Hello my three readers!
I'm sure y'all were holding your breath, eagerly awaiting my next post. LOL.
Things have been pretty CRAZY in Bilbao. I left beautiful and sunny Madrid on a Renfe train Tuesday morning. Five hours later, I was in Bilbao. It was sun-less, and people were holding umbrellas outside. I was suddenly homesick for Madrid.
The hostel is very small, and I'm currently living in a room with five other folks. Hostel life is definitely not comfortable. It is FAR from luxury accommodations. However, you meet so many people from all over the world. And this is the experience that makes the inconvenience worth my while. In my room alone, there are two Argentinians, one Brazilian, and one German. I've met people in other rooms from Holland, the Netherlands, and from NYC.
Anyway, a lot has happened over the past two and a half days. I've roamed the city by foot, spent a half day at a nearby beach, bought a mobile phone and roamed the streets of Bilbao at night for their annual fiesta (Aste N'agusia). This is one crazy fiesta that goes on for about 9 days.
I've also found a FLAT! If everything goes well tomorrow, I will be settled into a flat I shall call my home for the next few months. Once everything is settled down, I will definitely fill in all the details I've missed about the experiences I've had so far.
Until then, muchos besos!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Madrid Part Dos
I woke up late, and with a nosebleed this morning. I had plans to wake up early to make the free breakfast provided by the hostel, but it was already over. And the nosebleed was just the icing on the cake.
Despite the disappointing morning, today was incredible.
I have many pictures to share, but the internet connection at this hostel is too slow to upload pictures. So I'll have to share pictures at a future date. But here is a short summary of my day.
When in Madrid...
- Eat churros con chocolate for breakfast. Dip the freshly fried churro into creamy, and not too sweet, hot chocolate and enjoy.
- Take a leisurely, mid morning stroll to Plaza de Espana, and follow the crowd to the Palacio Real.
- Eat a large lunch consisting of cerveza (beer), tortilla de patatas (a Spanish version of an "omelette" of eggs, onions and potato), BBQ beef filet, and cafe con leche (coffee with milk) for dessert.
- Get a personal tour of the city, both on foot and by car, with two friendly Spaniards.
- Take a brief break at a cafe for some refreshing beverages (its super hot in Madrid right now).
- Drive over to Alcala, a charming city just east of Madrid, to partake in Day 1 of their annual, week-long ferias y fiestas (fairs and parties). Start the party off right with fireworks.
- Step into one of Alcala's most famous tapas bars for a drink (wine+soda = a popular summer beverage) and bocadillo de calamares (fried squid-ring sandwich).
- Visit the huge fair, and eat at one of the various outdoor restaurants. I had a taste of the food in Asturias, which consisted of a chorizo sandwich, some sort of tuna sandwich and traditional cider.
- Come back to the hostel tired, but full and happy.
Lesson of the day: Madrilenos know how to have a good time :)
Despite the disappointing morning, today was incredible.
I have many pictures to share, but the internet connection at this hostel is too slow to upload pictures. So I'll have to share pictures at a future date. But here is a short summary of my day.
When in Madrid...
- Eat churros con chocolate for breakfast. Dip the freshly fried churro into creamy, and not too sweet, hot chocolate and enjoy.
- Take a leisurely, mid morning stroll to Plaza de Espana, and follow the crowd to the Palacio Real.
- Eat a large lunch consisting of cerveza (beer), tortilla de patatas (a Spanish version of an "omelette" of eggs, onions and potato), BBQ beef filet, and cafe con leche (coffee with milk) for dessert.
- Get a personal tour of the city, both on foot and by car, with two friendly Spaniards.
- Take a brief break at a cafe for some refreshing beverages (its super hot in Madrid right now).
- Drive over to Alcala, a charming city just east of Madrid, to partake in Day 1 of their annual, week-long ferias y fiestas (fairs and parties). Start the party off right with fireworks.
- Step into one of Alcala's most famous tapas bars for a drink (wine+soda = a popular summer beverage) and bocadillo de calamares (fried squid-ring sandwich).
- Visit the huge fair, and eat at one of the various outdoor restaurants. I had a taste of the food in Asturias, which consisted of a chorizo sandwich, some sort of tuna sandwich and traditional cider.
- Come back to the hostel tired, but full and happy.
Lesson of the day: Madrilenos know how to have a good time :)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Madrid Part Uno
It's been a whirlwind of a day!
I had been anxious about landing in a foreign country with a large suitcase and overstuffed backpack in tow. I had visions of boarding the wrong metro, or getting lost in the winding streets of Madrid. I even had a panic attack knowing that I had not booked a hostel for two of the four nights I had planned to stay in Madrid.
I'm proud to say that I made it to my hostel in one piece, and with relatively no fuss. I found another, even better, hostel to stay in for the two other nights. And I am in LOVE with this beautiful city.
After so much nervous anticipation, it's quite anti-climatic how the hardest part of my day was finding a tourist information booth in Plaza Mayor. It seriously took me about 2 hours.
I didn't do much sightseeing today, as it took me quite some time to take care of some important business (buying train ticket to Bilbao, finding a room for two nights stay). But I promise you more interesting updates and pictures as my exploration of Madrid continues for the next few days!
I had been anxious about landing in a foreign country with a large suitcase and overstuffed backpack in tow. I had visions of boarding the wrong metro, or getting lost in the winding streets of Madrid. I even had a panic attack knowing that I had not booked a hostel for two of the four nights I had planned to stay in Madrid.
I'm proud to say that I made it to my hostel in one piece, and with relatively no fuss. I found another, even better, hostel to stay in for the two other nights. And I am in LOVE with this beautiful city.
After so much nervous anticipation, it's quite anti-climatic how the hardest part of my day was finding a tourist information booth in Plaza Mayor. It seriously took me about 2 hours.
I didn't do much sightseeing today, as it took me quite some time to take care of some important business (buying train ticket to Bilbao, finding a room for two nights stay). But I promise you more interesting updates and pictures as my exploration of Madrid continues for the next few days!
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