Dublin

Ireland. I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember. When I first started planning my trip to Europe I had planned on stopping in Ireland before London, on my way to Spain. But flights became more complicated and planning two countries before I arrived seemed too much. So I decided I had to pick one. London it was! Ireland would have to wait.

This past week I was perusing the web for deals on flights. Skyscanner.com is really nice, because you can type in "Madrid to everywhere" and it'll give you the best deals for various destinations. I came across a deal for Dublin: 110 euros round trip. Twice as much as Brussels, but still too good to pass up. So I bought my ticket and started planning. 

The nice thing about going to a place you've thought about forever is that you've already got ideas about what to do when you go there. The hard thing is, you usually have too many ideas to fit into one trip.

This was particularly true for me, since I only have two and half days there. I decided to start with purchasing a Dublin pass, so that I could see all the main attractions in Dublin. But I also wanted to see at least a little of the famous Irish countryside. After some ridiculous anxiety, a conversation with my Mom, and lots of pros and cons lists, ...I decided to join a guided day tour to the West coast. And so, Thursday night nearing midnight, my trip was finally all set. Dublin Friday afternoon and Saturday, West coast Sunday. 

My flight was at 10:30am, which meant I could take the bus and metro to the airport instead of the taxi. I got to my gate, grabbed some breakfast (has anyone ever heard of a yogurt filled muffin? It was weird.) and at 9:45 boarded the plane.

We landed fifteen minutes early, and I quickly passed through passport check. After picking up my Dublin pass and travel card at the info office I got on the bus and rode into town.

I got off near Trinity College and walked a few minutes to my hostel. After dropping off my bag I headed out. My first destination: Grafton street.

A first day in a new city wouldn't be complete without me getting myself lost. I got that out of the way first thing, taking a wrong turn and adding an extra five minutes or so to my walk. But I wasn't too lost, and I DID find Grafton street.

Grafton Street is a pedestrian only street with tons of stores, shops, and cafés. I looked at the shops a bit but the main reason I came was for the Bewleys Original Cafe. I love Bewleys tea and couldn't wait to try it in its original tea shop.

I sat at a small table on the second floor, overlooking the floor below. The shop was really crowded, and it was fun to people watch and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. The tea was excellent. I also ordered a chicken, brie, and cranberry sandwich. As amazing as the sandwich was, the homemade chips that came with it were even more outstanding. 

After lunch I was stuffed. I walked the rest of Grafton street and into St. Stephen's Green. It was a nice park, with fountains and lots of trees, but nothing compared to the parks in London and Madrid. 

On the other side of the park I caught a bus to The Guinness Storehouse. It was included in my Dublin Pass and is the most popular attraction in Dublin, so I figured I'd better check it out. Even though I'm not really into beer, the tour was really interesting. They showed the process of how it's made, the history of Guinness, and various original machines and tools used in the beer making process over two hundred years ago. They also had informational videos throughout the tour, as well as Guinness commercials and Books of World Records through the years. At the top floor of the building is the Sky bar, a round room where you can enjoy a complimentary drink and see the whole of Dublin. I hadn't tried beer before, but decided it was a must while in Ireland. I was surprised. It actually wasn't too bad. 

:)

I took the bus from the Storehouse to Christ church Cathedral, hoping to see one more attraction before heading back to the hostel, but they'd closed early. So I walked back towards the hostel through Temple Bar. Temple Bar is a very touristy area filled with shops, restaurants, and bars. I looked at a few menus but decided to head back first. 6:30 was still a little early for dinner.

Back at the hostel I got a message from my Mom about a live webcam they had by the Temple Bar (there is a bar in Temple Bar called Temple Bar. Yeah, confusing) So a few minutes later I walked back there to wave at them on the webcam. After that I walked down the street until I found a restaurant selling Irish stew and soda bread. "The Quays" wasn't exactly budget friendly, but one taste of their stew and I didn't care how much it cost. It. was. so. good. After just two meals I'm convinced that Ireland has the best food ever.

After dinner I went back to the hostel. It was 8:00pm and I was tired and not really feeling like checking out any of the bars by myself. Tomorrow I'll join a pub crawl so I can experience that aspect of Dublin as well :)

So, it was a pretty good (though rainy) Ireland day one. Dublin is much different than I'd imagined: smaller, for one thing. And not as clean or kept up as other places I've been to. But it's definitely unique. And the people are so friendly. And there is still so much to see tomorrow!

Europe: Day 30

I've been blogging a lot about my weekend getaways, my experiences in new places, and my touristy escapades.

I haven't said much about everyday life here in Madrid.

Sometimes I'm so focused on planning my next adventure, that I forget where I am. I think of Madrid as a "been there, done that" place because all of my other city trips have only lasted a few days. I go, I see, I experience, I leave. But Madrid is different. I have the luxury of taking my time, seeing all the "must see" spots, and then also discovering the hidden gems the city has to offer. It's fun to think about all the time I have to really get to know this place.

Today I woke up around nine, got a workout in, and did laundry. Then I had some breakfast (Pound cake. If you eat it in the morning you don't get fat ;D). After breakfast I walked down the street to the bus stop and took a bus into the city.

Prior to today, I'd buy a ten trip ticket at the metro station to use on city buses and the metro. Each ticket cost 12 euros, which isn't bad for public transportation, but gets pricey when I have to make at least four trips every time I go into Madrid. (Bus there, metro to city center, metro back, bus back). Therefore I tried not going into Madrid too much. I'd go twice, maybe three times each week max.

Today, after weeks of waiting, I finally got my transport card. It was something I had to make an appointment for in September, prove I had a Spanish address, give them a copy of my passport, etcetera, etcetera. Basically, it was complicated. But I am now officially able to take as many trips as I want, anywhere in the city, for the entire next month :)

I decided to make use of the card right away, and took the Metro into Sol. I love the atmosphere there: Crowds of people, street performers, the smells of Spanish baked goods, and people visiting by the fountains. I stopped in a bakery and ordered a Spanish pastry filled with ham and cheese. I felt very accomplished when I was able to order completely in Spanish AND understand when the lady asked if I'd like to eat it now or later. From Sol I walked past San Gines Chocolateria (It takes all my willpower not to go there every time I go by, the churros are SO good!), and then through Plaza Mayor.

When I first arrived in Spain, I thought that everything was so spread out. As I get to know the city better I realize that it's easy to walk to pretty much any of the famous landmarks or parks. I went from Plaza Mayor to the Royal Palace. I love the walk by the Royal Palace and Gardens there. Even on a cloudy and grey Autumn day it was still beautiful.

Its not far from the Royal Palace to Casa de Campo, the largest park in Madrid. I'd never been here before. The park is HUGE! Walking through the edge of the park I got to see another Madrid attraction I hadn't yet seen: The Temple of Debod. Years ago the Spanish government helped out Egypt. So Egypt decided to give Spain a temple. It was pretty cool to see a bit of Egypt right here in Spain :)

From there I walked to the bus station and took the twenty minute bus ride back to the house. I got back around 4:00, and was still in time for lunch. Even after weeks of late meals I still can't get used to it. Lunch is the main meal of the day here in Spain, and usually consists of bread, soup, and a main dish. I usually eat by myself or with one other family member. Today we had tortilla de patatas, or Spanish omelet. It's a thick, fluffy, omelet made with potatoes and cheese, and it's really good.

At 6:00 Santi, the fourteen year old boy, came down for tutoring. Today he had homework, which was unusual. I helped him create a powerpoint on the periodic table for Science, and make a poster about Edgar Allen Poe for English. On days he doesn't have homework, we usually play a game like Scrabble, chess, or basketball. While we play I ask him questions to get him talking in English. We're mostly working on vocabulary. I was told when I first got here that I'd eventually be working with the sixteen year old, Stefi, as well. So far that hasn't happened, so we'll see.

Tutoring usually takes an hour, though today it took nearly three. Dinner is anywhere from 9:00-11:00. Most of the family is present for this meal, but there have only been two times that I've been here where everyone was. Last night we had carpaccio (Thin slices of seasoned raw meat--it's actually not bad), manchego cheese, and canned peppers. The kids all want to know what I usually eat at home. They ask me how many times I go to McDonalds, and how much pizza I eat. They were really surprised to hear that I hardly ever go out to eat, and that meals at our house are usually chicken and salad. :)

After dinner everyone stays up for at least another few hours. I usually go to bed around 1am. It'll be weird going back to 10pm bedtimes when I'm back home and working again!  

It's strange to think I've been in Europe for a month. Its also strange to think about being here for another seven weeks. There's a lot that I miss about home, but I'm loving the "out of my comfort zone" moments, the learning opportunities, and of course, the travel. And with all that I've got planned, seven weeks are going to fly right by :)

Toledo

Toledo. I'd heard a lot about this city. Friends, family, and travel websites all said that it was great. In fact, I read on multiple sites that it was in the top five cities to visit in Spain! And since its less than an hour bus ride from Madrid, I had to go and see what all the fuss was about.

I left the house around ten and had to wait awhile for the bus. The ride there wasn't that bad. When we arrived at the Toledo bus station I walked up the hill to the main part of the city. I followed the old city wall to one of the gates, entered, and then made my way further up the hill. It took me awhile before I finally found other tourists. When I did, things got crazy.

I know I've written a lot about the narrow streets I've encountered here in Spain. But Toledo wins the prize for the narrowest. And the most. I could tell right away that this was an old city, because everything was so cramped and closed in. I began to wander the streets, but quickly found that it was impossible to navigate through. The city was like a maze, and some streets looked so similar to others that at times I wasn't sure if I was going in circles.

I did my best to follow the signs to the Cathedral, and eventually found my way there. I bought my ticket at the little shop across the "street" and then entered the building through giant doors. 

Most Cathedrals I've been in are amazing. But none have seemed as HUGE as this one. The ceilings are so high, and the stained glass is incredible. And the architecture everywhere else is simply jaw dropping. Literally. It was one of those experiences where you can't help but stare wide eyed and say, "Wow" about every thirty seconds.  It definitely made the trip worth it.

After that I walked a ways to the old Monastery. There wasn't much to it, but I got to see the Church and the courtyard which were both nice. From there I accidentally walked out of the old city, and didn't realize it until I was too far to turn back. So I once again followed the city wall to another entrance and re-entered. 

By that time it was three o'clock. I was starving. I found a small cafeteria-like restaurant and bought a chicken wrap and fruit. The chicken wrap was bad, which was unfortunate because I'd been looking forward to it. The fruit was amazing though, and since my host family only has fruit for desert, it felt like a special treat :)

After lunch I wandered some more. I went in a few shops and looked around. I think Toledo has a requirement for all shops to sell swords, because they were seriously EVERYWHERE. I ended up finding a "Taste of America" store, where you could buy canned pumpkin, bagels, goldfish crackers, skittles, reeses, and peanut butter! After a month in Europe eating strange foods, this was a very exciting thing for me. :)

It was right around 4:30pm when I decided it was probably time to leave. I bought a raspberry-lemon sorbet for the walk back. It was a good day. I always enjoy getting out and exploring new places. But as for Toledo being a "must see" city? I'm not so sure. The cathedral was definitely amazing. And there were some great views from high up on the hill. But besides that it felt crowded and worn down. I liked Segovia way better.

Barcelona

What a weekend. Where to begin?

I took a taxi from my host family's house at 5:30 in the morning on Saturday. The cost was ridiculous (It cost more than my hostel for two nights), but since my flight was so early I didn't really have any other option. This was my first non-solo trip while in Europe. I met two girls, who are also English tutors in Madrid, through our program group on Facebook. We got together last week and decided to take this trip together. After a quick flight from Madrid, a train ride, and a short walk to our hostel...we were in the city and ready to explore by 10:00am.

Barcelona is a city unlike any i've ever experienced. It's a big city, with busy streets and large buildings. But it's also a beach town, with cute little shops and walkways by the water. The architecture is incredible. You can tell its a huge tourist destination because of the hoards of people EVERYWHERE. I liked it almost at once. But one thing I noticed right away was that it definitely didn't feel Spanish.

I'd heard a lot from my host family about Catalonia: How they're unpatriotic, want to be their own country, don't like Spain, etc. When you walk down the streets you see Catalonian flags hanging from every window. Signs are in Catalan first, then English, then sometimes Spanish. Nobody speaks Spanish, they all speak Catalan (It was strange saying "Merces" instead of "Gracias") It felt like we were in a completely different country!

The first thing we did after dropping off our bags was head out to find food. Just a block up the street from our hostel was the Mercat de Sant Josp/La Boqueria. Food vendors were selling fresh fruit, jamon, seafood, pastries, empanadas, and more. The place was huge! We looked around a bit and sampled some of the items, but we wanted to find a sit down place for lunch. So we left the market and walked a little further up the street.

A ways up we found a restaurant serving paella. So we ordered some. It was my first time trying the famous Spanish dish. Unfortunately, it wasn't very good. I left the restaurant thinking paella was just a bit overrated. I was wrong, by the way, but more on that later.

After lunch we headed for the beach. Let me rephrase that: We headed in the direction we thought the beach should be. We ended up at the marina instead. Cruise ships, yachts, sailboats and fishing boats all lined the harbor. We walked down the waterfront walkway where people were selling purses, sunglasses, and souvenirs, then back over a bridge towards the city. The walkway was lined with palm trees and had great views of the water and surrounding mountains.

Tired, we decided to go back to the hostel. After a quick siesta we tried for the beach again.

This time, we succeeded. The walk to the beach felt like a fair or festival. A ferris wheel spins in the background as you walk by table after table of souvenirs, clothing, pottery, jewelry, and more. The smell of churros and crepes is everywhere. The weather made it feel even more festive: 85 degrees Fahrenheit and not a cloud in the sky.

The beach was beautiful, but also crowded. We walked along the shore in bare feet. The sand wasn't super soft, but the water felt nice. It was a weird thing for me: seeing it, and knowing where it is on a globe, but not being able to wrap my mind around the fact that I was actually walking in the Mediterranean.

We walked the beach for quite awhile, then decided we'd better get sightseeing. At that point it was about 5pm and we'd basically only seen the water. We walked up towards where we thought the Barcelona arch was, but got lost. We ended up at the Barcelona Cathedral instead which was AMAZING. I can't get over the architecture and how much work was put into so many of these buildings. From there we wandered the small streets of shops for a while, not really knowing where we were headed. As the sun was setting we finally found the arch, completely on accident.

Next was dinner. We walked by a restaurant on the way back to our hostel that had a special deal: three tapas, paella, and a desert for 10 euros. The tapas were good. Each was a different type of meat on a slice of bread. I ordered the Seafood paella, but I wasn't super excited because of my earlier experience. This paella was nothing like what I'd had for lunch. It was full of fresh clams, fish, and prawns, and it was SOOO good! I was too stuffed afterwards to finish the flan they brought us for dessert.

We went back to the hostel after that and hung out for a while, trying to decide what to do. We finally went for drinks around 11pm. I was so tired. I took a taxi back to the hostel at 3am, when my travel buddies were heading out to a club. 3am is late enough for me.

I woke up on Sunday and went to Starbucks for some breakfast. I had been against going to Starbucks in any foreign country at first, but it's actually really interesting to see the differences in what they serve. In Barcelona they have "American Pancakes" in the display case. So weird.

Since I didn't get to much yesterday, I decided today I'd better do some major sightseeing. I bought a tour bus pass and hopped on near the Cathedral. The pass was awesome. It came with headphones so you could listen to the commentary on all the different places the bus passed, as well as a map and a guidebook for when you decided to get off at a stop. Plus, free wifi :)

The first bus I took brought us near the marina and then up Montjuic Mountain, one of the two mountains in the city of Barcelona. There, I had an awesome view of the water and the city. The next stop was at the 1992 Olympic stadium, which was pretty neat to see. Then the Placa d'Espana, where I got off and walked up the street towards the Palau Nacional and the Magic Fountain. From there I walked (A long, long walk) back to the Cathedral to hop on the eastbound bus.

The eastbound bus was even more interesting. We rode along the beach and learned about the many architects that have influenced the city. There were many different stops at famous landmarks or buildings, but the best was definitely the one that Barcelona is known for. The Sagrada Familia cathedral designed by Gaudi is unreal. I missed visiting hours, so I couldn't go inside. But the exterior was incredible.

The tour ended and I took the metro to meet up with Alyssa and Trisha (My two travel friends) at the Magic Fountain. We walked from there to Barcelona's Oktoberfest where we looked around and bought massive amounts of churros. Then it was back to the hostel once again.

The activity coordinator at the hostel was making paella, and it was only three euros for a huge plate. So we had yet more paella (This one was really good too, especially the squid!) He was also giving free Salsa lessons, and though we didn't participate, we went with the group after dinner to a nearby Salsa club. It was fun to experience, even if I didn't actually dance :)

We woke up this morning, packed, checked out of the hostel, and took the train to the airport. I could've easily spent two or three more days in Barcelona, but for a weekend trip I think it was a success. We got to experience the city, and see many of the sights that make it famous. It was weird feeling like I was going "home". And yet arriving in Madrid brought a nice sense of normalcy. I've had a busy couple of days and I'm ready for some down time.

So...where to next? Any suggestions? :)