Back from Barcelona and missing it already!! We scheduled our trip for La Merce festival, which promised to be an eventful weekend. We flew in late Thursday night and caught a cab to our hostel. We were thrilled to find that Rick Steves treated us right with the suggestion of yet another perfectly situated hostel downtown, right off Las Ramblas. Exhausted from the travel and 2A.M. arrival, we decided to take a quick walk around town then hit the hay. After a sound sleep on our bunk beds we woke to spend the morning on the famous (again, topless) beaches. They weren't quite as beautiful as Valencia's (SORRRY Barca) but we still had a nice nap on the beach. Before long, we were awakened by Asian ladies offering a one-of-a-kind "Masaje Masaje" and Moroccan's trying to pawn off "Cervezas y Coke lite." Lee Ann, you wouldn't have been able to resist.
That afternoon we met up with the rest of our traveling entourage, Brian (Aka Dad) and Helpless Alex. They were staying with some of Brian's friends who are studying abroad in Barcelona for the semester. They led the way to the construction sight of Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia. We took more than a handful of pictures of the unfinished cathedral. The architecture was different than any we had seen before. Incorporating turtles and fruit into portrayals of Jesus and biblical scenes were some of Gaudi's wacky designs. Afterward, we went to a cafe for sangria and a chocolate chip cookie (incomparable to Becca's finest.)
Walking home through Las Ramblas, we caught a glimpse of some of Barcelona's finest athletes in one of the La Merce parades. After a little souvenir shopping, we made our way home through some smaller backroads to avoid the madness. (Sit down for this Andy and Uncle Jimmy.) We ran into none other than TH14...YES! Thierry HENRY!! For those of you who are less saavy in the European soccer world, Henry (pronounced "on ree") is one of the best athletes in the world. Thank God for our roomate, Megan, or we would have walked right past him. We walked sheepishly past him to confirm that we were not delusional, then argued over who would make the first move. Finally, Megan had the guts to approach. After affirming our belief, the rest of us spoke up and joined. Without a camera or paper, we resorted to having him sign Becca's tanktop. Uncle Jimmy, you will have to duke it out with our friend Andy because he has already claimed the paraphernalia. He asked for our numbers and offered us front row seats to his game the following day. Sike. We wish. We bid him farewell after a nice chat, which was good enough for us. Giggling and giddy, we headed home. In true college student fashion, we made Friday night's dinner and Saturday's lunch at the hostel for less than ONE EURO each...this is something to boast about! It was no gourmet meal, but the spaghetti dinner and a loaf's worth of PB&Js were suitable.
We followed suit of the rest of the festival goers and bought a 6 pack to enjoy while walking around to see La Merce's performers. We watched a concert and parade of oversized figures of Ferdinand and Isabella's court. We then headed to a nearby restaurant for sangria GRANDE and tapas. We were pretty stelth at smuggling in our own cervezas for a periodic secret sip...sooo college. Afterward, we met up with our Barcelonian hosts to finish the night with some late night hooka.
On Saturday we walked to Gaudi's Park Guell...we repeat...what a whack job. He now tops our list of favorite architects...surpassing all the other architects that we know (thats how you know he must be pretty dag on fantastic.) The afternoon turned into night as we roamed Las Ramblas taking in all of the La Merce festivities. The drummers on stilts, dancing groups in the streets, and marching bands made for a pretty bumpin atmosphere. Kit, check out the picture of us with the women dressed in fruit...I nearly got away with the necklace to send home to you for a birthday gift. Sorry to disapoint you, but I was caught by the surrounding crowd and was booed away.
That evening made for the most memorable experience of the trip. After making friends with some of our hostel mates (did you know Sinbad had a twin?... with whom we became very chummy) and consuming the remaining peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we headed out to the fire run. You can not imagine what went down...because it would never be legal in los Estados Unidos. A fire run actually means just that...running from fire! Everyone else came prepared, fully clothed and covered (goggs recommended.) The characters from the previous nights parade walked through the streets spitting fire at the crowd, who was LOVING every second of the thrill. We, on the other hand, screamed until we lost our voices and laughed so hard we cried...or were those tears of fright? Check out the video because our words don't do it justice. After the fire run we met some Irishmen at a bar while we watched our boy, Henry, lead FC Barcelona to a victory over Sevilla.
With only two hours of sleep, we were awakened by our alarms to catch the bus to the airport. After what seemed like a lifetime of traveling, we finally arrived back at MC's crib. We slept for quite a bit of the day before skyping and watching The Notebook (IN ENGLISH!) via Megan's computer.
A long week of exams awaits us so wish us luck!
Disclaimer: You just got GOT! Our meeting with Henry was fabricated as a hoax on our friends (Sorrryyyy Andy). Ashton Kutcher taught us well.
Here's the link for the pics again with the videos added...
http://picasaweb.google.com/bethj917
Monday, September 24, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Hips Don't Lie
After Valencia, we couldn't imagine the thought of another cerveza... at least for another few nights... so we stuck to the books for a little while. Thursday night we went out with some friends from SLU to a packed and very American bar, so afterward we decided to check out to our first discoteca, Pacha. Apparently ranked #4 in Madrid, Pacha has a reputation for charging insane cover charges (up to 120 euro!!) however, we managed to slip in for free. Inside, we experienced a freaky lightshow and techno dance party.
The next morning we got up to meet some madrileños for lunch. Sara (thanks for the contact, Ben!) and the Collins' family friend, Alfonso, took us to Tio Pepe... it was far different from our own in Baltimore. The three hour lunch went by quickly. We had a great time practicing our Spanish and learning some fun facts about Spain from Alfonso. Did you know it was a Spaniard who invented the mop?... and the yo-yo? Strangely enough, we found out that Alfonso could have been our dance partner the night before... he had been at Pacha too. During lunch, he held his own at the table, despite being surrounded by 5 girls, and was quite the entertainer. We left lunch with some new recommendations and new friends... and we all improved our Spanglish that day.
We started out Friday night at our jump-off bar, Escamplero, which is located just below our apartment building. We frequently go there to get 1.90euro massive haras of beer (served in cool mugs, which we plan on smuggling by the end of the semester). We have become regulars at Escamplero and the bartenders have gotten to know us pretty well. Afterward, we planned on meeting a new German friend who Becca met in class via passing notes...it will never get old. The night proved to be unsuccessful when our cab driver took us on an expensive detour through Madrid. After 25 minutes of aimless driving (should have been there in 5), we found ourselves back toward our house and decided to call it a night because of the upcoming festivities that were to come.
We had a pretty nice little Saturday, no we didn't go to Home Depot, but instead Corte Ingles. Bought some toiletries, you know, face masks... stuff like that. There was even enough time to hit up a pasteleria for cafe con leche. After running errands, we got ready to begin the birthday celebration of Beth and our dear friend Alex. Although he is uncomparable to Grace, he sufficed for Beth´s birthday accomplice this weekend (his birthday is the day prior). We headed off for tapas and sangria. After enjoying patatas alioli, calamari, and BEEF (pronounced in a low manly grumble) we were not quite satisfied...did you know they have BK here...and better yet, they serve beer!? Next, we headed to a small bar where we were taken care of generously by the tenders. After the birthday chillin were a-chillin we ventured on down to our next destination...another discoteca. Palacio Gaviria: the Vatican meets nightclub. It was like partying in Aurora's castle. We danced the night away with Kanye West's protege and plenty of Argentinians. The night ended with us trying to convince the Argentinians that we too were of Argentinian decent, and Kanye that we would NOT have a drink with him the next day. All in all, the birthday night was one hellova bash.
We spent Sunday lounging in the park, reading Robert Frost aloud to one another and braiding each other's hair. Don't worry Anne and Deb, we made it to mass at school later on that evening.
Sunday night, Mary Carmen (from here on out referred to as MC) prepared a birthday feast! She insisted we invite friends (none other than Alex, Brian, and yes, a new one to add to the crew, Chad.) The boys swept MC off of her feet, literally, twirling her around in a post dinner dance party. On the menu was shrimp, ensaladilla, chips & dip, paella, an assortment of pastries, and Pepe's famous sangria. Did we mention previously that we thought we'd be losing weight while we're here... that got shot to hell quite a while ago. We ended the weekend with one final glass of sangria at, you guessed it, Escamplero.
Last night, we met up with Sara again, who took us to Cumbre Flamenca. We watched in amazement the talented cantantes and dancers. Maybe if Becca had continued her Irish Dancing she could have strapped on her hard shoes and given them a run for their money. And if only Beth continued with church choir she could have provided some vocal accompaniment. Mom and Dad, you gave up on our artistic talents too early. There was definitly some potential. (Eeef!) It was really cool to see and appreciate that Spanish tradition. Check out the videos posted with our photos.
We are about to go pack for our weekend in Barcelona... blog ya laterrr!
The next morning we got up to meet some madrileños for lunch. Sara (thanks for the contact, Ben!) and the Collins' family friend, Alfonso, took us to Tio Pepe... it was far different from our own in Baltimore. The three hour lunch went by quickly. We had a great time practicing our Spanish and learning some fun facts about Spain from Alfonso. Did you know it was a Spaniard who invented the mop?... and the yo-yo? Strangely enough, we found out that Alfonso could have been our dance partner the night before... he had been at Pacha too. During lunch, he held his own at the table, despite being surrounded by 5 girls, and was quite the entertainer. We left lunch with some new recommendations and new friends... and we all improved our Spanglish that day.
We started out Friday night at our jump-off bar, Escamplero, which is located just below our apartment building. We frequently go there to get 1.90euro massive haras of beer (served in cool mugs, which we plan on smuggling by the end of the semester). We have become regulars at Escamplero and the bartenders have gotten to know us pretty well. Afterward, we planned on meeting a new German friend who Becca met in class via passing notes...it will never get old. The night proved to be unsuccessful when our cab driver took us on an expensive detour through Madrid. After 25 minutes of aimless driving (should have been there in 5), we found ourselves back toward our house and decided to call it a night because of the upcoming festivities that were to come.
We had a pretty nice little Saturday, no we didn't go to Home Depot, but instead Corte Ingles. Bought some toiletries, you know, face masks... stuff like that. There was even enough time to hit up a pasteleria for cafe con leche. After running errands, we got ready to begin the birthday celebration of Beth and our dear friend Alex. Although he is uncomparable to Grace, he sufficed for Beth´s birthday accomplice this weekend (his birthday is the day prior). We headed off for tapas and sangria. After enjoying patatas alioli, calamari, and BEEF (pronounced in a low manly grumble) we were not quite satisfied...did you know they have BK here...and better yet, they serve beer!? Next, we headed to a small bar where we were taken care of generously by the tenders. After the birthday chillin were a-chillin we ventured on down to our next destination...another discoteca. Palacio Gaviria: the Vatican meets nightclub. It was like partying in Aurora's castle. We danced the night away with Kanye West's protege and plenty of Argentinians. The night ended with us trying to convince the Argentinians that we too were of Argentinian decent, and Kanye that we would NOT have a drink with him the next day. All in all, the birthday night was one hellova bash.
We spent Sunday lounging in the park, reading Robert Frost aloud to one another and braiding each other's hair. Don't worry Anne and Deb, we made it to mass at school later on that evening.
Sunday night, Mary Carmen (from here on out referred to as MC) prepared a birthday feast! She insisted we invite friends (none other than Alex, Brian, and yes, a new one to add to the crew, Chad.) The boys swept MC off of her feet, literally, twirling her around in a post dinner dance party. On the menu was shrimp, ensaladilla, chips & dip, paella, an assortment of pastries, and Pepe's famous sangria. Did we mention previously that we thought we'd be losing weight while we're here... that got shot to hell quite a while ago. We ended the weekend with one final glass of sangria at, you guessed it, Escamplero.
Last night, we met up with Sara again, who took us to Cumbre Flamenca. We watched in amazement the talented cantantes and dancers. Maybe if Becca had continued her Irish Dancing she could have strapped on her hard shoes and given them a run for their money. And if only Beth continued with church choir she could have provided some vocal accompaniment. Mom and Dad, you gave up on our artistic talents too early. There was definitly some potential. (Eeef!) It was really cool to see and appreciate that Spanish tradition. Check out the videos posted with our photos.
We are about to go pack for our weekend in Barcelona... blog ya laterrr!
Monday, September 10, 2007
The Fabulous Life of Darren Parker
YOOOOO WE'RE BACK!!! Welp, just got back from a weekend in beautiful Valencia! Traveling with our two roomates and two stellar studs (Alex and Brian, congrats on your first and last shoutout... sike, more to come) we woke up early Friday morning and hopped on the train (oopss I mean bus, sorry Meg), strapped on our eyemasks and slept through the 4 hour trip. When we arrived in Valencia, being the gentlemen that they are, Alex and Brian offered to carry our bags on the trek to the hostel. Oh wait, no they didn't! Anyway, the 6 of us found our way "Home" (the name of our hostel) all by ourselves... even though halfway there we were wondering if we were going to be the next victims in Hostel 2. We checked in and were surprised to find that our hostel was pretty dag on legit. We headed straight for the beach and made out with the sun and had a little fun. The beach was exceptionally long and the water was warm and blue. Unlike OCMD, we could actually see our toes at the bottom.
On our way home we stopped for some cheap wine, bread, and jelly, to compliment the PB that we brought to save a little dough. We came home, got ready for the evening, and headed up to the roof deck of our hostel for some "Party Time!" It was really cool how all our hostel-mates circled around to meet new people from all over the world. We met some Aussies, Belgians, Oregonians, Italians, and our favorite of all, a British lad by the name of (you guessed it) Darren Parker. He also happened to be our roomate in the hostel... more on him in a little bit. After a few drinks and meeting some cool people, we walked one block to the main street where all the nightlife goes down. We had the biggest, most international dance party of our lives. Our most conservative roomate happened to be not-so-conservative when we were shocked to find her having one hell of a dancefloor-make-out sesh with our new Belgian buddy.
The next morning we woke up and went to the common kitchen to make some PB&Js for the beach, only to find the PB stolen. So much for hostel ettiquette. The jerks left the J so our jelly sandwich has to suffice. For some strange reason we decided that a 4 mile run to the beach would be a great idea. We wanted to make sure we still looked dec as hell in our suits. We forgot to mention previously that bathing suit tops are not commonly found on the beach in Valencia. Unfortunately for our friends Brian and Alex, we decided to keep our tops on (don't fret FJ and Ben...), so they were forced to take a gander at the older women who were more comfortable with their bodies. After a couple hours of sunbathing, we met up with Darren and walked around the city to see the popular tourist attractions. The cathedral, which claims to house the Holy Grail, was one of our favorites. We enjoyed a typical Valencian dinner of paella in the Plaza de la Virgen.
After dinner we went back and met up with more of our hostel friends for a few drinks before another night on the town. Spending the entire day with Darren made us feel close enough with him to bring "Betha" out in full form. Kit, our Fabulous Life impersonations were superb... thanks for those hours of lessons. Midway through the night, we tried to find the infamous club, Indiana (thanks, Paiva, for the suggestion!) but it was 15 euros to get in. We bagged the idea and went back to barhopping closer to our hostel. The next morning we went to another Spanish mass at the cathedral and were again pushed around in the race for communion... what is it with these Catholic Spanish women? We hit the white sand beach for the last time, checked out of our hostel, and made the trek back to the bus station. All in all, the weekend was a success. Valencia: 1!
On our way home we stopped for some cheap wine, bread, and jelly, to compliment the PB that we brought to save a little dough. We came home, got ready for the evening, and headed up to the roof deck of our hostel for some "Party Time!" It was really cool how all our hostel-mates circled around to meet new people from all over the world. We met some Aussies, Belgians, Oregonians, Italians, and our favorite of all, a British lad by the name of (you guessed it) Darren Parker. He also happened to be our roomate in the hostel... more on him in a little bit. After a few drinks and meeting some cool people, we walked one block to the main street where all the nightlife goes down. We had the biggest, most international dance party of our lives. Our most conservative roomate happened to be not-so-conservative when we were shocked to find her having one hell of a dancefloor-make-out sesh with our new Belgian buddy.
The next morning we woke up and went to the common kitchen to make some PB&Js for the beach, only to find the PB stolen. So much for hostel ettiquette. The jerks left the J so our jelly sandwich has to suffice. For some strange reason we decided that a 4 mile run to the beach would be a great idea. We wanted to make sure we still looked dec as hell in our suits. We forgot to mention previously that bathing suit tops are not commonly found on the beach in Valencia. Unfortunately for our friends Brian and Alex, we decided to keep our tops on (don't fret FJ and Ben...), so they were forced to take a gander at the older women who were more comfortable with their bodies. After a couple hours of sunbathing, we met up with Darren and walked around the city to see the popular tourist attractions. The cathedral, which claims to house the Holy Grail, was one of our favorites. We enjoyed a typical Valencian dinner of paella in the Plaza de la Virgen.
After dinner we went back and met up with more of our hostel friends for a few drinks before another night on the town. Spending the entire day with Darren made us feel close enough with him to bring "Betha" out in full form. Kit, our Fabulous Life impersonations were superb... thanks for those hours of lessons. Midway through the night, we tried to find the infamous club, Indiana (thanks, Paiva, for the suggestion!) but it was 15 euros to get in. We bagged the idea and went back to barhopping closer to our hostel. The next morning we went to another Spanish mass at the cathedral and were again pushed around in the race for communion... what is it with these Catholic Spanish women? We hit the white sand beach for the last time, checked out of our hostel, and made the trek back to the bus station. All in all, the weekend was a success. Valencia: 1!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
FINALLY
The pictures are up!
http://picasaweb.google.com/bethj917
We'll just keep updating these albums so keep checking!
http://picasaweb.google.com/bethj917
We'll just keep updating these albums so keep checking!
Monday, September 3, 2007
Wedding Crashers & Blood and Guts
On Friday night we walked to a tapas bar that was recommended to us. After ordering authentic Spanish Sangria we were forced to whip out our pocket dictionary (inconspicuously hiding it under the table). Webster wasn't as helpful as we had hoped. Any suggestions for next time, Uncle Ken or FJ?
The next morning we woke up for an early bus ride to Segovia, which is about an hour north of Madrid. First fun fact for the day was that the town was famous for FOOD. (You know we were LOVING that!) Apparently, people travel great distances simply to have lunch at one of the most famous restaurants in Spain- Candido. There are also numerous bakeries which we did not hesitate to visit for breakfast before the tour began. After the obvious, cafe con leche and chocolate filled croissant, we met again with the rest of the group. First, we saw some of the last remaining Roman aqueducts. Remarkably enough, they could still be used today. (Check out how touristy we are with the picture link below.) We then walked along cobble stone roads (Derek, we know you would have been a better mason) through the narrow streets lined with quaint buildings and shops. Ben, you would be proud, we toughed out a serious hike down and then back up a LARGE mountain in dresses and flipflops. At the bottom, we saw a great view one of Ferdinand and Isabella's castles, The Alcaczar. We treked back up to see a closer view of the architecture and eat lunch. After finding a cute restaurant we realized that service in Spain is not quite up to Nick's Fish House standards...we got our lunch on "spanish time." Next, we went to tour a famous monestary. Unfortunately for the lucky couple and fourtunatly for us, a wedding was scheduled for the same time as our tour. We followed our tourguide through the church (literally) while the wedding was in procession, and got quite a few evil stares on our way into an alcove. Then, our tourguide didn't hesitate to lead us through the church on our way out while the newlyweds were saying their "I do's." Finally, we toured a Gothic and a Romanesque cathedral, picked up some souveniers, and called it a day.
When we got back to campus, we walked immediately to the grocery store to pick up our trusty $.75 bottles of wine. After dinner, we headed out for a night in La Latina. Our Senora's son, Pepe, has been recommending places for us to go out that our less touristy. The next morning we woke up to attend our first mass in Spanish and were again, culture shocked when we found ourselves having to fight through the crowd to receive the Eucharist. Organization is not a Spanish forte.
That night we attended our first Bull Fight at Las Ventas. For only 8 euro we somehow managed to score great seats in the shade. We sat ten rows back in the same section as honored Spanish guests, where the matadors are instructed to kill the bull. (We think the guy selling us tickets hooked us up a bit.) Since we arn't exactly animal lovers, we were some of the few Americans able to stay for the whole event. The fight was a lot more ceremonial than expected and reveals so much of the Spanish tradition. It was a really cool experience and definately recommended to those of you who also don't have a soft spot for animals. Sike...but it is something you should see at least once in a lifetime.
Today we began our first full week of class and look forward to our weekend trip to Valencia.
P.S. FJ, would you mind sending us an extra pair of your volleyball knee pads? They will come in handy when we decided to splurge of a pair of popular roller skates.
The next morning we woke up for an early bus ride to Segovia, which is about an hour north of Madrid. First fun fact for the day was that the town was famous for FOOD. (You know we were LOVING that!) Apparently, people travel great distances simply to have lunch at one of the most famous restaurants in Spain- Candido. There are also numerous bakeries which we did not hesitate to visit for breakfast before the tour began. After the obvious, cafe con leche and chocolate filled croissant, we met again with the rest of the group. First, we saw some of the last remaining Roman aqueducts. Remarkably enough, they could still be used today. (Check out how touristy we are with the picture link below.) We then walked along cobble stone roads (Derek, we know you would have been a better mason) through the narrow streets lined with quaint buildings and shops. Ben, you would be proud, we toughed out a serious hike down and then back up a LARGE mountain in dresses and flipflops. At the bottom, we saw a great view one of Ferdinand and Isabella's castles, The Alcaczar. We treked back up to see a closer view of the architecture and eat lunch. After finding a cute restaurant we realized that service in Spain is not quite up to Nick's Fish House standards...we got our lunch on "spanish time." Next, we went to tour a famous monestary. Unfortunately for the lucky couple and fourtunatly for us, a wedding was scheduled for the same time as our tour. We followed our tourguide through the church (literally) while the wedding was in procession, and got quite a few evil stares on our way into an alcove. Then, our tourguide didn't hesitate to lead us through the church on our way out while the newlyweds were saying their "I do's." Finally, we toured a Gothic and a Romanesque cathedral, picked up some souveniers, and called it a day.
When we got back to campus, we walked immediately to the grocery store to pick up our trusty $.75 bottles of wine. After dinner, we headed out for a night in La Latina. Our Senora's son, Pepe, has been recommending places for us to go out that our less touristy. The next morning we woke up to attend our first mass in Spanish and were again, culture shocked when we found ourselves having to fight through the crowd to receive the Eucharist. Organization is not a Spanish forte.
That night we attended our first Bull Fight at Las Ventas. For only 8 euro we somehow managed to score great seats in the shade. We sat ten rows back in the same section as honored Spanish guests, where the matadors are instructed to kill the bull. (We think the guy selling us tickets hooked us up a bit.) Since we arn't exactly animal lovers, we were some of the few Americans able to stay for the whole event. The fight was a lot more ceremonial than expected and reveals so much of the Spanish tradition. It was a really cool experience and definately recommended to those of you who also don't have a soft spot for animals. Sike...but it is something you should see at least once in a lifetime.
Today we began our first full week of class and look forward to our weekend trip to Valencia.
P.S. FJ, would you mind sending us an extra pair of your volleyball knee pads? They will come in handy when we decided to splurge of a pair of popular roller skates.
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