tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64208459607800743282024-03-05T08:30:48.751-08:00My Worldly Adventuresa personal tour through my journey abroadBrittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-5280695733443385352013-01-14T14:02:00.000-08:002013-01-14T14:02:16.884-08:00Must Sees in Madrid: AreiaI guess while I have my blogging buzz back I'll continue with the list of my MUST SEES in Madriz.<br />
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One of my favorite bars in all of the capital is <a href="http://www.areiachillout.com/" target="_blank">Areia</a>; located in the heart of Chueca (Boy's Town), this bar is not just for the same-sex oriented. Address: Calle Hortaleza 92</div>
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In my opinion, this bar is the perfect spot for after-work cocktails and schmoozing or an ideal way to start off the weekend before hitting the clubs. I've never been here during the day but I hear that they serve up some yummy lunch time goodies. </div>
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The bar was renovated some years back to take on sexy, Middle-Eastern jewel-toned, sofa lounger, incense filled love nest. I would recommend coming here early in the evening to take advantage of the ambiance and excellent drink menu. Now this place is catching on to more than just the locals so come mid-night, you have to squeeze through the single men and dolled up females showing off their latest mating calls. (I say this in all seriousness as I was once one of those females).</div>
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This is also a great romantic date night as special elevated, private bed-rooms can be reserved for you and a special someone or a few close friends. Anyway, take a look at the photos I found from other enthusiasts (because for some crazy reason I can't find any of my own) and judge for yourself. <br />
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-91193075806647136472013-01-11T14:42:00.002-08:002013-01-14T13:08:47.595-08:00My Epic ReturnI know you've all been on the edge of your seats waiting to hear updates on my last post back in September... and I am finally ready to write it!<br />
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So as you know, I was having a bit of a mental block on what I was doing with myself those past few months. I have a great job. Amazing friends and family. New apartment. New life, in some ways.... I just had a few unanswered questions that I needed to ask myself and work out the answers.<br />
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And I can say that I have found those answers.... <br />
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The main and most important question: <br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Do I regret moving back to Chicago </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">(<span style="font-size: small;">or maybe better said:</span> Do I regret leaving Spain)? </span></strong><br />
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I got on a plane destination Madrid on October 17th. The entire trip was spent fidgeting in my seat, trying unsuccessfully to nap and daydreaming of the adventures to that await while dreading the decisions I might have to make.<br />
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I knew my first few hours were going to be a whirlwind....<br />
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I was stopping in Madrid for a total of 4 hours to drop of my suitcases as my friend Melissa's work and get back on a plane to Barcelona for Michelle's wedding extravaganza. In that time, I lost my new leather jacket, spent an hour trying to buy a cheap phone (because the worker didn't know how to issue one to a non-citizen), missed my train so paid a taxi 40 euros to bring me to Barajas Airport, somehow found the lost leather jacket and argued with security for not letting me bring my duty free items on the plane. <br />
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Now I was starting to remember the inefficiency of the Spanish system :)<br />
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But I made it to Barcelona and spent an amazing weekend celebrating the union of one of my very best friends to her amazing now-husband and acting as her Maid of Honor. (Which will be a blog in itself).<br />
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Days later I made my way back to Madrid to start the real reunion. I had to get my wits about me as many things have changed in the capital this past year or so... including the public transport system, tourist passes, on-going strikes/ protests and comings of old friends/ colleagues. Not to mention transitioning back into the Castellano accent.<br />
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I had a tight itinerary pretty well mapped out in the weeks preceding my departure. My days were filled with touristy things like trips to my favorite museos and parks, luncheons with friends and ex-clients and relaxing ME-time which mostly meant shopping. However, once 6 in the 'afternoon' rolled around, I was running from restaurant to bar to house dinners to parties. By the end, I needed a vacation from my vacation!<br />
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I spent my nights cozied up with my dear friend Melissa and her demon-spawn of a cat. (I joke, I joke....kinda!) She gave me a spare key to her apartment and was able to come and go as I pleased. Thank you Mely for being an amazing hostess that week!<br />
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Of course, I made the trek to Toledo and spent the afternoon in all the old places. Reliving some of the moments that truly changed my life. I visited my university, ate lunch at my favorite restaurant, stocked up on some souvenirs and finished it off with a 'clara con limon' at my favorite bar. All in all an amazing and necessary trip. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia!<br />
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I'll share some of my highlights as well:<br />
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My friend Steph, who moved back to the States the year before I did and now lives in Wisconsin, was also visiting because of the wedding. So we planned a dual reunion outing with her friends and old mutual colleagues at a local bar. It was like neither of us had left. We caught up on the small things (though most everything is already on facebook that anyone would need to know) and told stories of past shenanigans and fun times. We shared <em>raciones</em> of tortillas de patata, salchichas, queso de cabra and lots LOTS of beer. It was nothing crazy; just a group of adults, mostly ex-pats remembering different days. It was a highlight because it showed me that even after being away a year, I could still fit in and connect to that important part of my life.<br />
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I came to tears twice on this trip... once was watching Michelle get married. The other was the night I had dinner with my favorite little student, Ali and her family. <br />
I spoke of them in previous blogs. I never liked teaching children... but a class had come up a few blocks from where I was living and it fit perfectly into my schedule; so I figured, why not? She was a little less than 3 when started classes. Her baby sister was a few months old. We went to the park, played flash cards and drew with crayons. It was tough but I enjoyed every minute of it. When I left Spain, saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest things I had to do. I remember distinctly that she was being distant during our last goodbye. Typically she held onto my leg as I walked out the door. Her father Damian said, "I don't think she realizes this is the last time she'll see you for a long while." To which Raquel, his wife and Ali's mother replied, "No. I think she understands very well and that's why she doesn't want to say anything." I cried the entire walk home that night.<br />
So when they agreed to see me and invited me over for dinner, I had my reservations. Would Ali even remember me? How would I feel seeing her again after more than a year? As Raquel buzzed me into their complex and I climbed the stairs to their apartment, I heard what sounded like cattle and a cat going crazy. Then I made out voices and realized that it was Ali jumping up and down and heard Damian, her father, laughing and saying, "Yes Ali... Brittany is coming! Brittany is coming!" As soon as I knocked on the door I heard loud shrieks and even more laughter and was greeted by the biggest smiles I could have imagined! We spent the next 2 hours playing and cooking dinner. I got caught up with Damian and Raquel who had become good friends over the past 2 and a half years. I asked if they found a new teacher to replace me. They said they tried 2 others but no one that really connected with Ali like I had. And I gawked at how big Ali and her then baby sister Alba had gotten over that year. It was an incredible night. Leaving once again was very difficult and I she,d a few tears saying goodbye but happier tears when Ali said to me, "I see you soon, Bri-nee!" <br />
I knew at that moment that I would see her again and she would remember me because I did have an impact on her life. <br />
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I could go on for paragraphs and paragraphs about all the things I got to do.... but the point of this blog was to answer that question that had been plaguing my subconscious for months. <br />
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Do I regret leaving Spain?<br />
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My answer is No. I love Spain and the life I led with every ounce of my soul. I made memories and experienced things that people can only dream of. And that's because I lived a dream. It was my life, but I knew that I would come back to the States one day. Do I wish I had more time there... yes. There are things that I miss every day about my old life but there are things here in Chicago that I wouldn't trade for anything. Going back helped me remember the small things that I disliked about life abroad and the reasons why I missed home so much. This trip helped me realize that spending a few days there would be sufficient to get my fix. <br />
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But in the end, probably the most remarkable thing about this whole journey and the feeling that I was dreadind to discover was that I was happy to be going back to the States. Getting on the plane, I didn't feel extreme sadness for leaving Madrid and my old life; I was looking forward to getting back home and telling everyone about the amazing vacation I had. And that is how I discovered my place on this earth. My life is in Chicago and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.<br />
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Cheers!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-22066869943063476182012-09-21T13:10:00.000-07:002012-09-21T14:34:38.178-07:00Despicable Me....So after a year of silence… I’m back! This comes on the eve of a momentous occasion for me. My first return to Spain. I tried desperately to visit after the New Year but a change in jobs and a new apartment made it impossible. With the upcoming nuptials of my dear friend, Michelle in mid-October and my presence necessary as her Maid of Honor, I have no excuse but to escape back into dreamland. <br />
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I would be lying to say that I’ve been anxious for my departure: counting down the months and now the weeks, soon to be the days then the hours. To my surprise I’ve actually been hesitant in thinking about my travel plans. Not that I’m not excited for the new Mr & Mrs. But because of the inevitable question I will have to ask myself…. <strong>Do I regret moving back to Chicago?</strong><br />
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This questions has been undeniably plaguing my subconscious and a times bursting out of my drunken conscious for months. I moved back in August of 2011 for 3 weddings in which I was a bridesmaid. Do I regret that decision? Absolutely not! I couldn’t imagine missing any of those celebrations of 3 of my very close friends. <br />
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However, I have allowed myself to accept the fact that I don’t believe I had enough time in Spain. That my daily European, guiri adventures have been put on hold forever in exchange for the ever engrossing American life-style. Spain has become a distant dream that at times I find difficult to remember. I’ve met up with friends, Spanish and American, over the course of the year; yet, I still feel disconnected when talking about our old stomping grounds. Does this happen to everyone over time? Do memories become less detailed and lose their thrill? Or is it my brain actively not allowing myself to remember those feelings and sensations for fear that it would make me realize something… that maybe I wasn’t just an American living in Madrid. Maybe, I was a woman simply born in America but living her life where she was meant to be…. <br />
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I’m clearly having a lot of mixed emotions right now. It’s taken me almost a year to finally put the ideas running rapid in my mind down onto paper (well, the symbolic paper of life if computers didn’t exist). <br />
This trip could be a game changer for me… it undoubtedly will. And that’s what I fear. I’ve always known what I wanted. I knew I wanted go to college. I knew that when I graduated I wanted to go abroad. I knew that I wanted to return to Chicago to reconnect with my friends and family this past year. Yet, here I am completely uncertain of what I will want in a month’s time. I have an amazing life here in Chicago. I couldn’t be happier with my current job (unless they paid me more; then I could be happier). I love having my family so close that I can see them anytime I want and being there for birthdays and graduations and random movie dates. I adore being able to call friends without having to organize a time a week in advance. But is all that enough? I feel like there’s something missing. Is it Spain?<br />
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Check back in a month….<br />
<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-36664977387896196272012-02-20T09:54:00.000-08:002012-09-21T14:26:37.525-07:00Weddings.... Weddings Galore....I've decided to keep up on blogging about my past experiences in Spain. I'm really behind on a lot of trips I'd taken in the past year. Things have been a bit crazy on my side with a new job, rekindling old friendships and WEDDINGS!<br />
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One of the biggest reasons I returned to Chicago after more than 2 years living in Madrid was because of.... Matrimony! Yes, 3 of my best friends in the world all decided to get married in a 3 month time span..... and all 3 asked me to be a bridesmaid. I knew that I couldn't afford to travel back and forth from Europe but I also knew that I couldn't imagine missing any of these weddings. Therefore, I decided that it would be a good time to leave my fantasy life of jet-setting, ESL moonlighting and Spanish sunsets behind. <br />
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So what's a better way to honor that decision and these momentous occasions than blogging about them....<br />
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WEDDING #1<br />
BFF Carrie and her hubby, Dustin<br />
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WEDDING #2<br />
College Roommate and her hubby, Tom<br />
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WEDDING #3<br />
BFF Leslie and her hubby, Ron<br />
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Three absolutely amazing weddings for 3 of my favorite people in this world! Thank you so much for allowing me to take par in your special days, ladies!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-43116439512116847222011-12-06T17:27:00.000-08:002011-12-06T17:27:06.733-08:00Dusseldorf, GermanyThough I only spent a few hours in this fantastic city, it left quite an impression on me. I arrived here only for a layover on my way to Berlin with my amazing friend, Danny. First thing I want to mention is their absolutely stunning airport. I actually spent another few hours months later as I was returning to the States on another layover. This airport is not something to be missed!<br />
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About the city itself I'm afraid I can only tell you about the Old Town. Danny and I took a 15 minute taxi ride to the main street in Old Town and we could already tell that Germany was going to be a wild time. Here's some photos just to give you an idea.....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRpuJ33gqTp1Iz7Xa-0-HYjAh4LYXq_CnOfoX6BtnBhafy8mAGbDWhws7hJAv83QLH9NueBGrZuzzSMjHmp90w_lpua_X__glsfIj0BpJZ3iZmlxbvqQMnEnWDmUlIKquMJvVnazpCu8M/s1600/228202_10100179667651504_12309822_49572852_6974401_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRpuJ33gqTp1Iz7Xa-0-HYjAh4LYXq_CnOfoX6BtnBhafy8mAGbDWhws7hJAv83QLH9NueBGrZuzzSMjHmp90w_lpua_X__glsfIj0BpJZ3iZmlxbvqQMnEnWDmUlIKquMJvVnazpCu8M/s320/228202_10100179667651504_12309822_49572852_6974401_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaZlZswsLp_-P366G87ootiUnFtJqsut2A8hAXqoV59Qhj-9yjNPp9xHlT7z6YKFpaEE0DJMfUG3YiLA7LHBeRRRmT8TbYPSeiOCX2k6YRHfaW9vpJIF6DTXNebi50BwD6nWBxKFWmsqS/s1600/230019_10100179667446914_12309822_49572846_7286200_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaaZlZswsLp_-P366G87ootiUnFtJqsut2A8hAXqoV59Qhj-9yjNPp9xHlT7z6YKFpaEE0DJMfUG3YiLA7LHBeRRRmT8TbYPSeiOCX2k6YRHfaW9vpJIF6DTXNebi50BwD6nWBxKFWmsqS/s320/230019_10100179667446914_12309822_49572846_7286200_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvhESfBqeGfTmxxDj3wSZiBPFaxn5sMRgxdKiYFX74ix6FC6Ad4EVB3IpzwTma0RX_F6WyLCd2cbgw7pxZA4kWEdp06vlpSp7-nTs3zyZ8h5iv01a6PQaLZS_r6RQhhJzaj652PnmvItX/s1600/227787_10100179667426954_12309822_49572845_6335406_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvhESfBqeGfTmxxDj3wSZiBPFaxn5sMRgxdKiYFX74ix6FC6Ad4EVB3IpzwTma0RX_F6WyLCd2cbgw7pxZA4kWEdp06vlpSp7-nTs3zyZ8h5iv01a6PQaLZS_r6RQhhJzaj652PnmvItX/s320/227787_10100179667426954_12309822_49572845_6335406_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-61288310202992289162011-12-02T09:47:00.000-08:002011-12-02T09:52:14.968-08:00Spanish Withdrawl.... Part 1I have been back in the States for 5 months... 5 MONTHS! Ay Dios Mio... <br />
<br />
So I've compiled a list of some things that I'm just dying to have again in my life....<br />
Of course, most of things I could get back here in the States but it's still not the same...<br />
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Case #1- Cañas/ Claras<br />
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So these are nothing special... small glass of beer (una caña) / beer & soda mixture (una clara) but it comes with the cultural significance behind them. I enjoyed nothing more than running across the street to a local bar and sitting on a terraza (terrace) having a quick drink and big bowl of aceitunas (olives) between classes or after a long day of work or just spending a relaxing Sunday with friends. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NfaeZk-u_lRU-VXUorH5SZKx699e6uMZDPxgzJLfigFaPqtxW83vSu4Xwj_ROMVvrArrNn4TVsKAyMHj1FQWUlXhTvlcZkc6ToGTKEbmWwQW0NGvwlv_6I9M_HC2lmrWCy_scKJy08k1/s1600/IMG_2700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9NfaeZk-u_lRU-VXUorH5SZKx699e6uMZDPxgzJLfigFaPqtxW83vSu4Xwj_ROMVvrArrNn4TVsKAyMHj1FQWUlXhTvlcZkc6ToGTKEbmWwQW0NGvwlv_6I9M_HC2lmrWCy_scKJy08k1/s320/IMG_2700.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Yeah, back here in Chicago I meet up with friends at a local sports bar for the Sox or Bears games or just a few pregaming beers before hitting the clubs. However, its still not the same. We're all about chugging the beers down before running out, not just enjoying the moment.... but alas we are Americans.<br />
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Case #2 Late Nights<br />
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Ugh, I'm not trying to have an alcohol, partying theme here but that is one of the things Spain does best.... <br />
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In Spain, if you're home before 4 am it's because you're sick, have an early morning class (for ESL teachers) or.... actually those are the only 2 I can really think of. In Spain, typical time for getting back to the house during the weekend was when the sun was rising in the cab ride home. <br />
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Now I feel like I have to start partying during dinner just to get my fix. Becuase at 1 o'clock you know that last call is coming and you have to start sobering up for the drive home. However, I must admit that these feelings come from being back in the suburbs. Im sure city life in Chicago would be a little more my speed but still nothing in comparison to el estilo español!<br />
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Case #3 Public Transport<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ONq-14RuEPxAdCidHyC32d2FsZIhN1OYPqE3mzsGgsT8byuS85Gb5ehLgaHxZP3bnawbQ-jz_rCq88k0NM4nKhsoHwHhwcx9ZCnfT-MLcBCzRIed2NRQN0oTskmCVFHZ6f9-AQRHPlHf/s1600/metro-madrid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ONq-14RuEPxAdCidHyC32d2FsZIhN1OYPqE3mzsGgsT8byuS85Gb5ehLgaHxZP3bnawbQ-jz_rCq88k0NM4nKhsoHwHhwcx9ZCnfT-MLcBCzRIed2NRQN0oTskmCVFHZ6f9-AQRHPlHf/s320/metro-madrid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Again this probably comes from being a suburbanite and having to take your car EVERYWHERE but I do truly miss Madrid's public transport. It's clean, efficient and quick.... nothing comparel to the El of Chicago that would take 500 million gallons of bleach to rid each station of it urine smell. Plus I really enjoyed those long rides... I have had some amazing conversations with complete strangers on the 'Metro' about life, culture, politics, history.... something that isn't as easy to find here in Chicago but I must admit.... I think Chicagoans (or Mid-Westerns in general) are a lot more open in this aspect than some other regions of the States.<br />
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Case #4 OLIVE OIL<br />
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Yes, yes I know we have olive oil here in the States but its not the staple that it is in Spain. I got so accustomed to cooking everything with it that I do have cravings. I still cook some things with it but Ive fallen back into my American ways to cooking with butter or just cooking food that dont need anything in general. Mmm getting another craving... so thats all I have to say about this. hahaha<br />
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Case #5 Fruterias<br />
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About a block from my last house and every house in Madrid and all big cities are fruterias (fruit shops) filled with anything you could want. But what I love, above their easy access, is their relatively low price in comparison to the Mid-Wests prices. I could walk out with 2 bags overflowing with fresh fruits and veggies for over a week for like $15. Low prices mean that people eat healthier and in general feel better. Definitely something that Im missing these days!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well of course there's dozens and dozens of other things I could add to this list but these are just a few gripes that I have with my current location. I miss Spain everyday and if I could bring just 5 things to Chicago from España... it would be these.... </div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-82555673355458016942011-08-30T21:18:00.000-07:002011-08-30T21:18:20.163-07:00Adios.... Better Yet: HASTA LUEGO Madrid!I'm sitting here on my sofa at 'home' in the southern suburbs of Chicago. I've been contemplating daily to start this blog because I knew it would truly mean that my time in Spain has come to an end. I guess Ive been on vacation mode for the past month... God, I cant believe I left Madrid over a month ago. <br />
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Well this blog will be about my last few weeks in Spain. I dont have it in me quite yet to talk about how I currently feel about leaving. Yep, I'm definitely in DENIAL!<br />
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I was even in denial before I left. So as the weeks and the days were winding down, I decided not to say any goodbyes. I told everyone we would simply say the overly used phrase 'See ya later!' I finished out the month of June at American Language Academy. I had a falling out with my boss a few weeks before so I decided to finish my contract and take private classes for my last few weeks. It worked out well. Some classes I've had all year long and I picked up a few more little by little over the last few months. <br />
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By the end of June, I was teaching my 25 hours a week with ALA and another 15-20 hours a week in privates. Needless to say, I was able to put away a nice little nest egg for myself after I'd gotten home to Chicago. For the past year I've been almost solely working for Tecnicas Reunidas, a prominent engineering company, through ALA. I started at 8 or 9 am and working straight until 3 or 4. After that, I was free to do what I wanted which was usually private classes. <br />
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As for my privates, I continued some of the usual like Patri and MaAngeles. I also started a pharmaceutical company called Incimed which was one of my favorite classes. The my friend and colleague, Michelle started her own company called Talkbox English. So I got a few more privates from her. One of my favorites was a 2 year named Alicia. I decided I wanted to take on a class with a younger child. It was quite a struggle at first but after about 6 weeks, Ali and I became attached at the hip. I got along fantastically with her young family and her baby sister Alba. Leaving her that last day was probably one of the hardest parts of leaving Spain. Then I took on an entire group of friends, not at the same time. I started with one young professional, Ana who gave my number to her other friends: Lourdes, Jaime, Maria and Fernando (who worked for Tecnicas) So we became this giant circle of of English- learning friends. Actually, Jaime hired me to help him pass the TOEFL and GRE exams so he could begin his Masters at Illinois Insititute of Technology. He passed all his exams and I recently helped him move to Chicago! Its like having a piece of Madrid here in Chicago with me.<br />
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I spent my last weekends trying to stay as normal as possible. A lot of my best friends left Madrid the end of June to take thier vacations. That was rough, not getting more time to say goodbye. But I did well of keeping it together. I just wanted things to be normal. So we went to our favorite resturants and drank and partied at our typical bars. <br />
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I knew however that I wanted a fun Farewell Party. Thinking about sites, I decided that I wanted to rent out the basement of a bar so I could bring snacks and we could play drinking games. The previous St. Pattys we went to this Irish pub in the center. I realized it'd be the perfect place to have my 'DESPIDIDA'. So I contacted the owner and reserved the night for my party. The day of the party, my roommate Nikki, friend Tisha and I got to the bar early to decorate it in 'El Estilo Americano'. I spent the rest of the day getting snacks together then headed out. It was a fantastic turnout of old friends, new friends, colleagues and students. We drank and danced and even played Flip Cup which is a new favorite to a lot of my Spanish students. After the bar closed some of us headed out to a club to finish out the night. Overall, I couldnt have asked for a better Goodbye Party!<br />
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Last few days in Madrid were spent finishing classes, packing and spending time with friends and favorite places. I made sure to go to Toledo one last time just to reminisce about everything that I had discovered and experienced over the last 2 1/2 years. Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-7015286298320887222011-06-27T07:29:00.000-07:002011-06-27T07:29:46.572-07:00Coming to the End....I know I´ve been slacking on blogs as of late but I swear I´ll be back full force in the next few weeks.<br />
My official countdown here in <i>Spain</i> has begun.... I´m down to a little over <b>3 weeks</b> to go.<br />
Not exactly sure how I feel yet. I guess that will be one of my first new blogs ;)<br />
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CHECK BACK SOON... <br />
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Besitos.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-65866736548270029922011-05-11T07:49:00.000-07:002011-05-11T07:49:52.336-07:00Spring Break in BerlinNext Blog about the MOST INCREDIBLE 7 days that I spent in Deutschland!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-87691743831839089172011-03-25T06:13:00.000-07:002011-03-25T06:14:50.929-07:00Brittany vs. Evil Ex-Roommate: The SagaShortly after moving to Madrid in September of 2009, I found an apartment just 5 minutes from my previous academy. I wanted to live with a few Spaniards in order to practice Spanish more. Being in a rush to move our of the previous place I was living, I took a room with 2 Spanish guys and a Swiss girl. The roommates changed every few months as the Swiss girl returned home and other people moved in and out. That is for the exception of one guy who we´ll refer to as <i>El Diablo (</i>aka <i>ED)</i>. <br />
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Well, we had our normal roommate drama within the house. You know things like someone didn´t wash their dishes and who was the last person to buy papel higenico (toilet paper)... things like this. <br />
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I lived there until the end of June 2010 when I finally decided I wanted a change in scenery. Plus, I went home to the US for all of July and didn´t really want to pay rent for a room I wasn´t going to be living in. <br />
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I told my roommates at that time of my plans, including <i>El Diablo</i> and everything was fine. I started packing up little things as I looked for a new apartment to move into that next August. As May was coming to an end, I asked <i>ED </i>if he wanted to use my fianza (security deposit) to cover my last month of rent. He said he´d prefer if I paid so he could collect my deposit by the end of the month. I <b>STUPIDLY</b> agreed not thinking it was abnormal.<br />
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Make a loooooong story short, I never got my fianza back. He told me that another ex-roommate took it and after talking to that ex-roommate he said that indeed <i>ED</i> had it..... blah blah blah! So basically my money simply disappeared! To make matter worse (which I take complete blame for and still kick myself for til this day), I never got a formal contract signed proving that I paid a deposit. I know I´m an <b>IDIOT</b>! So <i>ED</i> walked away with 400€ in his pocket.<br />
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After talking to the landlord and even a student who is a lawyer, I realized that there was nothing I could do. Putting my tail between my legs, I moved out and went back to the US for the month trying to forget about this ordeal. Well kind of.... for the first half of my vacation, I put comments on all the websites where <i>ED</i> was trying to rent my old room stating that nobody should rent from this apartment and warning people about what happened to me. <br />
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Needless to say, I received some very disgruntled messages from <i>El Diablo</i> and also found out that he went to my work asking for my new address and trying to get in contact with my friends in order to find me. Creepy Stuff! I returned to Madrid in August to unpack into my new apartment and finish out the summer working.<br />
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Within my first week back to work, one of my administrators told me that someone was calling from the police station to get in contact with me. I asked if they left a number and but was told they didn´t. The next day I received a call from a weird number while I was in class and afterwards listened to the voicemail. It was from the COMISARÍA (police station) asking me to return the phone call. Well, I was a little confused so the next day I walked sown to the station to talk with them in person and asked why they wanted to talk to me. However, no one had heard of me or knew why I received these phone calls. So I left convinced that it was my insane ex-roommate trying to scare me. Well, the phone calls continued to my work so eventually I just got on the phone with my administrator next to me so I could figure out what was really going on.<br />
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Turns out it really was the COMISARÍA and I had to go down there again to talk to an officer. They wouldn´t give me any other information over the phone but I had my suspicions that it had to do with<i> ED</i>; I just didn´t know why? Few days later, I went to the station and talked to a very nice lady. She explained that a claim had been brought against me... by guess who? <i>EL DIABLO</i>! The officer must have sensed my suprise and aggravation. He was reporting me to the cops???? He stole my money! What parallel universe was I living in?<br />
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She asked me before explaining what the charges were if <i>ED</i> had any reason to say I did something. SO explained the whole fianza debacle even the part about my messages on the apartment websites. SHe nodded and took notes, while also, keeping her patience as I was flustered and trying to get all this information out in Spanish. After I said everything I could think of, she looked at me and asked, <b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: large;">¨Well, when you left the apartment, did you bring anything to your new place that wasn´t exactly yours?¨</span> </b>It took me awhile to translate it and then I said in a state of shock at the accusation, ¨Wait, like did I steal anything?¨ She gave me a little smile and nodded. Was she SERIOUS!? Oh, yes she was! <i>ED</i> went to the police and said that I stole a bunch of things from him including a Playstation (or Wii, don´t quite remember) and games and I never paid the last month of rent! I mean what an <b>A-HOLE</b>!<br />
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Of course, I denied it. And then got a little emotional as I realised the full extent of the situation. She calmed me down and told me not to worry about anything... yeah, easier for her to say!<br />
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I left after I signed the statement and right before asked the officer what would happen next. She said she would have to call <i>ED</i> back in to get his full story and it probably wouldn´t go much further. Worst case scenario, I would have to talk to a judge in the <i>TRIBUNAL</i>! Awesome, now I was really freaking out. Was there a possibility I would have to pay this jerk more money? Even worse, was there a possibility that this situation could get me kicked out of the country? I had no idea´all I could do was wait for another phone call.<br />
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STAY TUNED FOR THE THRILLING CONCLUSION.....Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-10819616001033921052011-03-18T16:22:00.000-07:002011-03-22T05:34:37.753-07:00Mercado de San MiguelAs my time continues to wind down here in Madrid (less than 5 months to go), I realized I should tell all of you some of my favorite places to go in the city. A list of Must-Sees/ Eats in Madrid.<br />
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This one should be at the top of almost everyone's list: <a href="http://www.mercadodesanmiguel.es/php/noticias.php?IdNoticias=33">El Mercado de San Miguel</a> (Saint Michael's Market, if you want a literal translation but it's easy enough to pronounce in Spanish so no use changing it)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsi8atlIlq-re0C565aSbW5IIctFyQp9khdHbBqEoXjC6JZuopoMyr2r3AL70W8Std9Uux1UKX0QHGPByXnfylmfclQctE7SLWUKoop4QDccrPy06IHtEEyGANplt6KezTEfz8qiQfwtI/s1600/15441_232361500481_651665481_4769261_6948723_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsi8atlIlq-re0C565aSbW5IIctFyQp9khdHbBqEoXjC6JZuopoMyr2r3AL70W8Std9Uux1UKX0QHGPByXnfylmfclQctE7SLWUKoop4QDccrPy06IHtEEyGANplt6KezTEfz8qiQfwtI/s200/15441_232361500481_651665481_4769261_6948723_n.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOUKzqUnuKiPvwX2eJxLuS4H0pjUIeki-EyoCxs8E_AIl4c3DN0tatMcIweRR1c0UqvKvxA1GcNB3-ya014QnWh1_mE4wVtvVhv5xKqeadITlKuGWf5vNIUPyy-4C0M_m9V53ipd7I_7O/s1600/15441_232361520481_651665481_4769263_7419559_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOUKzqUnuKiPvwX2eJxLuS4H0pjUIeki-EyoCxs8E_AIl4c3DN0tatMcIweRR1c0UqvKvxA1GcNB3-ya014QnWh1_mE4wVtvVhv5xKqeadITlKuGWf5vNIUPyy-4C0M_m9V53ipd7I_7O/s200/15441_232361520481_651665481_4769263_7419559_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>I was first introduced to this place 2 Christmas' ago by my good friend Michelle. She and her students were having a tapas/ holiday party there and she asked if I wanted to tag along. I had no plans so I agreed figuring it would just be like a big bar or something. It was anything but.... <br />
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That night,in general, was probably in my top 20 nights in Spain and a large part of it was my first experience in El Mercado de San Miguel. Subsenquently, I've spent quite a bit of time in this magical place over the next year and a half. Friends and I celebrated Valentines Day there, I've brought all my friends and family who have visited me to take part in at least a glass of wine and cheese platter. This is also one of my favorite romantice spots for a first date. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6GAAoXbyy97nNzlY6MQP18I2KMtR-WXfosndMAcy899TvfN3CnXw9QgZYsVV-60HDxzHz-g0kg-BHsHGL7sbvdcwLN6hTfLe7hGuBT3enkmXNRiJN5aRO4QOeAiq7MPkT3xEKgGBrKLN/s1600/27260_780096488344_12309822_44215800_6461949_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6GAAoXbyy97nNzlY6MQP18I2KMtR-WXfosndMAcy899TvfN3CnXw9QgZYsVV-60HDxzHz-g0kg-BHsHGL7sbvdcwLN6hTfLe7hGuBT3enkmXNRiJN5aRO4QOeAiq7MPkT3xEKgGBrKLN/s320/27260_780096488344_12309822_44215800_6461949_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>The food in gourmet and delicious. The wine flows with a sense of elegance and sophistication without a huge dent in your wallet. It's a fantastic escape to the tourturous Madrid summer heat. However, one would need to get there early or without being in a hurry, as it can be quite difficult to find a table especially for larger groups of people.<br />
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If you're in Madrid for a short time, I would recommend El Mercado for a quick glass of wine and small tapas before heading to dinner somewhere else in the center. Or for a relaxing dessert break after a long lunch. They have one of the best assortments of chocolates and small pastries that I've seen in Madrid.<br />
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It's located near Plaza Mayor, one of the biggest tour spots in the city. However, it's hidden behind some of the side streets off the Plaza so a tourist that wasnt well informed probably wouldn't come across it by accident.<br />
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To sum it up, El Mercado de San Miguel is a MUST SEE here in Madrid and one of the places I will truly miss when I'm gone!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-81247010720547415372011-03-02T13:22:00.000-08:002011-03-02T13:24:05.027-08:00LA CRISIS hits home... and my walletSo for 2 years all my students talk about LA CRISIS... the economic crisis that has swept the world. I talked about the hard times in the US but more from the view of an outsider as I haven't felt the economic hardships of this troubled time for awhile. I listened with a sense of pity and understanding as countless students told me about how hard it was to find work throughout Spain. Almost every new class I start, I go around and ask them to share basic information about themselves and at least 3 of my 7 students say "Well, I'm unemployed at the moment hoping that learning English will help me get a better job!" Now similar phrases have been lost on me as the crisis has become more of a symbol of.... (as bad as it sounds) more work for English teachers. <br />
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However, today I was hit with a fist full of reality. <br />
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As some of you may or may not know, since October I've been working partly at the <a href="http://spanish.madrid.usembassy.gov/">US Embassy</a> here in Madrid. I can't say much for 'matters of national securtiy' hahaha but no, seriously I can't. It's a pretty sweet gig. Only 6 hours a week but relatively easy money. I've been teaching a lot of their maintanence and housekeeping staff along with chauffers and general Spanish office workers. Classes were enjoyable. I've gotten to meet a lot of Americans here in Madrid which is also nice. Best part... full blown AMERICAN STORE downstairs with non-inflated prices!!!!! So since October I've been able to gorge myself on all those goodies I've been missing from back home.<br />
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In the middle of my classes yesterday, my students walks in and looks at me suprised. He said, 'Oh, I wasn't sure if you were actually going to be here!" I looked at him with a smile and said, "Why wouldn't I be here. It's class time." <br />
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With a sad face he quietly said, "Oh, you haven't heard yet!"<br />
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He goes on to explain in a mixture of English and Spanish that the US government sent in a huge budget cut to the Embassy in Madrid. And the first thing to go.... ENGLISH CLASSES! Along with that, they're cutting several staff jobs in the residence and extreme power cuts where they can. <br />
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I was stunned as this was the first time I was hearing this. I asked when the classes were scheduled to end. My student replied, "As far as I know, immediately!" I couldn't believe it. Surely they had a fixed contract with my agency till at least the end of the trimester??? I mean, RIGHT?<br />
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After all my classes, the story had been corroberated by 2 other students and 3 more non-students. As I left the Embassy refusing to believe that was the last time I'd see my students, I called my agency to demand an explanation. Apparently, they had yet to receive the memo either... but my colleague that also works for the Embassy informed me just minutes ago that it was true. I am no longer employeed at the US Embassy. <br />
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But how could this happen. As told some of my other students and Spanish friends and they simply can't believe that a goverment like the UNITED STATES could be that hard up for money as to cancel a few English classes. But it's true.... it's the first time in over 2 years that I have felt the sting of the economic crisis. <br />
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Well, crap!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-78867095893284869892011-02-05T13:33:00.000-08:002012-09-21T14:19:28.844-07:00Brussels, BelgiumYet another part of my whirl-wind adventure with my grandmother and aunt was a trip to the grand city of Brussels. And can I just say.... WOW! <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">HISTORY</span></strong><br />
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Independence <br />
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A revolution which preceded the achievement of independence, started on 24 August 1830. By July 1831, Leopold I was declared king. Subsequently, Brussels began to expand and new city districts were added in the 19th and 20th century which resulted in the demolition of the old city walls. Brussels gathered momentum as a place of libertarian thinking and as such provided a haven for people like Baudelaire, Marx and Hugo. Although production and facilities expanded, the overflow of population created a situation of inadequate housing. The second king, Leopold II, faced both these domestic issues as well as Belgium' s colonial decisions in Congo. <br />
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The 20th century<br />
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The beginning of the century saw a flourishing of Art Nouveau style in Brussels under the aegis of king Albert I, but this period came to an abrupt end as Belgium was occupied by the Germans in the First World War despite its neutrality. Flanders saw the worst of the warfare and today provides a resting place for the thousands of soldiers who died there. With the Peace treaty of 1919, Belgium gained the German-speaking area in the southeast.<br />
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The country barely had time to breathe as it was again occupied by the Germans in 1940, after which king Leopold III surrendered to them. After the war ended, the king, who had resided in Germany towards the end of the Second World War, was suspected of Nazi collaboration and abdicated in 1951. The throne was taken by his son Baudouin, later to be succeeded by Albert II.<br />
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The economic boom of the 1960-s and recession of the 1970-s and 1980-s gave way to Brussels' stature as the heart of Europe, as in 1958 it became the headquarters of the then European Economic Community (now the European Union), as well as NATO in 1967. Nowadays Brussels not only functions as the political and business centre of the region but also as the headquarters of many world famous corporations.<br />
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<a href="http://www.brussels.org/history/">http://www.brussels.org/history/</a><br />
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Okay well there you have the historical significance of Brussels.... most of which I just learned on google.<br />
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When my family (My Aunt Colleen and Grandmother Sandy) decided to come and visit, I took on the responsibiltiy of finding places for everyone to enjoy. Of course, the majority of our time would be spent in Spain (Madrid, Toledo and Granada) but I also wanted to check out someplace new for me.<br />
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We'd travelled to England and France in previous years. My grandmother was planning a trip to Greece the following year. I was heading to Germany for Spring Break. And there was no way to do Italy or anything in Asia for the time span we had. So I was open to suggestions when a few colleagues suggested Belgium. I wanted something very lavish without the lavish prices and language barriers. I had never thought about traveling to Belgium but after so many people raved about the over-the-top city centers and lush country side and abundant food and beer supplies, I knew I had found our destination.<br />
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The three of us arrived in Brussels not really knowing what to expect except for a few map printouts and google city searches. Boy or boy, were we surprised. The way this city manages to mix the old world with the new is breathtaking. The Baroque facades found in the main square mixed with the gleaming metal of the EU headquarters is jaw-dropping. The elusive little peeing-boy that we spent 3 days hunting down added that comical touch we desperately needed. The people... amazing! The food.... savory! The dessert... pants-expandingly delicious! The beer.... YUUUM! I can't say enough about this city.<br />
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Since all three of us were tourists instead of my usual role as guide, we took the typical tour bus throughout the city. We relaxed and enjoyed our snazzy hotel. All three of us dined in the square and met an exuberant bunch of Norweigen men whom were awe struck by my grandmother (though we didn't dear tell them how we were related) We each split and went our seperate ways for an afternoon as I wanted to do more historical tours and the other wanted to relax and shop around. Unfortunately, my last morning there I came down with a weird bug that lasted the last 2 days of their trip to visit but even that couldn't take away from the magnificance of Brussels. <br />
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I completely recommend this city. I definitely wish I had more time to learn their history better. Enjoy the photos :-)Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-26910873938646212402011-01-21T13:09:00.000-08:002012-09-21T14:28:37.499-07:00Granada (La Alhambra), SpainA WORK IN PROCESS.... THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG ONE! :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWlRy8_GHu1PGCjY5HA-SGUHGGxbvampq3N2O2s4fNYdoOi6tVhmJXyXxescMMQV_0GpOl2wL5RMQqSUC-qxscT8VfOL7__Codwofb2EIED6arJJXX_HcMgudDIVlBXQLwHHDdwgxAbMT/s1600/166410_915504729144_12309822_48311451_7917353_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWlRy8_GHu1PGCjY5HA-SGUHGGxbvampq3N2O2s4fNYdoOi6tVhmJXyXxescMMQV_0GpOl2wL5RMQqSUC-qxscT8VfOL7__Codwofb2EIED6arJJXX_HcMgudDIVlBXQLwHHDdwgxAbMT/s320/166410_915504729144_12309822_48311451_7917353_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Granada is one of the most important cities within Spain and in my opinion around Europe in terms of diversity and beauty. Located towards the sourthern part of the country, its warm tempertures and rich history make it a top tourist destination. I know it was for me and after being in Spain for well over a year, I felt a bit ashamed that I had never made it down to the infamous Alhambra. Well, in late August my grandmother Sandy and aunt Colleen made their first trip to Spain to come visit me. I took a few days off of work to travel with them so what a perfect opportunity it was to discover this breath-taking city together!<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">HISTORY </span></b><br />
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Granada’s history reads like an excellent thriller, with complicated plots, conspiracies, hedonism and tricky love-affairs. Granada began life as an Iberian settlement in the Albayzín district. Muslim forces took over from the Visigoths in 711, with the aid of the Jewish community around the foot of the Alhambra hill in what was called Garnata al Jahud, from which the name Granada derives; granada also happens to be Spanish for pomegranate, the fruit on the city’s coat of arms.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuW6_WvPUFuHDAEI9jqCWekUYCDEi8vBlHieVH5pvl6io4_mNSr2HQWuVsTqgkj1UE9YD8ofdyLud95fQoqJfLKs2Yl6Bbunv0StavFg140DO79aYfHGDQWiXFSef7AZ07i3UD426E9aG/s1600/165056_915369749644_12309822_48307578_2551708_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuW6_WvPUFuHDAEI9jqCWekUYCDEi8vBlHieVH5pvl6io4_mNSr2HQWuVsTqgkj1UE9YD8ofdyLud95fQoqJfLKs2Yl6Bbunv0StavFg140DO79aYfHGDQWiXFSef7AZ07i3UD426E9aG/s320/165056_915369749644_12309822_48307578_2551708_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>After the fall of Córdoba (1236) and Seville (1248), Muslims sought refuge in Granada, where Mohammed ibn Yusuf ibn Nasr had set up an independent emirate. Stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar to east of Almería, this ‘Nasrid’ emirate became the final remnant of Al-Andalus, ruled from the increasingly lavish Alhambra palace for 250 years. Granada became one of the richest cities in medieval Europe, flourishing with its swollen population of traders and artisans. Two centuries of artistic and scientific splendour peaked under emirs Yusuf I and Mohammed V in the 14th century. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeZ8oSWC_kPhY65XXQOhWFpGIuuYbHHgq0MSvaoz4eDNe_HnI2Beknrys1T6RwV2kbkKTv2D31psCfWBgRmZgjCc3WShJWOwhEcK2nNdYKNfRaPzFQMHGLsrXSAfWlD2ijbxuKqUO3obB/s1600/162998_915505557484_12309822_48311490_5537801_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeZ8oSWC_kPhY65XXQOhWFpGIuuYbHHgq0MSvaoz4eDNe_HnI2Beknrys1T6RwV2kbkKTv2D31psCfWBgRmZgjCc3WShJWOwhEcK2nNdYKNfRaPzFQMHGLsrXSAfWlD2ijbxuKqUO3obB/s320/162998_915505557484_12309822_48311490_5537801_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>It all went pear-shaped as the 15th century wore on: the economy stagnated and violent rivalry developed over the succession. One faction supported the emir, Abu al-Hasan, and his harem favourite Zoraya. The other faction backed Boabdil, Abu al-Hasan’s son by his wife Aixa. In 1482 Boabdil rebelled, setting off a confused civil war. The Christian armies invading the emirate took advantage, besieging towns and devastating the countryside, and in 1491 they finally laid siege to Granada. After eight months, Boabdil agreed to surrender the city in return for the Alpujarras valleys and 30, 000 gold coins, plus political and religious freedom for his subjects. On 2 January 1492 the conquering Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, entered Granada ceremonially in Muslim dress. They set up court in the Alhambra for several years. <br />
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Religious persecution soon ensued. Jews were expelled from Spain, and persecution of Muslims led to revolts across the former emirate and their eventual expulsion from Spain in the 17th century. Lacking these talented elements of its populace, Granada sank into a deep decline from which it only began to emerge with the interest drummed up by the Romantic movement from the 1830s on. This set the stage for the restoration of Granada’s Islamic heritage and the arrival of tourism. <br />
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<a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/granada/history">http://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/granada/history</a><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">PLACES TO SEE</span></b><br />
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Which destinations should you visit on-foot? One is the Generalife Gardens. This is one of the world's loveliest gardens, and was once the home of Arab kings. But there's more to the gardens than pretty flowers. You can also view fantastic usages of water in the gardens. In fact, some people have compared the way that the water flows throughout the Generalife Gardens, as music or poetry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrp2fw4OCvk-fPxdB9719RtYElMjo6aN7llEQBiRBaJPj37PJqEKaV9trMR4zyaEInrnUYyRYnRCrsAznfFuHJD5WN-oLR7rPWia0_U2GiQuLN3NPHns42wCTyKOuKsLnkLQyGktyh4VOv/s1600/alhambra-and-generalife-gardens-half-day-trip-from-granada-in-granada-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrp2fw4OCvk-fPxdB9719RtYElMjo6aN7llEQBiRBaJPj37PJqEKaV9trMR4zyaEInrnUYyRYnRCrsAznfFuHJD5WN-oLR7rPWia0_U2GiQuLN3NPHns42wCTyKOuKsLnkLQyGktyh4VOv/s400/alhambra-and-generalife-gardens-half-day-trip-from-granada-in-granada-2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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The Alhambra from the 1300s is yet another major attraction that's worth climbing out of your rented car or truck, to see. This is where Moorish king governed Southern Spain until 1492. One of the must-see objects to view here is the fountain that faces the central courtyard. A set of 12 stone lions are used to support the magnificent fountain. Recently the fountain's big cats have been restored.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTqK14qP6vvAHXw_yLcvsQto3KfC24oINOP56KrxTMwKOTkSt3HEtwDmgaPFMceSGdQUvmNDKV8xAI_9Jb8MomZHzVzYWMLqBOqMW_PvfA71Sp2Ei3BiFcN7FZmP9XcOx5qWjydUUO-V5/s1600/granada-alhambra-11-t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTqK14qP6vvAHXw_yLcvsQto3KfC24oINOP56KrxTMwKOTkSt3HEtwDmgaPFMceSGdQUvmNDKV8xAI_9Jb8MomZHzVzYWMLqBOqMW_PvfA71Sp2Ei3BiFcN7FZmP9XcOx5qWjydUUO-V5/s400/granada-alhambra-11-t.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>(Unfortunately, the lions were moved into an enclosed area last year or so and not available to be photographed. Therefore, I had to take this pic from the internet. I wish I could have seen it in its original glory)</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVoXgMISEMjMGhrA5PamkczlnSViG2K327H0qHs32EvHr9C_eYStFoJ7fQBCs6-8ktP5BWRhw1vptcYjqpVgae7PsCHCDCQOHlWcXsTYvua3rokD2bpJ8XGCNRB6qgl-_JmdQwFh6hpP4/s1600/71997_915503152304_12309822_48311366_1107391_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGVoXgMISEMjMGhrA5PamkczlnSViG2K327H0qHs32EvHr9C_eYStFoJ7fQBCs6-8ktP5BWRhw1vptcYjqpVgae7PsCHCDCQOHlWcXsTYvua3rokD2bpJ8XGCNRB6qgl-_JmdQwFh6hpP4/s200/71997_915503152304_12309822_48311366_1107391_n.jpg" width="150" /></a>Santa Ana is yet another destination that justifies parking your rented vehicle and then viewing. It's located at Plaza Nueva's northeast end. The features of this structure include an ornate doorway and a tower that resembles a minaret.<br />
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Yet another site that you should include on a walking tour in Granada, is the Palacio Arzobispal. Known in English as the "Archbishop's Palace," this structure faces the Granada Cathedral's west side. It primarily dates back to the 17th century.<br />
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Another must-see site during your walking tour of Granada, is the Carmen de los Martires. The water nymph located at the entrance is one of the top sites to see here. Then once you enter the formal garden, you can also enjoy a terrace that contains tall palm trees. These trees help to shade a three-level fountain underneath. Then while walking along the path, you can also enjoy a viewing a huge circular pool. A statue of Neptune overlooks the large pool.<br />
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Visit the Convento de San Jeronimo. It's located southwest of the Hospital San Juan de Dios. The church's walls are adored with wall paintings from the 1700s. Take the time to view the figures of Gonzalo and his spouse, which are positioned on either side of the high altar.<br />
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Before arriving in Granada, you should book your hotel online. That will guarantee that you'll have accommodations once you arrive in the Spanish city.Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-36312147231506722552010-12-29T20:11:00.000-08:002012-09-21T14:33:55.661-07:00La Virgen de la AlmudenaAlmudena Cathedral is the cathedral of Madrid, Spain. Dating from the late 19th and 20th centuries, It's very new by European standards, and its traditional-meets-modern design reflects its youth. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">History of the Cathedral</span></strong><br />
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The site on which Almudena Cathedral now stands was originally occupied by Madrid's first mosque, then by a church dedicated to one of Madrid's patron saints, Santa María de la Almudena. <br />
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Plans for a grand new church began in the 16th century after King Philip II made Madrid the capital of Spain. But construction was constantly postponed due to various political issues and opposition from the powerful archdiocese of Toledo. <br />
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Finally, in 1868, Madrid received permission from Toledo to construct a new church dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena. Construction began in 1883 based on a Neo-Gothic design. The first part to be completed was the crypt, which contains a 16th-century image of Madrid's patroness the Virgen de la Almudena. <br />
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A year later, in 1884, Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of Madrid, giving Madrid a bishop and raising the status of the new Almudena church to a cathedral. The building plans were updated to reflect the elevated status of the building. <br />
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Construction on the cathedral progressed slowly and came to a complete halt during the civil war of the 1930s. The process began again in 1944, when the new architect introduced a Neoclassical style that would match the Royal Palace next door. <br />
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Almudena Cathedral was completed in 1993 and consecrated in person by Pope John Paul II that same year. A statue of the pope in front of the cathedral commemorates the momentous occasion. The cathedral was given another publicity boost with the sumptuous wedding of Prince Felipe and Doña Letizia in May 2004, the first such royal event in nearly a century.<br />
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<em>http://www.sacred-destinations.com/spain/madrid-almudena-cathedral</em><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>History of the Virgin-</strong></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_o6A-mZqUrhEpyx7YrpDNTTAA5VuEXjx9vYFoVDbs2dtyQivOifY9LXInT5q7FjUPqmGwDkGcAg2npz8v_rqw5ONGbZ2CaP27fe7hBPi2POmIEj6J5x5Y9HqXyXeDtSF2ZVDjn6ZD-aH/s1600/almudena.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_o6A-mZqUrhEpyx7YrpDNTTAA5VuEXjx9vYFoVDbs2dtyQivOifY9LXInT5q7FjUPqmGwDkGcAg2npz8v_rqw5ONGbZ2CaP27fe7hBPi2POmIEj6J5x5Y9HqXyXeDtSF2ZVDjn6ZD-aH/s1600/almudena.bmp" /></a><br />
I read about the history of the Virgin in Spanish so I'll give you a small run-down of how it came to be.<br />
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Basically in 712 Spain's capital was in Toledo (Madrid didn't become the capital until the 13th century). That year, the king was overthrown by the Muslim army and they established their strongholds in Toledo. However, Madrid was still a strategic place for any army. Fearing the coming invasion, the cristians of madrid decided to hide their images of the Virgen Mary and protect her from the <em>infieles</em> "non-believers"<br />
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Sermon given by priests to the Madrilenos after the fall of Toledo:<br />
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<em>"Hijos míos: Los enemigos de nuestra fe han invadido todas las ciudades, villas y aldeas de España. ¡Es inútil la resistencia! ¡Dios así lo quiere! Es preciso que acatemos su santa voluntad, pidiendo de rodillas perdón por nuestras culpas. El que se encuentre con fuerzas para pelear, que pelee hasta morir en defensa de nuestra sacrosanta religión. Y aquel que sobreviva al duro combate, en el que sin duda seremos vencidos, que corra hacia las montañas donde se reúnen las huestes de los soldados de la Cruz, al mando de don Pelayo, para hostigar cuanto puedan a los invasores y trabajar por la libertad de la Patria. (Ver: Virgen de Covadonga)</em><br />
<em>Muza está en Toledo; conquistada esta ciudad, pronto el infiel caudillo se hallará delante de nuestros muros; antes de que esto suceda, antes de que Madrid caiga en sus manos, es preciso que pensemos en salvar los objetos que nos son más queridos. La Virgen Santísima, a quien tanto veneramos, que siempre ha sido nuestra abogada y protectora, que siempre ha oído clemente nuestras preces, no ha de caer en manos de nuestros enemigos, no hemos de permitir que su preciosa imagen sea profanada por los infieles. </em><br />
<em>Ocultémosla, mientras peleamos contra ellos, en el cubo de esta muralla contigua a este santo templo. Si vencemos, todos sabemos dónde la hallaremos para darle gracias por la victoria, y si, por desgracia, somos vencidos, líbrese, oculta en la muralla, del furor de los mahometanos". </em><br />
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So the Madrileno christians built a hub in order to hid the Virgen and there she stayed for three centuries. Her whereabouts were lost through the generations but carefully hidden away from the non-believers that occupied Madrid soon after the Virgen was hidden away. <br />
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In 1085, Don Alfonso VI "The Brave" reconquered Toledo and then returned to Madrid to restore the power to the Christians. He knew of the legend that the Virgen was hidden hundreds of years ago so he set out to find the secret hub. The original church had been converted into a Mosque so Don Alfonso searched and searched until it is said that the Virgen herself appeared surrounded by light and led the way to her hiding place somewhere in the original site of the church turned mosque on the 9th of November 1085. <br />
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The following day, the Christians of Madrid held a procession to the remains of the original church looking for her exact location. Soon they encountered an ancient wall below the sub-level of the mosque. And what would they find behind this wall, but the Virgen that was hidden centuries before. She was placed back to her original status as the Christians regained power in Spain. Over the next few centuries, the Virgen was moved from church to church throughout different cities but after the construction of the Almudena Cathedral where she resides today.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">My Experience</span></strong><br />
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The Virgen of the Almudena is a holiday only in Madrid. Therefore, I never learned anything about this holiday nor its legend in my studies or really throughout my time here in Madrid. As a matter of fact, most people I asked (even the Spaniards) didn't really know the exact history of the holiday. All they knew was that it was a day off in order to praise the Patron Saint of Madrid. This particular holiday fell in line with Spain's Constitution Day so it made for a very short work week. <br />
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Most of this windy, chilly day I stayed around the house cleaning. But in the early afternoon I decided to hit up some shops up near Opera/ Sol and then stroll through the Palace gardens and towards the Almudena Cathedral to see what all the fuss was about. Once I entered the gardens, there were buckets and buckets lining the street with vendors chanting at everyone to buy small bundles of flowers. "Flowers for the Virgen! Get your flowers for the Virgen!" <br />
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As I got closer to the Cathedral, I noticed that every other person had an offering of flowers. Some were the small bundles from the street vendors while other had enormous, beautiful bouquets. When I reached the corner I realized just how important La Virgen de Almudena was in Madrid. <br />
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It was quite the spectacular sight to see. I clicked some photos and walked around the Cathedral watching all the people give their offerings and say a little prayer at the base of the statue of the Virgen. I wanted to step inside the Cathedral to see if there were anymore decorations but a service had just gotten out and no one was allowed to enter at that time. So I made my way back around the side streets passing more and more people with their flowers. Yet another great example of how much importantance Spain puts on the Christian religion. <br />
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Websites:<br />
<a href="http://www.corazones.org/maria/almudena.htm">http://www.corazones.org/maria/almudena.htm</a><br />
<a href="http://www.madridpedia.com/node/1325/">http://www.madridpedia.com/node/1325/</a>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-9712895843580331992010-12-12T12:52:00.000-08:002012-09-21T14:36:47.425-07:00An American Thanksgiving in SpainThis year I completely embraced the Thanksgiving tradition! Luckily, I work at the US Embassy on Thursdays so being an American holiday, all my students got the day off. Therefore, I did too! I took advantage of the oportunity to prepare a Thanksgiving feast for my roommates and some close friends. <br />
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I made several trips to the American store in the Embassy to pick up a few essentials and ordered my turkey from a local butcher. Turkey isn't as popular here as in the US so we bought only parts of the turkey. It was easier since there were only 5 of us and faster to cook.<br />
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My friend Melissa, a Puerto Rican girl who recently moved to Madrid, was super excited to try a traditional mainland US Thanksgiving meal. She stopped by my place early in the afternoon to help me cook while all my other roommates were at work. We cranked Christmas music all afternoon as we were starting the feel the holiday spirit.<br />
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By the time my all my roommates got home, it was around 10 o'clock (typical dinner time in Spain). I put together the table and we all sat around where Nikki and I told stories about our past Thanksgivings back in the United States. We had to explain what all the food was to our Spanish compadres as they hungrily and confusingly stared at all the rarities on the table. When everything was out, we went around the table and said what we were thankful for that year. I said for the opportunity to share my culture and for experiences that I have been blessed to have throughtout my time here in Spain.<br />
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Then we dug in everything and went to sleep content and FULL!<br />
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That Saturday was also my company's Thanksgiving luncheon. This year we had it at Nicoletta, a really nice Italian resturant. It was fun getting a big group of Americans and non-Americans together to share amazing food, wine and some laughs.<br />
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After the lunch, a large group of us continued to some pubs and bars where we drank, chatted and danced the night away.<br />
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It was yet another interesting <em>Dia de Accion de Gracias</em> and I wouldn't have changed a thing :)Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-22595984811501566802010-11-18T12:33:00.000-08:002010-12-08T11:51:17.721-08:00I Can Still Be Shocked!I thought I've gotten accustomed to all the odd traditions, manners and general activities here in Spain.<br />
I'm used to turning off lights and taking quick showers.<br />
I can ignore cat calls and general bias from people thinking I'm a guiri tourist.<br />
I even know how to do a pretty mean 'smoke bomb' (inside jokes for any English-speaking Spaniards)<br />
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I've sampled all the finest delicacies this fine country has to offer...<br />
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but when I walk into the kitchen and see this: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYCjYVmHze7CybyGGeOurMLClK0fGuxU2rXbVSJiXnk4ERvPKyWuBsE9JuBwnJRD2p5DOY8G9LdpLNRvlk9FoUszfguR5dLgDNHf0-dnyt2whJgD47yP2UvyD2znIGlXrnQz6lpAWAm_0/s1600/Spain-Autumn10+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYCjYVmHze7CybyGGeOurMLClK0fGuxU2rXbVSJiXnk4ERvPKyWuBsE9JuBwnJRD2p5DOY8G9LdpLNRvlk9FoUszfguR5dLgDNHf0-dnyt2whJgD47yP2UvyD2znIGlXrnQz6lpAWAm_0/s640/Spain-Autumn10+044.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">well, let's just say that I was short of words for a few seconds!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Don't get me wrong.... <em>PULPO</em> is one of my favorite meals here in Spain! But I enjoy it when it's already cooked, cut and covered in yummy cream sauce! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q6A8YDk1rIwX-jmpDufLl2ZToiL5nsHs1u4Q6jIJa30rC4RLvEE2A-gxkSNo7Af1Y9lX-8V4nL-fmzvqHcaiMFu2yb7wO-nkIhbpTxaAUm4wa3PCl9Wil6UwtJlkqydxygkH6m67O7KS/s1600/Spain-Winter10+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Q6A8YDk1rIwX-jmpDufLl2ZToiL5nsHs1u4Q6jIJa30rC4RLvEE2A-gxkSNo7Af1Y9lX-8V4nL-fmzvqHcaiMFu2yb7wO-nkIhbpTxaAUm4wa3PCl9Wil6UwtJlkqydxygkH6m67O7KS/s320/Spain-Winter10+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For exampple this delicious steamed potato and octopus salad! DELICIOUS!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not sitting on my stove, boiling next to a cup of its own ink!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ugh, talk about loss of appetite! </div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-31062243693063046022010-11-15T10:03:00.000-08:002010-11-16T12:59:16.890-08:00Birthday #24Another birthday flew past me about 6 weeks ago. Once again it shot upon me unexpectingly as I was still on a family high from my aunt and grandmother coming to visit just a fews weeks prior and adjusting to a new work schedule. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I followed the same theme as last year- simplicity. Like I explained, summer months are usually tight on the wallet especially later in the month. So I invited everyone to my apartment (my 2 wonderful roommates made absolutely gracious hosts), I cooked a variety of American dishes and bought <strong>liters</strong> and <strong><span style="font-size: large;">liters</span></strong> of beer for everyone. My apartment is substantially bigger than the apartment I was staying in for my last birthday so I got to decorate and invite a lot more people.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I got a much better turn out than last year... especially considering I've made a lot more friends over the course of this year. However, something still wasn't the same. Dani, my Spanish best friend, didn't come and some other close friends that I was expecting had other personal reasons that kept them away. But those who did, had a very good time if I dear say. </div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgGiZeowZ4avtRKcSVMBYr4C6-rNGthhyphenhyphenpaJaBWGTliGmNp2G0fZZvU5WHQPPTNpE-tW97xuUYmGlDcO8cr3sXQB8Wz-5xjH_t6C55v6BO7YJKffnRp7MStZFFvHy24ziONHE1BVV8FOW/s1600/bday+mich-brit.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgGiZeowZ4avtRKcSVMBYr4C6-rNGthhyphenhyphenpaJaBWGTliGmNp2G0fZZvU5WHQPPTNpE-tW97xuUYmGlDcO8cr3sXQB8Wz-5xjH_t6C55v6BO7YJKffnRp7MStZFFvHy24ziONHE1BVV8FOW/s400/bday+mich-brit.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8z3HXCCNQ9ive-9QvJCC-F87DtkldcKqZiFjgrFqyStB2046X_ErWPDB26JeIRFUFF4w3FmFPXuhgI_nP1x199jv3y5hod5h0xtmHgB0T_d_pi4yTDbyueaGt68rlQ1XOrbauIghe5rex/s1600/60805_477345690481_651665481_7264089_6950907_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>ME AND MICHELLE</em></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I spent hours preparing all the goodies. One of my best friends here, Michelle came over a little early to help my prepare. She also brought me some goodies including my adorable birthday cake. My amazing roomie, Nikki helped my cook and clean all day too. When everyone started to arrive, they were met with an incredible assortment of snacks like <strong>pigs in a blanket, spicy chicken dip, deviled eggs, pasta salad</strong>, all the essentials. To top it off, for dessert we had Michelle's <strong>cake and tirumisu and <span style="font-size: large;">mini- French Toast</span> bites</strong>. A breakfast food in our culture.... but a complete culture shock for all the foreigners! Everything was a big hit!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14hk6ARLJlLipdQJNyEwBN1ED7UoPwNSOzCf_cnvy4QBaiJPq7DO1nWWuiH7iBEJ5SRd2pI8K0JhtBE4ZHMqdZCx4lgOX5gu9TDbyrWdhSIYbqhSEzfTfWEUVEsGtQXkwlGp7OZc5LKMR/s1600/24+bday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14hk6ARLJlLipdQJNyEwBN1ED7UoPwNSOzCf_cnvy4QBaiJPq7DO1nWWuiH7iBEJ5SRd2pI8K0JhtBE4ZHMqdZCx4lgOX5gu9TDbyrWdhSIYbqhSEzfTfWEUVEsGtQXkwlGp7OZc5LKMR/s320/24+bday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I spent majority of my party in the kitchen but it was well worth it to see everyone having a good time. The beer and liquor flowed steady for the next 3 hours or so. When all the food had been administered, one of my favorite students asked me about a promise I had made to teach the Spaniards some American drinking games. haha! it was hilarious watching them trying to master flip cup and understand the rules to beer pong. We were all laughing so hard that it actually brought my next door neighbor over to complain about the noise level. Oops! I mean c'mon.... it's Saturday night, my birthday and the first time we've had anyone over at all. But I told my nosey neighbor that we'd be leaving soon and we'd try to keep it down until then. </div><br />
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I kept my promise as 20 minutes later we ran out of alcohol. So obviously it was time to move on. I didn't have a specific after-place in mind. I figured we'd take suggestions and see how many people actually wanted to head out after. Majority we still wanting to party and my good friend Martin knew a place not far from my house that played decent music and was a fun but chill place. Everyone supported his choice and we headed there. It was a really fun bar that played a mix of american rock and pop with some spanish singles. We stayed there till I'd say around 530-6 when the place closed down. I still had some energy left but everyone else was pooped so we called it a night and went home.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Overall, it was one FANTASTIC birthday. The actual day was nothing special. I had work all day and called my family at night. A lot of my friends and family sent me cards which is always a nice suprise :) The party beat all my expectations... so than you to everyone who was apart of my special day! <em><strong>MUCHOS BESOS Y MIL GRACIAS A VOSOTROS!</strong></em></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-31881531787692537242010-11-05T16:14:00.000-07:002010-11-05T16:14:26.651-07:00JALOGUIN 2010<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I officially survived my first Halloween in Spain. Well, there's really not much to survive as most of what is celebrated comes from the American traditions. Anyways, last year I wasn't able to take part in Spain's version of Halloween as I was back in Chicago for my aunt's wedding. So this year, I was really looking forward to see what kind of show Madrid puts on for this event. I must admit that I had lowered my standards for a few reasons: 1.) Halloween has always been my favorite holiday so I take it very seriously 2.) My university boosts to reputation of having the US's best Halloween! (GO BOBCATS) 3.) I normally spend a minimum of 5 weeks planning out my costume, decorations and plans for that weekend.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I knew that Spain would never come close to my past experiences but I was still looking forward to having a good time. This year Halloween fell on a Sunday. For all you Catholics, November 1st is Dia de los Santos (All Saint's Day). Therefore being in Catholic Spain, that Monday was a national holiday which meant no work. Considering this, my friends and I decided to go out big on Halloween night. Friday and Saturday I took it pretty easy as I wasn't feeling 100% and I wanted to be well rested for Sunday.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We started rather early at around 4:30 to get ready. We all met at my friend K's house to do our makeup. The week before, we discussed our costumes and plans. Each of us chose an average person like a cop, biker, schoolgirl, ect... then we would ZOMBIE-FY the heck out of it.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDvVX2GQqgoQg48Y5Wxg8s8MUu4uqovdUgrHtK2FLNSn-jfVByDuWiWEVEq1QhaCyWekAXqxjE72D7XzGrHg0tjdaK1BgERLpKgyWZR9TfQ9dqVlyml8-XzZiGilsB_xSEYRiv9ujUQpP/s1600/halloween2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDvVX2GQqgoQg48Y5Wxg8s8MUu4uqovdUgrHtK2FLNSn-jfVByDuWiWEVEq1QhaCyWekAXqxjE72D7XzGrHg0tjdaK1BgERLpKgyWZR9TfQ9dqVlyml8-XzZiGilsB_xSEYRiv9ujUQpP/s640/halloween2010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3ZzrQNgCYfxAnTT0dP5lgdNveAtk6x2vj2pwgrDFFU3csy59u3FTsoRePkhvoIUpJa1HTah8cum3kwPhhJwywmHu_FrALwzoOp71IF3ZzXImG6vut4TGJ_8X7N12GnB_yidbMOsCQKof/s1600/scary-girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV3ZzrQNgCYfxAnTT0dP5lgdNveAtk6x2vj2pwgrDFFU3csy59u3FTsoRePkhvoIUpJa1HTah8cum3kwPhhJwywmHu_FrALwzoOp71IF3ZzXImG6vut4TGJ_8X7N12GnB_yidbMOsCQKof/s200/scary-girls.jpg" width="200" /></a>You see in Spain, they keep to the original tradition of Halloween where one must dress up as something terrifying- if you decide to dress up at all. So there are no children dressed as their favorite Disney characters or superheroes, there's no portrayals of our favorite musicians, actors, or other celebreties and there's absolutely no young women dressed in provacative costumes. All that remains are witches, devils, ghouls and.... zombies! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Fq-44OkMn1_SGTwuBdwfCjFb31HNojT6Oo7aWuT3Zd09xQMGTvIAYUOapLqWbGNvaNVO5fVCETop9Z1noN-GfOx4QXvcD4v0O4Q760SdUlwfsMdUFMhyZFch6NznAwALvmLw4EJF68hl/s1600/martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Fq-44OkMn1_SGTwuBdwfCjFb31HNojT6Oo7aWuT3Zd09xQMGTvIAYUOapLqWbGNvaNVO5fVCETop9Z1noN-GfOx4QXvcD4v0O4Q760SdUlwfsMdUFMhyZFch6NznAwALvmLw4EJF68hl/s200/martin.jpg" width="200" /></a>After we were pale, scabbed and bloodies up, we met some other friends and headed to this abadoned factory that was taken over and turned into a free venue for the weekend. My friend M is a really good DJ so him and another friend got a space in the factory to play some jams. This was seriously the perfect place to host a crazy Halloween party. The factory had been abadoned for what seemed like decaded as all the wall and floors were collapsing around us. Every inch of the place was covered in spray paint and had random chairs, boxes, and other slightly disturbing random objects. Normally, I wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this but for Halloween... it was PREFECT! To make things better, it was BYOB so we stocked up at the local convenience store before and spent the next 4 hours drinking, dancing and mingling with other ghoulish creatures.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We headed out at about 10 to get a few more drinks and tapas. As we strolled the streets, almost every person stopped to stare at the spectacle we were. (Again I must reiterate that Halloween is not anywhere as popular as it is in America) After, we stopped again at K's house to do make-up touches and eat some dinner. Then we found more friends and went to a Halloween costume party nearby. By 1ish, we left to hit some more bars and clubs... most of which I don't really remember. I took my Zombie-self home around 4am in a taxi wondering why the driver was giving me such weird looks! Then as I got into my apartment building and caught my reflection, I realised how ridiculous I looked. hahaha I had already forgotten that I was covered in zombie gook. I poured myself in bed with delight at how well that night had been. </div><br />
I must say that Madrid definitely beat my expectations I had had for Halloween. No, it's nothing like America but Spain always knows how to throw one crazy party!<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-o48CLV2EMYigMmArv02k_3dibmoS2Rtml3E28r7xYXbA0IWf2ums_daWRd1Snew-V8ecREOZSX1rJI1Mfrg5Gn3CviQT14zslf92_fORahITzXtzfTbTGBs82JHjMItloHiHnVs0ywSN/s1600/ter-hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-o48CLV2EMYigMmArv02k_3dibmoS2Rtml3E28r7xYXbA0IWf2ums_daWRd1Snew-V8ecREOZSX1rJI1Mfrg5Gn3CviQT14zslf92_fORahITzXtzfTbTGBs82JHjMItloHiHnVs0ywSN/s320/ter-hall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6ixrQwM3Rxae7jzX2UeDm9Jldm69hqxsLF-8yxdhyphenhyphen5RGYMseLD05NRjekxllVBlzrM08iNROHcgfKHJjzV23qrJvl8l3o4Mzl2xN5FeyJ3Q4oy1BW8sLH-Hua-aWkKTIrVR_Z_h_Iz3_/s1600/chicago+hall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT6ixrQwM3Rxae7jzX2UeDm9Jldm69hqxsLF-8yxdhyphenhyphen5RGYMseLD05NRjekxllVBlzrM08iNROHcgfKHJjzV23qrJvl8l3o4Mzl2xN5FeyJ3Q4oy1BW8sLH-Hua-aWkKTIrVR_Z_h_Iz3_/s320/chicago+hall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-55854934159517670472010-10-14T08:07:00.000-07:002010-10-14T08:07:12.915-07:00Back to that Same Ole Place...SWEET HOME CHICAGO!<br />
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One of the strangest (yet, most fantastic) culture differences I've encountered in Spain is their extensive vacation time. They have random holidays at least once a month and during the summer, most employees can take up to 1 MONTH of vacation if they didn't take too many extended holidays during the year. 1 MONTH paid holidays... are you kidding me?? Well, with the Spanish culture being the way it is, there isn't a lot of work during the summer months as large percetages of people are gone July, August or September. So my academy requests strongly (basically, requiring) that every teacher take off at least 1 month of the summer. Unfortunately, being foreigners, we don't get the priviledge of paid vacation time. <br />
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I planned my vacation for months. I knew I wanted to go home as I haven't been there since the previous October (and that was for only 5 days!) So an extended period of time was definitely in order. I contemplated for months when I should go back. I decided on the month of July. I'd make it in time for the 4th, it was my mother and siblings birthdays and my really good friend Sarah was having her wedding shower/ bachelorette party. I wanted to go to her wedding instead in September and take my vacation time then, but it just so happened that my grandmother and aunt were planning a trip to visit me in Spain during that time. So, July was the obvious alternative!<br />
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At the end of June as classes were ending, I decided to move apartments. I was having difficulties with my roommate and mostly, I just wanted a change of scenery. One of my colleagues and close friend, Nikki told me that one of her roommates was moving out the end of July. We thought about living together before so this just seemed to perfect. After my month of vacation, I could move in with her and not worry about paying an extra month of rent. Perfection. <br />
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After weeks of anticipation, the day had finally arrived! And wouldn't you know it... all the subway workers conviently decided to hold their <em>huelga</em> (work strike) the same day. So I was walking around the streets with 2 large suitcases, unable to take public transport and not an available taxi in sight! After over an hour, I finally spotted an old couple getting out of a taxi and quickly slid into the backseat. Already exhausted, I arrived and the airport and made it to my plane. One layover and 14 hours later, I finally landed in Sweet Home Chicago.<br />
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My family met me at the airport and within minutes were arguing and screaming at eachother as we walked to the car.... ahhhh so good to be home :)<br />
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The first week was spent cell phone less as my parents 'misplaced' my old one and going to doctor/ dentists appointments. Oh joy, 3 cavaties and my WISDOM TEETH had to be removed. Spain clearly doesn't have flouride in their water! So the end of my first week and most of my second week was spent popping pain killers and eating nothing but pudding, jello and ice cream (can't complain too much)<br />
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For the 4th of July, one of my friends had a huge picnic and bonfire. I got to see a huge group of people that I haven't seen or really spoken to in over a year. Luckily, it was like I never left. We sat around talking about the same old, same old with a few Spain questions thrown in the mix. At night we lit off a small armoury of fireworks. The following days were spent visitng family and hanging out with friends: bowling trips with my siblings, laying poolside with cocktails, hitting up all my old hangouts, baseball games, birthday parties, Taste of Chicago and simply relaxing at home. That's what I love about my life... no matter how long I'm gone, I know I'm always welcomed back and it's as if I never left. <br />
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<strong>Here's a collage of random awesome events throughout the month with my awesome friends:</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1Us3CWCcSaBNlwopEXMMePBzEq14V4aCZZbxkKTRvLaf3T3AHeQ8BPnK-51FGt18IbkJYzURRpYaVfeA8eh7eJL-diHBF7SmDjmrzH6uET1hxgOvb2hUc7Lf1HWllsCb2gFcgh059Rg2/s1600/BLOGSUMM2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1Us3CWCcSaBNlwopEXMMePBzEq14V4aCZZbxkKTRvLaf3T3AHeQ8BPnK-51FGt18IbkJYzURRpYaVfeA8eh7eJL-diHBF7SmDjmrzH6uET1hxgOvb2hUc7Lf1HWllsCb2gFcgh059Rg2/s320/BLOGSUMM2.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>@ Teehans</em></span> </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlQQHF8TWI8Lm5vGIK9OVK1fjkg3ii9Pj4sbRAPzzvvUNeqaIUTV49Qv2ohtkKuBHfvF3VY9CntkIl5e6i3PF7yc6OnfqoJGw339FyjoyVuTBmYVXoiYujmaFZQPjZHUOFYAF690_oEy_/s1600/BLOGSUMM3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlQQHF8TWI8Lm5vGIK9OVK1fjkg3ii9Pj4sbRAPzzvvUNeqaIUTV49Qv2ohtkKuBHfvF3VY9CntkIl5e6i3PF7yc6OnfqoJGw339FyjoyVuTBmYVXoiYujmaFZQPjZHUOFYAF690_oEy_/s320/BLOGSUMM3.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>@ The Taste of Chicago</em></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGwdjVbOnHXh5hY9HfIA7uNniqpxrh75cLhiquci8o-9XrPdIfH9Z9XS6IAizHvcVc9KEsTwvNZXIEXlV_IgG9ySRWeaZfm8WsfWfVzBzPCOmeZ9Z63SPYNvCJbdA7dV7VfTjPEIZv2xu/s1600/BLOGSUMM4.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGwdjVbOnHXh5hY9HfIA7uNniqpxrh75cLhiquci8o-9XrPdIfH9Z9XS6IAizHvcVc9KEsTwvNZXIEXlV_IgG9ySRWeaZfm8WsfWfVzBzPCOmeZ9Z63SPYNvCJbdA7dV7VfTjPEIZv2xu/s320/BLOGSUMM4.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>4th of July</em></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x_3yNJDlWqQmDi5So60kL57UuriqE_utqSp93BkJI2imYPHPqeaURTmgTmEghzz8UlrzHO8ri98oZL9n6au0XkuMkTmko20wC77Pr4hjRzmVhAvm0435n4Fl6EqtbSWZ_QShZ_Is5RIp/s1600/37489_834422433714_12309822_46053585_1482961_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2x_3yNJDlWqQmDi5So60kL57UuriqE_utqSp93BkJI2imYPHPqeaURTmgTmEghzz8UlrzHO8ri98oZL9n6au0XkuMkTmko20wC77Pr4hjRzmVhAvm0435n4Fl6EqtbSWZ_QShZ_Is5RIp/s320/37489_834422433714_12309822_46053585_1482961_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>besties in Naperville</em></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwGkJ2kSDZo21TTgc6y98fGqpkKNw0uZq0OTYNCehvIL16L96dStFVBaE93aPBq-g-_u7UVpfCvBmfffwGWoVnBcQPd9rcnqpGoNYrvCfDlwhC8Jy0tT6W0wLY6SIrc3Sk0ZcR02pHDRL/s1600/BLOGSUMM6.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwGkJ2kSDZo21TTgc6y98fGqpkKNw0uZq0OTYNCehvIL16L96dStFVBaE93aPBq-g-_u7UVpfCvBmfffwGWoVnBcQPd9rcnqpGoNYrvCfDlwhC8Jy0tT6W0wLY6SIrc3Sk0ZcR02pHDRL/s320/BLOGSUMM6.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Chris's Bday Bash</em></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePAehdgjH28X5qilZ3I2hQXsi_XRqf2m2TNY3tmIF7w5z5Idhz9GaBI-fHHlQH45udSEgsCgCHn5L6v9ybuLVUtVXNJpSq1R0iY3vrDVEVgFROMFSUwpWuWhaE_4DEJvVsK5WaUou3-hH/s1600/BLOGSUMM5.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePAehdgjH28X5qilZ3I2hQXsi_XRqf2m2TNY3tmIF7w5z5Idhz9GaBI-fHHlQH45udSEgsCgCHn5L6v9ybuLVUtVXNJpSq1R0iY3vrDVEVgFROMFSUwpWuWhaE_4DEJvVsK5WaUou3-hH/s320/BLOGSUMM5.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Thunderbolts Baseball Game w/ Meg</em></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcq-AUwWIyjaI5Atng-SUfF9yUpoYSvCcJ4bG7ouWEiGcvL1oB7F6-CwdN5IL1jYe6TcObtJ6Ahbqz8G5AyK7YWqbZP35kWrXXQv5K7aHHh32wLTFPzsRwiHcq1RXQLOXgb4qL2G9GYr5/s1600/BLOGSUMM1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcq-AUwWIyjaI5Atng-SUfF9yUpoYSvCcJ4bG7ouWEiGcvL1oB7F6-CwdN5IL1jYe6TcObtJ6Ahbqz8G5AyK7YWqbZP35kWrXXQv5K7aHHh32wLTFPzsRwiHcq1RXQLOXgb4qL2G9GYr5/s320/BLOGSUMM1.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>prepared for our 1st night out together :)</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Probably the most important thing I did back home was getting a tattoo. I had 2 already and was thinking about a third for quite some time. But knowing that this would be my last one (at least for a while), I wanted it to be something meaningful... at this point in my life, there's nothing more meaningful to me than my siblings. So I researched for weeks and weeks prior to coming home for something that would really illustrate how important they are to me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I liked the idea of a short phrase. But nothing really seemed poetic enough in English. I thought Spanish would just be korny. So I opted for the root of most modern languages: Latin. Not being one really to show off my 'artwork', I opted to put it on my foot. I already had a small heart above my little toe so I knew that I wanted to incorporate it into this tattoo. Therefore, I decided to get 5 additional smaller hearts- each one to represent each of my 5 siblings. After searching even more, I finally found a phrase I wanted, the most basic phrase that completely 100% says how I feel...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>SINE VOS NON POTERO VIVERE</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywcHPLNntMhdUDCuAxLTYX_Bej5sV_9Ecs45WRqQERG5nM-hVbQZFZiUaFyQvX_BMA62Ys_4lbkLe37dfqqHuwXAJaGBUpdzP3yUkIhganeCezMqz0TD1uiOb3lRQszeXprNmz4-CAFEz/s1600/BLOGSUMM7.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhywcHPLNntMhdUDCuAxLTYX_Bej5sV_9Ecs45WRqQERG5nM-hVbQZFZiUaFyQvX_BMA62Ys_4lbkLe37dfqqHuwXAJaGBUpdzP3yUkIhganeCezMqz0TD1uiOb3lRQszeXprNmz4-CAFEz/s400/BLOGSUMM7.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>WITHOUT YOU I COULDN'T LIVE</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> The last week I travelled back to my college days by flying to Ohio for Sarah's bridal party weekend. I stayed with my best friend from OU- Amy and her boyfriend. We spent hours gossiping, watching bad movies, walking around Cleveland and making jello shots! Majority of my closest friends came in for Sarah's shower so it was incredible to see everyone again. We laughed, cried, drank a LOT as we reminisced about the good old days. Sarah's shower was during the day and later that night we started her bachelorette party at her sister in law's house before hitting some bars in downtown Cleveland. I was an amazing night with some really amazing ladies! I said goodbye the following day, hugging everyone and fighting back the tears as I returned back to Chicago.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>MORE PICS FROM OHIO...</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuh3Y8rWSCfBIcA-p3I5C9KtkS_z265OKDnrNw3mKOWGd7rjHpYCqF2iQBrAcP4KCdU3R6iyARgaEKlvMsEot81CXsDxev1ZyFmylxy5EtX23Q3tvULKQRCQljdQc4kCxd1QwqMZYdTa7/s1600/ohio2.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuh3Y8rWSCfBIcA-p3I5C9KtkS_z265OKDnrNw3mKOWGd7rjHpYCqF2iQBrAcP4KCdU3R6iyARgaEKlvMsEot81CXsDxev1ZyFmylxy5EtX23Q3tvULKQRCQljdQc4kCxd1QwqMZYdTa7/s320/ohio2.bmp" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Amy and I in Cleveland</em></span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbDj6Ia-J9VXg_nyqwWRX10LoCUMR99Uz_a-wTR6-CDkqhudUn-X1ssPLUHPi2IpxA_sTM929_1PoY-xYdheYctW1Zi1e3fO4C5_QkEBzupTc6BOLeBe2DgXfuDy6T9LFhU0M-4hZejZd/s1600/ohio3.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbDj6Ia-J9VXg_nyqwWRX10LoCUMR99Uz_a-wTR6-CDkqhudUn-X1ssPLUHPi2IpxA_sTM929_1PoY-xYdheYctW1Zi1e3fO4C5_QkEBzupTc6BOLeBe2DgXfuDy6T9LFhU0M-4hZejZd/s320/ohio3.bmp" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Cleveland Skyline</em></span></div><br />
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A few days after that I was doing it all over again but this time to all my family and friends back home as I boarded the plane back to Madrid. The month flew by and I only got through a fraction of the things I wanted to do on my list. I got to spend time with most people I wanted to and I send my deepest apologies for anyone that I didn't. I love Spain, but these last few months I'm really starting to miss Chicago. Being away definitely helps you put things in perspective. I now know that Spain will always be one of the best highlights of my life but I also realized that the latter part of my life will be spent in America. Spain has my heart forever but the US is where I belong. So as you have probably figured out, I've decided to return back home.... but not until next summer! haha I still have a few more adventures left to have here in Spain. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-YJ-sqLOHqwCM_Osnhf7ubAPd_wrFIJWAN26ZIl4h4qr2Hc9R8tefaofXnrLeE_4mNK9rbL-sa1vgdM7UkLPZ2DGXoxWvbrvNmgoclkW6U8PLx8hxDzagVwujwt1uKPcd6e3edhAP893/s1600/Spain-Summer10+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf-YJ-sqLOHqwCM_Osnhf7ubAPd_wrFIJWAN26ZIl4h4qr2Hc9R8tefaofXnrLeE_4mNK9rbL-sa1vgdM7UkLPZ2DGXoxWvbrvNmgoclkW6U8PLx8hxDzagVwujwt1uKPcd6e3edhAP893/s320/Spain-Summer10+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>our ritual goodbye Sushi Dinner </em></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-77896309710233690762010-09-22T07:59:00.000-07:002012-09-21T14:25:49.157-07:00Salamanca, Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7NTkcflSuJzDKYH94Cj-SypvZYgR6RNkBvjHu8WGqn5n5VV8M9fM-1nSEg2vCKO2salXUVBhNle4XqJU8FjizPXioztosBOFZ_2oaYH0iZ_kXEzjg7Jjdo0xyt0qL6bDfHSF7cSzfL1m/s1600/salamanca-photos-0001a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7NTkcflSuJzDKYH94Cj-SypvZYgR6RNkBvjHu8WGqn5n5VV8M9fM-1nSEg2vCKO2salXUVBhNle4XqJU8FjizPXioztosBOFZ_2oaYH0iZ_kXEzjg7Jjdo0xyt0qL6bDfHSF7cSzfL1m/s400/salamanca-photos-0001a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Following the amazing time I had in Galicia with this group of crazy ladies, I jumped at the chance to go on a second adventure just a few weeks later. We decided on the quiet, mysterious and gastronomical city of Salamanca. I accompanied the familiar faces of Steph, Lena and Sonia, plus 2 of their American friends (Katie and Lindsay). Salamanca not being difficult to travel to, we decided to take a 3 hour bus instead of driving. We rented 2 rooms in a small hostel inside the Plaza Mayor which was in our budget and paid off later in the night…<br />
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Looking at my funds just days previous to us leaving, I realized that this was going to be a very tight trip for me. I considered backing out but realized that I would be missing out on a great opportunity. So after bus fare and hostel costs, I was left with exactly 25 euro to eat and party. You might think I was crazy for attempting this but I knew I could make it happen.</div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">(view from our hostel)</span></em></div>
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We arrived after what seemed like a short bus ride for me (because I slept the entire way) and hiked from the bus station to our hotel in the city's Casco Antiguo (old center). I realized quickly that Salamanca isn't as non-Spanish speaking tourist friendly as some of its competing cultural cities. But all of us knowing Spanish could survive without a problem. </div>
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We arrived at our hostel and checked-in with the <em>guapo</em> South American clerk. The girls chatted and divided rooms as we freshened up ready to venture out. Our first stop was <strong>CASA PACA</strong>, </div>
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one of Salamanca's most well-known resturants and tapa stops. We stood at the bar gazing at the numerous yummy treats that we could choose from, sipping on our <em>vino</em> y <em>cerveza</em> (wine and beer). After a few drinks and what we considered to be our lunch of tapas, we started off to see the sights.</div>
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We casually strolled the streets looking at the ancient buildings that surrounded us, once again amazed by these architectual feats. Then we came across this building that suddenly stopped me in my tracks. I stared in a sort of confusion as I tried to place why I knew this particular buiding. I searched my brain for information from my university days learning about Spanish history and cultural sites. But I came up blank knowing that of the city Salamanca was never emphasized in any of my college courses. I started taking pictures of this simple square, white washed building. Nothing spectacular about it architectually with exception to its facade- it's covered in thousands of tiny stone seashells. On about my forth snapshot I realized why I knew this building:</div>
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Picture me in 9th grade (hard to do because many of you don't know me and can't picture me even now let alone over 10 years ago). Anyways, I was a highschool freshman starting my first honors spanish class. My teacher, Mrs. Perez, gave the class an assignment to pick one monument in any Spanish-speaking country to give a short presentation on. Most people chose Inca/ Mayan temples or famous building throughout Mexico and S. America. For some reason, I simply googled 'Spanish buildings' and on the top of this list was a building in some small city in Spain called Salamanca. I remember laughing thinking the city's name sounded like Salmonella (don't judge, I was only 13) Well, not at all interested in this project, I went with this building because it looked cool, all the other cooler monuments were taken and the website I found would be perfect for me to easily write my presentation. A week later I presented a 5-minute Spanglish speech to my class and about 5-minutes after, I completely forgot about that cool looking building in some E-Coli sounding town in BuFu Spain....<br />
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that was until I had dejavu taking photos of <b>La Casa de Conchas</b>. I suddenly remembered why it seemed vaguely familiar. This was the building I did that random presentation on 10 years ago. I stood staring at the building having a moment with myself about how funny life is. How small moments that seem insignificant can really impact you far in the future. I had a serious look at my current life and for the first time, really realized how much I've done in my 23 years and how lucky I am to be experiencing these things in real life; not just through crappy presentations I gave when I was thirteen. <br />
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After my little moment, we continued through the streets to the University of Salamanca. Normally, universities in Spain are nothing to write home about. But there's something a little special about this one, a legend that surrounds its walls and a superstition that haunts its students. One of the main building entrances has this gorgeous stone carved archway covered in figures, designs, animals, you name it. You have to stand 30 feet back just to take it all in. It really is a fascinating sight. Well, as the legend goes, somewhere in this spectacule is a tiny sitting frog. No more than 3 or 4 inches big. As students learn on orientation, if they want to graduate, they must find the little frog. I heard this story on prior to my arrival and thought, well that sounds stupid! But once I saw this doorway, I knew why this superstition was loved not only by students but also by tourists. The group of us sat there inventing the best strategies to find this miniscule anphibian for a good 20 minutes until finally we gave up. Luckily, we met up with one of the girl´s friend who was studying at this particular university. After we couldn´t take it any longer, she showed us where the little guy was. I mean SERIOUSLY! But it was good fun.<br />
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Can you find it yet????</div>
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Yet?????</div>
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We continued the tour to the Cathedral and sat down for a few more cañas. After most of the tourist stuff was finished, we returned to the hostel for a little siesta. Steph and I ran to the local supermarket to pick up drinks and food for later that evening. Travelling on a budget we learned a great way to save money is to just buy local food and eat in your hotel. Same with alcohol, buy a few bottles and mixers; throw on some awesome tunes; dance and drink until you´re more than ´contenta´; then head out to the bars.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXREUXGT7Hymwr8d_lghOen4pB3C1GYlHSWModhPMPxGFL3UizNXjotmEJn0GXENZmmBiVWDbMfzZwRHZftgPABzwuyHNaS-1Mw1UbRfxJmAJwt5CgfbVGx1O2ETVpvEBsWnfmYqOy6m4B/s1600/Spain+10-+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXREUXGT7Hymwr8d_lghOen4pB3C1GYlHSWModhPMPxGFL3UizNXjotmEJn0GXENZmmBiVWDbMfzZwRHZftgPABzwuyHNaS-1Mw1UbRfxJmAJwt5CgfbVGx1O2ETVpvEBsWnfmYqOy6m4B/s200/Spain+10-+051.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVRrhUhzsSIxzQK4IPeNn8vxOFkcFNZeUJgTNVec2BFadCzgC_bKFdpkPOCT-OVYxonTaaP_9pq-ke1F0oV8NTnmDykdVDhURbM4FMXd2c-S3pLqrrjsADkzI9FVDHHQvMwsuKmOIWC0W/s1600/Spain+10-+061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVRrhUhzsSIxzQK4IPeNn8vxOFkcFNZeUJgTNVec2BFadCzgC_bKFdpkPOCT-OVYxonTaaP_9pq-ke1F0oV8NTnmDykdVDhURbM4FMXd2c-S3pLqrrjsADkzI9FVDHHQvMwsuKmOIWC0W/s200/Spain+10-+061.JPG" width="200" /></a>That´s exactly what we did. We planned to have a little dinner picnic in the Plaza Mayor but a short rain shower prevented that. So we ate, drank, danced and got ready in our room. Some of the girls were out on the patio smoking when they met our next door neighbors.... 5 gorgeous Basque men. What are the chances :)</div>
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Well they were ready to check out some of the bars so we took a vote between us girls and decided it would be in our best interest to join them. Well, to not go into too much detail, we all had a great night dancing, talking, destroying Salamanca (party-wise). I crawled into bed around 5 am exhausted which turned out to be earlier than most of my travel buddies who well watched the sun rise with our new Basque friends. We exchanged info with one another so if I ever make it to Pais Vasco, I have a few contacts!</div>
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The next day, everyone suffering a pretty bad <em>resaca</em> (hangover), we decided to try and catch an earlier bus back to Madrid. Luckily, I got the last seat on one of the buses that was leaving shortly after. So I departed from the girls who still had a few hours to wait and wanted some food. I arrived in Madrid in no time, as I once again slept the entire way back. Salamanca was a crazy experience for a quick weekend getaway and one that I´ll never forget!<br />
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-50922291103216381472010-08-12T06:50:00.000-07:002010-10-14T05:30:15.404-07:00Galicia, SpainWith another Puente (three-day weekend) on my hands and with a travelling-bug getting under my skin, I jumped at the opportunity to take a road trip with some of my colleagues. Talking to Stef and Isabel, we decided that the northern part of Spain was a bit of uncharted territory for us. Speaking specifically of Galicia region—I heard of its terrific cuisine and breathtaking scenery. The typical cities of Galicia including Santiago de Computense and la Coruna are must sees for tourists but having only a few days and no desire to mingle with tourists, we decided on the little-big city of <a href="http://www.galiciaguide.com/Vigo-history.html">Vigo</a>. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX3GCEYmUeML8K4QU5C0JvcGWG1X1u9TqqCH6MPp22eMwxfN-lpMg2fX75M2j2vsDNe1DI0mqWh6Ils9LOPHZoO6lwHLbDsF7xnUr3EUvbl7gJCuEDiaa4RFHWrdWOxMbXqs8tecManJ7s/s1600/Spain+10-+025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX3GCEYmUeML8K4QU5C0JvcGWG1X1u9TqqCH6MPp22eMwxfN-lpMg2fX75M2j2vsDNe1DI0mqWh6Ils9LOPHZoO6lwHLbDsF7xnUr3EUvbl7gJCuEDiaa4RFHWrdWOxMbXqs8tecManJ7s/s200/Spain+10-+025.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlRu5PfqAK3ZCh3TD5IPbVqHOQP_Gh4NbGgQS9tigDkSMKA0IoYlQnpk4xNDASZzEeVO0hapx-0otY3b_kwwzrhGIi7Dpsy7-PbNJcKjD_91L5qXOQn4s4LSdRNF02AISSmE68MPu4d5E/s1600/Spain+10-+172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihlRu5PfqAK3ZCh3TD5IPbVqHOQP_Gh4NbGgQS9tigDkSMKA0IoYlQnpk4xNDASZzEeVO0hapx-0otY3b_kwwzrhGIi7Dpsy7-PbNJcKjD_91L5qXOQn4s4LSdRNF02AISSmE68MPu4d5E/s200/Spain+10-+172.JPG" width="200" /></a>Stef said she had some other friends interested in going as well. I had heard stories of Lena, the crazy New Yorker that could put Courtney Love to shame with her antics and Sonia, the sweet litte Spanish girl that makes you wonder how she got involved with such insane Americans. So with a decent sized group of ladies, we realized the cheapest option of transport was just to rent a car. Between the 5 of us, we got a nice 4 door- BMW. Sounds fancy but Beamers here are actually quite affordable. Stef found us a really nice hotel for relatively cheap, especially since it wasn´t anywhere near tourist season. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So early Saturday morning, we all met on the subway to pick up our car. 5 hours later we arrived in Vigo. The city itself doesn´t have the majesty of Toledo or the vastness of Madrid but the countryside driving into the city itself was absolutely awe-inspiring. Rolling green hills with scattered boulders and hidden towns was something out of Don Quixote. (though Don Quixote was placed nowhere near Galicia)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTRSDsqZLd_-IZq1dkNd7jPBsOhIfzu0eGdL0wLXIeVaBHRZfxxaiWM-lBTouOKEPFSC7RCErjx_vLLGpsH9M9SU8156W5AxLw1OtOyAk02xxd4DJqudbTKv7NbfcYNUgxnJ-5lhh0xeW/s1600/Spain+10-+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTRSDsqZLd_-IZq1dkNd7jPBsOhIfzu0eGdL0wLXIeVaBHRZfxxaiWM-lBTouOKEPFSC7RCErjx_vLLGpsH9M9SU8156W5AxLw1OtOyAk02xxd4DJqudbTKv7NbfcYNUgxnJ-5lhh0xeW/s200/Spain+10-+034.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMqZpC2gnrDS2DTAYjDioDOkQ2khR8C9yGVN0Ch1XxmzsX36IZCLJTJb-gb6G1Znj2VPR-NEsUFaaGQne4M-qqLTEKaTvGCTrWcc14OR3TRv96i7BPpSw6qKEVBXfFnuqaSPptDr4Qaqo/s1600/Spain+10-+036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 164px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 206px;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMqZpC2gnrDS2DTAYjDioDOkQ2khR8C9yGVN0Ch1XxmzsX36IZCLJTJb-gb6G1Znj2VPR-NEsUFaaGQne4M-qqLTEKaTvGCTrWcc14OR3TRv96i7BPpSw6qKEVBXfFnuqaSPptDr4Qaqo/s200/Spain+10-+036.JPG" width="200" /></a>We checked into our rooms and after deciding where we were all sleeping, we took a little siesta and got ready for the night. Isabel´s sister and friends gave her some recommednations of bars and resturants we had to try. First we stopped and this nautical/ astrology themed bar with amazing drink specials and yummy tapas. We sat around the 5 of us talking about life, culture, our futures and whatnot while we steadily drank beer, wine and the bar specials. I could already tell that I was going to get along great with Lena and Sonia. Though we all had completely different personalities and backgrounds, we had many more important things in common: laughing, drinking and just having fun! This was also one of the first big experiences I'd had with Stef. After this trip, we were new partners in crime and gossip. When we had our fill, we headed off the find this amazing resturant Isabel´s sister said was a must: EL CURUXA</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0dGA1bUvi_x-ff-csH1ESA36wG1vYhwv7Zy7OQCWZgbdpmF-4fR0z58DDj9ScZ0AShmaUAq0_sh8-wtxzGAOIvOAJkBi1YFClxMOkaGmvnDya9ivc6kS6nwav_LHPJ3o-U9OsqZMNBR9/s1600/Spain+10-+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg0dGA1bUvi_x-ff-csH1ESA36wG1vYhwv7Zy7OQCWZgbdpmF-4fR0z58DDj9ScZ0AShmaUAq0_sh8-wtxzGAOIvOAJkBi1YFClxMOkaGmvnDya9ivc6kS6nwav_LHPJ3o-U9OsqZMNBR9/s320/Spain+10-+045.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGxp8OVnovxO3-yJOEnMGuvuCWzpCf2Nu0SMI2fAHfAQBgd5bMmSeFT2sErz4Q6XhJPN1DS7IwX4eFYTZe1VLtDqhiuYWp4TK_jO-LpP8CshqwsOLBcJL7PrQci1IEJ_1EDs3j8sQRzjV/s1600/Spain+10-+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGxp8OVnovxO3-yJOEnMGuvuCWzpCf2Nu0SMI2fAHfAQBgd5bMmSeFT2sErz4Q6XhJPN1DS7IwX4eFYTZe1VLtDqhiuYWp4TK_jO-LpP8CshqwsOLBcJL7PrQci1IEJ_1EDs3j8sQRzjV/s320/Spain+10-+039.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFl1vrzvkH1aIzPfhvMAs9XRD5fcQcfKOhBYeJTotVFI1fMLDb74VhmluNOK9XBOvt4_RhxJxaIDNJx1q61k6iEusGdpub0cIop9dyQGA3nDnOOZ0dGHENF09WbbxfB8Y4bE3BChULT15-/s1600/Spain+10-+040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFl1vrzvkH1aIzPfhvMAs9XRD5fcQcfKOhBYeJTotVFI1fMLDb74VhmluNOK9XBOvt4_RhxJxaIDNJx1q61k6iEusGdpub0cIop9dyQGA3nDnOOZ0dGHENF09WbbxfB8Y4bE3BChULT15-/s200/Spain+10-+040.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well, the ancient part of the city is a maze of winding streets and hidden entrances. So everyother person we stopped to ask for directions sent us in the opposite direction of where we wanted to go. Eventually, we came across it and got our table. At first, I was a little disappointed and crabby. The place didn´t look like anything special, especially having walked around for like 45 minutes trying to find it. But as soon as food arrived, all my doubts disppeared. Never have I had such delicious seafood in my life. People always told me that Galicia had incredible pulpo (octopus) and mariscos (shellfish) but MADRE MÍA! Adding a few bottles of wine, it was one incredible dinner. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiK4D9JDZdxyTIchUo_R5KU48FJNV_ka-WiUMz8KpYqbxDVvdg3PH0Gt0ZJpSmu553QUPKedRmzf4DZRArhP9Onrhe3Ede1XXmvKJc9Ab12_Sxl9PVvIZdHsvKdvASgKllx4lbynlt77dG/s1600/Spain+10-+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiK4D9JDZdxyTIchUo_R5KU48FJNV_ka-WiUMz8KpYqbxDVvdg3PH0Gt0ZJpSmu553QUPKedRmzf4DZRArhP9Onrhe3Ede1XXmvKJc9Ab12_Sxl9PVvIZdHsvKdvASgKllx4lbynlt77dG/s200/Spain+10-+056.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv-gfqxZ7xvCQRuVvQupqPokogKfNRP3GtMbIeKf6lBca_An3SZ5oXUA118QwMrgMKpmC-CXyHzqx6rrrTpgurhxwvNswKWPEICUtqGlbVqvY_g9DeTl3RIYF8yqihNkYulfkGySEJzcY/s1600/Spain+10-+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuv-gfqxZ7xvCQRuVvQupqPokogKfNRP3GtMbIeKf6lBca_An3SZ5oXUA118QwMrgMKpmC-CXyHzqx6rrrTpgurhxwvNswKWPEICUtqGlbVqvY_g9DeTl3RIYF8yqihNkYulfkGySEJzcY/s200/Spain+10-+051.JPG" width="200" /></a>Finishing our last glasses of wine, we ventured to meet one of Sonía´s old roommates from la universidad that lived in Vigo. She agreed to bring us to some of the hottest clubs in Vigo. And man, she wasn´t joking. As we arrived to the main street, we were surrounded by groups and groups of attractive men. Almost as if Vigo puts attractiveness in the water! We went bar hopping, talking up the guapos as we went. Then we arrived to 20th Century... the most amazing bar I have been to to date. Completely decked in Americana and full of single men, we spent the majority of the night in a complete haze. We finished the night at another club but I couldn´t remember much of it if you´d paid me. Around 6am the group of us came stumbling in, in amazement of Vigo´s nightlife.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>We got up relatively early, considering our late night. We decided to take advatage of the rented car and drive to a nearby little town called Baiona that has one of the most spectacular Fortresses in Spain. When we first arrived to this little piece of heaven, we parked and walked around the beach at the 'ria' that led to the Atlantic Ocean. We strolled along the shores and into this old missionary turned church. After exploring and taking our fill of fotos, we got back in the car and headed closer to the fortress. We stopped and looked in a few shops, ate some icecream, explored an exact replica of the Pinta, one of Christopher Columbus's ships. Finally, we made it to the Parador de Baiona (The Fortress). <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhK6WkGuRk8jMBOMXVK7JQaf46CetaA-l12wlhKOA-eCKaWiOyM_-9F8_tX30wbPNe8ca6SAzrNmEdmr-YC-EYh8gvBXrkqJYeVpC5QL1HMWfN-Cj6QtdB2ulxEomPBmv_Y0J_uqmBNMA/s1600/Spain+10-+142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhK6WkGuRk8jMBOMXVK7JQaf46CetaA-l12wlhKOA-eCKaWiOyM_-9F8_tX30wbPNe8ca6SAzrNmEdmr-YC-EYh8gvBXrkqJYeVpC5QL1HMWfN-Cj6QtdB2ulxEomPBmv_Y0J_uqmBNMA/s200/Spain+10-+142.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>Have you ever had one of those moments when you first walk into a place and know that you will remember this for the rest of your life? This is how I felt when I walked into the walls of the Parador. Words cannot even explain the beauty of this place. I really felt that I had time travelled from 2010 into the 17th Century. Everything seemed so untouched by the outside world. Everything grew wild and I could feel the history seeping through the cobble stones. I had transported myself into my own little fairy tale of Kings and Noble Knights. I imagined myself even getting married in the lush gardens overlooking the water. I think all of us were in awe of this breathtaking place. We took advantage of the photo-ops but for the most part, we walked in a sublime silence. Like we all knew that this was something special. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VEwv6ZxlPaH6pBDXSrQ2aZa3A2nfQYN126Nrvt7YX2xjlqWQ1ee1v-daKl0KV25-fI1k5AaanO-_6ag0CRwSusMlozAWCppEMzsbxiXctDH328RfzyfM57TUvhd8zz8pFsI-bowZ18C8/s1600/Spain+10-+135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VEwv6ZxlPaH6pBDXSrQ2aZa3A2nfQYN126Nrvt7YX2xjlqWQ1ee1v-daKl0KV25-fI1k5AaanO-_6ag0CRwSusMlozAWCppEMzsbxiXctDH328RfzyfM57TUvhd8zz8pFsI-bowZ18C8/s200/Spain+10-+135.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>Sadly, after a few hours and countless pictures, we left this magical place. We decided for enerygy and money sake, that we'd buy a few things at the local supermarket and eat dinner inside our hotel room that night. Isabel went and had dinner and drinks with a few of her friends while the girls and I ate, drank, danced and gossiped for hours. Once we got to the point where we could go to sleep or head out for night 2 on the town, we opted to quickly get ready and down the rest of our drinks. We knew that we wanted to make one more appearance at 20th Century and a few other bars/ clubs before we left. We danced the night away, filled with the bubbling joy of todays excursion. Still exhausted from the previous late night and knowing our long journey home, we came back to the hotel at a modest 3am. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The morning came ever so quickly as we all slowly climbed out of our beds to get back in the car for our long journey back to Madrid. As we individually said goodbye to each person as we got dropped off, I knew that we had done more than just bond on this super-puente. We built memories that would last a lifetime :) </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxXJCrB_IOX8HTcRqEfqbXV9HYo3-AdF9Os39S0rwltiLfqSEtbKqB8i7NrcFKgpqZTA_BPs39ruZV77MTf61GhT1UjhXIJ6XadVeKdU0eJ0-fKfRkw4Z4b2TThi8gvREElWtNaU9LaXGf/s1600/Spain+10-+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeE14MHsfx-Q3uoJM6sxekDlg_g17DRPgbAK2LdIavWVKCLc87Pl67ZOK1-pZS8xV7XJly9bCTvv8Kj9XrDKfxydPPeodyVGHhyTCeShvH8OpbjlftfknEVpbLdeBdp4uUkPqX97NgIzo/s1600/Spain+10-+175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHeE14MHsfx-Q3uoJM6sxekDlg_g17DRPgbAK2LdIavWVKCLc87Pl67ZOK1-pZS8xV7XJly9bCTvv8Kj9XrDKfxydPPeodyVGHhyTCeShvH8OpbjlftfknEVpbLdeBdp4uUkPqX97NgIzo/s320/Spain+10-+175.JPG" /></a></div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-11038674212591278262010-08-05T13:58:00.000-07:002010-08-05T14:00:39.129-07:00Working Girl (April/ May/ June)These last few months seemed to fly by at times and others, drag on for an eternity. There were many different reasons that could explain this. First of all my academy has been in the middle of a big move. For the past 30 odd years we have been in the same building expanding over time. However, we’ve been expanding not only to different rooms but to different floors. So our main office has been on the 6th floor while majority of our classrooms were on the 2nd and 3rd floors. This made it frustrating especially trying to cart around the portable TVs up and down the crowded elevators and during the hot summer months when air circulation was a rare commodity in some corner rooms. But during this trimester, my academy administrators announced that we were moving to a brand new facility just down the block. All classrooms are located on one floor with WiFi and air conditioning in every room. But as rumors spread to the students, every other day we were cornered with questions about the timeline and how come other classes were chosen to start in the new place before theirs. In the 3 month time span, only one of my classes, my one-session Friday night class, was moved into the new building.<br />
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Another reason for the apparent stunt in pace was the fact that I was going home to Chicago in July. So towards the latter of the trimester, all I could think about was my friends and family back home. However bad my desire to finish at the academy, my classes were quite enjoyable.<br />
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I had my morning intensive class as usual with a few new faces. One that particularly stood out was a student named Borja. He came into my class the first day with baggy shorts, a ripped tee 6 earrings in each ear and covered in tattoos. It was big change from my gelled-hair, polo and loafer wearing Spanish students. So I took a special interest in watching him develop his language skills over the month of June. I asked my students on the first day of every class, ¨Why are you learning English?¨ I get the usual responses: to get a promotion, to travel, to find a better job... but Borja´s answer was the most unique and heart-felt response I have heard. He said he was learning English so he could write music and poetry that everyone could understand. For the next few weeks, Borja would stay after class a few minutes and show me some of the things he was writing so I could correct any mistakes and make sure everything made sense Definitely one of the most intriguing experiences I´ve had here in Spain. <br />
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I continued with my business classes in Tecnicas Reunidas as usual. But as June passed, I knew that I would have to say goodbye to most of them. The had been my students for the entire academic year and I had grown quite fond of the majority. Unfortunately, teachers can only have 1 on 1 students for a maximum of 1 year. I try not to dwell....<br />
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I continued with my 2 trimester classes and they went relatively smoothly. I had the same group with Mer and Lorena from before which went relatively quickly as we added some new faces to the mix. My other trimester class was also decent. No one with much personality but luckily, classes didn´t drag too much. I had problems with 2 girls at the beginning. They were best friends who sat in the corner talking only with eachother and at times, not paying attention to my class. Then one day I caught one of the girls putting her fingers to her head shaped as a gun (the same gesture we use in the US to say, ¨Dear Lord I´m bored; someone please shoot me!¨) Well I was less than thrilled about that so I called her out and said that if she didn´t like my class, she was free to leave at any time. We didn´t have any more problems after that.<br />
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My last class was, as I mentioned before, a 2 1/2 hour Friday night class. At first I was dreading this class. 2 1/2 HOURS!!!! But in the end, it turned out to be one of my favorite classes from the entire year. It was all due to the wonderful students I had. Each one had such a unique personality and they were all quite talkative. That is, in my opinion, the best thing any teacher could ask for. Majority of the time, I had to stop them from talking so we could actually learn some grammar. They loved to debate which was great because the dynamic of the class. We had one older lady while the other were mid 20s to early 30s; a good mixture of men and women; different cultures; and different professions. Every class with them was a piece of tortilla española!<br />
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So overall, I finished my first academic year on a high note. I just returned from my vacation back home which will be in another blog shortly! Thanks to all my amazing students and colleagues that made this past year, unforgetable!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-2200197329444235562010-06-15T13:26:00.000-07:002010-06-15T13:29:44.700-07:00Semana Santa 2010<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaImYzOtCuFFHaFq1lAV8e7Zh-2cWAv9Tuho6-VupysEtDOR7AA8QO7dt-drRYcjFED-rS9H-TIdvT56rtPxRlARPXWtzMBZzbiruT4rRWlRhMjL7yOwVlu2EMoqAzA2HzwYQLqfQnlUV/s1600/Spain+10-+039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaImYzOtCuFFHaFq1lAV8e7Zh-2cWAv9Tuho6-VupysEtDOR7AA8QO7dt-drRYcjFED-rS9H-TIdvT56rtPxRlARPXWtzMBZzbiruT4rRWlRhMjL7yOwVlu2EMoqAzA2HzwYQLqfQnlUV/s320/Spain+10-+039.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Semana Santa or 'Holy Week' starts Spain's Spring Break around the time of Pascual or 'Easter'. Obviously being in 'Catholic Spain', I had some very high expectations. All week long from the end of March to the beginning of April. I got a full week off of work which was nice as I was in need a <em>descanso</em>. I had just come back from Vigo the weekend prior and was planning another trip to Salamanca in the week that followed, so I had a completely empty agenda for this week which was just what the doctor ordered. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I borrowed one of my colleague's Madrid tour books and started to scan through it one day. I was amazed about how many things in Madrid I had never been to or even knew existed. So I decided to utilize this time to check out what secrets were hiding in this massive city. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I must admit that I slept in almost every day and put no urgency to accomplish much of anything. I enduldged myself with long dinners and copias amounts of drink during this week with some of my friends. However, I did get around to seeing some pretty awesome things.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzb1mmF-c9QtQax3VUFmEcLbDNpADER20wAZfCT7uQkB6JyWsMQSzVA6S6brWw34dVRmAoACDAdVpgM5VZd86Tc4XdFzn_ZCNxyNOqsOPBnqBDMcFzElcrCL4zsbxNxFaVe0S3oHmZopN/s1600/Spain+10-+037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzb1mmF-c9QtQax3VUFmEcLbDNpADER20wAZfCT7uQkB6JyWsMQSzVA6S6brWw34dVRmAoACDAdVpgM5VZd86Tc4XdFzn_ZCNxyNOqsOPBnqBDMcFzElcrCL4zsbxNxFaVe0S3oHmZopN/s200/Spain+10-+037.JPG" width="200" /></a>One day, Craig, Irene, my amazing Italian roommate and I went for a long stroll around Parque Oeste and the Royal Palace. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Another day was spent at the Soralla Museum only minutes from where I live.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Yet another day was spent in the city that will forever have my heart... TOLEDO!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And the rest were spent cleaning, shopping and general walk-abouts in the centro.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <em> Me (left) and My Roommate Irene (right)</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">What I want this blog to be mostly about it the festivities revolving around Semana Santa in Madrid.</div><br />
I really like this <a href="http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/holy-week-in-madrid-when-religion-and-partying-mingle/">BLOG</a>'s review of Semana Santa in Spain... so check it out if you want more info!<br />
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One of my goals was to sit in on a Catholic mass in one of Madrid's hundreds of <em>iglesias. </em>I got that opportunity during my stroll with Craig and Irene. I intended on going to a small church near my apartment but when we were passing the Cathedral near the Royal Palace and I saw that there was a service going on at that moment, I thought... what the hell! (Sorry for the blasphemy!)<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was also my first time inside the Cathedral here in Madrid so it was quite the experience for me. We stayed about 20 minutes as the crowds of people left no where to sit. But I was really moved by the Latin service and choir. I'm not a religious person by any means but it's still one of those cultural experiences that really have an impact on a person. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The one event during Semana Santa I knew I couldn't miss was <br />
<a href="http://semanasanta.esmadrid.com/procesion-del-silencio/">'La Procession de Silencio'</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxmVf62dYs7ihtO1QrCh7RJo65L2QTM9RD6UcYWVL9YGw-v48I0TrKwbCcW6WE0JYU0cdEYamyfKkGv4OWEidxEsAIAQr1qSd7T4DlO_BFdzEzfsbWHLzf3L3JXf8RzSb1dHjZypEBwmp/s1600/Spain+10-+100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxmVf62dYs7ihtO1QrCh7RJo65L2QTM9RD6UcYWVL9YGw-v48I0TrKwbCcW6WE0JYU0cdEYamyfKkGv4OWEidxEsAIAQr1qSd7T4DlO_BFdzEzfsbWHLzf3L3JXf8RzSb1dHjZypEBwmp/s400/Spain+10-+100.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>view from inside the parade heading towards PUERTA DE SOL</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It starts near Atocha and continues down towards Sol wraps around and continues back. It would seem like any normal religion based- Easter parade with exception to some crazy outfits and suprising offerings of penance. Well, I'll let you see for yourself...<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Cb5E7A63xm_7mYqoM1TTTjx1y7zzmOripecCnwOo6vISgBNNzCXh7WCDjuAVtvAZLbu2GvCZwTmphpjs7igblXu_WmRQ7YXm4wN7uBL3MnXWh5KV5hE8T5js25KGr3_HulWr1VAVjEtN/s1600/Spain+10-+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Cb5E7A63xm_7mYqoM1TTTjx1y7zzmOripecCnwOo6vISgBNNzCXh7WCDjuAVtvAZLbu2GvCZwTmphpjs7igblXu_WmRQ7YXm4wN7uBL3MnXWh5KV5hE8T5js25KGr3_HulWr1VAVjEtN/s400/Spain+10-+049.JPG" width="400" /></a>Hopefully, I don't have to explain that the outfits have absolutely NOTHING to do with the KKK!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The people are called <a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazareno">Nazarenos</a>; they wear these costumes as a way to demonstrate their penatence to heaven. Every major city in Spain has a different group of Nazarenos that each have their own colored costumes and different ways to distinguish themselves from one another. It is considered a great honor throughout Spain to become a Nazareno.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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The second picture demonstates common people usually members of that group's particular church who want to ask for foregiveness for their sins through this walk of 'disgrace'. They walk barefoot shackled with chains; the more chains, the more forgiveness you're asking for. Nowadays, it is a more symbolic tradition. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3muPrwt3iCpcA6iQuiDpXUXA0Wm3cW5KayLwx5HHx_jlMhiYKg2JUhuSeBNhDmhiNKKsq36-b-hDWt68gFvxV8yyWiQPb0wBIVceanRAtHg3wEAf0cU7WFaMlcivhfun2H8I6x42ttmQ5/s1600/Spain+10-+057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3muPrwt3iCpcA6iQuiDpXUXA0Wm3cW5KayLwx5HHx_jlMhiYKg2JUhuSeBNhDmhiNKKsq36-b-hDWt68gFvxV8yyWiQPb0wBIVceanRAtHg3wEAf0cU7WFaMlcivhfun2H8I6x42ttmQ5/s400/Spain+10-+057.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Well here are some more photos of the parade to help you get an idea of what a spectacle it was! Enjoy :)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDldwB-vzcxBGb-hAkTAQ6NF4qdye7qGtahEdYfWDq_zNyWCr5PA1LqMSlUBUGiU-81hMr7PsLsvzASqxOU8CdkPIWHD-GBbOa11f7JbXx1oV4RQGxdvdRWweSuOv8h1eqYsU_gHAh5KgP/s1600/Spain+10-+078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDldwB-vzcxBGb-hAkTAQ6NF4qdye7qGtahEdYfWDq_zNyWCr5PA1LqMSlUBUGiU-81hMr7PsLsvzASqxOU8CdkPIWHD-GBbOa11f7JbXx1oV4RQGxdvdRWweSuOv8h1eqYsU_gHAh5KgP/s320/Spain+10-+078.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjygKsmj2UjOPpHpmPN1lq90bIhAVRm20kE4xSVSvKlZKbhGGtXdrCMSo5P4cmQWs8E3gn1T6THqdWE-jyj_2LMaRo0tWUqpN8WJUvzrdrTmaCzAYLJaXjDTuY-g_DYqni99xm_vy0xjMm/s1600/Spain+10-+088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjygKsmj2UjOPpHpmPN1lq90bIhAVRm20kE4xSVSvKlZKbhGGtXdrCMSo5P4cmQWs8E3gn1T6THqdWE-jyj_2LMaRo0tWUqpN8WJUvzrdrTmaCzAYLJaXjDTuY-g_DYqni99xm_vy0xjMm/s320/Spain+10-+088.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhay09n5QxGGsJ6pzRjVupdpIs9OBeiR9DRKNRv8wsmtM4eBO83Ppfb4qWaivuFK3SVfIktPx9cA_EZk7kcQZ4sx8Vcw-D9-9bGJzHOI6VHie945GCvuylXfxhwJkB4pAf0VSRhIc9hh_T-/s1600/Spain+10-+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhay09n5QxGGsJ6pzRjVupdpIs9OBeiR9DRKNRv8wsmtM4eBO83Ppfb4qWaivuFK3SVfIktPx9cA_EZk7kcQZ4sx8Vcw-D9-9bGJzHOI6VHie945GCvuylXfxhwJkB4pAf0VSRhIc9hh_T-/s320/Spain+10-+043.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFVKTByk1dniVSnkfxQXwbKH39jSHedKKYtE-9vax8JtNs5H17XK-jhZgwaPrdN2rbeiSZX39yPxpUORWvXGRVEumYpR_NM5pk1T-tDunl-6rAE9TQkkS3l_DyqH0CRbUT61WxHg5ysUy/s1600/Spain+10-+052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigFVKTByk1dniVSnkfxQXwbKH39jSHedKKYtE-9vax8JtNs5H17XK-jhZgwaPrdN2rbeiSZX39yPxpUORWvXGRVEumYpR_NM5pk1T-tDunl-6rAE9TQkkS3l_DyqH0CRbUT61WxHg5ysUy/s320/Spain+10-+052.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYczw2hiZO1IsVAE63igkuqpSRdbIUiT22VourZJ5Ee31C3e5j_rodgVm3f7B_uEAAwoT4SPGptEKxyA5llS2JCZ0D-GK12MYdlS-p75LoUuTLPE4X2BmuCG4JPIPSQ6Jqco4G3C73z3me/s1600/Spain+10-+070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYczw2hiZO1IsVAE63igkuqpSRdbIUiT22VourZJ5Ee31C3e5j_rodgVm3f7B_uEAAwoT4SPGptEKxyA5llS2JCZ0D-GK12MYdlS-p75LoUuTLPE4X2BmuCG4JPIPSQ6Jqco4G3C73z3me/s320/Spain+10-+070.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYpAqgOuDg94iJVhSMlvAxNYu89axYHGwamTx_6Jn5Mh7qZeUsF7KlXOIAYKimQaUCSiA1MwIy_PXlcOOBJpm-t6CAkSfIoKw6t0A_w4_GoF8_oBz5-PvJkA9c7TLy4480Co1cGzy_C8b/s1600/Spain+10-+063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYYpAqgOuDg94iJVhSMlvAxNYu89axYHGwamTx_6Jn5Mh7qZeUsF7KlXOIAYKimQaUCSiA1MwIy_PXlcOOBJpm-t6CAkSfIoKw6t0A_w4_GoF8_oBz5-PvJkA9c7TLy4480Co1cGzy_C8b/s320/Spain+10-+063.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6420845960780074328.post-34929856138522630532010-06-13T13:58:00.000-07:002010-06-14T09:03:29.290-07:00El Capricho<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfgBbwqMNNIN8pODLk_i2sLJLkNXYg_dYCmxhv8WGeFyiI4uGxe1w_dS_jn23SRPMhTTymEfJQQBlXQIqgDQ2m0MCGTMjr2xg43tmfWnAcPUAnDpSv2tIRmk1L3RMoJOvs0hFlHVtIO7P/s1600/Spain+10-+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPfgBbwqMNNIN8pODLk_i2sLJLkNXYg_dYCmxhv8WGeFyiI4uGxe1w_dS_jn23SRPMhTTymEfJQQBlXQIqgDQ2m0MCGTMjr2xg43tmfWnAcPUAnDpSv2tIRmk1L3RMoJOvs0hFlHVtIO7P/s320/Spain+10-+024.JPG" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Background:</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;">Summary found: <a href="http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do?TR=C&IDR=877">HERE</a>!!!!</div><br />
“Though very much unknown and out of the way, the garden of El Capricho (literally, a whim) is one of the most beautiful and attractive parks in the city.”<br />
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The 14-hectare garden, located in the area of Barajas district, dates back to 1784 when the Duke of Osuna, from one of the most illustrious and powerful of the city’s families, acquired the land for the specific purpose of giving expression to the family’s visionary and artistic values as well as to give the family a place to escape city life. The prime mover was the Duchess Lady María Josefa de la Soledad Alonso Pimentel. Thought to be among the most intelligent women of her time, and a patron to many artists, bull-fighters and intellectuals, she designed the garden bearing in mind a sort of artistic-nature retreat for the more illustrious figures of her day and which the most prestigious gardeners, artists and scene designers contributed in designing. <br />
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During the Civil War change came about, since what was once considered a place for leisure and strolling, became the Staff Headquarters of the Central Army. To this day, the garden shows the structural accommodations for a line of defense bunkers. At the end of the war, the property passed through a number of different hands, until it was bought by the Town Hall in 1974, followed by renovation works carried out several years later. After several periods of inactivity, this work as finally taken up again in 1999, and went on to win a Europa Nostra award in 2001. <br />
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<strong><em>Between Gardens</em></strong> <br />
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On the way to the estate, one passes a circular plaza which used to be the site of a bull-fighting ring and which later became the Paseo de los Duelistas, with two sculptures representing the distance separating two people about to engage in a duel unto death. A little further is the Plaza de los Emperadores, showing the busts of two Roman emperors along with the Exedra, which is a semi circular building in the classical style, and from which one then precedes into the Palace’s front gardens. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrHXCfhfhN349qM5Chvri7rmZtHFVt-EKRkOTO6VzsqK1jcRvz4_D8JytG8kpWXpGcNnBOaMy-DGCU9mZScw_jM1pug5GRowS5ekqK9c7D-ZPOs-4IgXIlrzo5jgdJmJ4AWSRQGFHIO7b/s1600/Spain+10-+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlrHXCfhfhN349qM5Chvri7rmZtHFVt-EKRkOTO6VzsqK1jcRvz4_D8JytG8kpWXpGcNnBOaMy-DGCU9mZScw_jM1pug5GRowS5ekqK9c7D-ZPOs-4IgXIlrzo5jgdJmJ4AWSRQGFHIO7b/s320/Spain+10-+007.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The art of landscaping in El Capricho is displayed in three different styles of classical gardenscapes: the ‘parterre’ or French garden, English landscaping and the Italian giardino. Facing the western approach to the palace is the ‘parterre’ whose hedges look as if they had been directly embroidered on the earth. In the lower part is the Italian giardino in the oldest part of the estate in which hedges alternate with tree-shaded corners, where one can soak up winter sun, or take cover from the heat in the shade of the branches. Nearby is the labyrinth which is expressly designed for playful hiding or amorous frolicking, is a laurel grove set as per the original wishes of the Duchess herself. Finally, there is the rest of the park, which is a typical English landscaped garden, echoing the natural forms of nature, most inviting for a stroll and finding a quiet corner. There are many love trees, elms, almond trees, Holm oaks and lilac bushes, which contribute their colours in springtime. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilS679dPjIzQ2fVSn246gcPebDd5-tKFc_bPNTBnZI4rIAZHJth06TpgSv4KPvibeLQqnRxIz_3zMUXIrsJVPTx2Ke7W-ZYp5BqKsZxeLeEY3crgovfnNoGFLOa4HCnAlK_qbKuIpDTPz/s1600/Spain+10-+069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilS679dPjIzQ2fVSn246gcPebDd5-tKFc_bPNTBnZI4rIAZHJth06TpgSv4KPvibeLQqnRxIz_3zMUXIrsJVPTx2Ke7W-ZYp5BqKsZxeLeEY3crgovfnNoGFLOa4HCnAlK_qbKuIpDTPz/s320/Spain+10-+069.JPG" /></a></div><br />
As for the palace itself, only the walls are left from the original building, rising three floors and finished off at each corner with towers. The inside has been remodeled, and houses the offices for the park services, but it also has kept some reflections of the past, as the Ministry of Culture would have it. So there is a grand ballroom, dining salons, a 6000 volume library, as well as the alcoves and chambers of the family members. As great patrons of the arts, the private quarters of the family were each decorated with some of the best art work of their day. In fact some of Goya’s best work, such as El columpio (The Swing), Las cuatro estaciones (The Four Seasons), La merienda campestre and La pradera de San Isidro (The Field of San Isidro) were commissioned for this palace. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAL2ByoRaGNxkj0YWRgpZ0NC6sIFgQPKNfPGKkbp2mUYa4OQpua8sUOorCbHhjt7Jo0fbBOyXQNI4j_Dmd5wOyDrFGd7FNkRRkc-ZIfUqIIxoupBujcrqCRU6eLKK5YVgiLNY5Svjd7EpN/s1600/Spain+10-+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAL2ByoRaGNxkj0YWRgpZ0NC6sIFgQPKNfPGKkbp2mUYa4OQpua8sUOorCbHhjt7Jo0fbBOyXQNI4j_Dmd5wOyDrFGd7FNkRRkc-ZIfUqIIxoupBujcrqCRU6eLKK5YVgiLNY5Svjd7EpN/s200/Spain+10-+028.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwHBSE5EDfjTnZRAsBdgOqALaPvOprAvOVuJGRYRm9o5Egu0d0lSNwbQrM3nCxgcF9kkO167Bst9YiEXavSi3T6UxQAvD0oenY0M0P_fy1_AytVHKTh-AcMNzOEEzO-v3bUtzekKP1egl/s1600/Spain+10-+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwHBSE5EDfjTnZRAsBdgOqALaPvOprAvOVuJGRYRm9o5Egu0d0lSNwbQrM3nCxgcF9kkO167Bst9YiEXavSi3T6UxQAvD0oenY0M0P_fy1_AytVHKTh-AcMNzOEEzO-v3bUtzekKP1egl/s200/Spain+10-+012.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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Not far from the palace is the temple of Bacchus, which is a classical style garden structure with an oval floor base, surrounded by twelve Ionic columns and set on a rise, making it a romantic view from other parts of the garden. <br />
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<em><strong>Los caprichos</strong></em> <br />
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Besides the gardens the estate holds a number of decorative structures that are both temporary and unusual and which make the whole place into a sort of theme park. For playful exertion there is both an adult and children’s play area comprising a small fort that even has canons and a moat, and from which departs the stream watering most of the garden area. The Casa de la Vieja (Old Woman’s House) brings back the typical lifestyle of simple folk. There is also a hermit’s dwelling in ruins, and in which once lived an actual hermit who used to startle lost passerby. These are the ‘caprichos’ built to recall the lives of the more humble classes. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-KrjUamj8eo6K1lguLBqZ0v9o6pwJHuSZxhGFiDxHQMfM4MuV6tZoVlfBy18Xu-MfLJTTdQT8VweZ2npIcXTOOOdUKvN8dQBYrmTcO6CSS3wtMFtlBNBDmMP6WsyRV9dCu2j2t0HyiKy/s1600/Spain+10-+109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-KrjUamj8eo6K1lguLBqZ0v9o6pwJHuSZxhGFiDxHQMfM4MuV6tZoVlfBy18Xu-MfLJTTdQT8VweZ2npIcXTOOOdUKvN8dQBYrmTcO6CSS3wtMFtlBNBDmMP6WsyRV9dCu2j2t0HyiKy/s200/Spain+10-+109.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfxLJTHovPVJ13Apu_2ZfAt4czUscD9QBix3da1hZdGiHPl8n-DewnUbJSjCyRQ4JH21JmdyU6KrpLwLGeaVfM_qwAfQHrCWQTjBJcU9dR_OnnDqgMc5SWUQylslHEYtzdlju_5zU2xYz/s1600/Spain+10-+067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfxLJTHovPVJ13Apu_2ZfAt4czUscD9QBix3da1hZdGiHPl8n-DewnUbJSjCyRQ4JH21JmdyU6KrpLwLGeaVfM_qwAfQHrCWQTjBJcU9dR_OnnDqgMc5SWUQylslHEYtzdlju_5zU2xYz/s200/Spain+10-+067.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Water is present throughout the walk. A sinuous stream goes makes its way across the property, deep enough for row boats and in fact, uniting the games area and the lake with the Dance Casino, which can be reached by a small wharf called the Casa de Cañas. Decorated with mirrors and a large fresco, the casino is the work of Martin Lopez Aguado, and the top floor as well as the terrace were meant for holding grand parties, which gave the guests all the prestige that they believed themselves to have. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iLjvQIN5rBgR2-6Qx9s4fEG-Q00H9_7mA13uKlXn_szC1RqhoncHbpeWMUSplx3M27V9k726TOteubZ0FrP-tJb5C8MkrYl3HHPiOQbAK14LRRlseZW8w3hqf90Mvf-GAOTvonaA1eEh/s1600/Spain+10-+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iLjvQIN5rBgR2-6Qx9s4fEG-Q00H9_7mA13uKlXn_szC1RqhoncHbpeWMUSplx3M27V9k726TOteubZ0FrP-tJb5C8MkrYl3HHPiOQbAK14LRRlseZW8w3hqf90Mvf-GAOTvonaA1eEh/s320/Spain+10-+020.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>My Experience:</strong></div><br />
I had never heard of El Capricho gardens as it is not one of the ‘main’ tourist attractions of Madrid. Which I have to say, made this experience so much better. It truly is a small piece of heaven hidden behind grouped apartment buildings, surrounded by an eye-sore of a vine-covered metal link fence. <br />
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Well, my first experience with El Capricho was on a whim with one of my good friends, Craig in early-March. The first signs of spring had yet to show themselves as we headed on the 45 minute metro ride near Barajas Airport. I figured it would be nice to get out of the house for a little bit to see what Craig was explaining would be ‘well worth’ my time. When I first entered the gates my first thought was of absolute shock in the vast size of the place. One would not guess how massive this ‘garden’ is from behind the fence. Craig laughed at my jaw-dropped expression as we started down the dirt path. We spent a good two hours waling along the winding paths as I giddily took photos like a tourist. All I could think was, ‘Wow, this place is going to be absolutely breathtaking in a few months when spring really does arrive!”<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ovp5q_KIvhpzNYhyT6DfJAmu4p8zeSco_jlWlPiUz7QLQ9EhwaGJ4mo4cpPF87Sqs-RtQpAXekqdgIaSjyY50Bs0gUCJzg8CDD7SW5ks1yoLbP5qxsHbSmc-6jHN0gn4Hlv8ckISN3TF/s1600/Spain+10-+107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ovp5q_KIvhpzNYhyT6DfJAmu4p8zeSco_jlWlPiUz7QLQ9EhwaGJ4mo4cpPF87Sqs-RtQpAXekqdgIaSjyY50Bs0gUCJzg8CDD7SW5ks1yoLbP5qxsHbSmc-6jHN0gn4Hlv8ckISN3TF/s320/Spain+10-+107.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I was right. In May, Dani was planning on visiting me in the ‘Centro’ for a nice Sunday of catch-up. I cooked us lunch and debated about the rest of our day as I stared at the gloomy gray sky threatening my ‘surprise’. But, figuring it was now or never, Dani and I hopped on the metro back towards El Capricho which had stolen my heart only weeks before. I told Dani that we were going to one of my favorite places in Madrid and that he would hopefully fall in love with it like I did. As we walked around the outskirts, I saw the same look of doubt on his face that I had with Craig. Oh, little did we know!</div><br />
Luckily, the rain stayed away long with any other crowds that were scared away by the looming clouds. Within minutes, Dani looked at me and said, “Thank you for showing me this! I really needed a place like this right now.” I smiled happily as I new that this was a day neither of us was going to forget. We strolled around like mischievous kids thorough the secret trails of trees and abandoned structures of the ground. We had photo shoots at every opportunity taking advantage of the breath-taking landscape. Plus, it gave Dani and I time to talk about everything from our past <em>adventuras</em> to summer plans to relationships to the silly things that make our friendship so amazing.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtnM8GJjkRx-vSXrhfBCvaOmHV4jnen7tLD6zdeJ9ywFrU7W_mr6CzL9vu_l3t1EKTjQXo8C47jQpjt4RiqrjuvApw1Z5iGqJGsUi8IIPiL5AXm6m4xlTV-XVof2jXKG7YlxxnRKpKvcv/s1600/Spain+10-+124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtnM8GJjkRx-vSXrhfBCvaOmHV4jnen7tLD6zdeJ9ywFrU7W_mr6CzL9vu_l3t1EKTjQXo8C47jQpjt4RiqrjuvApw1Z5iGqJGsUi8IIPiL5AXm6m4xlTV-XVof2jXKG7YlxxnRKpKvcv/s320/Spain+10-+124.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGFaFDGMEGpAylnfmn-ilDRcTlLBZ8Lu99IVqfAqX-U2Qwhq-_xpR8MgXsC-eO0p0q5dmHUEqaJjtnVk-iUJfUcd3ZK6Yn36ti3b_ppv72YZAUdAzJ8BOeY-jXSdkMcCLvq79W6_uftMB4/s1600/Spain+10-+101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGFaFDGMEGpAylnfmn-ilDRcTlLBZ8Lu99IVqfAqX-U2Qwhq-_xpR8MgXsC-eO0p0q5dmHUEqaJjtnVk-iUJfUcd3ZK6Yn36ti3b_ppv72YZAUdAzJ8BOeY-jXSdkMcCLvq79W6_uftMB4/s320/Spain+10-+101.JPG" /></a><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As the minutes passed and we finally admitted that we had walked almost every inch of El Capricho, we set back off to the metro in absolute bliss. It had been one of the best days either of us had had in quite a long time.</div>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04471214940148515021noreply@blogger.com0