believed to bring good luck, wealth, abundance and peace to those who wear it. It looks like this:

We went back to Bárbara's house, went for a swim and reverted back to our 5-year-old selves playing dress up with Bárbara's old Flamenco dancing costumes! 

Dinner at 10:30/11pm-ish was on the beach at the local beach-side café, and included fried peppers and potatoes with Palomares's famous garlic butter sauce (what's up heart attack). We also walked to try a few of the local bars, have my new favorite drink of Bosco Negra with lemon, as well as sample some delicious caramel liquors. We came home and spent a good 2 hours on the top balcony just chatting over drinks, which was so nice to be able to have that kind of conversation mixing English and Spanish!

The next day we did some more sightseeing on the coast, visiting a few neighbors, and then driving out to another one of their friend's houses to collect some chumba that they're well known for in the town, which is the fruit of the cacti that are everywhere in the dry desert climate. Then we went to Gines's grandmother's house for lunch - a big, and daily, ordeal for an extended family that all lives so close together. All 5 siblings and their families met at the house for an enormous, delicious, fun and loud meal of homemade paella that was made with....sorry Goldie and Celeste and Phoebe...rabbit, the first time I'd ever tried it, and Bárbara tried to tell me it was chicken but one of the younger cousins let it slip! But it was honestly the most authentic and delicious paella I have tried here, and of course the fresh bread, of course the communal salad, fresh fruit and vegetables. It was absolutely incredible and so cool to just observe such a traditional family meal happening - and they were all so so generous and friendly! Then after that, when I was thinking it would be nice to not eat again for another decade, the whole family went out for ice cream and coffee. And by that I mean we sat there chatting for 2 and a half hours! 

With some of Gines's family at a Castillo de Pulpí

We came back to Bárbara's house for a bit to swim and say goodbye to her family, and then Gines, Bárbara and I went to one of their friends' apartments in the next pueblo for an authentic Spanish birthday party "barbacoa" (barbeque) on the rooftop terrace of their balcony. It was great to be able to meet and talk to a group of Spanish friends my age, almost like seeing what my life would be like if I was a 20-something born and raised in Spain. We exchanged Spanish and English tongue-twisters, had some delicious barbequed jamón and hamburgers (actually made with ham) and I even braved the morcilla, another extremely traditional and extremely gross food of blood sausage. That one didn't go over as well with me, but hey, when in Spain, try everything once! Then Bárbara and Gines drove me to the bus station and I took a 12:30 am bus back, arriving in Madrid at 6:30 am. 

Needless to say, this weekend was an absolutely incredible experience for me to really get a taste of the true Spanish lifestyle, in every way shape and form. It made me think about the difference between my apartment situation and what my experience would have been like had I opted for a homestay, and in the end I'm really glad that I'm in my apartment with my (amazing) roommates. It would have been great to practice Spanish in a homestay, but I'm getting plenty of that at work and in daily life navigating around Spain, and even after one weekend I realized it definitely could have gotten really lonely not having anyone to speak English with, because it's not only mentally exhausting to keep up when you're speaking in Spanish all the time, but it also adds an interesting element to trying to let your personality show through and to express yourself when the language barrier is there. But after this weekend, I was pretty satisfied with myself at my ability to keep up and converse with the people in Almería, and am so grateful to have had this - it's hard to believe but I truly think this one weekend made a huge difference in my entire, overall experience of Spain. Not only do I feel so lucky to have made such a sweet and generous friend to invite me to stay with her family, but it was undeniably memorable, cultural, a ton of fun, and really inspiring to see yet another very different part of the country and to see Spain through the eyes of those who really call it home.

Glass of Sangria Half Full

And here we are, already 6 weeks have flown by and only 6 more left! Time is seriously going by so quickly, I really cannot wrap my brain around the fact that I´m basically halfway through my program! I guess it really is true (and incredibly cliché, sorry about it) when they say "time flies when you´re having fun," and here is this past week and (yet another!) jam-packed 4 day weekend as a perfect example of that! 

- I didn´t really expect to be able to notice it, but so far it is true that August is a much quieter month than July - all of the tourists come in June and July, and even the native Madrileños all leave for vacation during this month, sometimes for weeks at a time, probably mostly to escape the heat! At internship, more often than not there are only about 4 or 5 of us in the whole office, and there are a ridiculous amount of businesses around the city that take a hiatus for the entire month! (Including, very sadly, our favorite bar! (Good thing I´m staying through September) Adelante, the internship program that I´m with, warned me about this, but it´s very interesting to actually be able to witness this cultural element come into play!

- Twice this week I met up with a woman from work who emailed me asking if I could help her practice her English - she is absolutely fantastic and it´s been so much fun! She is attending a wedding in the States in the middle of September and was really worried about not having spoken English for so long, so of course I promised to help her if she wouldn´t mind helping me with my Spanish in exchange! So about half of the time we speak in Spanish, and then switch over to English. It definitely makes all the difference in the world to be practicing a language in a real-life setting, having real conversations with real people. She has lived in Madrid for years and has enlightened me to some incredible places for delicious food and drinks, from hidden rooftop terraces to (thankfully!!) fantastic mexican food, as well as fun stuff to do around the city! She also brought to work one day a little gift for me, a Madrid tour guide book in Spanish and what is now my first attempt at reading a Spanish novel, "El Niño con el Pijama de Rayas" ("The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"). Muchísimas gracias Bárbara!!

- Thursdays are quickly becoming one of my favorite days of the week, primarily due to the fact that it´s the day our apartment has dubbed "Totally Tetuán Thursdays." (Tetuán being the name of the neighborhood, or "barrio" in which we live) Thursday afternoon, a few of the roommates, Ian, Jaime, Beth and I, (here you go Ian!) ventured to a mercado in an area called Chueca that we had heard about, and it was so much fun! Most of the different barrios or areas in Madrid will have their own mercado, which usually consist of several floors of stands and vendors selling fresh meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and baked goods. Real live, up-close-and-personal butchers has been quite a new, and slightly disturbing, experience for me in particular! This one that we went to also had many gourmet and custom exciting little dishes and things to try, as well as a beautiful rooftop terrace restaurant and bar! It was definitely worth it to brave the scorching heat to enjoy a few drinks up there in the afternoon. Because none of us have work on Fridays either, we all can go out on Thursday nights too! Last week, we met up with a few other friends and started the night out at an underground Sangria bar recommended by a friend, which was really cool! Very authentic, traditional, and had a lot of character - tons of cool Spanish quotes on the wall and definitely the best Sangria I´ve had (thus far) in Madrid! 

Rooftop Terrace

A few of the fruit stands in Mercado de Chueca

Some of our group at the underground Sangria Bar

- Friday the weather was a bit gloomy and humid during the day, and actually culminated in an enormous and very exciting thunder and lightning storm that night! It was so fun to sit out on the balcony and have a panoramic view of the lightning, and it was also nice to enjoy it with some new friends from Canada who were backpacking through and one of my roommates had met in a hostel the weekend before. That´s probably one of the things I´m appreciating most about being here, just how easy it is to meet people from all over, each with their own story. I´ve loved seeing how people help each other out and how anyone you meet is a potential contact in a different place, it´s so great feeling more connected to the rest of the world with each new person that you befriend. We also went to the movies during the day to see "Midnight in Paris," if anything just to escape from the heat to an air conditioned place for a few hours! 

- On Saturday, my roommates and I were clearly feeling particularly artsy and expressive, and also decided that our apartment was in dire need of some form of a decorative, personal touch, so we went to the art store down the street and bought some canvas and paint supplies, as well as some essentials for a wine and cheese afternoon, and spent several hours out on the balcony painting together! It was so nice to just sit out there and listen to music, and of course get in touch with our creative side, and do something a little different. And the best part are the new masterpiece additions to our living room that definitely give a little bit of life to the place! After that, we decided to explore one of the suggestions that Bárbara had given me, and went to a really beautiful area of Madrid to take a Sky Tram/Gondola that goes over "Casa del Campo," a natural park reserve, and gives an incredible view of the city, with everything from the Palacio Real to the (4) downtown "skyscrapers." We got lucky and boarded just as the sun was setting, it was absolutely breathtaking and such a cool, unique way to see the city! After that, we followed another of Bárbara-the-local´s suggestions and found a Chinese restaurant that literally is hidden in the underground parking lot under Plaza de España! 

The masterpiece outcomes of our painting day!

Incredible sunset from the sky tram

The moon over Palacio Real from the Sky Tram

Jaime, Beth, Ian and I outside of Templo de Debod after the Tram Ride

- Sunday´s highlights consisted of discovering a mexican restaurant really close to our apartment - always a treasured find for us americans who almost constantly crave it! It´s very rare to find some good guac here, or mexican food that even slightly resembles what you´re used to when you think "taco," "burrito," or "fajita." We´ve found some pretty good contenders but will, of course, continue the quest for the most authentic. Also, Sunday night was the first home football game at the Santiago Bernabau stadium!! It wasn´t a league game, but the "Copa de España" against their biggest rivals, F.C. Barcelona. Tickets were not only impossible but cost more than I will make at work these whole 3 months! (haha...I´m unpaid) But really they were incredibly expensive, so we settled for walking the streets around the stadium and taking in all of the masses of people and paraphenelia stands and the incredibly exciting atmosphere, and then found a bar to watch the game on a big screen. It was my first European football experience and an extremely fun one! I´m still definitely planning on actually making it to a game in the stadium while I´m here though. 

Jaime, Beth and I in front of the Santiago Bernabau Stadium

- Monday was a holiday, so another 4 day weekend! It was the Festival de la Virgen de la Paloma, celebrating the patron saint of Paloma, a barrio in Madrid. There have been festivities and parties and all kinds of things going on all week and weekend, but Monday was the culminating day. We went in the afternoon to the Iglesia de Nuestra Virgen de la Paloma to hear the mass that they broadcasted into the plaza, watch all the people dressed in traditional costumes and sample some of the (always delicious and) traditional foods they had, including empanadas, tortillas, churros con chocolate, and much more. Then we met up with some other friends and did a little bar-hopping for drinks and tapas (a common and wonderful afternoon activity for the Spaniards!) and went back to the Festival in the evening to watch the Procesión, where a ton of people all in traditional costume, paraded down the street, and the City of Madrid bomberos (firefighters) put on a little performance! They were repelling down their ropes from the tops of the fire truck ladders, and spraying the crowd with water and foam and rose petals.The firefighters actually play a pretty integral part in the festival, mostly in the traditional practice of carrying the statue or picture of the Virgen out of the church and down the streets at the end of the festival. It was a ton of fun and really cool to be able to participate in something so cultural. It really makes you appreciate the traditions here, and especially appreciate Madrid as a true Spanish cultural center, although festivals like these occur all over the country! 

All of the balconies lining the streets were decorated for the festivall!

That just about sums it up, I´m really looking forward to the upcoming weeks and definitely planning to continue to make the most of the time that I have left! But, as always I´m missing you all tons!  

Un gran beso y abrazo! 

First Week of August and Weekend in BARCELONA!!

Week one of August = increasingly hot but incredibly successful! 

Such a great start to what is clearly going to be another amazing month in Spain. Started off at internship with a busy week which I love! This week I worked on a project that kindof epitomizes a few of the points in my last entry, I was researching and making presentations of case studies of advertisements utilizing famous people/celebrity endorsements and other meat company marketing strategies for none other than a new client specializing in none other than...jamón, por supuesto! 

On Monday, we also went to this absolutely incredible outdoor concert symphony that they put on in Plaza Mayor. It was a huge, impressive stage with the entire Plaza dedicated to the orchestra and seating, and the performance didn't even begin until 10 pm because that's when it starts to get dark! The music was so beautiful and despite being in the city center, it was one of the quietest I have heard the city since I've been here. Everyone was admiring the music and completely respectful of the performance, there was hardly even whispering to distract from the music. It was part of a summer concert series called Veranos de la Villa that has been taking place all over Madrid at different historical venues, and we were lucky to see it, despite the summer thunderstorm that rained on us sporadically but luckily held off until the end, and to be honest a little rain felt kindof nice when it's still over 90 degrees at 9:30 pm! 

On Tuesday, one of my roommates Élan and I decided to be particularly adventurous and go to an Intercambio (roughly translates to "interchange"), which I have been wanting to do since I've arrived here! An Intercambio is basically a group, this particular one meets at a bar/restaurant twice a week and goes to see a movie on fridays, that anyone can attend and basically just talk to people and get experience practicing various languages. We were surprised to find that it was mostly native English speakers that were in high demand, because there are a ton of Spaniards who want practice with their English, so we made a few friends and had some really entertaining conversations half in Spanish and half in English. It's definitely a fun experience and something that really feels like making the most of being here! I wish they had something similar in the States, because it's such a great idea and a great way to meet people and they're very common here. 

Then, Thursday began our weekend vacation escape to BARCELONA!! I almost did my program in 

Barcelona instead of Madrid, and although I'm so happy with my decision to be here I knew that Barcelona was top on my places to visit while in Spain. I'm extremely glad that I did because I absolutely fell in LOVE with the city! I think part of it was being near the beach, and how much it reminded me of San Diego. Some of the highlights from an extremely eventful and fun-filled weekend: 

- We took the train in, which again the public transportation here never fails to impress me! Incredibly comfortable, fast, clean, easy, and the one thing in Spain that is incredibly efficient and prompt. Our hostel, Equity Point Center, was right on one of the main streets, Paissag de Gracia, and again was yet another really positive and lucky hostel experience! Also had a bar, cafeteria, free breakfast, lots of sponsored group events and tours, and tons of people to meet from all over. 

- In Barcelona, they speak a dialect of Spanish called Catalán, which is a mixture of Spanish and French. It was really interesting to see how words and signs were spelled or named differently, it really sometimes felt like an entirely different language. But I was happy to discover that most people spoke clear Spanish as well, so it really wasn't difficult to get around, and we actually got to practice a lot of Spanish which is always good. In fact, one of the cab drivers told us that there are very few "native Catalans," and a lot of the people currently living in Barcelona moved there from other places. It's not hard to understand why! 

- The beach was such a refreshing sight for sore eyes! Barcelona, though clearly a beach town, isn't known for the most beautiful beaches in Spain, but they were just fine for me! There was a boardwalk with tons of people roller blading and (Davis I miss you!) bicycling! And running - what a refreshing change to see people working out! The marina, called Barceloneta, was so gorgeous as well and totally reminded me of Mission Beach and Seaport Village in San Diego. I felt right at home there right away! The beach was super crowded with tons of people enjoying Sangria and the fresh coconut that vendors would walk around selling (myself definitely included)! You could also buy a massage on the beach from vendors walking around the crowds. 

View down the beach with the W hotel in the background

Barcelona version of Sangria, made with their own traditional sparkling wine called "cava"

The Rambla del Mar, off the main boardwalk bordering the ocean

- Another thing besides the beaches and the bikes that made Barecelona instantly incredible: a huge, huge, amazing market of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, meat the likes of which I have NEVER seen before. If you know me at all, this is a huge selling point haha! I could have spent days in here! It was called La Boqueria Mercat St. Josep, and all of the food there was as beautifully and creatively displayed as it was delicious (literally the best peach I have ever tasted in my life)! There was fruit that I have never seen before, fish that are almost still living, fresh squeezed fruit juice everywhere, organic wraps, salads, incredible gourmet desserts, fresh jamón on skewers, and so much more! 

No idea what this fruit is in Spanish or English....

Or this one...

- The Mercado was right off of this amazing main street called La Rambla, filled every day with street vendors, performers, touristy stands, food - basically a lot of really excellent ways to spend your money! We spent hours here on two different days, just walking around looking at everything and sampling some truly authentic tastes of Barcelona 

- La Sagrada Familia: the famous cathedral built by Gaudi in Barcelona, it was absolutely beautiful! Just when I was starting to think that all cathedrals were starting to look the same, Gaudi pulls out this masterpiece that is so much brighter and more "fun" for lack of a better word. Barcelona is most famous for Gaudi's work all over the city, and this is the central masterpiece of it. I found I really appreciate his style, it's very colorful and creative and makes use of a lot of cool shapes, animals and materials. 

- Also on the note of Gaudi is his famous Park Guell, which houses several of his famous sculptures, houses, benches, etc. It literally looked like an artistic disneyland! So much fun to walk all around, admiring the scenery and the art. And it was a good thing that it was so nice and worth it because it was basically on top of a mountain. Made for some great views and some really painful uphill travel time.  

- Gaudi also has designed several houses around the city that are mixed in with all of the regular houses and architecture and adds a lot of excitement to the city and the streets. 

Shout out to Kendra: this is the building you were talking about I think! It's called Casa Batiló and is one of the houses designed by Gaudi!

- Torre Agbar: so beautiful when it's lit up at night! An interesting shape (haha) and actually is owned by Barcelona's water company and houses most of their offices, but is a popular sight at nighttime. We visited it one night before going out in Barrio Gótic (The Gothic District, but don't even think about trying to call it anything other than "Barrio Gótic" because everyone will look at you like you're insane, even though really? "Districto Gothico" you couldn't figure it out?) which had a ton of really fun dancing bars and clubs! 

 

- THE FOOD!! Always a big selling point for me, clearly. The food in Barcelona was incredible, especially the seafood! Our favorite was a nice dinner we went to on Friday night called "Fishop" where it was set up as halfway between a really fancy nice restaurant and a fish market. It was decorated so cute with blue and white stripes and chandeliers, but also an option on the menu was to walk over to the ice display of fresh uncooked fish and ask for recommendations from the chefs! They would suggest a fish and a kind of preparation, I got a tuna steak and it was probably one of, if not, the best seafood meals I have ever had! Not to mention the ceviche, sushi and other delicious tapas we sampled there! 

- Another bonus point for Barcelona: public restrooms (cleverly called "Toi Toi's") actually exist! And places to refill water bottles - what a concept!  

So I was trying to think of a different note to end on other than public Toi Toi's but none are coming to mind. Hope this blog suffices to document this week, although I feel like it is hard to do Barcelona justice just through the pictures - just like everything else that I have experienced thus far in Spain! And, at the end of the day, although it was so easy to fall in love with Barcelona over just a few short days, I am so incredibly happy I decided to make Madrid home for these 3 months, and after such a fantastic weekend it felt good to come back here!