Summer Jamz

My blog is boring. I realize all I do is report on the places I have visited, which I'm sure is SUPER FUN to read about, but it was not how I imagined this thing. I also really like the fact that it is my way of keeping track of my trip. Blogging is not really a chore at all, its just a way for me to sit down and remember everything so I don't forget. Anyway, I am going to be posting more about my life here, in Madrid, as much as I can in the next three weeks.

Given that this is a blagh, I can talk about music, right? To me, it seems extremely appropriate to try and communicate sentiments while being here. Maybe that doesn't make sense to anyone else, or maaaybe this can expose a part of myself that makes this trip easier to understand. I am constantly listening to music, which I guess is just the same back at home, but when that certain song comes on at just the right moment there's something to be said for a real connection to what you are listening to. Here there have been certain songs, albums, artists, whatever that have gotten me through a lot of ups and downs.

So, to start, this is the go-to feeling homesick, what the hell am I doing here, oh god my life is falling apart, song to try and gain some sanity again. Sappy, but in an obvious way. So that's my excuse.

NPR reviewed this song as, "the song everyone in their 20s must listen to". Extremely true. Its just about figuring out how to figure out what you are supposed to do with your life. The whole album is pretty incredible, especially in the morning on the way to work.

Being how quirky and different this city is, this one is one of those walking through the streets songs where I think Im cool for like 3 minutes (Then I usually trip and realize I still will never fit in).

 

I listened to this album and especially this song a ton last summer, but it hasn't held any significance until now.

 

This whole album continues to be a traveling favorite. Its super Americana sounding, and also is about traveling across the US... but, traveling none the less. This is by far the best song on the album. I've have turned in on for many long bus rides.

And, of course. Justin Vernon, the singer, said this, and I think it really says it all:
 "Holocene is a bar in Portland, Ore., but it's also the name of a geologic era, an epoch if you will. It's a good example of how all the songs are all meant to come together as this idea that places are times and people are places and times are... people? [Laughs.] They can all be different and the same at the same time. Most of our lives feel like these epochs. That's kind of what that song's about. "Once I knew I was not magnificent." Our lives feel like these epochs, but really we are dust in the wind. But I think there's a significance in that insignificance that I was trying to look at in that song."
OH MAN he's sooooo chill. But seriously, what a perfect song.


So there you go. A little peek into Liz. There are countless others I could include, but I'm tired. Tomorrow I shall update about this past week and my trip to Segovia earlier today.

Look I'm being fun!!!!

Crossing European borders

This past weekend I was able to take some time away from Madrid, AND Spain, and see a beautiful city inside Portugal. Its called Porto, Portugal, which may sound familiar if you have ever heard of or drank "Port wine." Yes, you guessed correctly, Port wine DID start in this part of the world. :)

Porto was an incredible city. I went with TJ, and we were able to spend two and a half days there. The hostel was exceptional, the food was unique, and we met some great travelers. We arrived Friday evening, after a really short but terrifying (Ryanair, obviously) flight. After getting settled in to the hostel we went out looking for dinner. Where we were looking was not the central part of the city, or the touristy part, and unfortunately this meant we couldn't find much. The greatest problem, I guess, was that I didn't not expect such poverty in Portugal. Whether it's their financial crisis, or just Portugal itself, the city was obviously quite poor, and without tourism I'm not sure they would have anything. Many store fronts were boarded up, or the ones that weren't were all very crappy kind of places. It was unexpected, but now I feel dumb for not knowing. Anyway, we found some very very cheap dinner and even cheaper beer at a random little restaurant. Afterwards, we ventured down to the river to see what everyone in our hostel was talking about. It was absolutely incredible.  On one side of the river is Porto, and on the other city is technically a different city that is still considered Porto. Quite confusing when it came to maps, but it made the city itself very interesting. Pretty much, the "other" city, Vila Nova de Gaia, held the wine cellers and vineyards. The side that we were staying on was where you could find the city center and historical churches, buildings, things of that nature.  

The other interesting part of Porto was that it is also connected to the Atlantic. Therefore, we could still see the beach while not having to leave the city. We took a trolly that ran along the shore of the river Saturday morning to the beach and spent most of the day there. It was very, very windy and much cooler compared to the beach in Valencia, but that is just because it is the Atlantic. The water was FREEZING!  After the beach, we went back to the hostel, grabbed a friend we had met from the night before, and then headed to the river for a boat cruise. For 10 euro we were taken under 6 huge bridges, and got another view of the city(s). Afterwards, we had some Portuguese cuisine next to the river.... a breaded meat dish covered in cheese and sauce (aka heart-attack casserole). That evening, we joined two Australians, two Germans, and a brother and sister from Holland in the garden connected to the back of the hostel. We bought some beer from the hostel and talked with everyone into the next morning. The hostel honestly made the trip so much better. The place itself felt kind of like a vacation home in Northern Michigan, the way it was comfortable just like a home. The staff were some of the nicest people Ive met while in Europe, and eventually just brought out the crate of beer for everyone to have. It was a really great night.

On Sunday, TJ and myself went and saw the historical sights of Porto. We saw the famous churches and monuments, then went across the river to the wine cellers. We felt very sophisticated wine tasting, but I personally don't care for Port wine. It is extremely sweet, and you can only drink a little bit (my heart yearned for Franzia).  We saw a tour of one of the wine cellers, and were able to go to three different places to sample for free. That night, after watching some Family Guy at the hostel with some other girls from Holland, we went and got Portuguese barbeque. It was delicioussss. 

To save money, we booked a plane ticket for Monday morning instead of Sunday night. Since we had Monday off work, it ended up working out really well, BUT sleeping in the airport Sunday night was simply awffful. The last metro was at 1AM to the airport, so we got there at 1:30 and had to wait until our 6:30 flight. The life of a broke backpacker.... 

Nothing too exciting happened last week before my trip. On Tuesday night, my roommate Kristin and her friends made us a huge dinner. Kristin's friends in Madrid came as well, and with about ten of us it was a really great night at the apartment. I'm still very shocked I have been this lucky with my apartment.  I found out I will have yet another new roommate in August after Kritisn leaves, so once again there will be another cycle of people. However, it keeps things interesting I guess. Wednesday night I had my intercambio, this time expanded with a friend of mine and a friend of Laura's. Thursday I went to El Tigre (Finally!), which is a famous bar in Madrid that gives you tons of tapas with every drink. We had sooooo much food. 

On to a some pictures!! There are a lot, and this was me picking very selectively...

Night view of the city across the river. 

What it looks like during the day!

Porto near the water. 

We made it to the Atlantic!

:)

People jumped off the bridge. CRAZIES

Douro river boat ride

Both cities connected by those bridges

Beautiful beautiful Porto

Blinding sun 

With our interesting looking food.... but tasted great

Center of downtown

From the very top of a tower where we met 2 separate groups of people from U of M

Tile all over the buildings

Cathedral

From the top of the highest bridge

Outside one of the wineries 

Inside the celler. THAT IS A LOT OF WINE

Out of order... buuut this is on the trolly on the way to the beach

The garden at night at our hostel

Our beds for the night.....

As you can see... I really liked Porto :)

Hasta luego!

First big regret

Since arriving here, I told myself that I could not stomach a bullfight. After spending almost 2 months in Spain, my open-mindedness led me to believe that going to see a bullfight would be a good, cultural experience. Unfortunately, this was totally wrong. Because I didn't have a thing to do last night I agreed to join in, spontaneously because I was bored. Tickets only cost us 5 euro, so it was like "what do we have to lose?"

As soon as it began I immediately knew I wasn't going to like it. I guess I can't really describe it, but the entire time I had a horrible lump in my throat. Pretty much, the bulls come out one by one, and are tortured for 20ish minutes, then killed. They are stabbed repeatedly, and then when they are at their weakest point, the madator takes a giant sword and sticks it in between its shoulder blades. After this, you watch as the bull slowly crumples to the ground. Eventually it falls, flails once in the air, and then everyone cheers and its paraded out of the stadium by three horses. Needless to say, I found it extremely disturbing. After the second bull, who we had to watch attack the madator and knock him to the ground 2 separate times, we left. All three of us couldn't understand a) how this is legal b) how no one else seemed affected by it than us. We all left pretty shaken.

When I got home,  I talked to my Spanish roommates about it who also agreed that it is a pretty disturbing practice. However, we did agree that the "dance" that the madator does with the bulls is quite beautiful. I also told them that I can appreciate Spanish culture and that it is different than what I am used to... however, it was a huge mistake to go. I feel sick just thinking about it again!

On a brighter note...! My week and weekend in Madrid was great. Intercambio Tuesday, some botellon Wednesday, and Thursday we met Glenn in the park next to my apartment and had a picnic. Friday and Saturday was just more hanging out in the city. And after the event on Sunday, we cheered ourselves up by going to the bar and watching the soccer games. Haha and then the USA lost! (everyone at the bar we were at was cheering against us) But anway, It was nice not travel anywhere this weekend and have some time to just chill and relax.

I also had the great opportunity to see the US Embassy!  Picture: the secretary of state with a worse wait and more annoyed people. I guess it is time to admit that I lost my passport when I was in Valencia. I believe that it was stolen from me, but I had all of my other belongings, money, camera.... everything BUT my passport Sunday morning when I was leaving. I spent all Wednesday morning waiting for my "appointment" to get a new passport. I pictured the embassy MUCH differently, but it is very unglamorous and I felt like I was waiting in some kind of emergency room. I ended up being shuffled from line to line for three hours, but I did leave with a 3-month passport in hand. When I get back to the states, I don't have to pay again when I apply for a new 10-year passport, but still... it sucks. I have certainly learned my lesson, I guess, but I don't really know what that is because my passport was LOCKED in my locker the entire time I was in Valencia. It just doesn't add up.

This week I am bringing someone along to my intercambio with Laura because she is bringing her friend who is from Madrid. Her Spanish is so clear and easy to understand that she decided what I really need to practice is listening to him speak.... which is very true. I also think we are having a big roomie dinner at the apartment before Kristin finally leaves for home. And then, Friday I go to Portugal!

I'm off to the grocery store and then a siesta may be in order :) 

Half way post

Hello! I have a lot to update with, yes? Yesterday was the first day of the second half of my time here. WHOAAAA. But really, how is it already the middle of July?

Last time I updated I had just gotten back from Valencia. Since then I have been to Los Sanfermines, which many of you may know as The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. More on that later :)

Monday last week, as some of you in America might have realized, was the Fourth of July. Because it just felt too strange to do nothing, TJ, Curt, and myself had the most American style picnic we could create in Retiro park during the evening. We went to the huge grocery store trying to find anything American, but failed. Instead, we caved and went to the one and only KFC in the center of downtown and bought a bucket of chicken. We spent a few hours watching the sun go down in the park, still in recovery mode from the previous weekend in Valencia. It was also during the time that the two of them convinced me to go to Pamplona the next weekend. Peer Pressure at its best.

In the park with my super-American outfit.

On Tuesday I met up with Laura and we actually returned to this same park during the evening. She is lending me Harry Potter in Spanish, and we read that together for a while. She also is reading a book in English that I helped her with. Tonight we are meeting up again and seeing the Royal Palace.

On Wednesday it was Gonzalo's (the other intern) last day at work. We had become really good friends the past five weeks, and it was seriously tough to say goodbye. He was also  upset saying bye to the office, but being 25 and working an unpaid job has to come to an end eventually. On Thursday at work, 3 representatives from UNHCR in Geneva came by for a briefing on our PR operations. I was able to sit in at this meeting, which was conducted in English, and it was pretty awesome. It's so interesting to see how this different representations of the UN, like UNHCR in Spain for example, conduct operations with the others.

Wednesday and Thursday after work we planned for Pamplona, buying food and drinks to bring with us instead of having to deal with buying things there. Ending up being a really smart idea. I left work early on Friday, and by three we were all on the bus to Pamplona. The group from Madrid was TJ and one of his roommates, Mario, and Curt and Curt's co-worker, Glenn. Glenn had been two previous years, because he lives near the Spanish/French border very close to Pamplona. Having someone who had been there before was definitely helpful.

Pamplona was insane upon arrival. I have never seen so many people wearing the same thing in my entire life. Actually, I'm not sure I have ever seen so many people in my entire life! There was an AMAZING fireworks show as soon as we got there, and we just sat in the huge field with thousands of other people drinking and eating. Afterwards we went out to the bars, where the streets were just a solid mass of people. By 6AM we went to street where the bulls run, in hopes of finding a spot to see. This was unsucessful, however, and we ending up waiting two hours to have a pretty terrible view by 8AM. Ironically, seeing the running of the bulls was the most anti-climatic part of the entire trip.
Afterwards however, was probably one of the greatest moments of my entire time here in Spain. It was just Curt, TJ, and myself at the this point, and we were walking down the street the bulls had just run down. People had flooded the street, and the balconies were all full of the lucky ones who had apartments with a view. All of us, for no reason that we understood, were in such good moods! It was 8AM, no one in the city had any sleep, but everyone was out, the bars were once again full, and the spirit was just nothing I had experienced. So we bought orange juice and champagne and went back to the field we had been at the night before to take a nap with the rest of the city.

After an hour of sleep, we hung out in the park for a while before meeting up with Glenn's friend's from Madrid. One was from Peru, one was from Romania, and one was from Pamplona (I think). None of them spoke any English (Glenn also did not), so we spent the remaining time with them all speaking Spanish in our own weird accents. We hung out in a park all day, and then for dinner went to an apartment they were renting in the city with a huge outdoor deck where we ate questionable frozen pizzas.


That night we saw another fireworks show, and encountered a really random and fun outdoor concert in the center of the city. After grabbing a few hours of sleep we got on our bus by 10 AM the next morning.

Pamplona was crazy. Super crazy. But incredibly relaxed at the same time. It was a great half way point in my trip. Here are some pictures :)

Waiting for the fireworks show. people people people

original group

Typical street packed with people. A parade was rolling through at the point

this was a "quiet" part of town

My view of the bulls... waiting for it to start.

People running! Flash of bulls was all I got.

After the race. Greatest street.

Nap time!

Awesome balconies

Every where we went the parks were just filled with people sleeping/drinking. This is where we hung out all day Saturday

Hanging out with Glenns crazy friends. Full Pamplona gear! 

Fireworks on the second night. Curt and myself attempting to carry Glenn.

 

Half-wayness:
There are still a ton of things I want to do before leaving here. For one, I just want to see more of Madrid. I am excited to spend the upcoming weekend here and have plans to do some exploring but also just taking the weekend to relax. Madrid is such an incredible city that I want to continue to take full advantage of, if I can.

I also really want to have a stronger grasp on the language in the next 6 weeks. For instance, today at work I struggled so hard to understand every conversation I had. Sometimes I feel so confident, but many times, especially at work, I realize how far I still have to go.

I also want to feel like I am getting more out of my internship. Today Rosa talked to me about starting a video project at the end of this week or next week. I hope I can possibly start to stand out more as their employee, and not some American who can't communicate with them.

Finally, as much as I want to see more of Madrid, I hope to travel more as well. At the end of the month I will be going to Oporto, Portugal, and after that I hope to do some day trips of out Madrid. I realize there are some cities in Spain I am not going to have time to see, like Granada, which is upsetting. However, if I can see a couple more cities closer by, I am going to feel pretty well traveled.

Three days left of the work week, and then I'm in for a pretty fun weekend in the city. Please please please feel free to email me or send a facebook message! I miss everyone so much and it would be great to hear how you all are doing. <3

Un abrazo,

Liz

Valencia-a-a

This weekend I went over to Valencia, which is about a 4 hour bus ride from Madrid. Since I haven't updated since early early last week, I will share whats been going on before that first. :)

Last week the heat was extreme. Every single day it reached up to 36/37, even 39 degrees Celsius,  so very high 90s to low 100s. After a miserable night trying to sleep Saturday and Sunday, I finally got myself a real fan from El Corte Ingles on Monday. Best. Purchase. Ever.

On Tuesday night Patricia, whose room I took when I moved in, was back in Madrid to defend her thesis. After she was done, we all went out with her friends for dinner, and then came back to the apartment and made Mojitios with whatever plant that you are supposed to use. (It's not mint... but it is). Patricia and her friends didn't speak much English at all, and so it was nice to be able to hang out with people and speak only Spanish and feel as though I could still participate in the conversation or whatever. It's just such a strange feeling.

So speaking of speaking Spanish, on Wednesday I met up with Laura, who has agreed to do some kind of intercambio with me. We met at a cafe inside Santiago Bernabeu, which was cool, and ended up taking for about 3 hours. She is just the sweetest person, we had really interesting conversation, and I do think that meeting up with her weekly is going to be a great help.  Tomorrow we are going to meet again and walk around downtown Madrid, and maybe see a museum. After this I tried to go to the intercambio at the bar where its a group setting instead of just one on one, but the place was so packed that you couldn't even fit in the door. So instead TJ and myself went to the intercambio Thursday, and ended up staying until close!

A new roommate has also moved in, who seems pretty cool. He doesn't speak any English, or if he does he doesn't speak much, which is great! Having Laura and Kristin to live with when I came here was one of the best things about my experience. They have been so incredibly nice to me while they were here, and gave me a group of people to hang out with when I knew practically no one. However, it was inevitable that they would be leaving eventually, and so at least now the new roommate can help me practice Spanish like Etor does. 

I have been reading a lot after work when its the hottest outside, starting actually cooking real food thanks to Etor's disgust when I told him the things I eat at home (mac & cheese and ramen), and I've started running in the mornings before work. I feel like when I am in Madrid, I am staring to have this sense of normality. And then, something will happen, and I'll realize this place is so not normal at all. However, going to work every day, seeing the same faces, knowing almost exactly how to navigate this city - it's making me feel like when I leave in August I will not be ready. It's my 6th week here, so I will be exactly half way at the end of this week. That does not feel normal.


And then there's Valencia!

Friday after work I hurried home and headed for the bus station. I met TJ on the bus at 5 and by 10 PM we had arrived at our hostel. As soon as I stepped foot outside of the bus I could just feel the change in weather. It reminded me exactly of stepping of the plane in Hawaii, that kind of serious humidity.
The hostel was one of the best parts of the whole Valencia experience. Upon checking in, we could hear the live band setting up at the bar/common room. What?? It was crazy. And there, in our room we met Curt, who was coincidentally doing exactly what we were. He has an internship in Madrid for the summer, and decided to take a weekend trip to Valencia. We grabbed some dinner with him and he ended up hanging out with us literally until the bus ride home.

So, after the live band thing and hanging out at the hostel, we left and went on the bar/club crawl with the huge hostel group.

The next morning the hostal had organized a "Beach Day", which was a perfect way to get over to the beach. The bus ride there was one of the worst of my life, as there were probably 30 or 40 of us college-aged tourists hung over and jammed on a small and horribly-driven bus. It was rough. But the beach was beautiful (pictured above!) and we had so much fun. There was a really cool market set up there where we ate lunch and walked around for a while... and at this market was a CAMEL! so crazy. I did not ride it, because my bathsuit just did not seem appropriate camel-riding clothing, but TJ and Curt. Seriously, a camel.

The beach did leave me with a terrible sun burn. I had put on sunscreen that day more than once, but it just did not work at all. I am in some serious pain today, but both of my roommates hooked me up with some after-sun stuff. Seriously though, ouch.

That night we walked around the city, had some dinner on the hooker-street (accident), and then went back to the hostel for the live DJ that was there. This hostel was legit. We met a guy from Turkey in the common room and he went out to the bars with us. I had met another guy from Turkey at my last hostel, who was also just as nice and personable. This guy is 23 years old and literally traveled almost the entire world. His English was awesome, and he spoke like 3 other languages. He told us when he was 13 he made a list of all the things he wanted to do by the age of 25. WHAT? When I was 13 I was not thinking about traveling the world the next ten years. It was just really impressive, and hearing his perspective of his time spent in America was interesting.

We saw the city on a walking tour Sunday, and then after drinking some horchata, a famous nutty beverage of Valencia, we got ready to head home. Sunburn + bus ride home was painful, but that's okay. Overall, I would just describe Valencia as fun. It was a perfect break from the craziness of Madrid, as during the day Valencia was a really quiet and calm city. And then at night, we could experience its unmatched Spanish night-life. However, if I ever return, I will buy SPF 90 and reapply every 5 minutes. (serious)

Inside the common room of our Hostel

More of the beach. It was full of people from both directions.

Only picture I have of the market. It was really cool though!

seriously a camel guys

HUGE tree in a plaza

The city didn't really have a "downtown" but this was probably the closest to it

Original entrance to the "old city"

Very typical looking street there

Horchata!

Really really beautiful museum.