Day 32 - No more Spanish!

I've decided not to continue on in Spanish school as it was too taxing on my brain.  And, the last thing I wanted by coming here was to be mentally drained.  I have two more weeks of school that I paid for so I might convert that to private one-on-one lessons for one week.  I'm not sure yet.  I've done better at the local English pub than I have in class so I'm not convinced it is the right course for me.

It was at the pub last night that the camarero (bartender) reminded me that I have only really started to learn Spanish in the past month and that I'm doing very well.  However, at 43 (soon to be 44), it's hard to sit in class and take in everything.  Also, I realize I didn't come to Spain to learn Spanish but to spend time with Philip.  I was doing school as a way to occupy myself.  But, again, it was more work than fun.  So, now I'm playing Facebook games until he gets done in the early afternoon =)

I'm missing many things about the U.S.  First, I had to go on a major search for a drip coffee maker.  The only coffee you can find here is some form of espresso.  As the Italian girl in my class stated, "Es no espresso en Italia!  Es cafe!"  However, I had brought 10 pounds of Starbucks with me (not realizing there is a Starbucks on every major corner here as well) so it had to be used.  It was like heaven opened the pearly gates the first day I had real "American" coffee.  Apparently, no where else in the world do they serve drip, brewed coffee.  The guy that we are renting the room from calls it "agua sucio" which translates to "dirty water".  This is coming from someone that drinks tea every morning!  sigh!

Philip and I are thinking of going to Segovia this weekend and seeing the Roman aqueducts and other relics.  I'll keep everyone posted on whether we make it or not.

Ciao!

Day 31 - Second Level of Spanish!

Today I was supposed to start A2 (second level) of Spanish classes.  I've been so wiped out from the trip to Valencia I couldn't get out of bed.  So, I skipped today.  However, having done this class on my very first day at school, I thought it would be worth it to check in on my classmates from A1 and see how they fared on their first day.  All of them said they were lost.  So, in some ways, I should have probably stuck with the A2 classes as I was as lost as they are now.

In any case, I promised to post some more information on our trip to Valencia.  Again, it is a beautiful city in my mind.  It is much slower than Madrid and has a much more casual feel to it.  I never got to see the Mediterranean but I will see it in Barcelona in April.  Valencia seems a bit more "livable" than Madrid.  However, throughout Spain there is massive unemployment (22+%) and there is no real industry here other than tourism.   Still,Valencia appeared to me to be a "port city" and had many of the cranes I've seen along New Jersey's coast to accept boxcars of freight.  However, Valencia was probably more important in the Roman and Moorish eras than today.  But, they have seemed to turned that around.  It's a vibrant and interesting city unto itself.

One of it's coolest features is that it still has the old city gates from...I don't know when.  The walls of the old city have since been demolished but the main gate still stands.  You can't really get the gravity of the height of this ancient city entrance until you scale it yourself.  You clearly are 10 stories above the ground.  What's more is you can see how they built in the defenses - even inside the gate.  You can even see an opening in the center of the "wall" that they created just behind the gate where, if an enemy force got passed the main gate, they could throw boulders, pots of boiling oil or whatever else they could find to deter the invaders.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of that spot but here's a few that show what the fortress was really like.

Philip at the very top of the wall fortress (of course, with a Valencia flag flying).

A view down from the top, as the soldiers would have seen from an invading army.

The original gates to the city - still intact.  This was the first line of defense.

Archery openings at the very top of the wall defenses.

However, as the day progressed, we found it much less interesting.  Not because of the architecture or history but because of the hoards of people that were assembling in a political protest on March 11th.  That being the day of the Al Queda bombings on the Madrid trains on March 11th.  I never even thought that I'd be on a train on the anniversary of that event.

Day 30

It's been a while since I've updated my blog.  My apologies to everyone reading, but, it's been a mixed bag of events here in Spain.  On one hand, I've gotten to see a European country for the first time in my life, on the other I've been sick half of the time and have missed a lot of Spanish school as a result.  So, I've been resting a lot and trying to get back into normal mode.

Our AVE train going the maximum speed - notice how I couldn't get a steady picture!

It's hard to believe I've been in Spain for a month now.  It seems just like yesterday that I was landing in Spain on my first international flight.  On Friday, Philip and I took the AVE train to Valencia to spend the weekend there and get out of Madrid for a couple of days.  The train travels at up to 300 km/h (186 mph) so it only took 1.5 hours to get there.  I've taken many trains in the US but they top out at 72 mph, so it was interesting, to say the least.  The downside is you can't see much as you're going too fast.


Valencia reminded me a lot of Florida as it has palm trees and is on the coast.  Still, it was very dry there - just as I've found most of Madrid to be.  Next week is a big week in Valencia with a week-long event known as Las Fallas (click the link to learn more).  So, everyone was setting off firecrackers (and I'm not talking about the US type but the ones that would send the NYC Police running!).  I'm happy we arrived the week BEFORE it really started as it seems like it would be one big loud crowd of people.

My new nick-knack, courtesy of Felipe.

Philip's new Lladró piece.

On our first day in Valencia, we went the a world-renowned porcelain factory of Llardó for a private tour.  Philip's mother and her sisters collected the figurines from the company for many years.  The company is know for their ability to create an expressiveness in their pieces unlike other porcelain manufacturers.  They have grown from simply 3 brothers working in a workshop to over 1,000 artisans now working for the company.  Philip and I both wanted to buy a piece but, with the Euro conversion, it made no sense to buy it at their prices.  When it became clear to the tour guide that we weren't going to buy one of their "firsts", she quickly directed to their "seconds" shop - which we had no idea existed prior to that point!  Philip bought the above piece of soccer players and I guilted him into buying me the Asian boy carrying the potpourri bowl.  Needless to say, my Asian boy was MUCH less than the soccer players.  So guilt works when the economics are in your favor!

Later in the day we went to view the City of Arts & Sciences which - as the Wikipedia link explains - is a series of buildings designed and built in the late 90s in period of transformation and growth in Valencia.  Philip's Blog does a better job of explaining it than I am.  But, here's a few pictures of the cool buildings.

Philip pretending to be a harpist.

So, that was the first day in Valencia!  I'll post some more tomorrow.

I've decided to reinvest in Spanish school as an American friend that I've met there has asked me to join her in the next level of classes.  I don't hold out much hope for understanding the teacher any better, but I'm going to try it for a day or two to see how well I can survive.

¡Hasta luego!

Day 24 - Not much!

Last night Hector brought home a new cat and he spent the night howling because he was in a strange place.  So, needless to say, I had about 2 hours of sleep and slept past the time to get up for school.  Also, Philip has caught a bug that gave him a 101° temperature yesterday.  It seems that these Americans haven't been exposed to the same bugs as the Spaniards have, as we both keep getting a bug here and there.

Being tired all day, I eventually got myself out of the apartment at noon to have "tortilla de patata".  Which, is not the same at all as what we, in America, think of tortillas.  As we've been influenced by Mexico and their definition of a tortilla is simply a flat corn bread used to encase some sort of beans or meat inside of (think Taco Bell!).  In España, tortilla is a basically an omelet.  "De patata" - which is the most common - is with potatoes and onions.  Since there is no real breakfast in Madrid, this has become my favorite breakfast meal (albeit at noon).  Hector says he's going to show me how to make it.  Apparently, the key has to do with the temperature of the oil.  I'll post a pic of my first attempt!

After eating tortilla, I came back home and played Facebook games as both Philip and I are both not feeling our best.  After a couple hours, however, I decided to get out and do some homework.  So, back to the English Pub I went and did 3 chapters of homework (along with some Cuban rum!).

On my way back home I strolled through Plaza de Mayor, which was the originally formed by two crossroads which evolved into a plaza/market unto itself.  It is a very historic site and a popular tourist stop.  Today, it's primarily a place where one can sit outside and have a drink and/or eat.

 There are many unique characters that parade around the plaza attempting to solicit some money from the tourists.  They are more odd than the "Naked Cowboy" in Times Square.  Here's one such oddity.









Here's a nice panoramic view of the entire plaza.

Tonight I'm going to make a Julia Child's recipe for dinner and introduce Hector to something different.  More later!

Day 23 - Pastry!

Yesterday I had gotten up earlier than Hector and Philip so I decided to go for a stroll outside to not wake the two of them and to kill some time.  I had remembered Philip telling me about a pastry shop (la pastelería) that Hector had taken him to that was supposedly the best one in the area.  And, in Madrid there are plenty of them!  Spaniards apparently enjoy their sweets. 

One thing I've been surprised by is how well made the pastries are here.  I'd say they are on par with the French.  I hadn't realized how much they value their art of baking here.

As you can see from these photos, there were many choices and the decision was challenging. 

In any case, I made a selection of an apple tart pastry and Philip and I enjoyed it over some great American coffee.


We're not yet sure what the remainder of our day will be as we're both still recovering from not feeling well for most of the week.  So, we might just lounge around.  I'll let you know later!

UPDATE:  3pm - Philip is not feeling well again today - it seems like one of the two of us has something every day!  It seems to have been something he ate yesterday.  So, I'm using Rosetta Stone to listen to stories en Español to improve my listening skills.  So far it isn't working!

Day 22?

I'm not sure if my math is correct or not but I can't believe it has been 22 days since I've been in Spain.  Although, that's only 3 weeks and it makes sense since the first week I just lounged around and the next 2 weeks I've been in Spanish classes.

Speaking of which, class is MUCH harder than I expected.  I tested out better on grammar and vocabulary than the level at which I can speak/hear.  So, I stepped back a level and am still struggling to understand la maestra (teacher).  I'm considering switching to one-on-one tutoring next week but won't know if I can until Monday.

Other than missing school, I've found an English Pub that has become my daily haunt.  I've become friends with the bartenders (think Norm in "Cheers").  And, they won't let me speak any English with them.  It's been a great place to hang out - not just for the Cuban Rum - where I can do my homework and they actually enjoy helping me with it.  It's been great fun and their tapas are wonderful!

In any case, here's a pic of Philip, me and "Patricia" (my favorite bartender there).

Day 15

Well, I've been under the weather for about 4 days now and missed 3 days of school this week.  It appears I'm getting the same cold Philip got when he arrived here after about 2 weeks.  Not much to report other than I've been sleeping a lot and studying Rosetta Stone since I haven't been going to school.  I'm a little concerned about getting too far behind in class although I've looked at everything they did while I was out and I know it already, so I should be fine (as long as I'm better by Monday).

In any case, I don't have much to add to my blog but Philip has spent a decent amount of time documenting some things we've done the last couple of days.  So, check out Philip's Most Recent Blog Entry for the latest news.

Day 10 - First Day of Escuela de Espanol

Well, today was my first day at Spanish school.  I was apprehensive about being placed in  A2 (2nd level) versus A1 (beginner) as I barely passed the entrance exam for A2 and the coordinator told me I'd have a hard time for the first week.  After all the stress from my last job, I really didn't want to struggle that much so I was a bit worried.  But, I pressed on.

So, I arrive in class and the instructor (maestra) comes in and starts spouting out Espanol like it was going out of style and all I heard was blah, blah, blah, cervecza, blah, blah, blah.  Followed by the "Y Christopher?"  Which I had no idea to what she was asking me.  Everyone else in the class was able to answer her questions (which were apparently about what they did for the weekend) except for me.

So, at one point in one of our exercises she approaches me to see how I'm doing and I say "No comprendo eso" or "I don't understand".  So, she suggested I step back to A1, which I agreed was a good idea and headed off to the coordinator.  He seemed a bit hesitant, saying it was my first day.  But, when you can't understand hardly anything being said, it's hard to see how you're going to get better over a week.  Gladly, he placed me in an A1 (beginner class) that was midway through their course and just starting to converse.  I fit in perfectly, although I'm still trying to learn how they teach the course - the teacher would jump ahead and everyone else seemed to know it except me.  But he was nice enough to give me the chance to catch up, show me where we were and then proceeded to ask me questions about my favorite movies etc.  It was much more fun and relaxing and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Time to hit the books and do my homework!  Hasta manana!

Day 9 - Toledo

Philip and I took the train from Madrid to Toledo today.  For the first time I got to see a true historical European city.  Toledo is geographically just a big hill surrounded by rivers.  So, it is naturally fortified and some of the original city walls still exist!  It was nice to finally see a true ancient city.  What was truly amazing was the ancient architecture.  In Toledo, there's a huge Moorish influence and it can be seen in almost every building there. 

We went to their museum of "army before armies" which had items taking back to the 1300s.  Some of the artifacts we saw were items collected by their expeditions to the Americas, Japan and Africa.  These items are over 300 years old!  The ones that struck me the most were the Samurai outfits that looked like they were in perfect condition.  It made me realize how the Spanish fleet was once the ruler of the seas and how they acquired (and settled) much of the New World.  It was a fascinating visit.  Alas, no pictures were allowed except in the courtyard of the armory.

The church were Greco's painting is in the foyer.

We went to an ancient church where the famous Greco painting is on the wall (although the rest of the church has clearly been renovated in modern style) and an ancient synagogue.  However, for us to get into the main cathedral we would have had to of waited in line forever.  So, we chose not to do it.  Besides, all of the churches now charge you to enter and the price they charge far exceeds what you get to see.

After two days of walking, we headed back to the train for the 30 minute ride back to Madrid, looking forward to an early night as we both had school in the morning.  Philip wasn't feeling well most of the day so he called it an early night while I tried to study the first chapter of my first day in class tomorrow.

Day 8 - Not much!

Philip and I spent most of the morning sleeping and being lazy so there's not much to report.  We didn't make it out until almost noon and we went to the local department store (THE only department store in Madrid) and went to their cafeteria for some food.  Think old Woolworth's!  I need some eggs and you cannot find that in Spain for breakfast.  However, they seem to like eggs and foie for lunch or dinner (see my earlier post from 2-14).  So, we had lunch, returned to the apartment and then attempted to find some architectural building Philip has been wanting to see.  After 3 hours of finding most were a Metro ride, bus trip and walking, we gave up.

So then we decided to go to the Atocha train station and get our tickets for the train to Toledo on Sunday.  After getting our tickets we strolled through a park which is basically Madrid's Central Park (can't remember it's name) before jumping on the Metro and heading back to the apartment.  This photo reminds me so much of the lake in Central park.  They even had the row boaters there!

I was running low on energy so asked if we could stop and get something to eat.  Hector (our housemate) suggested we try the chocolate and churros which is considered a delicacy in Madrid.  So, we stopped by, ordered our drink and churros and dug in.  Needless to say, it is very rich and sweet and we could only get half way through it before calling it quits.  I don't see how these Spaniards do it with all these sweets.

Afterwards, we went back to the apartment and hung out for a bit before we went out to dinner and called it an early night since we were catching an early train to Toledo in the morning.

It was a pretty uneventful day.

Day 7 - The Big Test!

Philip passed his final exam in his A2 level class so he's very happy that he'll be moving into the more advanced B1 class.  We have just enough time left for him to be able to complete that course so that is why he was putting a lot of pressure on himself to pass this week. 

I just took my entrance exams for school this morning.  I was dreading the speaking exam as I can't seem to get the words out that I want to say.  It's daunting when you've never spoken another language fully without the help of English.  However, Philip informed me on the Metro on the way to the school that you can use English if you get stuck.  Had I known that...!  Anyhow, I too was putting a lot of pressure on myself to get into the A2 level class as I have enough time to complete it before leaving as well.  And at the end of A2, they say you can speak well enough to converse in public situations.  Anyhow, to make a long story short...I got into A2!  Yay!  Although, the coordinator told me I'm "borderline" - which we all knew already - so I will probably struggle the first week (ack!).

Philip in front of the Museo de Prada

Philip and I spent the rest of the day wandering around Madrid.  We went to see "Guernica", Pacasso's famous painting in the Museo de la Reina Sofia (Queen Sofia Museum).  I'm not a huge art lover so I let Philip wander around and I went across the street and had a beer and some bruscetta afuera (outside).  You see people in Madrid are always sitting outside restaurants in the cold with their coats on.  So, I just had to try it.

Why do I always look like I'm not smiling?!

We also got a chance to go across the street and see the beautiful Atocha train station.  They have taken the old portion where trains used to come into the platforms and have transformed it into a tropical garden (turtles and all!).

Philip and I haven't had much time this week together so it was a nice day and the weather was beautiful.

Day Six

Today was, yet, another uneventful day.  Philip went out and got us some dinner last night which was pretty much a Mediterranean salad.  Well, it didn't set well with me.  And, today, Philip had his BIG test to complete the "A" level and move onto the "B" level - representing a more advanced level.  As he and I are alike, we both are trying to achieve as much as possible based on these silly "levels" defined by the school.  So, it was unfortunate that I wasn't in the best of moods to give him some positive influence in preparation for his exam.  Although, I suspect he will do better than he thinks.

I have no new pictures as I spent most of today doing Rosetta Stone in preparation for my entrance exams tomorrow for Spanish school.  I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that they will not put me into A2 as the online test suggests but rather the beginner course (A1).  But, I suspect they will put me in the middle of an existing A1 class so I don't have to learn all of the basic nouns and verbs all over again.

We'll see...I'll let everyone know tomorrow how both Philip and I fared in our quests to conquer Español.

Day 5

Not much happened today.  Although Philip and I checked out of the hotel and made our way to Hector's apartment for the remainder of our stay in Madrid.  I was glad to be out of the hotel because the heat in the room made the air so dry that you had to drink water constantly.

The biggest event of the day was I went with Philip to his school and got registered to begin Spanish classes on Monday.  I'm glad he was with me because no one at the registration desk spoke a single word of English!  You would have thought that, being a school that teaches Spanish, they would realize you can't speak it to get registered.  Oh well, Philip got me through it.

After returning to Hector's place, I tried to get through a few more lessons of Rosetta Stone in the hopes of learning a bit more before I have to take my placement exam on Friday.  I've taken the school's practice exam online and it places me either in the first level or the second.  My intention for going to school is to have fun learning and to share in Philip's experience.  However, I'm finding myself revert back to my typical mindset and am getting frustrated with my progress - and I haven't even started yet!  You have to take a written and oral exam before they place you in a particular level.  I'm worried about the oral portion as I don't speak Spanish as well as I write it and hear it.  I don't want to be in level 1 because I've learned all of the basics already so I'm pushing myself to get into level 2.  Hopefully, over the next couple of days I can just chill out and enjoy the process instead of pushing myself like I normally do.

There was a big protest tonight by the Metro union workers.  Apparently, Spain is reducing their benefits in some way.  Philip was all excited to have something to snap photos of for his blog so we went down to the street to watch it.  Having lived in NYC for years, it was a typical protest and I got bored with it quickly.  So, we returned to the apartment and he grabbed some food for us

Day 4

Well, I finally did it!  I went to an electronics store to buy a notebook mouse and a new camera.  No one there spoke English.  So, I was forced to try and understand them.  Actually, I think both I and the sales clerks were equally confused by each other.  But, I was able to ask enough questions about the cameras to make a good selection and I got over the mental hurdle of getting out there and just speaking - regardless of how bad it is.  However, it wasn't until I got back to the hotel and opened the box and realized that I had bought a camera in Europe.  Hmmm, guess what that means?  I have a European AC plug on my charger!  And, it's a European model only.  Still, it will work out well while I'm here since I won't have to use a converter.

My other decision of the day was to enroll in Spanish school.  I'm a bit nervous about the conversational entrance exam but know I'll make up for it on the written exam.  I'm going to Philip's school tomorrow to register, get my books, etc.

Philip proud of his newly lifted scarf

Once Philip got back from school we did again what most people in Madrid do - went out at 8pm for a drink before dinner.  We had previously found a cozy pub so we decided to go back there.  Once there, Philip made quite a few arguments of how much my scarf looks better with his jacket than mine.  See, a good friend of mine, Liz, had knitted a scarf for me and it has always remained a favorite of mine.  And, while he's right, it doesn't go so well with my jacket, in the winter you go for warmth more than style (although Liz, if you're reading this, I'm sure you'd take issue with that =)  In any case, Philip has been eying it since I arrived because it is knitted in Spain's colors.

As you can see, he won out.   Sigh.  I now have a nice solid black scarf.

Being Valentine's Day we had planned on going out to a nice restaurant for dinner.  We searched for a place Philip had been to with his roommate previously but he couldn't remember where exactly it was.  So, we opted to return the restaurant where we had dinner the first night I got here. 

 It was an interesting night because our waitress spoke a little English and she and I had fun while I tried out my Spanish some more.   I was able to successfully ask her about "Huevos y Foie" (eggs & liver) which I've seen on many menus.  When I asked if it was chicken liver she was quick to point out that in Spain foie is always duck liver.  In Spanish, she explained that if it's not duck liver they simply call it pate and it is usually cheaper (like chicken).  Well, I got a volley back at Philip for lifting my scarf from me because I was able to understand her when he did not.
Philip-1, Chris-1

My First Days in Spain

I decided to take up Philip's idea that I also blog my experiences on our trip to Spain.  Since we both will have different perspectives, it could be fun to see how we both write about them.  I'll add some photos once I buy a new camera.

First Day
So far my trip here has not  been surprisingly difficult.  The first day was great!  I didn't sleep a wink on the flight so I was more than exhausted - I arrived at would have been 2am.  So, Philip and I checked into our hotel and I slept for most of the morning.  We went out in the afternoon to a great rooftop bar where you sat around on beds.  It was so much like Miami I almost felt like I never left Florida.  Philip and I enjoyed a few toasts and were taking in that we were actually in Madrid!  We went back and took a nap as I was still tired and no one eats dinner here until 9pm - at the earliest!  We found a great restaurant and I got to attempt to speak to the waitress in Spanish.

Second Day
The second day wasn't so good.  I hadn't realized how much this trip would represent how much I've given up to be here and have a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience Spain.  I left a good job for this experience and have to find a new home upon my return.  Also, after my first day and really struggling with Spanish, I felt like a fish out of water.  I took an extra anti-anxiety med and in an hour I was feeling better. 

Philip and I went to visit the Palacio Reál (Royal Palace) which was built to be a near replica of Versailles.  It was fascinating to see how opulate of building royalty once built.  Of course, there was many gilded and mural painted ceilings which were astonishing.  One room in particular was especially intriguing in that its walls and ceiling were covered in porcelain sculptures.  On the way back to the hotel we stopped by a local pub and had a couple of drinks.  It's very interested how they serve drinks here.  I ordered a rum & coke and, first, they give you a gigantic glass and then they bring the liquor to your table and pour into your glass.  Then they leave you a small bottle of coke.  Needless to say, I only needed two (but had 3!).

Third Day
Today was Philip's first day back in school and that meant I was all on my own.  He goes from noon to 6:30pm so it meant the entire day was all mine.  I was still feeling like I was out of place and stayed in my hotel room most of the first couple of hours.  Then I remembered his advice to "just force yourself to go out and walk around".  And, so I did.  I walked through several plazas that are popular tourist areas that reminded of NYC Times Square with all the shops with "Sale!" signs in their windows and the street handlers for the stores attempting to get you to go in their shop.  After living in NYC for so long, the only thing that impressed me about the area were the buildings. 

I went to a department store to find a humidifier (not knowing how to say that in Spanish, mind you) but after looking on 7 floors I gave up.  I decided to take a long way back to the hotel and walked down a non-tourist street.  I was struck by this one building that was a bank where they were 3 very large statues with figures on horses.  I'm not sure what they were but the size of them made me wonder how they ever got them up there since the building appeared to be built in the 1800s.  It was nice to see a different side of Madrid.  I was looking for food the entire way but forgot that Spainards eat lunch between like 3 and 5 and it was already 6:30.  So, I headed back to the hotel to meet up with Philip.

We went looking for a place to eat at 8pm but - once again - forgot that nothing was open yet as it wasn't 9pm yet.  So, we decided to stop into a small shop that chocolate (the liquid drink), tea, coffee - and just like every place in Madrid - alcohol.  I've learned that "Me gustaría Havana siete rum con coca cola" (I would like cuban rum with coke) is becoming my favorite Spanish phrase.  We had a couple of drinks and since we hadn't eaten it was a bit too much.  So, we headed back to the hotel.

More about today tomorrow!

P.S. - You can check out Philip's experiences at  his blog at philipandfelipe.blogspot.com!