Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Profesora Ana (Teacher Annette)
Today, I had my first meeting with 3 ninos who are around age 5 to try to teach them some English. The mother told me I should bring games or fun activities, so I brought an ABC song, memory game, and bingo game. I also did Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and the Hokey Pokey with them. The three boys definitely had a lot of energy, and I could hardly get them to listen to me when I was trying to explain things. Unfortunately, I don't think one of them will be able to come back next time because he didn't behave very well at all. Two of them are brothers which doesn't help the situtation. The other boy is very well behaved and gave me a kiss on the cheek when I was done teaching them. It's hard enough to get 5 year olds to pay attention in the US, let alone in Spain. I think it would be a lot of fun if they just could behave. I am meeting with them again on Tuesday and am going to try to teach them shapes and colors and hopefully play Twister...better luck next time hopefully! Tomorrow, I have my first test of the semester!!! I'm a bit nervous since it will be over all that we have learned in one class over the last 2 months in our Spanish history class. It's only 20 multiple choice questions though, so that shouldn't be too bad.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
2 Month Mark
Tomorrow marks that I have been here for 2 months. In some ways, it seems like I left Iowa just yesterday, but I am starting to get really anxious to go home (43 days left)! This weekend we didn't do too much. I got caught up on lots of homework that I didn't do while I was in Ireland. On Saturday, we went to Trujillo for the day, which was a bit of a disappointment. A lot of other students had visited the city on one of the first weekends here so they thought it was really cool but since we had already been to cooler places, it wasn't as great. We saw a church, museum of Pizzaro, and a castle. Pizzaro was actually born in Trujillo and eventually went on to discover part of South America (near Peru area). We also ate at La Troya restaurant which, other than accidentally ordering a plate of rice and rabbit meat, was pretty good. Today we had a one hour time change so now I am back to being seven hours ahead of Iowa time. I had a chance to Skype lots of friends and family which was fun. My cousin Daniel even played a song on his violin for me via Skype yesterday.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Come On, Ireland!
Here is the rest of my trip to Ireland:
On Sunday, we slept in a bit, then had an Irish breakfast at Tony's Bistro. Taylor was really excited to have Irish breakfast. It consisted of an egg sunny-side up, toast, sausage links, bacon (more like ham though), and a hash brown. The boys also got mushrooms and baked beans with theirs...what a strange thing to eat for breakfast but it's what the Irish do! Afterwards, we went to the bus station and took a ten minute bus ride to Blarney and went to the Blarney Stone. It was sunny and pretty warm that day-like 50 degrees or so which was great. We first went to the poisonous gardens and then to the castle. There were lots of steps to get to the top and it was a pretty skinny staircase because when it was built people were a lot smaller. It probably didn't help that we had our backpacks on but we all made it to the top and kissed the stone! It tasted like Lysol because they spray it with disinfectant. They have two bars that you hold on to and then a guy leans you back until you get to the stone. It was fun! Next, we took a walk around the park area and saw lots of waterfalls and eventually ended up at a lake. We skipped rocks and then headed back to get on the bus. We had to wait a bit for the bus so we went to a pub and gots some food. Casey and I shared nachos...we've been missing them so much since there is nothing like chips and salsa here. When we got back to Cork, we went to one of Cory's friends' apartments to hang out for a couple hours until our bus left for Dublin. We arrived in Dublin at 10:30pm and went right to our hostel. It was a pretty cool hostel and we just hung out in our room talking until about 1am and then went to sleep.
On Monday, we got up and had breakfast at the hostel and then started our sightseeing for the day. We saw the Molly Malone statue, walked through Trinity College, and went inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then, we went to Christchurch Cathedral to try to go to Mass since we weren't able to on the weekend. The church's website said there was Holy Eucharist at 12:45pm but apparently that meant a priest and deacon saying Mass to themselves in the back of the cathedral and we were supposed to sit outside and listen. So, we gave up and said our own prayer together at the church and then continued on with our day. We went to a pub for lunch and then to the Guinness Storehouse. We took the tour and learned all about how Guinness Beer is made. We all learned how to properly pour a pint and got a certificate. The storehouse was shaped like a pint glass and there was a bar at the top where you could look out and see the whole city of Dublin. After our tour and complimentary glass of Guinness (which I didn't drink because I don't like it), we went to the area near Graftan Street to do some shopping. We went to H & M and a couple other clothing stores but didn't find anything to buy that would fit in our backpacks. We went back to the hostel for a bit and then went out to find some food. We ended up at The Temple Bar, which is Dublin's most famous pub/bar I think. It was the coolest bar I have ever been to! We ate sandwiches there and listened to live music by Irish people. It was so cool to hear them sing with their accents!!! There was also a guy playing bagpipes. Just like the Ireland we imagined! After a couple hours there, we went back to the hostel and went to bed.
On Tuesday, we woke up at 5am to get to the airport on time. Our flight left at 7:20am from Dublin and got to Madrid at about 10:50 Madrid time (there was an hour time change again). We went on the metro to the bus station and bought our tickets for the next bus but had 2 hours to wait until it left, so we walked around and found a restaurant to eat lunch at and eventually got on the bus. That was the longest bus ride of my life! I was so anxious to get "home" and stop traveling for a while. When I got back, I Skyped people and did homework and went to bed.
It's been classes as usual for the last 2 days. We are getting more and more planned for our Spring Break trip which is good. For the weekend, we are planning to climb the mountain, visit Trujillo (a small town about 1 hour away by bus), and go to my host sister's basketball game. It should be a relaxing time and hopefully we'll all get caught up on homework. I also have lots of Skype dates for this weekend with friends and family so that will keep me busy! Oh and by the way, we all miss Ireland already! It was so much fun and such good food and good times....I want to go back sooooo bad!!!! Last weekend is probably my favorite weekend so far!
On Sunday, we slept in a bit, then had an Irish breakfast at Tony's Bistro. Taylor was really excited to have Irish breakfast. It consisted of an egg sunny-side up, toast, sausage links, bacon (more like ham though), and a hash brown. The boys also got mushrooms and baked beans with theirs...what a strange thing to eat for breakfast but it's what the Irish do! Afterwards, we went to the bus station and took a ten minute bus ride to Blarney and went to the Blarney Stone. It was sunny and pretty warm that day-like 50 degrees or so which was great. We first went to the poisonous gardens and then to the castle. There were lots of steps to get to the top and it was a pretty skinny staircase because when it was built people were a lot smaller. It probably didn't help that we had our backpacks on but we all made it to the top and kissed the stone! It tasted like Lysol because they spray it with disinfectant. They have two bars that you hold on to and then a guy leans you back until you get to the stone. It was fun! Next, we took a walk around the park area and saw lots of waterfalls and eventually ended up at a lake. We skipped rocks and then headed back to get on the bus. We had to wait a bit for the bus so we went to a pub and gots some food. Casey and I shared nachos...we've been missing them so much since there is nothing like chips and salsa here. When we got back to Cork, we went to one of Cory's friends' apartments to hang out for a couple hours until our bus left for Dublin. We arrived in Dublin at 10:30pm and went right to our hostel. It was a pretty cool hostel and we just hung out in our room talking until about 1am and then went to sleep.
On Monday, we got up and had breakfast at the hostel and then started our sightseeing for the day. We saw the Molly Malone statue, walked through Trinity College, and went inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. Then, we went to Christchurch Cathedral to try to go to Mass since we weren't able to on the weekend. The church's website said there was Holy Eucharist at 12:45pm but apparently that meant a priest and deacon saying Mass to themselves in the back of the cathedral and we were supposed to sit outside and listen. So, we gave up and said our own prayer together at the church and then continued on with our day. We went to a pub for lunch and then to the Guinness Storehouse. We took the tour and learned all about how Guinness Beer is made. We all learned how to properly pour a pint and got a certificate. The storehouse was shaped like a pint glass and there was a bar at the top where you could look out and see the whole city of Dublin. After our tour and complimentary glass of Guinness (which I didn't drink because I don't like it), we went to the area near Graftan Street to do some shopping. We went to H & M and a couple other clothing stores but didn't find anything to buy that would fit in our backpacks. We went back to the hostel for a bit and then went out to find some food. We ended up at The Temple Bar, which is Dublin's most famous pub/bar I think. It was the coolest bar I have ever been to! We ate sandwiches there and listened to live music by Irish people. It was so cool to hear them sing with their accents!!! There was also a guy playing bagpipes. Just like the Ireland we imagined! After a couple hours there, we went back to the hostel and went to bed.
On Tuesday, we woke up at 5am to get to the airport on time. Our flight left at 7:20am from Dublin and got to Madrid at about 10:50 Madrid time (there was an hour time change again). We went on the metro to the bus station and bought our tickets for the next bus but had 2 hours to wait until it left, so we walked around and found a restaurant to eat lunch at and eventually got on the bus. That was the longest bus ride of my life! I was so anxious to get "home" and stop traveling for a while. When I got back, I Skyped people and did homework and went to bed.
It's been classes as usual for the last 2 days. We are getting more and more planned for our Spring Break trip which is good. For the weekend, we are planning to climb the mountain, visit Trujillo (a small town about 1 hour away by bus), and go to my host sister's basketball game. It should be a relaxing time and hopefully we'll all get caught up on homework. I also have lots of Skype dates for this weekend with friends and family so that will keep me busy! Oh and by the way, we all miss Ireland already! It was so much fun and such good food and good times....I want to go back sooooo bad!!!! Last weekend is probably my favorite weekend so far!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Can you tell me how to get to Cork....Ireland?
I'm finally back! This weekend was probably my favorite yet and it was not in Spain. I absolutely LOVED Ireland and had I been able to get some sort of credit toward my major, I would have studied abroad there in a heartbeat. Irish accents, meat and potatoes (Iowa food), live music in pubs :)
On Friday morning, we got on a train from Caceres at 5am. We got to Madrid at 9am and quickly took taxis to the airport. We didn't quite plan to be at the airport the full two hours ahead of our flight, but luckily the airport runs on Spanish time (our flight left 30 min late), so everything worked out. We arrived in Dublin, Ireland at 1:30pm. It was one hour behind Spain time. First, we took a shuttle to the city center and found a pub called The Brazen Head which is said to be Ireland's oldest pub, started in the 1300s. We had our first Irish beer called Smithwicks and had lunch. It was nice to have potatoes, called chips in Ireland. We met up with Cory's friends Nate, Fitz, Kenney, Tom, and Allen. They are all from ISU and are studying abroad in Cork, Ireland. After lunch, we walked with them to the Guinness Storehouse to get a tour, but when we got there we realized we would not have enough time to see it and get to the bus station in order to get on a bus to Cork. So, Cory asked the lady at the Guinness Storehouse if she could tell him how to get to Cork, Ireland and she made fun of him asking if he wanted to know how to get to Cork, England instead. That was one of our jokes the whole weekend. We took the Luas cable-car train to the bus station and got on the 6pm bus to Cork (Ireland). We met up with 5 other students from ISU who were on our same bus and are in the Cork program as well.
We arrived in Cork at 10:30pm and Ben (another ISU student we know) walked us to one of Cory's friend's apartments while we waited for them to return from Dublin (they took cheap flights). When they got there, they took us to The Bailey which is an Irish pub where we spent the whole night until it closed at 2am. It was Cory's birthday, so we had to celebrate. We finally got to bed around 4:30am. And to bed, I mean sleeping on couch cushions on the floor of Cory's friend's room. It was a little cold but actually not too bad.
On Saturday, we woke up at 12:30pm. We hung out and then decided to go see the city of Cork. Cory's friends gave us a tour. It was raining the whole day which was kinda disappointing, but typical Ireland weather. We went to the English market, which is like a farmer's market then to see the University College Cork's campus. They have a really cool building that looks like Hogwarts from Harry Potter. You should check out my pictures on Facebook. After that, they took us back the The Bailey to watch the Ireland v. England rugby game. The Irish people kept saying Come On, Ireland! (in their Irish accents of course :)) And when the captain of the team scored, they gave everyone in the pub a free drink and appetizers. Ireland won the match like 24-8 I think.
After the game, we went to the grocery store and bought frozen pizzas to make for supper. The pizza was like normal US pizza which was good since all we have here in Spain is extremely thin-crusted and nasty. After supper, we went out looking for live Irish music. We went to a couple pubs but couldn't find exactly what we were looking for so we ended up going to a cool pub called An Brog. It was my second favorite pub of the trip! They played only American music, and I tried Bulmer's Irish Cider for the first time. It is like apple cider mixed with alcohol. So good!! The last song they played was Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons and afterwards, everyone was chanting "one more tune, one more tune". Notice they call it tune instead of song. After An Brog closed, we went back and went to sleep.
I'll write more tomorrow about Sunday and Monday but for now, I need to do my homework and go to bed! Buenas Noches!
On Friday morning, we got on a train from Caceres at 5am. We got to Madrid at 9am and quickly took taxis to the airport. We didn't quite plan to be at the airport the full two hours ahead of our flight, but luckily the airport runs on Spanish time (our flight left 30 min late), so everything worked out. We arrived in Dublin, Ireland at 1:30pm. It was one hour behind Spain time. First, we took a shuttle to the city center and found a pub called The Brazen Head which is said to be Ireland's oldest pub, started in the 1300s. We had our first Irish beer called Smithwicks and had lunch. It was nice to have potatoes, called chips in Ireland. We met up with Cory's friends Nate, Fitz, Kenney, Tom, and Allen. They are all from ISU and are studying abroad in Cork, Ireland. After lunch, we walked with them to the Guinness Storehouse to get a tour, but when we got there we realized we would not have enough time to see it and get to the bus station in order to get on a bus to Cork. So, Cory asked the lady at the Guinness Storehouse if she could tell him how to get to Cork, Ireland and she made fun of him asking if he wanted to know how to get to Cork, England instead. That was one of our jokes the whole weekend. We took the Luas cable-car train to the bus station and got on the 6pm bus to Cork (Ireland). We met up with 5 other students from ISU who were on our same bus and are in the Cork program as well.
We arrived in Cork at 10:30pm and Ben (another ISU student we know) walked us to one of Cory's friend's apartments while we waited for them to return from Dublin (they took cheap flights). When they got there, they took us to The Bailey which is an Irish pub where we spent the whole night until it closed at 2am. It was Cory's birthday, so we had to celebrate. We finally got to bed around 4:30am. And to bed, I mean sleeping on couch cushions on the floor of Cory's friend's room. It was a little cold but actually not too bad.
On Saturday, we woke up at 12:30pm. We hung out and then decided to go see the city of Cork. Cory's friends gave us a tour. It was raining the whole day which was kinda disappointing, but typical Ireland weather. We went to the English market, which is like a farmer's market then to see the University College Cork's campus. They have a really cool building that looks like Hogwarts from Harry Potter. You should check out my pictures on Facebook. After that, they took us back the The Bailey to watch the Ireland v. England rugby game. The Irish people kept saying Come On, Ireland! (in their Irish accents of course :)) And when the captain of the team scored, they gave everyone in the pub a free drink and appetizers. Ireland won the match like 24-8 I think.
After the game, we went to the grocery store and bought frozen pizzas to make for supper. The pizza was like normal US pizza which was good since all we have here in Spain is extremely thin-crusted and nasty. After supper, we went out looking for live Irish music. We went to a couple pubs but couldn't find exactly what we were looking for so we ended up going to a cool pub called An Brog. It was my second favorite pub of the trip! They played only American music, and I tried Bulmer's Irish Cider for the first time. It is like apple cider mixed with alcohol. So good!! The last song they played was Little Lion Man by Mumford & Sons and afterwards, everyone was chanting "one more tune, one more tune". Notice they call it tune instead of song. After An Brog closed, we went back and went to sleep.
I'll write more tomorrow about Sunday and Monday but for now, I need to do my homework and go to bed! Buenas Noches!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
To Ireland We Go!!!
A few noteworthy things that happened this week:
1. Our coordinator from Iowa came to visit and check how we are doing. She told us it is unacceptable to miss class to travel but whatever we are doing it anyways for this weekend :)
2. On Wednesday night, we went out to celebrate Neha and Cory's Birthdays! We found a very nice bartender from the US who let us come and play our American music and gave us free food. We danced all night! We also ate chocolate birthday cake that we bought from Eroski (the grocery store) with straws because we didn't have any forks.
3. WE ARE GOING TO IRELAND IN LESS THAN 13 HOURS!!! So today was St. Patrick's Day and being good Americans, we all wore green to school. None of the Spanish people celebrate this holiday so we kinda stuck out but oh well. I am so excited for Ireland!!! We will be gone til Tuesday! We are planning to visit the Blarney Stone, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, the Guinness Factory, St. Patrick's Cathedral, an English Market, and the Cork Jail. We will be in Cork and Dublin.
Adios until next week!
1. Our coordinator from Iowa came to visit and check how we are doing. She told us it is unacceptable to miss class to travel but whatever we are doing it anyways for this weekend :)
2. On Wednesday night, we went out to celebrate Neha and Cory's Birthdays! We found a very nice bartender from the US who let us come and play our American music and gave us free food. We danced all night! We also ate chocolate birthday cake that we bought from Eroski (the grocery store) with straws because we didn't have any forks.
3. WE ARE GOING TO IRELAND IN LESS THAN 13 HOURS!!! So today was St. Patrick's Day and being good Americans, we all wore green to school. None of the Spanish people celebrate this holiday so we kinda stuck out but oh well. I am so excited for Ireland!!! We will be gone til Tuesday! We are planning to visit the Blarney Stone, the Book of Kells at Trinity College, the Guinness Factory, St. Patrick's Cathedral, an English Market, and the Cork Jail. We will be in Cork and Dublin.
Adios until next week!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Time Flies When You're Having Fun!
Last Wednesday, Dad and Patrick went to school with me. We started out the morning getting on a very full city bus and rode the 15 minutes to school. Dad could not believe that the bus driver kept letting people on the bus when we were already packed like sardines but that's how they do it here. They must not follow the maximum capacity rules. Dad and Patrick met all of my professors since I had all 4 of my classes. It was fun to see how much English the professors would speak to them since we have only heard them talk in Spanish. After school, we went to one of the most fancy restaurants in Caceres. It was called El Figon. The waiter even carried around a little white towel just to show you how nice it was. Dad and I tried the salmon and it was amazing! I really don't like fish that much but it was sooo good! Melted in my mouth. After the restaurant, we went and spent a couple hours at the hotel and then Dad and I walked to the bus station and bought bus tickets for our trip back to Madrid. At 6pm, we met up with my host mom and host sister Clara and the two of them took us through the Parte Antigua-Old part-of the city and explained the history. I translated. It was fun! Later, we met up with Cory, Lizzy, Courtney, Casey, and Bev to go to Ash Wednesday Mass. Receiving ashes was a little different than in the US because we bent our head down they just sprinkled some in our hair. They said something about converting yourself. The priest's homily was really good, and it was the first time I could actually get something out of a homily! We went to eat supper at El Montaito which is one of our favorite tapas restaurants and then to La Habana where I bought dad a Desperado beer. First time I've ever done that!
On Thursday, Dad and Patrick slept in while I went to classes. We had lunch and then made our way to the bus station. We got into Madrid at about 7:30pm. We took the metro to our hotel area and Dad almost got pick-pocketed. One guy was holding up part of his suitcase and another was trying to open the pocket of his jacket. Luckily, Dad dropped the suitcase on the accomplice and nothing was taken. Close call! We dropped our stuff off at the hotel and went to meet Claire for supper. She is another student in my program who had an unfortunate situation getting on a flight since she forgot her passport and was stuck in Madrid. We went out to eat and then went back to the hotel to sleep.
On Friday, we got up, ate breakfast, and went to the Prado Museum. We saw the paintings by El Greco, Goya, and Velazquez as well as other Spanish artists. I was very excited to see the painting called Las Meninas by Velazquez because it was something I had learned about in my high school Spanish class. It was cool! We spent about 3 hours at the Prado and that was about all the art we could take in for a while. We probably only saw about half of what was there! We ate lunch at a restaurant near the Prado. They seated us in a room of all English speaking people. The Spanish speaking people sat downstairs and people who spoke other languages sat upstairs...interesting concept. After lunch, we went to La Reina Sofia which is a modern art museum. We saw paintings by Dali and Picasso-including Guernica which is his most famous painting. It was huge!!! After about 2 hours there we had really had all the art we could take in for one day. We met up with Alex, another student from my program who was in Madrid for the weekend, and went to the Plaza Mayor. Unfortunately it was raining, but it was probably the coolest Plaza Mayor I have seen. It was completely surrounded by buildings. We went with Alex so she could find a hostel and then the four of us went to supper at a tapas bar. This was Dad and Patrick's last Spanish meal, so we made sure to get their favorites. We went out for ice cream and called it a night.
On Saturday, we got up early to get to the airport by 9am. We had a really nice taxi driver who told us his whole life story about driving a taxi and tending to his farm and his family, etc. His name was Ignacio. At the airport, we had breakfast and said goodbye. I really really enjoyed having them visit! I went to the bus station and got on my bus back to Caceres. I arrived here around 4pm and spent the rest of yesterday doing homework. I'm trying to get ahead since I will be going to Ireland from Friday-Tuesday.
Today, I went to Mass at a new church with Casey. We went to the ninos (kids) Mass, thinking that it might have some people there our age, but I guess not. Oh well it was lots of fun! And crazy!!! Kids were talking out loud like the whole time and the priest was very cool and read the Gospel reading using voices for Jesus and Satan. In a way it was like a school Mass at Sacred Heart because the priest asked the kids lots of questions. But it was very chaotic. All the kids would run up to answer the questions so that they could talk into the microphone. They were so cute though!! I spent the rest of today doing homework and planning trips. Also, as of note, Spain does not have their Daylight Savings Time until the end of March so from now til then, I am only 6 hours ahead of Iowa time. Off to bed!
On Thursday, Dad and Patrick slept in while I went to classes. We had lunch and then made our way to the bus station. We got into Madrid at about 7:30pm. We took the metro to our hotel area and Dad almost got pick-pocketed. One guy was holding up part of his suitcase and another was trying to open the pocket of his jacket. Luckily, Dad dropped the suitcase on the accomplice and nothing was taken. Close call! We dropped our stuff off at the hotel and went to meet Claire for supper. She is another student in my program who had an unfortunate situation getting on a flight since she forgot her passport and was stuck in Madrid. We went out to eat and then went back to the hotel to sleep.
On Friday, we got up, ate breakfast, and went to the Prado Museum. We saw the paintings by El Greco, Goya, and Velazquez as well as other Spanish artists. I was very excited to see the painting called Las Meninas by Velazquez because it was something I had learned about in my high school Spanish class. It was cool! We spent about 3 hours at the Prado and that was about all the art we could take in for a while. We probably only saw about half of what was there! We ate lunch at a restaurant near the Prado. They seated us in a room of all English speaking people. The Spanish speaking people sat downstairs and people who spoke other languages sat upstairs...interesting concept. After lunch, we went to La Reina Sofia which is a modern art museum. We saw paintings by Dali and Picasso-including Guernica which is his most famous painting. It was huge!!! After about 2 hours there we had really had all the art we could take in for one day. We met up with Alex, another student from my program who was in Madrid for the weekend, and went to the Plaza Mayor. Unfortunately it was raining, but it was probably the coolest Plaza Mayor I have seen. It was completely surrounded by buildings. We went with Alex so she could find a hostel and then the four of us went to supper at a tapas bar. This was Dad and Patrick's last Spanish meal, so we made sure to get their favorites. We went out for ice cream and called it a night.
On Saturday, we got up early to get to the airport by 9am. We had a really nice taxi driver who told us his whole life story about driving a taxi and tending to his farm and his family, etc. His name was Ignacio. At the airport, we had breakfast and said goodbye. I really really enjoyed having them visit! I went to the bus station and got on my bus back to Caceres. I arrived here around 4pm and spent the rest of yesterday doing homework. I'm trying to get ahead since I will be going to Ireland from Friday-Tuesday.
Today, I went to Mass at a new church with Casey. We went to the ninos (kids) Mass, thinking that it might have some people there our age, but I guess not. Oh well it was lots of fun! And crazy!!! Kids were talking out loud like the whole time and the priest was very cool and read the Gospel reading using voices for Jesus and Satan. In a way it was like a school Mass at Sacred Heart because the priest asked the kids lots of questions. But it was very chaotic. All the kids would run up to answer the questions so that they could talk into the microphone. They were so cute though!! I spent the rest of today doing homework and planning trips. Also, as of note, Spain does not have their Daylight Savings Time until the end of March so from now til then, I am only 6 hours ahead of Iowa time. Off to bed!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Dad and Patrick in Spain!
Dad and Patrick arrived in Madrid on Saturday around 11am. We had no trouble finding each other at the airport. After they arrived, we left the airport and went by metro to the hotel to drop off the luggage. It was a bit of a long walk but we made it! Then we went to tour the Royal Palace and the Real Madrid Stadium. We went to supper at the TGIFridays near the stadium. It was good to have American food for a change.
On Sunday we got up and went to Mass at the Basilica near the Atocha Train Station. Mass was only about 40 minutes long and after we got some pastries for breakfast at a bakery. Then we took the metro to el Rastro-the big market. Dad just couldn't get over how big it was and how many people were walking around. We bought some batteries. A very nice policeman recommended a very good restaurant for lunch and Dad and Patrick had their first Spanish bocadillos (similar to sandwiches). After lunch we went back to the hotel, got our luggage, and went to the bus station. Our bus ride to Caceres was about 4.5 hours and we arrived here at 9pm. We took a taxi to the hotel and then found supper at a restaurant down the street.
On Monday, Dad and Patrick slept in while I went to school. I went to the hotel around 1pm and we left shortly after to climb the mountain just outside of the city. It took us about 1 hour to get up the mountain because we climbed at a very leisurely pace. We ate lunch at the restaurant on the top of the mountain. Patrick got a Pepsi to drink and that was the first time I had seen Pepsi in Spain. Most people drink Coke products. We saw a few Catholic priests walking around on the top of the mountain because there is an office for the Diocese up there. One of the priests looked Dad up and down and could hardly believe he saw someone wearing shorts in March. It was close to 60 degrees though! We climbed back down the mountain, took a short siesta, and then walked to the mall. I showed Patrick the stores that were the European versions of Hollister and American Eagle. He wasn't too crazy about it being stylish for men to wear scarves. We ate supper at the mall and then walked back to the hotel.
Today, we got up very early and took the 6:45am train to Merida. I had already been here with my school and I thought it was somewhere Dad and Patrick would enjoy and they did. It is a city about 1 hour from Caceres with a lot of Roman ruins. Dad was amazed at how old everything was...at least 2000 years or so. We returned to Caceres at 4pm and took siestas :) Tonight we are going for tapas with the other American students so they can meet Dad and Patrick and tomorrow they will be going to classes at the university with me.
On Sunday we got up and went to Mass at the Basilica near the Atocha Train Station. Mass was only about 40 minutes long and after we got some pastries for breakfast at a bakery. Then we took the metro to el Rastro-the big market. Dad just couldn't get over how big it was and how many people were walking around. We bought some batteries. A very nice policeman recommended a very good restaurant for lunch and Dad and Patrick had their first Spanish bocadillos (similar to sandwiches). After lunch we went back to the hotel, got our luggage, and went to the bus station. Our bus ride to Caceres was about 4.5 hours and we arrived here at 9pm. We took a taxi to the hotel and then found supper at a restaurant down the street.
On Monday, Dad and Patrick slept in while I went to school. I went to the hotel around 1pm and we left shortly after to climb the mountain just outside of the city. It took us about 1 hour to get up the mountain because we climbed at a very leisurely pace. We ate lunch at the restaurant on the top of the mountain. Patrick got a Pepsi to drink and that was the first time I had seen Pepsi in Spain. Most people drink Coke products. We saw a few Catholic priests walking around on the top of the mountain because there is an office for the Diocese up there. One of the priests looked Dad up and down and could hardly believe he saw someone wearing shorts in March. It was close to 60 degrees though! We climbed back down the mountain, took a short siesta, and then walked to the mall. I showed Patrick the stores that were the European versions of Hollister and American Eagle. He wasn't too crazy about it being stylish for men to wear scarves. We ate supper at the mall and then walked back to the hotel.
Today, we got up very early and took the 6:45am train to Merida. I had already been here with my school and I thought it was somewhere Dad and Patrick would enjoy and they did. It is a city about 1 hour from Caceres with a lot of Roman ruins. Dad was amazed at how old everything was...at least 2000 years or so. We returned to Caceres at 4pm and took siestas :) Tonight we are going for tapas with the other American students so they can meet Dad and Patrick and tomorrow they will be going to classes at the university with me.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Update
What a week! I am starting to really like all of my classes! The professors are great now that we are getting to know them better. Yesterday, I went all by myself to the bus station to buy bus tickets and everything went well! I am very very excited to see Dad and Patrick who are flying into Madrid on Saturday!!! Just 2 days away!!! I am leaving Caceres at 1:45am on Saturday to go get them. We will be spending the weekend in Madrid and doing whatever they want to see the city. Today I went shopping at the mall with Casey. Rebajas (Sales) are pretty much over but I found 2 super cute dresses from the new collections that I just couldn't pass up! Tonight we are going out so that should be fun! Tomorrow, I'm doing homework and getting rested up before I go to Madrid. That's all for now!
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