Aventura de Espana: Dia Cuatro

Llanes

Monday, Emily and I took a bus to Llanes, a small town in Northern Spain, along the Bay of Biscay. It's a very small town that mainly thrives on tourism, mostly in the summer months, because of the beautiful beaches. Although it wasn't warm enough for us to lay out on the beach, we did enjoy walking around the town and seeing some of the historical sites, including the following:

*Los Cubos de la Memoria (The Memory Cubes): A famous work of art by Agustin Ibarrola, who painted the cement cubes that make up the breakwater along the port in Llanes.

A close up view of the cubes:


It stretches all along the port


And is on both sides of the port



*Basilica of Santa Maria del Conceju:

Side view of the church:


Front view:


*Chapel of Santa Ana:



*The Tower:



*The Walls:



Not being much of a history buff nor a sound architectural individual, I guess for me, what was most impressive is how old these buildings/structures are, with some dating back to the 13th century, and how well preserved they seem to be. Feel free to click on the links above if interested in learning more about the aforementioned things.

More Llanes pictures coming to a Facebook photo album near you.

Ribadesella

After eating a sack lunch, we headed back to the bus station and continued on our Asturian tour to Ribadesella, another town on the coast of northern Spain. We hiked up part of the mountain to enjoy some more mountainous views:







After the hike, we walked around what would be the equivalent to a small town's "main street." Because of the holiday, most of the shops were closed, but there was one store open that I had to go into after seeing their window, as it brought out the inner "cakester" in me:


Yes, all of those things (including the iPhone) are made from chocolate!

The church in Ribadesella:



Kids playing soccer...in front of the church :)


After the bus ride back to Oviedo, we met up with some of Emily's friends for a couple glasses of vino and a free slice of pizza. It was nice to know that happy hours are international :)

Aventura de Espana: Dia Tres

We went to the market in Oviedo, that is held every Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday of every week. Vendors sell many different types of things - jewelry, scarves, shoes, clothing, books, flowers, produce, etc. Unfortunately it started to rain pretty heavily shortly after we arrived, so our time was cut short. So, we went back to Emily's and planned out the next few days while waiting for the rain to pass. Finally after the rain stopped, we headed back out and hiked up part of Mount Naranco to see the Santa Maria del Naranco. It was built back in the 800's and first served as a royal palace before being converted into a church.



Although the overcast skies hindered the panoramic view from up in the mountains, coming from the land of "rolling hills", I was still appreciative of the scenery. Before hiking back down, we took in the views over cafes con leches at a local cafe.

Hesher

Last week on All Things Considered (I have no idea how I was tuned into NPR :) ) I caught a movie review of the film Hesher, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and I was immediately interested. I'll let you read the review on NPR here. Unfortunately, I don't think it's playing anywhere close to here, so it may be a while before I can see it. The trailer will have to do for now:




And a clip from the movie:

Aventura de Espana: Dia Dos

Oviedo

We took a 4 hour train ride to Oviedo, which is the city where Emily lives. It is located in Northern Spain and is the capital of the Asturias region. It didn't take long to see some differences between our culture and that of the Spanish upon arriving in Oviedo that day...

Lunch
Lunch in Spain is a little different than what we're accustomed to in the States. While we consider the noon hour to be lunch time here, there, it is typically had anywhere between 1-4. (the restaurants are nearly empty until after 2:00) Another difference is the size of the meal. In general, dinner is our biggest meal, however, there, it is lunch. I learned of these differences right away, after meeting up with Emily's boyfriend, Raul, for lunch shortly after our arrival. Many restaurants have what is called "Menu del Dia" or "menu of the day", featuring a 2 to 3 course meal. Usually there are several options to choose from as well. We shared the menu del dia that day and had a plate of jamones diferentes (different slices of cured hams), calamares fritos, (friend calamari) and ensalada (salad). Regrettably, I did not take pictures of all the different foods I had while there, so I do not have a photo to share here. But, everything was muy delicioso!

Store Hours
Here, we have become accustomed to having stores open 7 days a week, and some even 24 hours a day. Hell, sadly, retail stores hardly close on holidays anymore. In Spain, it's a different story. Many small businesses close daily for 2-3 hours for lunch or "siesta". Waiting until Sunday to do your grocery shopping for the week? Not there! We had to make sure to pick up a few things after lunch because not only are they closed on Sundays, but the Monday of that week was a holiday, so they were closed that day as well. Closed 2 days in a row? Almost unheard of here, right?

Dinner
Since they typically do not eat lunch until later in the afternoon, it is no surprise that they eat dinner later at night - anywhere between 8 and 10. That night Emily and I headed over to her friend Mary's house for a Tapas party. We got there around 10 and indulged in such delights as ham wrapped asparagus, stuffed with roasted red peppers, tortilla (an egg and potato dish, similar to an omelet, but thicker), bread w/ a raspberry spread, cheese, and ham on top, and a salad. No picture :( but again, everything was fantastic.

Nightlife
The nightlife, overall, is similar here - gather in bars/pubs, drink, and socialize. The difference here, again, is the hours. We didn't leave the house until 12:30 and we were out until 6:00! Our first stop - a sidreria so I could try the sidra (hard cider). You have to drink the entire bottle of sidra in one sitting, (we split between the 6 of us), as it quickly becomes flat. There is a special way to pour sidra - holding the bottle high up in the air and the glass low - this is supposed to enhance the natural carbonation and make it taste better - and pour a small amount into the glass. You are supposed to take all but the last little bit in one drink, dumping the rest out by the drain that most sidrerias have for this very purpose. You can watch this process here (from 0:53-1:16) Next, we headed to a crowded outdoor plaza and shared a few drinks. It almost reminded me of the huge gathering on the hill for UNI's homecoming (when that was still allowed) but not as wild. It was fun to enjoy the cool breeze of the night, highlighted by the moonlight, and just fully be immersed in the nightlife of Oviedo. We continued to barhop, making sure to stop at the bar Raul owns, and ended the night dancing at another bar (fellow Panthers - think Sharky's minus the stripper pole) One of Mary's roommates, Christian, was a dancing fool and had a whole crowd of people dancing around him. He'd be a good fit for a "So You Think You Can Dance" show, just to give you an idea of his talent. Knowing of my poor dance skills, I knew I had to whip out maraca snap to save face....it was a hit, per usual. :) One thing that was true of all the places we stopped at was the playing of American music - Britney, J-Lo, Chris Brown, and yes, even Big Willie Style "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" rang through the speakers. I also enjoyed hearing some Spanish tunes, especially Shakira's, "Loca" and Don Omar & Lucenzo's, "Danza Kuduro".

Aventura de Espana: Dia Uno

Madrid

After a short ride on the Metro, Emily and I arrived in one of the city's main historic squares, Puerta del Sol. We first checked into our hostel, which was very nice as far as hostels are concerned, and then went to a restaurant around the corner from the hostel to use our free breakfast vouchers we received during check in - toast with a tomato spread, orange juice, and cafe con leche.

The Tour:
Another perk from the hostel stay was a free tour of some of the main attractions in Puerta del Sol, and a complimentary drink after the tour to boot!


*Palacio de las Cortes: This building, constructed between 1843 and 1850 currently houses the lower house of the Parliament, the Congreso de los Diputados (Congress of Deputies). Worth noting about the building is the pediment, consisting of statues that represent justice, courage, fortitude, harmony, science, arts, rivers, trade, agriculture, abundance and peace, the bronze door, and the bronze lions that set on both sides of the central part of the front entrance. This entrance is only used once a year, when the king opens the parliamentary year.



*Monumento a los Caidos por Espana (Monument to the Fallen for Spain): This is a memorial dedicated to all of those who gave their life for Spain. The flame you see burns constantly.



*Iglesia de San Jeronimo el Real (Church of Royal St Jerome): This church was founded in 1503 and was once known as the official Royal Church.




*Parque Buen Retiro: It is one of the largest and most popular parks in Madrid and was originally built as a retreat for the Royal Family. It is absolutely beautiful with all of the greenery, statues, and lake. Look for more pictures coming to a Facebook Photo Album near you.











*Puerta de Alcala: This is a monument located in the Plaza de la Independencia.






*Museo del Prado (The Prado Museum): Home to some of the finest European art, including the works of Goya, El Greco, and Velazquez. On the tour, we only saw the outside of it, but Emily and I were lucky enough to go back later in the day and get in for free! I wish I would've done some research on some of the more notable pieces there. I know it was covered in some of my Spanish classes in school, but I could've used a little refresher. :)



After the tour, we joined our tour guide and a few other people from the group and indulged in our complimentary drink and some lunch. I had the Paella, a traditional Spanish rice dish, usually served with different types of seafood. It was muy delicioso!



After lunch, we took a time out - since I had been traveling all day/night and touring around Madrid that morning, and adding into the mix a serious head cold, it was no surprise I was starting to run out of energy. So, Emily and I decided to go back to the hostel and rest for a while before we continued our adventure. After an hour or so of relaxing, we were back on the move.


El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace):
This is one of the largest palaces in Europe, but does not house the Royal family. It only is used for state ceremonies. There are more than 2000 rooms, but the tour only allows you to see a select number of rooms, and unfortunately no cameras are allowed once inside. It was an incredible sight to see, with the rooms decorated in such an ornate fashion, and in such elaborate detail - I was in awe.





Catedral Almudena: This cathedral is located next to the Palacio Real. This, too, had me in awe. It is gorgeous, both inside and out and the sheer size of it will take your breath away.





Unfortunately most of the pictures I took from inside the Cathedral did not turn out too well, but here is the best one, showcasing one of the altars.



Before heading back to the hostel for the night, we stopped at a local restaurant for dinner. Still full from the Paella, I chose something light - a turkey and cheese toasted sandwich. One thing to note - Spanish people usually eat sandwiches by cutting it into pieces, rather than biting directly off of the sandwich - I was thrilled to eat in such a manner :)

**footnote: please keep in mind when looking at the pictures of me above that I was "fresh" off a long day/night of traveling and sick before judging my appearance, thank you :) **

Aventura de Espana - Introduccion

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I was presented with the opportunity to take a trip to Spain - an opportunity I couldn't dream of passing up. One of my friends currently lives over there, working as an English teacher and tutor, and after her generous invitation to visit, I happily accepted, booked the trip, and waited for the dream to become a reality.

I woke up early that Thursday morning feeling, well to put it bluntly, shitty. Unfortunately, I developed a bad cold earlier that week, and despite my best efforts at warding it off (drinking a lot of water and orange juice, popping Zicam, and trying to get as much rest as possible) I couldn't shake it before my vacation began. After my shower, I sat down at the table for breakfast. On the menu: a belgian waffle with a side of tears. The idea of being sick as I was about to venture off for a 10 day vacation in another country was not sitting well with me and it frustrated me to the point of tears. After my dad asked if I needed to postpone the trip and I said no, he said (in a loving way) that I needed to stop crying, because that would do no one any good. Knowing he was right, I dried my tears, ate my waffle, and got ready to go.

My parents drove me to O'Hare, I got checked in, we said our good-byes, and off I went. As I went through the security, I was one of the lucky ones chosen to go through the body scanner and after seeing that I had nothing to hide, I continued on towards my gate. After a short 2 hour flight to Atlanta, I arrived to the airport there, and just in case any of you were wondering, I sang (to myself in my raspy voice) "Welcome to Atlanta where the playa's play..." cuz why wouldn't you - hello, I was in Hotlanta, and had to pay my respects to Mr. Dupri. Anyway, after getting that out of my system, I continued on my journey, boarding the Boeing 777 and got settled in my seat for the 7.5 hour flight to Madrid.

The flight went relatively smoothly. I was seated next to a guy who lives in Florida but is from Spain and was going back for a 6 week visit with his family. Minus him spilling his tomato juice (luckily none got on me), he was the dream neighbor to have on the plane - no body odor or any bodily noises to speak of, not overly talkative, and didn't wander over into my leg/arm space.

Another plus was Delta's On Demand system - there were lots of new/great movies to choose from, as well as TV shows, music, and games. I watched The King's Speech (which is excellent) and Unstoppable (okay movie, but kept entertained by watching Chris Pine) and an episode of Glee, and did a little reading and sleeping in between.

I arrived to the Madrid Barajas Airport at 7:25 A.M. Friday morning, as scheduled and after getting mi maleta from baggage claim, I met up with Emily and so began my Aventura de Espana.

Update: Aventura en Espana

I arrived back to EEUU after spending 9 days in Spain - 1 day in Madrid and the rest spent in the Asturias region.

I've been asked lots of questions about the trip and I plan on sharing my experience on my blog, however, the internet is currently not working on my computer. So, all that will have to wait, but stay tuned!

With my limited time right now, I will say this - I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to take this trip and can say that I had an amazing time while there. I tested out my Spanish skills(though I barely had a voice for the majority of my trip), tried many different types of food, met a lot of great people, took advantage of the different stores/boutiques, and enjoyed living the lifestyle of the Spanish people. It was a once in a lifetime vacation and am so glad I was able to go.