The Next One For One

Yesterday, Tom's launched it's next step in the "One For One" campaign - eyewear.




There are 3 different styles of sunglasses, several colors to choose from, and a virtual try-on feature to help you decide. They are a little pricey (more expensive than the shoes), but it's a great cause.

...and have I mentioned how much I love Blake? :)

Spanish Summary

As if I haven't written enough about my trip...I truly appreciate you sticking through these last few weeks of posts and allowing me to recount my Spanish adventure. I was asked a lot of questions about my trip, the most common, both from people in Spain and friends/family here, being: "What do/did you think of Spain?"

My answer to this question goes as follows:

From my experience in Spain, I noticed several things that I truly appreciated - things that are so different from my world here....

*Everything moves slower in Spain. Living in a world where fast isn't fast enough and everything and everyone is always "go, go, go", it was refreshing to slow down and experience the slower side of life.

*The lifestyle there is so much more relaxed than it is here - businesses closing for "siesta" every afternoon and closing on Sundays and holidays, for example. I felt as though people there "work to live", whereas I feel we (Americans), in general, "live to work". Meeting friends for a cafe con leche is a must do, pretty much on a daily basis, and usually occurs in the afternoon.

*Fashion is huge. Everyone is dressed as though they walked straight out of a magazine, especially children. I swear I never saw a little girl not wearing a dress and most boys were wearing tights, shorts, and little button ups or polos. Among adult women, I mostly saw skinny jeans or leggings, tanks and cardigans, blazers, scarves, and flats. I also noticed a big nautical theme in many of the stores. Umbrellas are an added accessory during the Spring/rainy season (April/May), and everyone carries them.

*So much more walking goes on there, as well as reliance on public transportation. I guess that's probably true of bigger cities here in the U.S. too, but living in a smaller city, I really appreciated that aspect of their lifestyle.

*I love the history and age of buildings and structures there. I walked into dozens of churches that were thousands, upon thousands years old and one thing I always thought of, as I was admiring these beautiful, well preserved buildings, was how sad it is that our answer here, it seems, is to tear down and build new.

*The scenery I saw on a daily basis - mountains, blue ocean water, lots of green spaces, etc. never got old. It was something I appreciated seeing each day.

It goes without saying that my trip was an amazing experience, one that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I love to travel - it ranks as one of my favorite things in life - and I am so blessed to have had this opportunity and to experience all that I did.

Aventura de Espana: Dia Ocho

We had planned on going to Trubia and doing part of the Ruta del Oso, to go on a bike ride and see the bears that live there (fenced in). Unfortunately, it turned out to be a rainy day, so plans changed.

We ended up having a relaxed day in Oviedo, starting at a cafe for breakfast with some of Emily's friends, then we walked around and went in a few stores, and finally when the rain let up, we spent some time in the park.

It was Raul's birthday, so to celebrate, they had people over for a bbq and we indulged in a lot of good food, including turkey burgers, shrimp, kabobs, and potatoes .



With some of Emily's friends at the BBQ



When the clock struck midnight, just as Cinderella's carriage turned into a pumpkin, ending her fairy tale evening, so was my Spanish adventure coming to an end. I had to get on the 12:30 overnight bus and head back to the Madrid airport.

After a 7 hour bus ride, 3.5 hour wait at the airport, a pat down from the TSA agent at security, 12.5 hours of flying, and 2.5 hours of driving, I finally arrived back home, with all of my luggage, my sanity, and most importantly, memories that will last a lifetime.

History Lesson

Gather 'round boys and girls and listen as special guest, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gives us a history lesson on Paul Revere!




...and to think people actually want this woman to be the leader of our country.

Aventura de Espana: Dia Siete

I started the day by going with Emily to her school. First, she had a conversation tutoring session with the technology teacher. Ironically enough, he doesn't own a cell phone, he has no credit cards, and does not have internet at home :) Then I observed another one of her classes, who had the same assignment as her other class, of bringing in something that represented Asturias. These kids were younger than her other class and were quite wound up, but once again, I was impressed with their English skills, especially when comparing it to my Spanish skills when I was in high school.

After her class, we headed to the market and walked around for a while, since our time was cut short due to the rain on Sunday. I bought a few things for family and friends and a bracelet for myself.

Then Raul picked us up and the three of us headed to Gijon, a city not too far away from Oviedo, and walked around for the afternoon.











Before heading back to Oviedo, we stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe, overlooking the port. We all did the "menu del dia", which turned out to be a TON of food, but it was so good. My least favorite was the hamburger (seen in the last picture), but I had to remember I wasn't in Iowa anymore.


Patatas con aoli (potatoes with aioli)


Lentejas con chorizo (lentil stew with sausage and potatoes)


Emily and I split the hamburger and fish and fried egg for the 3rd course

When we got back to Oviedo, Emily had two more classes, so we headed back to her school. The first class showed me around the school and explained to me what things were in English. Her last class did the Asturias item assignment. Some of the items were repeats, but one girl brought in a typical Asturian dessert, that resembles a crepe. It was fantastic!

After school, Emily had a quick tutoring session, so I walked to a nearby park and read a book until she was done. After that, we met up with some of her friends at a bar for drinks and tapas. We started out with our free tapa of bread w/ a raspberry spread, cheese, and sliced ham on top. Then we ordered a cheese plate with all types of different cheeses. Later, someone ordered fried baby sardines, which I had never had before, and although hesitant due to being able to see where their eyes once were, I decided to try it. I was not a fan, so I stopped at that one, but at least I tried it! After the fun evening came to a close, Emily and I headed back to her house and watched the newest episode of Glee before going to bed.

Aventura de Espana: Dia Seis

Cudillero

An hour and a half train ride and we arrived to Cudillero, a town known for its quaint side streets and stair-cased alleyways. We walked from the train station, through the town, to the port, and took in the views of the mountains and ocean. We also climbed the stair-cased alleyways to a lookout point, which was a little tiring, but, when I saw a couple in their 60's doing it, I knew I could too :)

Cudillero


The Port


Views from the lookout point:






We had lunch at one of the restaurants on the port, trying the chipirones (squid with ink). Neither one of us were big fans, but with the help of patatas fritas y pan (french fries and bread), we managed to eat a few.

Chipirones



Upon our return to Oviedo, we made our way to the Santa Iglesia Basilica Catedral de San Salvador. It is a beautiful church with so many ornate decorations, altars, and statues. Unfortunately, no cameras are allowed inside so I wasn't able to take any photos of the inside, but I strongly encourage you to look online to get an idea of the beauty and history of this church. After a quick walk through of the church, we spent 2 Euros to tour the Holy Chamber, which contains the Chest of Agates, the Cross of Victory, the Cross of the Angels, and the Apostle Group. To see some pictures and read about these things, you can click here, if so inclined to do so. Also on the tour of the Holy Chamber, is the Santo Sudario, which is the cloth said to have cleaned and covered the face of Jesus after the crucifixion.

Side view of the Cathedral


Front of the Cathedral (with the very top cut off - oops!)


After the tour, I was off on my own again while Emily went to a tutoring session. I did a little more shopping and tried to use my Spanish a little more this outing, now that I was starting to get my voice back. Even just using simple, everyday phrases like, "hasta luego" made me feel like I fit in. After walking around for the majority of the day, I was ready to sit for a while, so after I was done shopping, I found a bench and just enjoyed watching people and journaling, while being serenaded by an accordion player down the street as I waited for Emily to get back. It was a great way to wrap up the day.

Aventura de Espana: Dia Cinco

Tuesday we started the day by visiting the San Julian de los Prados, a church built in the 9th century. One notable piece of this church is the pictorial decorations on the walls. No photos could be taken inside the church, so I can't provide a close-up of these, but, this will at least give you an idea. For those interested in the architectural details of the church, you can read a little more here.



After seeing the church, we walked to the school where Emily teaches and I sat as she taught her 8th grade English class. She gave them an assignment to bring an item that represents Asturias in some way and explain it. I was very impressed with their English. I sat there thinking back to my senior year of high school and my Spanish was no where near the level of their English! I enjoyed hearing about all the different items the kids brought in. I tried to ask them each 1 question after they presented and they all did a great job of answering them. Some of the items the kids brought in included a soccer jersey from Gijon, a soccer scarf from Oviedo, limestone, honey, milk, bagpipes (which the girl played), and wooden shoes (of which I forget the Spanish name for them)

After her class, we went back to the house for lunch, where Raul prepared Tortilla for us - with onion and chorizo. It was so good! Although I don't have the exact recipe, I'm hoping I can successfully replicate this dish some day. (probably sooner than later while it's still fairly fresh in my mind)

After lunch, Emily had a tutoring session, so I ventured off on my own for a couple of hours. I stayed around the Campo San Francisco area - walked around the park and did a little shopping. I walked away with a pair of gray skinny jeans for 20 Euros, and 3 tank tops, totaling 21 Euros - not too bad for the first day of shopping!


Campo San Francisco


"Oviedo is like a fairy tale" - Woody Allen on one of his favorite cities in the world. This bronze statue stands in the main shopping district, near the park.

That night was the big Madrid vs. Barcelona game, so Raul and Emily had some friends over to watch the game. It was fun to see how into the game the boys were, especially since a couple of them were Madrid fans, while the rest were Barcelona fans - lots of yelling, high fives, expletives, applause, some inappropriate gestures, and more yelling. I can't say I remember too much of the game - I was too distracted by everyone and just enjoyed the opportunity to be immersed into a huge part of the Spanish culture.