sangria tales

I have been waiting to visit Iberia since I began my Spanish language education fourteen years ago.  The timing was finally right in 2009.  Now I find myself in small town Spain teaching English to third through eleventh graders in the Spanish public school system.  ¡Que disfruten este blog que documenta la locura de esta aventura!          

travel, travel, travel continued . . .

When I finally made it to Prague, I met my friend Heather in a hostel located in a very old stereotypical European building.  I shared a large, high ceilinged, ornate room with 9 other people and shared two bathrooms with 19 other people.  That’s what you get for paying 5 € a night for accommodations. The guy on the bunk below me just so happened to be a Political Science, PhD student at UC Berkeley that decided to take off six months to travel.  It's funny how close you can suddenly feel to home by just talking with a stranger.

  The first night I arrived into  Prague, I walked out to the river just to see what I could find and was greeted by Prague Castle and Charles Bridge lit up and looking glorious.  It was a good start to a wonderful week.  Heather and I did a lot of walking around and took the best free walking tour I have ever been on.  Our tour guide, Ruth, was amazing and I learned a ton about Prague’s history.  One of the many interesting facts that still stick out in my mind is the following: The man who made the Astronomical Clock (pictured above, right, middle) was invited to a nice dinner by the city councilmen in order to have his  eyes burned out so he wouldn't be able to make a similar clock anywhere else.  Overall, it is a gorgeus and very interesting city.  It has made it on my top five favorite city list.  If you are going to Europe, you should stop on by.    

With six days in Prague, Heather and I decided to go visit her friend, Jana, in Bratislava, Slovakia for a day.  Jana knew so much about her city and was an excellent tour guide.  I only wish I could do so well for my own home.  I was shocked to hear that Jana still remembers going out to the plaza to celebrate with her parent’s after the Soviet Union left Czechoslovakia.   I was completely unaware that the fall of the USSR was so fresh in the minds of the population.  Jana also took us to a dark, very eastern European restaurant where I ate Goulash and drank Slovak beer.  We finished off the meal with a dessert of some sort of sweet potato dumplings covered in a thick layer of poppy seeds . . . . Weird, but delicious.  

During one of the days, I went for a five hour excursion to Karlovy Vary, a town about two hours outside of Prague.  Karlovy Vary was full of hot springs, most of which were routed into fountains placed throughout the walkways.  Locals and tourists alike were able to to fill up their water bottles or souvenir mugs with the mineral-ly tasting spring water.  There was always a plaque to let you know how hot the water was.  I imagine in the winter, the locals must appreciate the warm up.  Along with the hot springs and occasional geyser, the river that ran through the old part of town was lined by beautiful, colorful, and ornate European buildings.  Overall, it was a successful and very enlightening Easter break.

travel, travel, travel

 

As so much traveling has occurred since I last wrote, I will give a relatively short review on my destinations.  In March, I was lucky enough to have Bryan come visit me one more time in Spain during his Spring Break.  We decided to rent an apartment for the week in Barcelona thinking that it would be nice to be by the sea and enjoy what we thought would be Barcelona’s good weather.  Unfortunately, the weather has been rather abnormal in Spain this year (as everyone feels a need to tell me every time it rains) and it decided to snow in Barcelona while we were there for the first time in five years.  Bryan and I were both wishing we would have brought extra layers.  Despite the cold, we were  able to enjoy the sights from the Picasso and Joan Miro museums to all of Gaudi’s attractions and the famous Mercat de la Boqueria.  There were plenty of cañas to drink and really good food to be had.  I mostly loved the unique and colorful buildings that are situated throughout the various neighborhoods.  It really is a beautiful and vibrant city, and I would definitely live there in another life.  Oddly enough, it also had the best street performers I have ever seen.      

During Semana Santa in April, I decided to take advantage of the extra long week and take a trip to Prague, Czech Republic with my friend, Heather, who is teaching English in  Barcelona this year.  Semana Santa is the last week of lent and the week before Easter.  It’s Spain’s religious holiday that celebrates the last week of Jesus’ earthly life.  This week is also celebrated in other predominantly catholic countries.  I had a couple of days before and after my flight to and from Madrid so I also decided to take day trips to Segovia and Salamanca.  In Segovia, I went to see the castle that is supposedly the inspiration for Disney’s fairytale castle.  I don’t know why they even bother to make that claim since it’s obviously not true.  Especially after you’ve seen Germany’s Neuschwanstein castle.   Besides the castle, Segovia has an amazing Roman aqueduct that really demands a “wow”.  I was told it is one of Spain’s most well preserved Roman structures.  

In Salamanca, I was able to watch the traditional Semana Santa processions that usually  involve men in purple KKK looking robes and Mary and Jesus statues (taken out of the churches) being paraded through the streets for hours.  The statues looked extremely heavy and were taken to a finale in the Plaza Mayor.  It was completely full of people snapping pictures while the statues were made to dance.   Salamanca is filled with old, well preserved buildings that are still used today for the oldest university in Spain, the University of Salamanca.  There is an intricately carved side to the entrance of one of the University buildings.  If you find the famous frog hidden on this wall without help, you will supposedly get married within the year.  One of Spain’s many superstitions.  I was never good at "Where’s Waldo?".  The weather was  nice in Salamanca.  I spent a good amount of time sipping a caña (a Spanish beer) and munching on some tapas in a sunny plaza while I watched young boys play “fútbol” and almost knock down a few tourists. 

To be continued . . . 

i may be rowing a boat home. . .

BBC News - "Ash fears close Spanish and Moroccan airports" click here to see full article

A cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland has forced airports in North Africa to shut for the first time, as well as hitting air travel in southern Spain.  Morocco halted flights from Rabat, Casablanca and at least three other airports while, at one point, seven airports in Spain were closed . . . .

 
       

hello from amsterdam

my favorite sculpture in madrid

 

on the road again. . .