I am SOOOOO craving a Chipotle burrito right now. Unfortunately, I moved to the other United States border, where true Mexican food is pretty much non-existent. Great... And my lab just told me that I will never get real Mexican food here. But my sister and I just planned out how to make my own burrito. Sorta. We'll see how it goes this evening...
Anyway, while avoiding lab work and homework, I found something on my computer, and I thought I would share it with you. When we were in Spain, I tried to write down everything we did on my iPhone. I did a HORRIBLE job of it, but I thought I would post it anyway. Just because... And I really did just copy and paste, so if there are any errors, sorry!
And I should probably explain one thing: cheese. We were the youngest ones on the trip. So, instead of being rude and impolite, we would call the older people 'cheese' when we referenced them. Because cheese ages well, get it?
Wednesday June 18
Arrive in Barcelona. After checking in, we ate tapas two blocks from out hotel. We then went to the botlló house designed by Gaudi. It was crazy! All inspired by water. Meaning there were a lot of blues and no straight lines. There was also natural light in every room.
After a two hour nap we meet the rest of the tour in the bar before dinner. We met a guy and his wife who were from Hawaii and he knew Steve Goldsmith (a prof of mine from college)! Dinner quote from Laura (our tourguide): " wine comes with the meal, and we Spaniards, we like our wine."
Thursday June 19
Started the day with a city tour. We went to the gaudí park, which was really pretty. We also bought fans and scarves from the 'illegal' sellers. Only wish I had bought more! We also saw the sagrada familial, a church by gaudí. It has three facades: nativity, rebirth, and something else. It's still not finished. It's only using donations to build. But you can see it anywhere in the whole city. We also saw the Olympic city and stadium and great views if the city. That afternoon we went to a market and ate at a restaurant inside. Then we went to the cathedral, where I had to cover my shoulders and Manda her knees, as with most Catholic churches in Europe. Good thing we bought the scarves! At the cathedral, we got to go to the top of the building. After, we went up the main street, Los Rambles. The street had everything! The weirdest part was pet stands in the middle selling rabbits, ducks, hamsters, etc. And apparently this is a big place for pickpockets. After a coffee break for Manda and Mom, we went shopping on another street. A high-end street! I got a dress from this place called Designal. Manda got a sweater and two pairs of Burberry jeans. We saw another market where they had whole ham legs. Apparently, the blacker the hooves, the better quality of the ham. That night we went to dinner and a flamenco show. They were amazing! So fast! I loved the costumes the women wore. We took taxis there and back. On the way back, our taxi was the coolest! He turned up the (American) music, had the windows down, and had strobe lights flashing! It was awesome!
Sunday June 20
Drive to Montserrat, a monastery on the top of a mountain. A monk used to live up there in a cave and he had a vision to build a church. It eventually got too crowded in his cave so they built a monastery on top of the mountain. It was destroyed by Napoleon(?) troops and rebuilt. Here we saw the black Mary, a museum with famous artists work (including Picasso, Monet, degal, and Caravaggio), a funicular ride to the top of the mountain with a great view, and we were able to kinda hear the boys’ choir. It's a private school at the monastery but as soon as the boys hit puberty they have to leave.
We then drove to Zaragoza. Here St James was having a hard time converting ppl to Christianity after Jesus died. He only got 6. He was going to give up. But the Virgin Mary (who was still alive) descended on a cloud with two angels and told him to persevere. The angels brought a pillar with them. Testing done on the pillar said that the pillar was made of pink stone not from this area and matched the time of the legend. After we checked into the hotel, we took a tour of the old town. We saw the church that was built around the stone pillar. Again, there is a private boys school here. The altars boys sing but also work. Kids before their baptism are allowed to be presented to the pillar or have the altar boys present something for them. After they are baptized they have to give offerings in the back with the adults. It's a big deal.
In Spain they have a shortage of young ppl who have a ‘calling’, so the nunneries and monasteries are low on ppl. So they have started taking ppl from other countries.
There is a big open square in front of the monastery and we were able to play around in that after dinner. We also saw a roman bridge and a roman wall. The name of the city was originally after Caesar Augustus. The Muslims and Christians alternated control of the city, with Christians ending up with control. But there a lot of buildings with Muslim influence in the styles.
Dinner included a shared salad, cream of vegetable soup, chicken and rice, flan, and of course wine.
Monday June 21
Drove to Pamplona, where they do the running of the bulls. The bulls are wild, kept in stalls, then herded by other (very tame) bulls to the bull fighting ring. It all started when ppl wanted to look at the bulls so they would run in front of them. Now a days, there are professional runners, and they dress in white with red scarves. They don't run the whole way, just for a ways then they disappear in the crowd. Other towns do this too, but usually the bulls are run around the town, not through like Pamplona, to keep the dust and dirt away from the main town. In Pamplona there was a HUGE language barrier. We drank the local drink txocali (?), which tastes like flat champagne. We also went to where Hemingway liked to visit and had a drink.
We then drove to San Sebastian, a coastal town. We were about a 25-minute walk from the beach and city center. When we arrived, we walked to the beach. We were a little shocked at the topless women (including a grandma!), and this wasn't even the nude beach! The water felt wonderful and the view was great. The beach was a semi- circle so there weren't high waves and there was a small island in the cove also blocking the wind. Royalty used to vacation here and the king of Spain (for now) visits here often. .
Tuesday June 22
We took a tour of San Sebastian with our guide Eduardo, who was really funny. We walked half way up the mountain. We had lunch at a fuego negro, where we had pinxos and txacoli (but I really wanted real food bc those don't fill Manda up bc she has a hollow leg/parasite that lives in her tummy)(<- written by Manda). We then got a chance to cross the border and go to Biarritz, France, another seaside town. Here we saw a pretty lighthouse, then got in the ocean again, then went to la Fayette (?- the big France department store). Then we stopped so mom and Manda could have crepes and coffee. When we got back, we went to a mercado to get bread, packaged meat and cheese, chips, and wine then ate it in our room. Yum!
Wednesday June 23
Drove to Bilbao. Saw the Guggenheim modern museum. We saw crazy exhibits. We liked the mirror room. But we saw giant piles of poop/intestines/worms (depends on who you talk to) that was considered art. Then we toured old town. We just had enough time to eat so we had pitxos (pronounced pinchos). I managed to twist my ankle, ouch! Then we went to find ice cream for Manda. She had avellano, which she said tastes like almonds.
Then we went to the Altamira caves. They are caves discovered late 1800s. They contain drawings by cavemen that look really advanced for that time. The artists used flint to draw, charcoal to outline and add detail, then iron ore powder mixed with water to make red. Because so many ppl were visiting the caves, the pictures were degrading quickly, so they made the ‘neo-caves,’ which are almost exact replicas of the originals so that people can still view it without damaging the real caves.
We then drove to Santillana del Mar, the town of the three lies: it's not flat, it's not by the sea, and not a saint. We are staying in the old town, a medieval town. The streets are cobblestone! And a little hard to walk on. We are staying in a converted medieval house. There are a ton of landings and no elevators but they take care of your luggage. The ceilings have uneven wood beams across the top and the whole place creaks. But we were assured it is not haunted. You only get internet in a living room, and it was quite crowded last night. The local after dinner drink here is orojo (?). It's distilled from grape skins and can have different things added in, such as honey, apples, coffee, and herbs (the best). It's quite strong, and the unflavored tastes REALLY strong (Mom said like gin). For dinner at the hotel restaurant, we started with a stew that contained Spanish sausage, beans, pork, and chunks of beef, among other stuff. Manda loved it. The main course was fish and shrimp. The English translated version of the fish was hake. Manda and I didn't like it so much. Dessert was some sort of custard. It was awesome! Manda and Mom attempted to party it up at the Irish bar but passed it on the way up and it was empty when they found it. But last night was basically midsummer’s night and everyone local was at the bonfires on the beach.
A local food here is Quesada, but it doesn't have queso. It's a flan like 'pastry' made of milk, sugar, and eggs. It's all right, not spectacular.
Thursday June 24
Excursion day to Picos de Europa. Drove though a mountain gorge. Crazy curves. Had to back up a few times to let other cars pass. Went to a monastery. Walked to an old chapel (not in use any more) then went to see a relic. The relic was a piece of Jesus Christ’s actual cross. Tests showed the same wood specific to that area and dated around that time. We were allowed to touch/ kiss it (I kissed my fingers then the cross). Then we took a small walk through Potes, a town where 4 valleys meet, making it the 'capitol of the valleys'. Cobble stone streets and medieval towers and very old (~12th century). Ate lunch at a restaurant where you pay a set price and get three courses. Note to self: hamburgers here don't come with buns. But the fries are good!
Went to the Centro de Visitantes Sotama, a museum that describes the history of the Picos de Europa. Boring.
Got back to Santillana del mar. Took a nap (well, I got on moms ipad). We went to a torture museum. It was pretty gruesome. And very sexist. For example, the chastity belt was there and was worn on purpose by some females to prevent males from doing their thing. But when the museum asked if it was or wasn't a torture device, they decided it was because males couldn’t get the action they want. Geez...
We found a pizza place for dinner, and it was awesome! Especially after all the fish we have been eating. And the waitress spoke English! Then we chilled in the living room playing on the ipad and gossiping.
Friday June 25
Left Santillana del mar. Went to Comilla (?) saw a palace built for Antonio Lopez. He was from a poor family from that town, moved to the new world, got rich, came back, and became a marquis. He built a 'small house' that was actually huge. Also saw a gaudí house that was built for Lopez’s daughter and her husband. Went to a small market and found a couple of cute tops.
When leaving, the fog started rolling in over the mountains. Pretty. And slightly creepy.
Went to a tiny city off the highway by the sea for lunch. We had a cheese plate, the local rice/seafood dish, crab, and Mom and I had some of the best wine. And a huge crab. I saw them bring the live crab into the restaurant, but didn't realize until after that that was what we ate. At least we know it was fresh, right? And we also had the best candy ever. Ever ever ever. (<- Manda wrote). The town was tiny and very foggy off the sea. Had a Brigadoon feel.
Drove to Oviedo and checked into the hotel. We had a guide with a bus tour, and then we walked around the old town, more specifically the cathedral. Manda and I didn't like the guide, as she was kinda boring. The cathedral was also dedicated to Eulalia. She was 13 and a Christian during roman times. She was forced to ride naked through the streets, but it was foggy, so it ended up not being a huge deal. Then they forced her to hold an oven and her hair caught on fire ad she died of asphyxiation. We also heard the story of Santa Barbara. She was a Christian in roman times so her father locked her in a tower. She still wouldn't shake her faith so he beheaded her. He felt guilty when he did it and then was hit by a thunderclap and died. They think of Santa Barbara when it thunders. We walked down the street full of cider bars to our restaurant. There we got to taste the cider, which is more acidic than sweet, not like London cider. You are supposed to take it like a shot and leave some in the bottom. When they pour it, they pour it from far away to aerate it. The restaurant gave us the local stew, then meat and sauce-soaked French fries. It was very good. For dessert we had blueberry cheesecake and it tasted like the blueberry muffin mix we uses to eat as kids.
Manda went to bed when we got to the hotel but mom and I stayed up to watch the fútball game. Spain won.
Oviedo is a town full of sculptures, and they are at every corner. This town is also the Proviance of Asturias. The future king is the prince if this area before being king, like the prince of Wales.
Saturday June 26
Drove to Lugos, a city that has the original roman walls surrounding the city. We walked up to the top of the wall and walked for a ways. We were lucky and there was a roman festival going on. TONS of ppl were dressed in togas or in roman style furs. Whole families were dressed up. In the main square there was a market where we got some cute jewelry and headbands. It was awesome! For lunch we ate some 'empanadas' at a stand. Empanadas here are like a pie in a casserole dish; pastry crust below and above and filled with meats and cheese.
Drove to Santiago de Compostilla. Went to the bar for a drink. The only thing we did tonight was the 'seafood dinner'. There were 13 of us and we got to sample a lot of seafood for our appetizers. We had shrimp, octopus, mussels, clams, and scallops. I like the shrimp somewhat, clams, and the scallops. Manda really enjoyed the clams. Then we got to choose our main meal meat. Manda had a steak, no bones, while I basically had a t-bone. They both came with fries and were good, tho Manda mainly ate fries. Mom had fish and it was, well, fishy. We got different samples for dessert, including chocolate, apple pie, cheesecake, and a local almond cake thing. All were good. We then took taxis back. And watch the USA get beat by guana in fútball.
Sunday June 27
Tour of old town in Santiago. Went the saint James church but wasn't able to see St James tomb. This is a holy year of saint James (when July 25 falls on a Sunday), so the door was open that when you walk trough, all your sins are forgiven. There were crazy long lines. We walked around the whole church and saw the 4 squares by the church.
We had free time for lunch. We went to a hole in the wall restaurant where mom had cheese and meat and I had tortilla de patatas, basically a potato casserole with cheese.
We went on the cruise excursion. We drove to the coastal town of O Grove and boarded a boat. We sat in the top and saw how they cultured mussels, oysters, and clams. Then we went to the glass bottom boat but the water was cloudy so we didn't see anything. Then we had boiled mussels and a really good white wine. The ‘cheese’ really liked it, and drank a lot of wine. Made for a funny bus ride after.
That night we couldn’t find a place close by to eat. We ended up eating at the hotel bar, which was really good! Our bartender didn’t speak English, but my years of Spanish paid off and I was able to ask for ‘comida’ , or food. I basically had a grilled cheese, Manda had pasta, and Mom had a roasted chicken, which we all ate off of. It was so good, the other people from our tour copied us and ate there also.
Sunday June 28
Flew to Madrid, but the plane was delayed, so we didn’t get too much time there. We did a little shopping, and saw a square where something big happened, but I don’t remember what it was.
Our last dinner was a buffet type. We ended up going to be early, because we had to leave at 3 am to go to the airport for our flight.
It was a truly amazing trip, and I had a great time with my mother and sister. I can't wait to do another trip! (hint hint, Mom...)
Anyway, off to read for class tomorrow, and not think about my burrito (or lack thereof)...
-amyg
... and knock all of my mom's pictures over.
... and knock all of my mom's pictures over.
