Sunday, September 30, 2012

Easy To Miss

When visiting a foreign city for the first time, a lot of one's first exposure tends consists of tourist attractions. Don't get me wrong--landmarks, guided tours, museums, and other such activities provide much of the city's history, and are often frequented by natives and tourists alike. But often it isn't until you get past these "prerequisites" that you can really get a feel for a city's character. Places like flea markets, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and the lesser-known art galleries; places where the frequency of English-speakers tends to drop are often much richer culturally. This isn't to say that knowledge of such places instantly makes you a native; but they do provide a bit more intrigue than the average tourist attraction. For example: 


A seemingly discreet storefront...



...turns out to be a tiny restaurant dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock.




 Complete with spectacular food. 




Outside on the street, we stumble across a local flea market, overcrowded with people and antiques. 


Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the city center, the one-of-a-kind "vertical garden" indicates you've stumbled across...



...the well-hidden Caixa Forum. 







Unfortunately, photography of any kind is forbidden inside the exhibit.


 (except when no one's looking)

Now that the preliminary stage (read: the landmarks, guided tours and museums stage) of my semester abroad is over I'm hoping to do a lot more exploring of places like these...stay tuned for more discoveries. 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Food and Drink in Spain

 First edition.


Vegetable Paella


 Coffee with milk


Cookies


Strawberry Cake


Salmon, peach and Philadelphia cream cheese on toast



(Delicious) psuedo-asian food


Salmon vinaigrette on toast with hard-boiled egg


More coffee...


...more cake


MEAT.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Spanish Breakfast

Food is an integral part of Spanish culture. Eating itself is a much more formal affair than it is in the states; rarely do you see people eating while walking, in the subway, etc., as most people set aside enough time to sit down for their meals. Of the three set meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), breakfast is typically the smallest. Most Spanish take only a coffee and a small pastry in the morning. Lunch is served late in the day, around 1 pm at the very earliest and 4:30-5 at the latest. Consequently, dinner is also served later, usually at 9 or 10. In our host family, breakfast is laid out as follows: 


The selection, including hot water, sugar, tea...


...various cookies...

 

...and some type of cereal. Milk is typically set out hours prior to eating, which admittedly is a bit repulsive at first. Sometimes our host mother will make us pound cake as well, but for the most part breakfast is limited.  

Lunch and dinner usually (although not always) consist of two courses and a dessert. In restaurants, bread and a beverage are also included. Photos of other meals to come soon.



Sunday, September 16, 2012

El Rastro

As any travel guide will tell you, El Rastro is undoubtedly one of the most popular attractions in Madrid. Every Sunday tourists and natives alike flock to the streets of La Latina to browse the one-of-a-kind flea market; among the many stalls one can find jewelry, scarves, clothes, shoes, antiques, leather products, wood workings, and various other handmade treasures. For all its merit, though, the market also has its fair share of pickpockets, many of whom prey on English-speaking tourists. A purse with a zipper or hard-to-reach pockets are easy solutions for an uninhibited shopping experience.







Sunday, September 9, 2012

Hiking in Cercedilla

Today we had the opportunity to go hiking in the mountains just beyond Madrid. As much as I'm growing to love the city it was great to get some fresh air, so to speak. The mountains really are spectacular. It was definitely a work out; we disembarked in the small town of Cercedilla (Therthedilla with accent) and from then on it was an uphill climb to the top of the mountain. We walked from the town up to the Ecopark itself, and from there we entered the trail and started our hour-long ascent to the top.  


 I made the better part (all of it) of the journey with Leia, who, again, has earned her title as seasoned veteran here at Suffolk ("this is not my first rodeo"). She brought with her a plastic zip bag for wild blackberries so that she could enjoy a blackberry sundae when she got home. She was in luck; there were bushes located roughly every nine feet on the mountain, and she made sure to stop at every one. 

An hour and a half later we're trailing the rest of the group, but thankfully Leia has gathered more than enough food to last us through the winter. We're just about to reach the top when it begins to drizzle. Leia, mid-harvest, is unfazed. As we continue on it begins to rain harder, until suddenly the skies open and it begins to hail. By now it's also started thundering, and so Leia and I take shelter beneath the nearest tree. We wait there for the hailstorm to subside, although it's still raining by the time we finish our trek up the mountain. Needless to say we didn't stay long. 

Mid-storm (the last supper)


Post-storm/sun (gray fabric between my knees is wet clothing)

At any rate we made it back down the mountain alive, where our professor treated everyone to a much-needed cup of coffee. Our bus ride back was delayed, however, by the Vuelta de Espana, which is apparently Spanish equivalent of the Tour de France. One minute we're en route to Madrid, and the next our driver is standing on the side of the road with everyone else waiting for the cyclists to come through. Slept through the rest of the ride home. Awoke to Leia bemoaning the malformation of her blackberries, which she had apparently crushed mid-nap. Went home and passed out...the end.


Waiting for the bus/miserable


Blackberries.



Sunday, September 2, 2012

Sunday In Madrid


After getting some sleep post-Salamanca I felt much more prepared to take on my first actual Sunday in Madrid. No idea if I'm still jetlagged or not, I sleep all the time regardless. At any rate, today:


Breakfast (tortitas con nata) at an infamous pastry shop in Puerta del Sol.


Old church where Leia attends Sunday mass.


Street performer near the Museo del Prado.


 


Walk through the Retiro park. 


The day concluded with lunch...of a questionable-looking paella dish. I learned later never to order from menus like the one pictured above as it's all premade. Still a great way to spend a day. The weather in Spain seems to be perpetually sunny...I can't get enough of that blue sky.