29-S and other notable events

These past three weeks have been nothing but travel. Having finished my intensive course, I have been traveling throughout the peninsula and even making it over the Germany.

Lisbon

My parents and I traveled to Lisbon for the weekend of the 24th of September and had a fantastic time taking in the city. Immediate impressions of Lisbon were that the air is quite different than in Madrid which is because of its proximity to the ocean. In many ways, Lisbon looks and feels like Valparaiso, Chile with its multicolored buildings, expansive plazas along the waterfront, the hillsides that surround the city on each side, and even the hillside elevators which take you to the castle and the Barrio Alto. Beautiful. Dined on some delicious seafood in an old Moorish mansion.

Another impression is that the Portuguese generally speak English better than Spanish which is because it is required, as it is in most countries, for students at an early age to learn English. Furthermore, I learnt from our tour guide the extensive history and alliance between Great Britain and Portugal – the same cannot be said for Spain and Portugal. To take in more history and views, we traveled into the countryside and into the mountains to visit the village of Sintra, basically northern Italy on the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pena Palace – the old summer retreat for the Portuguese royalty until the revolution in the early 20th century. Look at the pictures to understand how beautiful it was.

Back to Madrid

So we celebrated my mother’s birthday in Madrid as we did for my 21st. Traveling through the old city to see my parents off on the 28th of September was truly one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had. We ended up eating Italian food that night as my palate for the Spanish cuisine is slowly wearing off. (not to say that I dislike the food here but I miss the variety!). We went to a super cool terrace bar in the heart of the city called Urban – has a pool and the best views of the city. Made friends with some Mexican tourists there. It was great.

As we were wining on the top of this building, we began to hear people gathering outside in front of the nearby Congress. The general strike throughout Spain had begun before I eyes on the day following my mother’s birthday. The strike continued to affect our plans in that my parents had to wait until two days later to be able to leave. Quite a mess over here for a few days. But nothing to severe in that everything returned to normal after a day or two.

So there you have it: more Madrid madness. I must continue in another entry my luck at Munich and my past trip to Barcelona. Until then.

The Times - They Are Golden

You would think that due to my absence from my blog that I have had either too little going on to write on or too much to share. The latter choice is the best way to sum up my life here in Europe over the past three weeks. Let me break it down for you:

1) Adjusting to my new apartment (more like no adjustment at all)
2) Parent’s come to visit for my 21st birthday and to celebrate my mom’s as well
3) Trips across Europe from Lisbon to Munich
4) Completing my September Intensive Course and starting school with Spaniards
5) Political turmoil and strikes
6) Continuing to get to know this amazing city

I’m going to have to break this down in a couple of entries to give justice to these past three weeks. Some might say they have been the best in my life so far.

THE VALLEY

On September 15th, I moved from my wonderful dormitory to an even better living situation, THE VALLEY. I live in an apartment in the center of the town on a street called Vallehermoso – the beautiful valley. In the apartment we have 8 different kids: Pablo the head of the house, Spanish from Galicia, Eoin, our token Irish man from Dublin, Matilde, equally as nice as she is cool Italian from Genova, Salva, a super chill Spaniard from the Ciudad Real, Dani and Danielle, both friends from California and also very chill, and Leticia, our newest member from Segovia, Spain. This hodgepod of people makes for an always lively living environment and I love it. I am proud to call the Valley home to date even if the space is nothing to brag about. It is sure to be a lot more to come about my new home away from home in the following entries. *pictured is eoin on a night out*

PARENTS ARE IN THE HOUSE
So I can officially drink in the states as of September 21st, 2010 (though its never been a problem before with very few exceptions). My golden birthday. However seeing that I am Europe, it loses its significance, right?? WRONG. My favorite people in the world, Bud and Stephana Dean, traveled thousands of miles to make sure I had a special day and they did so immensely. Upon their arrival, I went to visit them in their hotel and began to tour them around town. Serving as a guide and a fellow travel was a very special feeling on a very special week including both my mother and my birthday.

On September 21st 2010, Spain saw the invasion of the Dean family. A full moon night and amazing breezy weather set the tone for my special day. The views of the Royal Palace in the Plaza de Oriente over wine and cava wowed me as much as my parents. The birthday dinner was at Botin, the oldest restaurant in all of Europe where we enjoyed gazpacho and lamb – there was even a birthday cake involved. Afterwards, we walked through the Plaza Mayor to Sol to meet up with my friends that were ready to party with me that night (mind you it was a Tuesday – nevertheless there is always a party in Madrid!) Birthday shots and making new friends was a great way to spend my first night as 21.

So not to give away too much I am going to end this entry. I am so thankful for this past couple of experiences – spending time with the people you love in a new and exciting place is priceless. Look forward to exploring Lisbon the Deans, stressing on tests, nationwide strikes and missed planes in the next couple of entries.