On Thursday we took a day trip to Bilbao, the closest “big” city in Spain in relation to Santander. Bilbao is in the Basque country of Spain, a region that wants independence because they speak Basque. a crazy language that has no known relative. It almost looks like Polish and has no relation to Spanish whatsoever. In Bilbao, we got to see the Guggenheim, walk around the city, do some shopping, and eat delicious sandwiches (bocadillos).
The Guggenheim was our first stop after getting off the bus. It is a very cool building, situated right along the river. There’s also a huge dog made out of flowers in front of the entrance and a creepy spider sculpture around the other side. We didn’t go in, however, because it was closing shortly. Instead, we walked down the river toward the old part of town. We walked along the tramline, which was awesome because the tracks are in the middle of a grassy area- so it’s public transportation and green space all at the same time.
The old part of town was really cool, with lots of really skinny cobblestoned streets for only pedestrians. This area was full of shops, so I did some window-shopping while the Germans did some real shopping. The theater of Bilbao was also near this section, which was ironically playing Chicago. I’d love to see that in Spanish…
Lastly, we went to a restaurant, La Taberna, for some amazing bocadillos. I got a concoction of ham, mushrooms, goat cheese-like cheese, and green peppers. The mushrooms and green peppers were sautéed and caramelized together and the bread was warm and toasty. Altogether, it was heaven in a sandwich- the perfect way to end a fun day.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Ribadesella (Ree-bah-day-SAY-ah)
Ribadesella and I will always have a love-hate relationship. This town on the coast of northern Spain, about 2 hours west of Santander, hosts a very locally famous annual kayak race. Last Thursday (the 5th), Caitlyn, Josh, and I decided to check out (over the weekend) the equally famous fiesta that accompanies this race. We happily bought our bus tickets and got very excited for our first real weekend in Spain. Suffice it so say, we had no idea what we were in for.
Friday- 6 PM
I meet Caitlyn at the Plaza Porticada. We are meeting early for our 7 PM bus- just in case. Josh and Jonas (Josh’s German host brother, here after known as JoBro) are not on time. They call and say they’re on their way.
6:40 PM
Josh and JoBro call and say they are going to the grocery store.
7 PM
Caitlyn and I board the bus. Josh and JoBro are sprinting to catch it.
7:02 PM
After deciding that we don’t want to go to some random town alone, Caitlyn and I get off the bus and run away from the very annoyed bus driver. We find Josh and Jonas outside the bus station a few minutes later. We are pissed off.
8 PM
Dinner in the park- all the food we had bought for the weekend plus Nocilla (Spanish Nutella) and bread. We all decide to take the train the next day.
Saturday 3:55 PM
We successfully board the train 15 minutes early. Everything is good. The train is slow, but the views are pretty. The train gradually starts to fill with fiesta-goers toting camping supplies and food.
8 PM
We arrive in Ribadesella. We see lots of tents and lots of people. We follow the crowd to the beach. We don’t have anywhere to put our bags, so we just sit on the beach with them. We don’t know what to do. Caitlyn and I end up going to find some of the cider that the Asturias region of Spain is known for and a pack of cards. We find the cider, but not the cards. We get back to beach and end up making cards out of the box the cider was in. The cider is gross.
11 PM
We decide to go check out what’s happening in town because the beach is getting pretty cold. We pack up all of stuff and trek across the river to the town, where a crazy fiesta is happening. There is music, dancing, carnival rides, tons of food and drink, and tons of people. However, we don’t have any place to put our stuff so we just walk around for a while.
2 AM?
We go back to the beach because we’re feeling kind of homeless and have nowhere to go. We figure it’s as good a place as any to sleep so we curl up under our wet beach towels and fall asleep in the sand.
5 AM
I wake up freezing and can still here everyone fiestaing in town across the river. These people go all night.
6 AM
Caitlyn, JoBro, and I give up on sleep and leave Josh on the beach sleeping. We go walk into town again.
7 AM
We find the bus station, then sit on the sidewalk there because there’s nowhere else to go. At this point I’m feeling really homeless. Everything that walks by is like, “Extranjeros!” (foreigners) We eventually decide to go back to the beach, but not before some Spanish man actually asks me if I’m really homeless. We go back to the beach and fall asleep again.
11 AM
We’re back at the bus station- hungry, tired, dirty, gross, and miserable. It smells terrible and all we can think about is how we have never wanted to leave a place so much in our lives.
1:30 PM
Our bus finally arrives to rescue us. We scramble on and are inexpressibly happy to be escaping that place. We have thoroughly learned our lesson about going to random fiestas unprepared.
So I can’t really say I enjoyed the weekend, but it did have its good moments (or good milliseconds.) And now that we know what not to do, we might be more successful with our next fiesta excursion….
Friday- 6 PM
I meet Caitlyn at the Plaza Porticada. We are meeting early for our 7 PM bus- just in case. Josh and Jonas (Josh’s German host brother, here after known as JoBro) are not on time. They call and say they’re on their way.
6:40 PM
Josh and JoBro call and say they are going to the grocery store.
7 PM
Caitlyn and I board the bus. Josh and JoBro are sprinting to catch it.
7:02 PM
After deciding that we don’t want to go to some random town alone, Caitlyn and I get off the bus and run away from the very annoyed bus driver. We find Josh and Jonas outside the bus station a few minutes later. We are pissed off.
8 PM
Dinner in the park- all the food we had bought for the weekend plus Nocilla (Spanish Nutella) and bread. We all decide to take the train the next day.
Saturday 3:55 PM
We successfully board the train 15 minutes early. Everything is good. The train is slow, but the views are pretty. The train gradually starts to fill with fiesta-goers toting camping supplies and food.
8 PM
We arrive in Ribadesella. We see lots of tents and lots of people. We follow the crowd to the beach. We don’t have anywhere to put our bags, so we just sit on the beach with them. We don’t know what to do. Caitlyn and I end up going to find some of the cider that the Asturias region of Spain is known for and a pack of cards. We find the cider, but not the cards. We get back to beach and end up making cards out of the box the cider was in. The cider is gross.
11 PM
We decide to go check out what’s happening in town because the beach is getting pretty cold. We pack up all of stuff and trek across the river to the town, where a crazy fiesta is happening. There is music, dancing, carnival rides, tons of food and drink, and tons of people. However, we don’t have any place to put our stuff so we just walk around for a while.
2 AM?
We go back to the beach because we’re feeling kind of homeless and have nowhere to go. We figure it’s as good a place as any to sleep so we curl up under our wet beach towels and fall asleep in the sand.
5 AM
I wake up freezing and can still here everyone fiestaing in town across the river. These people go all night.
6 AM
Caitlyn, JoBro, and I give up on sleep and leave Josh on the beach sleeping. We go walk into town again.
7 AM
We find the bus station, then sit on the sidewalk there because there’s nowhere else to go. At this point I’m feeling really homeless. Everything that walks by is like, “Extranjeros!” (foreigners) We eventually decide to go back to the beach, but not before some Spanish man actually asks me if I’m really homeless. We go back to the beach and fall asleep again.
11 AM
We’re back at the bus station- hungry, tired, dirty, gross, and miserable. It smells terrible and all we can think about is how we have never wanted to leave a place so much in our lives.
1:30 PM
Our bus finally arrives to rescue us. We scramble on and are inexpressibly happy to be escaping that place. We have thoroughly learned our lesson about going to random fiestas unprepared.
So I can’t really say I enjoyed the weekend, but it did have its good moments (or good milliseconds.) And now that we know what not to do, we might be more successful with our next fiesta excursion….
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Picture Alert!
I´ve posted a link to my Picasa in the "Useful Links" section. There´s a few pictures up, more to come soon.
Bocados (Snacks)
So far, I’ve had pretty good experiences with Spanish food. Rosa makes me yummy meals every day, so I haven’t had any real chances yet to go out to the restaurants and see what’s out there. However, I have had a few of the classic snack-type foods that are popular here in España. Here are a few of my favorites so far:
1. churros con chocolate - This classic is the Spanish equivalent of Café du Monde beignets and coffee. The churros are crispy, fried sticks of yummy dough-nutty dough topped with sugar. The chocolate is a distant cousin of hot chocolate. It’s really more like a melted dark chocolate bar in a mug. When we went for churros I got “chocolate con leche” (chocolate with milk). I don’t know where the milk was, because it really seemed to be a melted chocolate bar, but it was absolutely delicious. The chocolate was warm and thick and the churros were perfectly crispy. And of course when you dip the churros in the chocolate….well, how can you go wrong with chocolate, fried dough, and sugar? See them here.
2. bocadillo de tortilla – Whoever invented this must have been a carbomaniac. Basically, it’s a potato sandwich. More specifically, it’s a potato omelet (this is what the Spanish call a tortilla- not the kind you eat with tacos) on a baguette. And like most foods involving lots of carbs…it’s delicious. However, not recommended for everyday eating. Click for potato sandwiches.
3. pan – A fresh baguette for 35 cents! What more is there to say?
4. calimocho – Maybe not one of my favorites, but worth mentioning as a common street food/drink experience. This local favorite is half cheap wine, half Coca Cola. It makes for a very cheap and very sweet “wine” drinking experience. Very popular with students. You can find it almost anywhere, but the best place? Peter Pan – probably one of the most sparsely decorated bars in Santander. The entire place is painted hot green, there are some very old wooden shelves spanning the bar wall, and the menus are written on poster board and nailed to the wall. Very classy. But what do you expect for a place that is known for such a classy drink?
Did you notice how healthy all of these wonderful snacks are? Have no fear family- all of these are rare occurrences in my daily life. Except for pan- Rosa is very fond and serves it with every meal.
Lastly, a food that will never make it onto my list of favorites- morcilla. Apparently an old standard in Spain, this lovely little sausage´s main ingredients are rice and blood. Rosa had a fun time serving it to me at lunch last week. I tried it of course, but it’s definitely getting put in the same category as whole baby octopus- I’ve tried it, it was interesting, and that’s that. Mmm...blood sausage.
1. churros con chocolate - This classic is the Spanish equivalent of Café du Monde beignets and coffee. The churros are crispy, fried sticks of yummy dough-nutty dough topped with sugar. The chocolate is a distant cousin of hot chocolate. It’s really more like a melted dark chocolate bar in a mug. When we went for churros I got “chocolate con leche” (chocolate with milk). I don’t know where the milk was, because it really seemed to be a melted chocolate bar, but it was absolutely delicious. The chocolate was warm and thick and the churros were perfectly crispy. And of course when you dip the churros in the chocolate….well, how can you go wrong with chocolate, fried dough, and sugar? See them here.
2. bocadillo de tortilla – Whoever invented this must have been a carbomaniac. Basically, it’s a potato sandwich. More specifically, it’s a potato omelet (this is what the Spanish call a tortilla- not the kind you eat with tacos) on a baguette. And like most foods involving lots of carbs…it’s delicious. However, not recommended for everyday eating. Click for potato sandwiches.
3. pan – A fresh baguette for 35 cents! What more is there to say?
4. calimocho – Maybe not one of my favorites, but worth mentioning as a common street food/drink experience. This local favorite is half cheap wine, half Coca Cola. It makes for a very cheap and very sweet “wine” drinking experience. Very popular with students. You can find it almost anywhere, but the best place? Peter Pan – probably one of the most sparsely decorated bars in Santander. The entire place is painted hot green, there are some very old wooden shelves spanning the bar wall, and the menus are written on poster board and nailed to the wall. Very classy. But what do you expect for a place that is known for such a classy drink?
Did you notice how healthy all of these wonderful snacks are? Have no fear family- all of these are rare occurrences in my daily life. Except for pan- Rosa is very fond and serves it with every meal.
Lastly, a food that will never make it onto my list of favorites- morcilla. Apparently an old standard in Spain, this lovely little sausage´s main ingredients are rice and blood. Rosa had a fun time serving it to me at lunch last week. I tried it of course, but it’s definitely getting put in the same category as whole baby octopus- I’ve tried it, it was interesting, and that’s that. Mmm...blood sausage.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Siestas
Note: The Spanish take their siestas VERY seriously.
The siesta was something I had heard about, but thought maybe was one of those older customs that was dying out with the advent of globalization, chain stores, yadda yadda. Not so in España. If you want to buy something other than a coffee or some groceries between 2 and 5 PM, good luck. Cafés and one grocery store chain (let’s be honest, the only grocery store chain) are about the only places that stay open for these hours of rest and relaxation. Yesterday I took a walk at about 3 in the afternoon. If you were looking at the stores, however, you probably would have thought it was 3 in the morning. Lights off, doors closed, curtains in the windows. There were a few people milling around, but other than that, downtown was a dead zone. It’s definitely something to get used to…here there’s no rushing off to Walmart at all hours of the day for anything you need. But it is a good excuse to take a nice long nap. ☺
The siesta was something I had heard about, but thought maybe was one of those older customs that was dying out with the advent of globalization, chain stores, yadda yadda. Not so in España. If you want to buy something other than a coffee or some groceries between 2 and 5 PM, good luck. Cafés and one grocery store chain (let’s be honest, the only grocery store chain) are about the only places that stay open for these hours of rest and relaxation. Yesterday I took a walk at about 3 in the afternoon. If you were looking at the stores, however, you probably would have thought it was 3 in the morning. Lights off, doors closed, curtains in the windows. There were a few people milling around, but other than that, downtown was a dead zone. It’s definitely something to get used to…here there’s no rushing off to Walmart at all hours of the day for anything you need. But it is a good excuse to take a nice long nap. ☺
Los Chinos
I miss Target. When I need something at Cornell or at home, I go to Target. Food? Target. Makeup? Target. Bathing suit? Target. In Santander, however, you go to the Chinese (Los Chinos). Los Chinos run two “bazaars” in town that are pretty much like a Walmart stuffed into a store about the size of your average Radio Shack (maybe a teensy bit bigger...) So far I’ve only picked up a few notebooks and folders at the Bazar Yi Dian Li, but I’m sure I will have many chances to peruse their very densely stacked shelves…
On a similar note, I have no idea where to buy a hairdryer. The other day I was walking around town with los otros americanos and decided to ask someone where I might find one. Sadly, I forgot the word for this elusive object. So, I asked a man who worked at a newspaper stand this question:
“¿Dónde puedo comprar un aparato de pelo?”
-or-
“Where can I buy a hair appliance?”
Of course, this question was met with much confusion on the side of the poor man at the newspaper stand. For a few seconds he just stared at me- eyes wide and mouth hanging open. It was a look you might give someone if they asked you, sincerely, “What planet do I live on?” Finally though (and thankfully!) he directed me towards a store across the street: Bazar Canarias. It had a sign in the Las Vegas style- lots of multicolored blinking lights. This interesting little “tienda” was in the same vein of Los Chinos but only sold various electronics, small appliances, video games, and umbrellas. And they only had one hairdryer- stuffed in the corner looking very shady. Alas, my hair appliance search continues…
On a similar note, I have no idea where to buy a hairdryer. The other day I was walking around town with los otros americanos and decided to ask someone where I might find one. Sadly, I forgot the word for this elusive object. So, I asked a man who worked at a newspaper stand this question:
“¿Dónde puedo comprar un aparato de pelo?”
-or-
“Where can I buy a hair appliance?”
Of course, this question was met with much confusion on the side of the poor man at the newspaper stand. For a few seconds he just stared at me- eyes wide and mouth hanging open. It was a look you might give someone if they asked you, sincerely, “What planet do I live on?” Finally though (and thankfully!) he directed me towards a store across the street: Bazar Canarias. It had a sign in the Las Vegas style- lots of multicolored blinking lights. This interesting little “tienda” was in the same vein of Los Chinos but only sold various electronics, small appliances, video games, and umbrellas. And they only had one hairdryer- stuffed in the corner looking very shady. Alas, my hair appliance search continues…
¡A clase!
Today, lunes 2 agosto, was the first day of classes. I woke up to a pouring rain and no idea where my class was, other than that it was most likely at the university. So I trudged out the door at 8:15, an hour before class started, so I could hopefully find this mysterious Spanish class and with it my American amigos. Luckily my plan of waiting outside the door of the Centro de Idiomas (Language Center) promptly at 9, when it opened, worked out in my favor:
I walk up to the desk.
Hombre working at the desk: “Dime.” (Tell me.)
Me: “Tengo una clase de español hoy, pero no sé donde está mi clase.” (I have a Spanish class today, but I don’t know where it is.)
Hombre: “Cómo se llama?” (What’s your name?)
Me: “Hillary Richard”
Hombre: “Jilari de Cornell?” (*very Spanish pronunciation of Hillary* from Cornell?)
Me: “Sí!!”
Success! So nice guy at the desk told me to go to Aula 7 (Room 7) in the philosophy building for my introduction meeting at 10. I had some time to kill (it being about 9:15) so I sat down in the hallway outside of this “Aula 7” in what I thought was the philosophy building and started to read a book. Lo and behold it was suddenly 9:58 and not a soul was in sight. So after another not quite so quick but just as semi-successful conversation with someone at another desk, I dashed off to the real Aula 7 and was only a few minutes late for the meeting.
And who did I see but my American amigos, Caitlyn and Josh! Turns out we are all in the same class along with 5 German girls and 2 older women (one Italian, one Dutch.) I can tell this is going to be an interesting class already- our professor, Esther, is about as stereotypically flamboyantly Spanish as you could get. She is also very knowledgeable, however, and makes you feel very comfortable in the classroom. And so funny! Our first task was to write a biography of Superman and read it aloud to the class. After I read mine she remarked, “Oh these Americans, of course they know the story!” We had 2 hours of grammar and vocabulary, then took a tour of the university given by 2 Spanish students, then had an hour of culture lessons (my personal favorite.)
Esther really got into the culture hour- she started by asking us what words came to mind when we thought of Spain. We said toros, mañana, siestas, paella. We then went through some of these words and some other stereotypes and compared Spain to our own countries. Esther informed us never to trust Spanish men, that German people live to work while Spanish people work to live, and horrified the German girls by telling them that American women take 30-40 minute showers just to enjoy the water. It was all in good fun, however, and before I knew it I had successfully completed my first day of Spanish class.
I walk up to the desk.
Hombre working at the desk: “Dime.” (Tell me.)
Me: “Tengo una clase de español hoy, pero no sé donde está mi clase.” (I have a Spanish class today, but I don’t know where it is.)
Hombre: “Cómo se llama?” (What’s your name?)
Me: “Hillary Richard”
Hombre: “Jilari de Cornell?” (*very Spanish pronunciation of Hillary* from Cornell?)
Me: “Sí!!”
Success! So nice guy at the desk told me to go to Aula 7 (Room 7) in the philosophy building for my introduction meeting at 10. I had some time to kill (it being about 9:15) so I sat down in the hallway outside of this “Aula 7” in what I thought was the philosophy building and started to read a book. Lo and behold it was suddenly 9:58 and not a soul was in sight. So after another not quite so quick but just as semi-successful conversation with someone at another desk, I dashed off to the real Aula 7 and was only a few minutes late for the meeting.
And who did I see but my American amigos, Caitlyn and Josh! Turns out we are all in the same class along with 5 German girls and 2 older women (one Italian, one Dutch.) I can tell this is going to be an interesting class already- our professor, Esther, is about as stereotypically flamboyantly Spanish as you could get. She is also very knowledgeable, however, and makes you feel very comfortable in the classroom. And so funny! Our first task was to write a biography of Superman and read it aloud to the class. After I read mine she remarked, “Oh these Americans, of course they know the story!” We had 2 hours of grammar and vocabulary, then took a tour of the university given by 2 Spanish students, then had an hour of culture lessons (my personal favorite.)
Esther really got into the culture hour- she started by asking us what words came to mind when we thought of Spain. We said toros, mañana, siestas, paella. We then went through some of these words and some other stereotypes and compared Spain to our own countries. Esther informed us never to trust Spanish men, that German people live to work while Spanish people work to live, and horrified the German girls by telling them that American women take 30-40 minute showers just to enjoy the water. It was all in good fun, however, and before I knew it I had successfully completed my first day of Spanish class.
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