Onthaal aan Amsterdam (Wecome to Amsterdam)!

Hello again. 

I hope you didn't miss me too much, but I was just having so much fun in Amsterdam, I just havn't had the time. Oh my god, it's so nice to be too busy for the internet. 

So, yes. The trip went off without a hitch. We had to leave really early to get to Madrid, but the flight was fine, and getting to our hostel was pretty easy also. 

Friday night when we got in, we were pretty beat, so we just had a calm dinner in town. Amsterdam at night is really fun. There are lots of strange neon signs and lots of people in the streets. there is also in the center of town an ice rink which blares Justin Timberlake. Katie and I found the food hotspot, lined with every type of food imaginable just off of Liedensplein and decided to grab some Thai food which almost bought us to tears of happiness. 

Saturday we got up around 8am and hot some free breakfast at the hostel which consisted of bread slices, cheese, salami, plain yogurt, and tea. It was pretty plain, but still an amazing change from the shitty spanish breakfast muffins we all hate. First item on the agenda on Saturday was the Van Gogh museum. The line was a bit tiresome, but we both loved wandering and enjoying the gorgeous artwork. I particularly love museums because people (usually) keep quiet and it allows me (one) to have a little reflection and peace of mind. Movies have a similar effect, but the movie itself is usually loud which disrupts your own sense of mental calm. 

After a delicious and nutritious vegetable filled lunch (Katie and I had been dying for some green food) we decided to rent some bike's at Mike's Bikes, which, like all the bike shops, was uber hippie/stoner. Because I'm a tiny person, I had to get the special pink bike, which was probably made for kids ten and under. But it's cool. I rolled with it. 

The biking thing in Holland is crazy. There are tons of bikes everywhere, and many designated bike lanes. However, the rules seem tedious and there are also many cars and trams occupying these small paths.  I was afraid for my life once or twice because my biking skillz are sub par. So, in order to relax a bit, Katie and I biked over to Vondel Park which was quite stunning in the midday sun.  Biking was probably one of my favorite activities of the trip, except that my butt was pretty sore the next morning. That night, we, with great difficulty, finally decided on Mexican restaurant for dinner. So many delicious choices! None of which were fried. Happy and full, we thought we might try out the bar scene. Unfortunately, the night resulted in us leaving a pretty fun bar because of this dirtbag/creeper who wouldn't just let us be! Sigh. We thought we left all those guys in Spain. It was alright though, because the night life in Amsterdam is a bit sketch and we didn't really know what we were doing. Clearly. 

Sunday, we headed out to explore the Red Light district, a must for tourists, but only really during the day unless you truly are interested in purchasing a prostitute. Katie and I weren't. The only downside is the "red lights" were pretty hard to see at noon. Also, the women in the windows were pretty appalling. Feeling adventurous, we decided to try and reach Central Station and the waterfront. We made it, but got lost on the way home. I think we walked at least 10-15 miles. We definitely had to get a nap. Sunday night we sampled some AMAZING greek food and got a drink in the hostel where we met this crazy belgian guy. He seemed nice tho and had a girlfriend, which was good. 

Monday, the last day, was a slower day. At about 11, we headed across town to see Anne Frank's house then grabbed some fresh pizza. We might also have done a bit of unnecessary shopping. Later that day in the hostel, we ran into Belgian kid again, and asked him if he wanted to grab some Indian with us. He ended up being hilarious. His english was really good, but according to him, almost 100 percent of it he learned from movies. I could never do that. Later we went to an Irish pub and then a silly dance club (It was a Monday night..). Belgian guy got down!! It was hilarious. He was so skinny too. We may have been laughing at him most of the time, but I don't think he caught on. Plus, he ordered a blue lagoon (blue liquor and 7-up) which was extra silly. 

Tuesday we got up way too early to catch out 10 am flight.

I already miss Amsterdam! Such a cute city with friendly people and great ethnic food. The energy in Holland is much more calming than Spain also. But, I love Valladolid and am glad to be home. I am not looking forward to midterms coming up, however. They should be pretty easy, but it can be hard to study here with limited internet access/hours, etc. Hopefully I will get my pictures up soon. 

Sending love from across the pond!

Salamanca

Salutations from the Peninsula, 

This week has been a little emotionally up and down, but fun. I know I'm not supposed to complain but Four year anniversaries and Valentine's without your boyfriend in sexy Spain can get cha down. 

Saturday my class got in a bus at 9:30 am for Salamanca. The bus ride was only about two hours. Salamanca was very pretty, much prettier than Valladolid. The sandy-red stone, the cathedral, and the plaza were stunning. Plus, the weather was great so me and my classmates enjoyed some much needed relax-time in the sun, sipping some sangría. Salamanca is a university town and has one of the oldest universities in Spain. The tourist kitsch is this frog sitting on a skull on the front architecture of the university, so all the shops sell these goofy skulls with frogs on top. I guess the symbolism here is (according to Sergio) is that the green frog represents lust, and so in order not to fall into sin/death the idea is that we must devote ourselves to our studies (okay?).  I did not buy one. The other spectacular site was the Church of San Martín which had some pretty incredible ceilings and paintings (more on facebook album).

Currently I'm sitting at my desk enjoying a lazy Sunday in Spain. It's really nice out so I might go for a run. Although, I get really annoyed with all the strange looks. I would love to kick a ball around, but there is no space, no ball, and no one to do it with. Mom sent me this great/kinda silly Zombie War book called "World War Z" that is way fun. Nice change from the intensive Hemmingway, Faulkner load in school. It's well written, it's not supposed to be ridiculous necessarily, I just get a huge kick out of the gory zombie "war" scenes. 

I'm really pumped for Amsterdam this upcoming week. It'll be great to get more than a weekend, like Paris, to explore the city and the sights. Also, I'm close to booking my spring break which  is going to be a week and a half split between Lisbon, Seville, and Granada. It's hard watching my money dissolve into thin air at an alarming rate, but I do think it's worth it. Sometimes I need to live a little. 

Ciao! More to come..

Whine, whine, grumble

(Pictured here is my old bathroom, my new one, and my living room)

So, my house is a disaster. For the last two-three weeks there has been no living room due to construction, twice I had no power or internet, and frequently I have not been able to take any kind of nap due to banging/dust. One time, they hammered through the wall a piece of wall hit my head. On top of that, the kitchen is in shambles, and I can never find food because it has been moved. 

Anyway, I've been able to deal with all that because as of now I have internet, light, heat and a shower across the hall. 

BUT. Yesterday, they torn down the main bathroom which is right across the hall. So, I've been using the tiny one across house with no shower, but rather a spray nozzle that you hold. However, this morning there was no running water period. That means, no bathroom, no teeth brushing, def no shower. I can deal, but I wish she would TELL me when things like this were to happen, or when they were going to move a mattress frame into my room. 

I think my patience is wearing out cause it has been so long. Also, it's a bit of a house guest abuse. You really shouldn't have a home stay if you do not have running water. She knows this, and she bought me a very pretty orange scarf which stinks of "hush hush". I thinks she knows if I tell on her she is in trouble. The problem is, I'm so attached to my internet, I'm willing to compromise all these things!!

I mostly just want running water back. I also wish the workers would stop yelling at each other and blaring country music. 

BAH!

PARIS

What a weekend. A lot of bigs ups and big downs. 

My flight from Valladolid to Paris was easy peasy and the bus from Orly to Claire's stop was pretty cheap and fast so Claire and I had plenty of time to get settled and grab some grub. Unfortunately, I still don't really know the names of many of the neighborhoods we visited, so if you are curious, ask Claire. All I know is we took the Metro to an area of town that had about a billion restaurants. We meandered into a quirky little Italian joint with a short Italian host in a black beret who would occasionally break out into song, belting his favorite opera at the top of his lungs. We ordered the antipasti buffet, which was amazing. Little bits of zucchini, potato, proscuitto, beans, all of it was delicious. We didn't even have room for the three pasta entree. 

On Friday the weather was fantastic and we took advantage of it. After a quick breakfast in the apartment of leftover baguette and eggs, we zipped on the Metro to the Sorbonne area, heading ultimately towards Jardin du Luxembourg and the Luxemburg Musem to see an Andy Warhol/Modernist exhibit which was a bit pricey, but very cool. 

Next, we headed towards Claire's favorite Greek place. Again, not sure where I was (sorry!). All I know was my feet hurt cause I wore my tall boots, which was a mistake. But, the meal was well worth it. 8 euro for incredible tzatziki (OMG!!), mousaka and ice cream. Let me tell you.

Motivated by the sun, but ignoring out aching feet, we headed towards the Seine and the Notre Dame for a photo shoot of sorts. There were these nutty birds circling around causing havoc in the plaza next to the Notre Dame. I may have screamed a few times. Tired of posing, we slipped into The Gentlemen (An American Bar) for a pint. there we made some friends with 60 year old Irish men, who were very sweet, and bought us another pint. It was fun. 

Friday night we made a little brie, proscuitto, tomato, salad, wine situation in the apartment, then headed out to the Eiffel Tour with another 2 euro bottle. The Eiffel Tour was beautiful, especially at midnight when it sparkled. Claire and I tried not to watch all the people making out, and had our own romantic moment huddled in the cold. We also may have stopped by a McDonalds on the way home? Hm. 

Saturday was a bit of a downer cause it was snowy and I felt a little sniffly. But, we went to the Catacombs, which was cool. Basically, stacks and stacks of bones, deep underground in different patterns. The walking and the bones  and the dripping water got a bit tiresome, but it was interesting nonetheless.

Cold and tired, Claire and I met up with Meredith for some delicious French Onion Soup and a cup of tea.I also managed to pick up a scandalous bra for myself as a Paris momento. 

Saturday night, we met up with some of Claire's friends at their apartment for some wine. Since we forgot to get food, Claire and I ducked out for some quick Chinese food (This will come into play later). Then, the whole American crew went out to the Long Hop for some drinks. It was a lot of fun until we missed the last Metro at 2 am and spent an hour trying to hail a cab. That night I hardly slept because I was tossing my guts up. At the time, I thought it was a sugary drink hangover.

When I got up to leave for the airport, I felt awful. I threw up in a garbage can on the way to the bus. In Barcelona, I tired to eat some bread and water, but threw that up in the Valladolid airport. Basically, I had food poisoning and did not know it. It may have been one of the worse days of my life, because I felt nauseous the entire day and the puddle jumper planes did not help. when I finally made it home, I thought I was gonna die. But, I didn't. However, I'm still terrified to eat and my stomach is a mess. Class today has been rough, but hopefully it will all pass in a day or two. Meanwhile, I am just trying to rest, sip water, and get some of my homework done. 

All in all, an amazing trip, minus the snow and food poisoning. I already miss Paris! It very much reminded me of New York, especially the Metro and the people. Someday I will have to return for more than a weekend. 

For more pictures, check out my facebook album. 

Cosas Diarias

This week has been a bit mundane. I'm pretty much just trying to get ahead on homework and get this cold out of my system for good before PARIS with CLAIRE.

My host mom redeemed herself for dying my clothes blue because she fixed  (bleached) one of them, so she is earning points back. 

But, she did make this horrible salad, which I guess is a tapa called ensaladilla. It is essentially this horrible mixture of hard boiled eggs, olives, peppers, onions, peas, capers, pickles, tuna and a ton of mayonnaise. Not reccomended. It isn't like, inedible, just a really bad idea.  She made a lot so I think I will have to eat this all week..

Little nervous for my trip to Paris, but I'm sure it will be fine.

I'll put up another post post-Paris!

Yemas!

Hello All,

Goods news, the cold is almost gone. Turns out that stuff I bought made me sleepy and crabby, but when I just took it at night, it was fine.

 

I decided to switch up the routine a little this weekend. Most of my class decided to go to Madrid this weekend, but since I'm going to Paris soon, I decided to save a little money. Friday I did the tapas thing and tried a few new things.

We ordered Tigres which essentially is a mussel

 shell filled with cheese, crab, lobster, and other bits of seafood, then breaded and fried. Each shell is 1.20 Euro, about 2 dollars, which is a lot for such a tiny thing, but, ooh, it was soo good.

Next I got some sopa al ajillo which was way good. You sip it from a tiny bowl. Then Katie got this tapa called something like jamón con queso y aciete which was awesome. 

Then we went to another bar and got Caracoles (snails). I was all about them at first, but then when I got a closer look, I had trouble eating them. Plus, they were really salty!! (Sorry all the pictures are together, i don't know how to put them within the text..)

On Saturday, Katie, Shelby, Mike and I (Mike and Shelby are dating, they are both teachers) decided to do a day trip to Ávila, a small town about a half hour drive that is one of the oldest walled in cities. It was cold, but sunny, and absolutely beautiful! Unfortunately I can't put all the pictures in the blog, but if you want to see more look on face book. Here are a few. 

If you pay 4 euros (we did) they let you walk on the stone wall surrounding the city. Above there is a picture of me walking on the wall. From the wall you can see the whole city and the churches. It was pretty fantastic. 

They are famous there apparently for Yemas, a small round squishy dessert made of egg yolk and sugar. I was not a fan, but I took a picture of them which I will put on facebook. 

It's been a fun weekend. Now I gotta do a little homework (I know, how awful) and start getting ready for Paris!  I REALLY wish my host mom would do my laundry. I asked her earlier this week and she said "Oh, I do it every weekend!" Well, she didn't last weekend. And now it's Sunday of the next week and I'm just about out of clothes!! Sigh. I'll keep trying. 

'til next time!