Ciao!
Coming to you from my hotel room in Bologna, Italy. What am I doing in my hotel room on a Saturday night in Italy? Blogging. That's what. HaHa!
In all honestly, Bologna (Italy as a whole) is freakin' expensive! I gotta be real careful with my money especially since this is only the beginning of my trip. I went to the center today and it cost 15 euros one way. Bologna, from what I can tell, is so spread out that it takes a decent taxi ride to get anywhere I need to go. So, keeping in mind that I will have to spend 30 euro just in taxi fare to get from here to the stadium tomorrow, I have decided to have a mellow night. I was hoping to meet up with Pullen and snag a photo, but I'm not sure how available he will be now that he's made his opinion on K-State's new hire quite public. He's pretty occupied on the Twitter front right now, haha. Anyway, that may or may not happen, but he did say that the ticket will be at will call tomorrow and that they spoke English, so I should be okay. :) Here's hoping!
When I went to the center today, I initially went to find something to eat. It was about 2:00 or 2:30. In Spain, that's about the time to eat lunch. Here? Apparently, that's closing time. I was on the search for some legit Italian food and am sad to say that I am without right now, but still hopeful. I've got plenty of time to find some good eats. So, I walked around the center for a bit. I strayed off the beaten path a little in hopes of finding a little cafe or something to have a coffee or beer in. The 'tender did not speak a lick of English, so I spoke Spanish. That went over a little better. The languages are similar in many aspects, but still quite different. I had a drink and then continued my walk. I window shopped a little bit. I didn't see a single thing that was less than 150 euro. No thank you! I bought some gelato and walked a little bit more before heading home. The gelato was cheap! :)
My hotel is very nice. It's not in a prime location, but I'm not sure that any hotel is too much better than another here with everything so spread out. I'm sure there are better options, but this is what I have and I will deal. It's a very cozy room, but it's hot as hell! I tried to adjust the air and it never got better, so I phoned the front desk and asked them if I was doing something wrong, haha, and they informed me that they are not allowed to turn on the AC until the 15th, so I would have to open the window if I wanted a little airflow. This window is massive and there's no screen or anything. I open it and, if I wanted, could climb out it and sit on the window ledge, feet dangling from my top floor room. No thank you. :) And who doesn't have AC? I don't know if that is all of Italy or just Bologna, but I do not agree with that, haha.
To be completely honest with you, I don't feel a connection with Italy. Not yet, anyway. I know it may sound silly to some of you, but when I visited Belgium and Madrid, I fell in love with both places. Madrid, especially. I had an instant connection with the cities and I haven't felt that yet. I honestly didn't feel like I was in Italy when I was able to look out my window in the daylight this morning. It looks like I'm by an interstate in the states. A McDonalds sits right across from my hotel and a carwash is right in front of it where I can see a sign, in English, that says "Hand Wash." It's very green. That part is very pretty. There are loads of trees and open areas that are gorgeously green. While I was in the plaza this afternoon, I did see some older buildings that gave me the sense of history and were very picturesque. It was nice. But, not like what I've felt elsewhere. The drive to the center had me see strings of buildings, etc, but every one of them were covered in graffiti. It was really quite trashy looking. It didn't make me want to go shop at any of those stores at all. I wouldn't feel safe walking into those areas. That may be completely unjustified on my part, but it's the impression that the area gives me. I suppose my lack of connection to Italy could have something to do with not having a 'tour guide' or even a friend to share my time and adventures with, but I don't even think it's that. I don't know. I'm sure it is silly to some, but I just haven't fallen in love yet. I'm really excited to see Venice and I am hoping that it doesn't disappoint. Let's be honest, I came here to watch Jacob Pullen play basketball. I wouldn't have came to Bologna otherwise, I don't think. I suppose I never had a connection to this city from the beginning. No worries, though, I am loving the adventure I am on and I embrace it wholly.
Let's see, what else can I tell you about? My day of traveling was fairly uneventful. Very long, but nothing exciting. On the bus ride to Malaga, we were passed by 6 police vans. They were all carrying, well, criminals, I assume. HaHa, my first thought was, "What if the A-Team is right behind us and BA is about to break out of one of those right now." It was kind of creepy to see them. Not sure why, really, but it was. My timing worked out pretty perfectly as far as all my buses and taxis to and from where I was going. No delays, so overall, a good day. I do want to mention that I fit all of my week's packing into one tiny suitcase and I am quite proud of myself, haha. You should be proud of me, too. :)
I was really hoping I'd have the chance to meet up with Pullen tonight, so I am kind of bummed about that. I wish it would've worked out, but I suppose I can be hopeful that maybe he'll see my K-State getup tomorrow in the crowd and acknowledge me. I suppose we'll see how that all goes, haha. I'm just grateful to be able to see him play over here.
Obviously, it's all Italian all the time, but I've came across a few people that speak some English. The people in the hotel are fluent in English, so there are no issues here whatsoever. None of my taxi drivers have spoken any English yet, so my taxi rides have been very quiet, haha. Spanish gets me farther than English, that's for sure. I ate at McDonald's tonight. I came to Italy just for Micky D's! Didn't you know? Well, now you know the real reason I am here. ;) Anyway, they serve beer in McDonald's here! Why wouldn't you go to McDonald's if you could get beer and the $1 menu!? I didn't order one, but thought it was a fantastic concept, haha.
Okay, I'm going to check out for the night. I will probably write again tomorrow evening when I get back from the game. Hopefully, I will have some pictures to share. It's gonna be interesting watching a game being announced solely in Italian, but it'll be quite the experience, I think. Cross your fingers that I still have a small chance to meet him! :) Hope this finds you all well!!
Ciao!
Me
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Checkin' in before Italia!
This one should be a short entry. In comparison to all the others, I suppose. J I just thought I’d make a quick entry before I take off to Italy & write a couple books for you.
I just have a couple new things to share with you, so I figured I’d better… J
I’m feeling a little more involved in the school. They are asking Joanne and me to participate in field trips now. I went with the 3rd grade last week to a castle in Alcaudete (a town about 45 minutes away). I really had no idea what to expect, but it was very interesting and entertaining. They created a story for the kids with actors and a treasure hunt. It was quite cute and the kids really enjoyed it. The ‘treasure’ they found at the end was gold (in chocolate form). It was dollar coins from the United States of America. J This coming week, I am going to Jaen on Tuesday & Wednesday with the 6th and 4th grade. I’m sure it will be entertaining, as well. I’ll let ya’ know! J
That’ll have to do for now! I told you it was a short entry!! I am taking off for Italy on Friday!! I’m excited, but nervous as hell to go by myself. I’m not concerned about the traveling alone part, I’m pretty good at that now, but going out to eat & drink and do touristy things by myself will be a big step for me to take. Wish me luck!! I asked Pullen if would have the opportunity to get a picture with him for all my K-State family & friends & he said yes, so I should get to meet him. J Pretty excited!
Besos from Spain!! Hope this finds you all well.
I just have a couple new things to share with you, so I figured I’d better… J
I’m feeling a little more involved in the school. They are asking Joanne and me to participate in field trips now. I went with the 3rd grade last week to a castle in Alcaudete (a town about 45 minutes away). I really had no idea what to expect, but it was very interesting and entertaining. They created a story for the kids with actors and a treasure hunt. It was quite cute and the kids really enjoyed it. The ‘treasure’ they found at the end was gold (in chocolate form). It was dollar coins from the United States of America. J This coming week, I am going to Jaen on Tuesday & Wednesday with the 6th and 4th grade. I’m sure it will be entertaining, as well. I’ll let ya’ know! J
The view of the cathedral from the castle
The students with the 'king' :)
In addition to joining the classes on field trips, I was asked to translate the school’s blog for the blogsite. It was nice to be asked to help out. I’m still lacking confidence when it comes to speaking the language. I can read and understand it really well, for the most part (& when they speak slowly, haha), but I’m still struggling with my speaking confidence. When they ask me to help with things like these, it gives me a minor boost in confidence.
An update on the reapplication process: All of my documents have been fully and successfully submitted. It is unbelievable how much easier it was to reapply than the original time. I suppose it should be more simple, but I wasn’t expecting it after all the political hoops I’ve had to jump through so far this year. Anyway, I’m about 99% sure I’ll get the offer to stay for a 2nd year. I’m going to have to make some decisions, though, when that time comes. I’ll dive further into that when the time comes, but my mind has not been leaning in any decision’s direction more than the other at this particular point in time.That’ll have to do for now! I told you it was a short entry!! I am taking off for Italy on Friday!! I’m excited, but nervous as hell to go by myself. I’m not concerned about the traveling alone part, I’m pretty good at that now, but going out to eat & drink and do touristy things by myself will be a big step for me to take. Wish me luck!! I asked Pullen if would have the opportunity to get a picture with him for all my K-State family & friends & he said yes, so I should get to meet him. J Pretty excited!
Besos from Spain!! Hope this finds you all well.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
On to the Next One...
Greetings from southern Spain!
I have officially submitted all of my documents, to my knowledge, for the reapplication process. If I did it correctly, then the process is much easier the 2nd time around. I didn't have to submit so many documents and have so many headaches! If they do offer me the position again and I accept it, I can just immediately go get my NIE card extended to cover my 2nd year, so I won't have to do the whole Visa process again. HUGE relief right there! IF things work out. I'm trying to keep myself grounded and not expect too much. I just want to be level-headed about it all. I should know something as far as if I am accepted by the end of April, I believe. And if it doesn't work out, I am sure that I'll be disappointed, but I won't let it get me down. :) Anyway, we'll see how that all pans out...
Believe it or not, I forgot to write something in my Madrid entry. HaHa... I meant to tell you all that I got made fun of for having an Andalusian accent while on my stay in Madrid. Apparently, I have adopted some of the tics that make up an Andalusian. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, haha. I like that I'm 'fitting in,' but their accent is so thick that I hope it doesn't make me unable to be understood. We shall see... :) I felt a lot more comfortable speaking with them than I have during my stay in Spain so far. I think a lot of it had to do with their ability to speak English. If I had a question on how to say something, I was able to explain it in English and they could explain it to me in Spanish and vice versa. It was nice to get compliments on my speaking ability, too. They told me that I spoke well, so it definitely gave me a boost of confidence. Then, I get back to the village and I feel like I'm kicking and kicking to keep my head above water, haha. I've started to attend a language (in Spanish) class in order to help educate myself. :) I hope it helps! Can't hurt, right?
I also forgot to mention a little note about Belgium that I intended to let all my bar family know about... Obviously, Belgium is home to quite the array of beers. What was interesting (and quite honestly, baffling) to me was that they had different glasses for EVERY BEER they offered. Even if it was a bottle of beer, they'd pour it into a labeled glass that brought out the essence of the beer. As a bartender, all I could think about was, "Hell no, I would hate to have to have a different glass for every single beer!" As a consumer, I thought it was a nice touch.
Now, we have a whole week off of school at the beginning of April. It's like Spring Break, in a sense. It's Holy Week here. Anyway, I've been toying with a couple ideas... There's a possibility that I may join some people on a trip to Madrid (the new love of my life!(Madrid, not the person I am going with)). If that works out, then great! I love Madrid and would love to go back! The other option I am considering if Madrid doesn't work out is to make a plan to not make plans. Get it? I'm going (by myself) to pick a place to start and just travel for a week in whatever direction I decide to go. I am fairly confident that I will start in Granada and then from there, who knows? I'll stay a night here & a night there and get back to my village with the last bus on Saturday. How fun does that sound? It'll be interesting to do things like that alone, but being a 'tourist' in Ghent by myself while Leah was in class, kind of just allowed me to be free. (I hope that makes sense the way I would like it to make sense) I didn't mind eating alone or having coffee on the plaza while watching all people go by. I didn't even mind visiting some of the attractions of the ciy by myself. Sure, it'd be great to have someone to go with, but I also don't like to make a schedule so set in stone and structured. And I don't want to have to cater to another person's schedule, either. Unless that person wants to have a flexible schedule and not make plans with me! And then also be willing to try new things! HaHa! I want to have the freedom to just go... (Some of my friends from back home, I guarantee you, are like, "What the hell is wrong with this girl?! She would never say that!") HaHa! You heard it right! :) Spain's got ahold of me & she won't let go... :)
So this entry is a bit all over the place and my apologies, but I'm just kind of making updates as I go along. A funny thing happened today that I simply must share so that you all can have a little laugh. Mondays are my day with the 4 year old class. The teacher decided she wanted to go to the computer room with the class. She led the group to the other room and I stayed behind to bring up the rear and round up the stragglers. A few of the kids were taking their sweet time in getting to the other room. I was helping one and turned around to gather the rest when I see this little boy standing in the classroom with his pants (undies and all) around his ankles. I was a bit startled, haha, to say the least. He was using a wet-wipe to, well, wipe his bottom. He then placed the used wet-wipe on the desk. I refused to touch it, so I kindly directed him to throw it away. He did throw it away once he got his pants pulled back up and we went on our merry way as if nothing happened. :) Kids will be kids, right? HaHa! Hope you got a little laugh out of that. I'm sure the startled look on my face would have been quite entertaining. :) Aaahhhhh, kids! Never a dull moment! I should also note that these kiddos have thoroughly enjoyed watching "The Wizard of Oz." They don't understand it all, of course, but they sure liked it when the witch came on the screen. And then, they all cheered when she died, haha. They got the idea. :)
I am kind of having an internal battle. Maybe you can offer some insight? Today, during one of my 6th grade science classes, the teacher left the room for awhile (15-20 minutes) leaving me to teach on my own. This isn't abnormal, but these kids were acting awfully today! They were throwing things across the room, even after I asked them multiple times to stop. They wouldn't sit down or be quiet when asked. They were doing the typical "behind the teacher's back" kind of thing. It was really a frustrating day and I was not happy with them. As soon as Isa came back into the room, I didn't even hesitate a second to tell her how badly they have behaved to which she quickly reprimanded them... loudly and sternly. She then 'punished them' by informing they would not be allowed to play in their next handball game. She says this is a serious punishment because they will have to forfeit a game. The two kids throwing things around the room were to sit out 2 games. At the time, I didn't feel bad. I was too pissed at them to even be bothered. But, as the day went on, I let it get to me and started to feel bad. Obviously, I am still concerned about it if I am choosing to write about it, haha. I genuinely did not want to get them in trouble on a serious level, but I do want them to pay attention to me when I am speaking and listen to me when I ask them to be quiet or sit down. Joanne told me that they all came up to her during her class with them and told them to tell me, "Thanks for getting us punished." I have a ton of these kids in my English Club after school and I don't want them to hate me, haha. I don't need to be loved, but I feel really bad. Maybe I'll go talk to Isa tomorrow and see if we can't use this as a scare tactic, maybe, and use it as a warning. ??? I shouldn't feel this bad, huh? I want them to like me! But I also deserve respect. Ugh... advice? :) Update: I did talk to Isa asking if we could reduce the punishment, but she said no, that the needed to learn to respect me. Fair enough. I had a ton of the kids from that class approach me asking if I would take away their punishment, haha, but I can't... I tried, but I can't... :)
Ok, enjoy the next chapter in my story... I hope this finds you all well!
PS: Happy Belated Birthday to my big brother, Brad, and Janet (Happy 50th!)!
I've been waiting to post another blog entry because I figured it may take you a week to read my last couple entries, haha. I know they were a bit lengthy, but I suppose I had lots to say. :) I wanted to make sure that you were as close to being with me as possible since physically being here isn't an option. :) So, now that you've read a couple chapters of my book, we shall move on to the next one...
I wanted to share a story that happened a few weeks ago. (I forgot to mention it, sorry!) It's just a cute little story. I have a science class with the 1st graders. They are super cute. Anyway, I'm kind of obsessed about having chapstick or lip gloss on me at all times. I don't know, it's an odd obsession, sure, but it's necessary. Anyway, I was in class and I applied my shiny, minty lip gloss from Bath & Body Works. It's a habitual thing now, I don't notice when or if I do it. It's just part of me. So, I applied it and this little girl, Belen, came up to me at the front of class and told me that she had a sore on her lips. I just kind of brushed it off and said I'm sorry, haha, how am I supposed to fix that? :) Anyway, we continued on with class and I apparently reapplied my gloss again and she came up to me again telling me she had a sore on her lip. I really couldn't figure out why she kept telling me this and I didn't notice anything on her lips. I told her to go tell Blas (the teacher in the class) and that he could help her. Her response was to shake her head and say no. I still didn't put 2 and 2 together until class was long over, haha. She wanted my lip gloss and wanted me to put it on her lips, haha. Oooooops, my bad! HaHa! She was probably like, "How mean is this teacher?!" HaHa! Hope not!
I have officially submitted all of my documents, to my knowledge, for the reapplication process. If I did it correctly, then the process is much easier the 2nd time around. I didn't have to submit so many documents and have so many headaches! If they do offer me the position again and I accept it, I can just immediately go get my NIE card extended to cover my 2nd year, so I won't have to do the whole Visa process again. HUGE relief right there! IF things work out. I'm trying to keep myself grounded and not expect too much. I just want to be level-headed about it all. I should know something as far as if I am accepted by the end of April, I believe. And if it doesn't work out, I am sure that I'll be disappointed, but I won't let it get me down. :) Anyway, we'll see how that all pans out...
Believe it or not, I forgot to write something in my Madrid entry. HaHa... I meant to tell you all that I got made fun of for having an Andalusian accent while on my stay in Madrid. Apparently, I have adopted some of the tics that make up an Andalusian. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, haha. I like that I'm 'fitting in,' but their accent is so thick that I hope it doesn't make me unable to be understood. We shall see... :) I felt a lot more comfortable speaking with them than I have during my stay in Spain so far. I think a lot of it had to do with their ability to speak English. If I had a question on how to say something, I was able to explain it in English and they could explain it to me in Spanish and vice versa. It was nice to get compliments on my speaking ability, too. They told me that I spoke well, so it definitely gave me a boost of confidence. Then, I get back to the village and I feel like I'm kicking and kicking to keep my head above water, haha. I've started to attend a language (in Spanish) class in order to help educate myself. :) I hope it helps! Can't hurt, right?
I also forgot to mention a little note about Belgium that I intended to let all my bar family know about... Obviously, Belgium is home to quite the array of beers. What was interesting (and quite honestly, baffling) to me was that they had different glasses for EVERY BEER they offered. Even if it was a bottle of beer, they'd pour it into a labeled glass that brought out the essence of the beer. As a bartender, all I could think about was, "Hell no, I would hate to have to have a different glass for every single beer!" As a consumer, I thought it was a nice touch.
The rest of March is going to be a slow month for me. I'm running on fumes in the financial department since they still haven't paid us for our English Clubs for February. I'm obviously becoming accustomed to the slow and steady pace that the Spanish (at least around here) move at, but it still really frustrates me when we can't get paid for our extra work in a timely fashion. We got paid for January on March 1st. That just doesn't make sense to me. It's not going to be a big deal to me because I'll be around for an extra 6 weeks in the summer, but what about Joanne who is planning on going back to Scotland? How is she supposed to get her money? It's just really inconvenient. We've tossed around the idea of just not doing it through the month of May so that we can get our final payment at the end of May (hopefully). Anyway, I'm going to be pretty lame for the next few weeks, so my apologies in advance. Plus, I need to be putting back some of this money for what is shaping up to be quite the epic summer. I've used the term 'epic' before in reference to things, but I gotta say... this summer, 'epic' is going to go to a whole different level. I'm getting the opportunity to see and do so many things that many people can only dream about. And I get to experience these things with one of my favorite people.... Clinton Alan Massey! (who will be touching down in Spain in 82 days!) There is simply no way that this summer will suck, haha. Not a chance in hell! Summer 2012 is going to be AmAzInG!
Now, we have a whole week off of school at the beginning of April. It's like Spring Break, in a sense. It's Holy Week here. Anyway, I've been toying with a couple ideas... There's a possibility that I may join some people on a trip to Madrid (the new love of my life!(Madrid, not the person I am going with)). If that works out, then great! I love Madrid and would love to go back! The other option I am considering if Madrid doesn't work out is to make a plan to not make plans. Get it? I'm going (by myself) to pick a place to start and just travel for a week in whatever direction I decide to go. I am fairly confident that I will start in Granada and then from there, who knows? I'll stay a night here & a night there and get back to my village with the last bus on Saturday. How fun does that sound? It'll be interesting to do things like that alone, but being a 'tourist' in Ghent by myself while Leah was in class, kind of just allowed me to be free. (I hope that makes sense the way I would like it to make sense) I didn't mind eating alone or having coffee on the plaza while watching all people go by. I didn't even mind visiting some of the attractions of the ciy by myself. Sure, it'd be great to have someone to go with, but I also don't like to make a schedule so set in stone and structured. And I don't want to have to cater to another person's schedule, either. Unless that person wants to have a flexible schedule and not make plans with me! And then also be willing to try new things! HaHa! I want to have the freedom to just go... (Some of my friends from back home, I guarantee you, are like, "What the hell is wrong with this girl?! She would never say that!") HaHa! You heard it right! :) Spain's got ahold of me & she won't let go... :)
So this entry is a bit all over the place and my apologies, but I'm just kind of making updates as I go along. A funny thing happened today that I simply must share so that you all can have a little laugh. Mondays are my day with the 4 year old class. The teacher decided she wanted to go to the computer room with the class. She led the group to the other room and I stayed behind to bring up the rear and round up the stragglers. A few of the kids were taking their sweet time in getting to the other room. I was helping one and turned around to gather the rest when I see this little boy standing in the classroom with his pants (undies and all) around his ankles. I was a bit startled, haha, to say the least. He was using a wet-wipe to, well, wipe his bottom. He then placed the used wet-wipe on the desk. I refused to touch it, so I kindly directed him to throw it away. He did throw it away once he got his pants pulled back up and we went on our merry way as if nothing happened. :) Kids will be kids, right? HaHa! Hope you got a little laugh out of that. I'm sure the startled look on my face would have been quite entertaining. :) Aaahhhhh, kids! Never a dull moment! I should also note that these kiddos have thoroughly enjoyed watching "The Wizard of Oz." They don't understand it all, of course, but they sure liked it when the witch came on the screen. And then, they all cheered when she died, haha. They got the idea. :)
I am kind of having an internal battle. Maybe you can offer some insight? Today, during one of my 6th grade science classes, the teacher left the room for awhile (15-20 minutes) leaving me to teach on my own. This isn't abnormal, but these kids were acting awfully today! They were throwing things across the room, even after I asked them multiple times to stop. They wouldn't sit down or be quiet when asked. They were doing the typical "behind the teacher's back" kind of thing. It was really a frustrating day and I was not happy with them. As soon as Isa came back into the room, I didn't even hesitate a second to tell her how badly they have behaved to which she quickly reprimanded them... loudly and sternly. She then 'punished them' by informing they would not be allowed to play in their next handball game. She says this is a serious punishment because they will have to forfeit a game. The two kids throwing things around the room were to sit out 2 games. At the time, I didn't feel bad. I was too pissed at them to even be bothered. But, as the day went on, I let it get to me and started to feel bad. Obviously, I am still concerned about it if I am choosing to write about it, haha. I genuinely did not want to get them in trouble on a serious level, but I do want them to pay attention to me when I am speaking and listen to me when I ask them to be quiet or sit down. Joanne told me that they all came up to her during her class with them and told them to tell me, "Thanks for getting us punished." I have a ton of these kids in my English Club after school and I don't want them to hate me, haha. I don't need to be loved, but I feel really bad. Maybe I'll go talk to Isa tomorrow and see if we can't use this as a scare tactic, maybe, and use it as a warning. ??? I shouldn't feel this bad, huh? I want them to like me! But I also deserve respect. Ugh... advice? :) Update: I did talk to Isa asking if we could reduce the punishment, but she said no, that the needed to learn to respect me. Fair enough. I had a ton of the kids from that class approach me asking if I would take away their punishment, haha, but I can't... I tried, but I can't... :)
Ok, enjoy the next chapter in my story... I hope this finds you all well!
PS: Happy Belated Birthday to my big brother, Brad, and Janet (Happy 50th!)!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
I fell in LoVe with Madrid
HOLA! I will give you fair warning that this entry is quite long. You may have to take a couple sessions in reading it, haha. :) I was going to split it up, but I didn't want to find a breaking point, so I'm just including it all... Enjoy!
I left Ghent by train to Brussels. I flew from Brussels into Madrid. Annie had sent me directions on which Metro to take. It was 2 euros compared to 30. I was really hesitant to take the Metro. I would have probably preferred to take the taxi because of the security and knowing I could get directly to where I needed to be, but I decided to be courageous and take the Metro. I had a big suitcase, a backpack, and purse of decent size. I wasn’t looking forward to lugging it all around, but I chose to conquer a fear head-on. Annie’s directions through the Metro were fantastic! Once out of the Metro, though, it was a different story, haha. I excited in this open plaza area called ‘Puerta del Sol.’ I pulled my suitcase around this plaza filled with people twice looking for a bakery that Annie told me to look for. I couldn’t find it, so I finally just took off in one direction and started asking questions. After questioning 3 or 4 people in 3 or 4 different directions, I found my hostel. It was not an obvious find on my street. The sign was tiny and on the 3rd story of the building. I went into the door and found a massive flight of stairs that I had to take all of my things up. I am forever grateful to the woman who helped me with the last ¾ of it. It was a sweaty journey up the stairs. HaHa! It was a hostel with a bunch of rooms on one floor of a building. Some rooms had their own bathrooms. Some had to use one in the hallway. My room had its own bathroom. It was a very small room, but sufficient for me and the amount of time I’d be spending in it. After finishing the reservation details, I went to Annie’s room and knocked. She wasn’t in, so I relaxed in my room for a bit. It wasn’t long before she was knocking on my door with Ian, a new friend from Canada that had just moved to Madrid that day. It was his first day there and they ran into each other somewhere along the way. Anyway, they so kindly brought me a 40 oz and told me to drink. HaHa--I am not in college anymore. I took a few drinks, but did no chugging of the sort. J We took a few minutes to freshen up and then went to Ian’s apartment to listen to some music and have a couple drinks before going out on the town. We met up with Luna and Albert. They are locals. They are friends of Annie’s friend Molly (confusing, I know… I am not going to go into those details, haha).
Upon Ian’s insistence, we went to ME by Melia. It is a bar on top of a hotel in the center of Madrid. The place had an amazing view and was very cool (so posh, haha!). After ME, we decided to go get some food, so Luna and Albert took us to this little place that had everything on the menu for 1 Euro. They were mini, but quite sufficient for our level of hunger and quite tasty! We sat outside in the plaza area and chatted until they made us leave, haha. We agreed on a time to meet up the next day for lunch and took our separate ways.
Thursday, we had some coffee and did a little walking around. We met up with Luna, Maria, and Albert and had lunch at the Ham Museum, haha. After lunch, we went took a walk. We had some frozen yogurt and saw the royal palace and some cathedrals. The buildings are all so gorgeous! I never realized how much of a fan of architecture that I am, haha. I love just looking at buildings and seeing such intricate work and detailing and imagining the history that must have occurred through those hallways, etc. Some of them just ooze history. I love it. Anyway, we snapped some photos and continued our walk. We made some plans for the evening and had some coffee before separating for an hour or so.
Our evening plans consisted of catching a theatrical production… Grease! J In Spanish! J Super excited! After Annie & I freshened up, we made the walk back to the theatre. On our walk, we saw one of the other cinemas really lit up with a bunch of people surrounding the entry. These people had cameras and were surrounding a red carpet. It was a movie premiere! The movie was Red Lights starring Robert De Niro, among others. (I think that’s the English translation of the title) Anyway, Annie and I said to each other, “Surely there’d be more people if Robert De Niro was really going to be there?” We agreed and continued our walk to our theatre. We waited for Albert to join us, as he was running late. He ran up to us apologizing for being late, but that Robert De Niro was down the street. ???!!!! I was super bummed, haha! We made our way into our theatre and took our seats for Grease. The whole thing, including all the songs, was in Spanish. It was very interesting to see the interpretation. They did it in such a way that it was all mixed up from the actual movie. But it was all there! Just in a different order. The costumes were fantastic! They definitely looked the part! All of them. The audience was that of adults and children alike and the enthusiasm is showed at any part of the performance. Dancing while performing, etc. On 3 occasions, we saw bare butt on the stage, haha. The mooning part of the movie was authentically portrayed in the Spanish stage production, haha! J It was a lot of fun. I really liked seeing it. Grease, in any language, is fantastic! You cannot go wrong. J Little side note: I did my research online and found out that Robert De Niro was not able to be at the Madrid premiere, so we did not miss seeing Mr. De Niro in person! Whew!!
After the show, we took the Metro to another part of town. A couple of Albert’s friends were at a bar, so we joined them. Here, we became acquainted with Fran and Paco. We met Fran earlier in the day, very briefly. We were sitting there enjoying the company and having a beer when we hear some yelling down the street and see a couple people running. Apparently, across the way, some kid had robbed a Chinese store and the owner was chasing him down the street. He got away. The owner made his way back to the shop defeated. Not 20 minutes later, we hear something again. The thief (smart one, apparently), had came back to the scene of the crime for round 2, but the owner was waiting with a massive steal bar in his hand. He chased the thief across the street with his wife chasing him screaming at him. HaHa, it was quite funny for spectators. Again, the thief got away. The owner was quite angry and screaming obscenities at anyone watching or anyone around. He was very heated, haha. Eventually, five police cars showed up to the scene. From our angle, it looked as if the owner was claiming to have been injured. He had pulled up a leg of his pants to his knees and was showing the police his ‘injuries.’ Eventually, they all took off with their lights going. The Chinese shop shut down and that was the end of our second production of the evening. J We had to make the final Metro, so we ladies left at 1:15. We had to say goodbye to Luna since she was going out of town for the weekend. It was a sad goodbye! L
Friday in Madrid… We had chocolate and churros to start our final day in the city. We had a reservation at 1:30 at Botí n, the world’s oldest restaurant according to the Guinness Book of Records. The place was very small and very cozy. The atmosphere was awesome. I really, really liked it. Aside from the atmosphere, the food was fantastic! I ordered a chicken dish in an almond sauce that was amazing. The chicken fell off the bone and the sauce was SO good! And for what it was, the price sure could have been a lot worse. It was not expensive at all.
After we ate, we met up with Albertito and Paco. Albert made cake for Annie & me, so we went to a park for a picnic. We got some coffee and enjoyed our cake at the park. Here, we met two more of Albert’s friends, Oscar and Carlos. We hung out there for awhile before heading to a bar in another part of the city for some towers of beer. I had to use the restroom extremely bad, so we picked the closest place and went in. As soon as we opened the door, it was as if the world stopped. The 6 old men that were in there stopped everything they were doing and just stared at us. It was as if time stood still for a moment before Annie asked for a bottle of water and to allow me to use the bathroom. The bar was clean and all, but it felt like we were intruding in on legit Mafia business or something. Turns out, they were playing ‘Moose.’ No idea. HaHa, little side story for you. J
After a bit more walking and sightseeing, we set a time to meet up and then separated to ‘freshen up’ for the evening. Our new friend, Fran, worked in public relations for a club in Madrid. He invited us to ‘Cats’ for the evening. We met up with baller Ian from Thursday evening at the entrance. There was a lot of talk and eventually, we were guided into the bar. I’m not sure everything that was said, haha, but they led us through the door and to a private, reserved area with cushioned seats along the wall. There was even a red velvet rope, haha, in front of it stopping people from going into the reserved area. I had NO idea we were going to have star treatment! HaHa! I just thought we might get in free or cheaper to the club having the connection with Fran. We sat there as a couple different waiters set us up. They banded us and gave us an ice bin and our mixies. I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what was going on, but I sat back and enjoyed people watching and the music. Next thing I know, ‘The Eye of the Tiger’ came on and this ball of fire (quite literally) started making its way through the crowd on the dance floor. Albert made us watch because, apparently, that ball of fire was our bottle of alcohol. They make a spectacle of anyone who buys a bottle for more than 100 euros. Ian had apparently purchased a bottle of Grey Goose for the table. It made its way through everyone and to us in the corner. It was very cool. We stayed at the club enjoying the music, the company, and the atmosphere until 4:30. We decided to go home for a little nap before having to leave the hostel at 8 a.m. We chatted with Albert and Paco for awhile. It was definitely a sad scene saying goodbye; worse for Annie since she was going to be flying back to Seattle. We made some very good friends who I hope are a part of my life for always. I napped from 5:30 to 7:30. We were out the door by 8:00 and on our way to the Metro station. Annie & I said our goodbyes at the station as she was heading one direction and I the other. It was really, really good to see her.
Let’s talk hostels for a moment… I’m sure you’ve seen the movies or heard or read horror stories. So have I, haha, but in my experience, that is exactly what they are… stories. We had prime location in Madrid. We were right in the center of the city & had access to anything we needed. If not, the Metro is so efficient and you could get anywhere you needed in a very short amount of time. Anyway, my room was cozy enough. However, the nights were awful! It was SO LOUD! The walls were paper thin and I could hear everything going on outside. Sometimes, it was music playing from the plaza. Mostly, it was the sound of a jackhammer on the road outside where they worked through ALL hours of the night. Unbelievable. For someone who already has a difficult enough time sleeping, this was quite unpleasant. I eventually turned the TV on to a music channel and just left it on all night hoping my mind would focus on it and just fall asleep. It worked well enough. Annie’s room was kind of off down a hallway shoved into a corner. There wasn’t much noise in there. While I personally didn’t catch any, Annie had a mini-cockroach problem in her room. Whatever. We survived! And had a blast regardless, haha.
I must say, I’m becoming quite the traveler! In addition, I am allowing myself to be much more relaxed about things like tickets and schedules, blah, blah, blah. I didn’t book any of my train or bus tickets in advance for this trip. I just flew by the seat of my pants and hoped it would all work out. I love that I am more relaxed and becoming less fearful of traveling alone and all those ‘big city scary things.’ I couldn’t think of a different way to put that. Metros, buses, trains, etc… I’m embracing it all & I think I’m doing pretty good at it. J I actually love it quite a lot!! HaHa! And Madrid made me fall in love with her. I don't know if I'd love it to live in every day, but this trip made me really love that city. I can't wait to go back!
Anyway, it was so good to have a vacation & see old faces, new faces, and new places! Getting back, I felt a little sad that it was all over, but at the same time, I felt like I had been gone for much longer than 10 days. Now, I have to do the part I hate… unpacking, laundry, and reorganizing my life, haha. But, not too much longer before Clint Massey makes his trip across the ocean!!
I left Ghent by train to Brussels. I flew from Brussels into Madrid. Annie had sent me directions on which Metro to take. It was 2 euros compared to 30. I was really hesitant to take the Metro. I would have probably preferred to take the taxi because of the security and knowing I could get directly to where I needed to be, but I decided to be courageous and take the Metro. I had a big suitcase, a backpack, and purse of decent size. I wasn’t looking forward to lugging it all around, but I chose to conquer a fear head-on. Annie’s directions through the Metro were fantastic! Once out of the Metro, though, it was a different story, haha. I excited in this open plaza area called ‘Puerta del Sol.’ I pulled my suitcase around this plaza filled with people twice looking for a bakery that Annie told me to look for. I couldn’t find it, so I finally just took off in one direction and started asking questions. After questioning 3 or 4 people in 3 or 4 different directions, I found my hostel. It was not an obvious find on my street. The sign was tiny and on the 3rd story of the building. I went into the door and found a massive flight of stairs that I had to take all of my things up. I am forever grateful to the woman who helped me with the last ¾ of it. It was a sweaty journey up the stairs. HaHa! It was a hostel with a bunch of rooms on one floor of a building. Some rooms had their own bathrooms. Some had to use one in the hallway. My room had its own bathroom. It was a very small room, but sufficient for me and the amount of time I’d be spending in it. After finishing the reservation details, I went to Annie’s room and knocked. She wasn’t in, so I relaxed in my room for a bit. It wasn’t long before she was knocking on my door with Ian, a new friend from Canada that had just moved to Madrid that day. It was his first day there and they ran into each other somewhere along the way. Anyway, they so kindly brought me a 40 oz and told me to drink. HaHa--I am not in college anymore. I took a few drinks, but did no chugging of the sort. J We took a few minutes to freshen up and then went to Ian’s apartment to listen to some music and have a couple drinks before going out on the town. We met up with Luna and Albert. They are locals. They are friends of Annie’s friend Molly (confusing, I know… I am not going to go into those details, haha).
Upon Ian’s insistence, we went to ME by Melia. It is a bar on top of a hotel in the center of Madrid. The place had an amazing view and was very cool (so posh, haha!). After ME, we decided to go get some food, so Luna and Albert took us to this little place that had everything on the menu for 1 Euro. They were mini, but quite sufficient for our level of hunger and quite tasty! We sat outside in the plaza area and chatted until they made us leave, haha. We agreed on a time to meet up the next day for lunch and took our separate ways.
Annie & I outside the fences of the Royal Palace
Outside the theatre... you know, being tourists, haha
The beginning of the show! Grease is the word!!
Friday in Madrid… We had chocolate and churros to start our final day in the city. We had a reservation at 1:30 at Botí n, the world’s oldest restaurant according to the Guinness Book of Records. The place was very small and very cozy. The atmosphere was awesome. I really, really liked it. Aside from the atmosphere, the food was fantastic! I ordered a chicken dish in an almond sauce that was amazing. The chicken fell off the bone and the sauce was SO good! And for what it was, the price sure could have been a lot worse. It was not expensive at all.
Outside of the oldest restaurant in the world!
Annie & I at Botin... The food was delicious!!
After a bit more walking and sightseeing, we set a time to meet up and then separated to ‘freshen up’ for the evening. Our new friend, Fran, worked in public relations for a club in Madrid. He invited us to ‘Cats’ for the evening. We met up with baller Ian from Thursday evening at the entrance. There was a lot of talk and eventually, we were guided into the bar. I’m not sure everything that was said, haha, but they led us through the door and to a private, reserved area with cushioned seats along the wall. There was even a red velvet rope, haha, in front of it stopping people from going into the reserved area. I had NO idea we were going to have star treatment! HaHa! I just thought we might get in free or cheaper to the club having the connection with Fran. We sat there as a couple different waiters set us up. They banded us and gave us an ice bin and our mixies. I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what was going on, but I sat back and enjoyed people watching and the music. Next thing I know, ‘The Eye of the Tiger’ came on and this ball of fire (quite literally) started making its way through the crowd on the dance floor. Albert made us watch because, apparently, that ball of fire was our bottle of alcohol. They make a spectacle of anyone who buys a bottle for more than 100 euros. Ian had apparently purchased a bottle of Grey Goose for the table. It made its way through everyone and to us in the corner. It was very cool. We stayed at the club enjoying the music, the company, and the atmosphere until 4:30. We decided to go home for a little nap before having to leave the hostel at 8 a.m. We chatted with Albert and Paco for awhile. It was definitely a sad scene saying goodbye; worse for Annie since she was going to be flying back to Seattle. We made some very good friends who I hope are a part of my life for always. I napped from 5:30 to 7:30. We were out the door by 8:00 and on our way to the Metro station. Annie & I said our goodbyes at the station as she was heading one direction and I the other. It was really, really good to see her.
No big deal, it's just our bottle of Goose.
Fran, Albert, Annie, myself, Paco, & Ian at "Cats" in Madrid
I must say, I’m becoming quite the traveler! In addition, I am allowing myself to be much more relaxed about things like tickets and schedules, blah, blah, blah. I didn’t book any of my train or bus tickets in advance for this trip. I just flew by the seat of my pants and hoped it would all work out. I love that I am more relaxed and becoming less fearful of traveling alone and all those ‘big city scary things.’ I couldn’t think of a different way to put that. Metros, buses, trains, etc… I’m embracing it all & I think I’m doing pretty good at it. J I actually love it quite a lot!! HaHa! And Madrid made me fall in love with her. I don't know if I'd love it to live in every day, but this trip made me really love that city. I can't wait to go back!
Anyway, it was so good to have a vacation & see old faces, new faces, and new places! Getting back, I felt a little sad that it was all over, but at the same time, I felt like I had been gone for much longer than 10 days. Now, I have to do the part I hate… unpacking, laundry, and reorganizing my life, haha. But, not too much longer before Clint Massey makes his trip across the ocean!!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Beautiful Belgium!
Hello!
I am back in the village and getting back into my routine. J I had such a good time during my break! It is far too much to write in one entry, so my intention is to post a few entries of my adventure. You know, make the suspension last longer, haha!
I’ll just start from the beginning…
I started in Malaga on the southern coast of Spain. I went down early so I could catch my flight the next day. I stayed in a hotel right on the beach. It was gorgeous! I left my balcony door open all night so I could sleep while listening to the waves hit the shore. It was so peaceful. I just wanted to feel that peace every day, all day. J
There was no excitement on my flight to Belgium. A small delay, but nothing serious. Met Christophe, Leah’s boyfriend, at the airport. It was fairly chilly and a bit misty upon arrival, but nothing too extreme. We had to drive from Brussels to Ghent. It was about an hour & a halfish to get there, but mostly because traffic was pretty slow in a lot of places. I’m told that this is typical. I don’t know if you know much about Belgium and to be honest, I didn’t either. Christophe showed me a YouTube video that is a brief and accurate portrayal of Belgium. It’s not one of those boring, serious videos. It puts a funny spin on it. I think you’d enjoy it.
Anyway, I think I told you about my first night, so I will just dive into day 2. J We had some breakfast from a delicious bakery in Ghent (pronounced with kind of a rough ‘H’ sound). Sweet pastries and some delicious bread with some spreads. Everything that I tried, I liked. J My favorite was the chicken salad spread. After breakfast, we headed to Dinant. Dinant is still in Belgium, but it’s in the southern part of the country (about a 2 hour drive) and is in the French speaking part. There was a big difference in the landscape from Ghent to Dinant. There were many forested areas and much more rolling hills. Everywhere (including Ghent) was so green. I was informed that it rains all the time. (It rained or was misty/cloudy nearly every day of my trip) Dinant is a smallish town with a lot of history. We went to La Citadelle, a fortress from hundreds of years ago. We went on a guided (in French) tour of the fortress and I got some great photos. The last part of the tour was a simulation of the trenches during wartime and it was crazy! They built the last part of it (it’s really difficult to describe the feeling!) sideways. You’re walking as you normally would, but the perception of your eyes is not what you are seeing/feeling when you are walking. It was like being incredibly drunk, but very conscious of your surroundings. It was definitely something from maybe one of those funhouses at a fair. You know, the one that has mazes and mirrors that make you look all sorts of silly? It’s just so hard to describe. The feeling was not that fun, haha, but the idea behind it and the creativity was really cool.
Leah & Christophe had a brunch they had to attend Sunday morning, so I slept in and did a bit of ‘Facebooking’ and a blog entry before we headed out. First, we stopped at the Gravensteen Castle. We toured the castle and enjoyed some views from the top. It was very cool. It is just really surreal for me to put myself into the mindset that something like castles, knights, etc, really existed. The things that intrigued me the most (and please don’t judge me) were the torture & punishment methods. Seeing the guillotine (with the authentic blade that cut off countless heads) and the other torture devices just blew my mind that this was actually reality at some point in our past. Obviously, there are some places that still exist that accept this type of violence, etc, but it’s not a reality to me. It’s hard to wrap my mind around it. Anyway, here is a picture of one of the devices we saw.
After our journey around the castle, we went to ‘Max,’ the place where the waffle was invented. They still use the original waffle irons. I got my waffle with ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce. You can pick a large variety of ways to get your waffle. You can create any combination of fruits, ice cream, sauces, butter, powdered sugar, etc. It was hard to decide! HaHa! And it was delicious! It was light and fluffy and just so tasty!!
After the waffle experience, we took a small walk around Ghent before catching the tram to their house. The architecture was amazing to see. You could tell that there is so much history there. Simply gorgeous! J On this walk, we ran across this little hole in the wall bar that the owner made his own alcohol in different flavors and served them in shots (I chose the blood orange flavor--delish). We sipped ours before catching the tram. Christophe cooked us a traditional Belgian meal that evening and it was delicious. I don’t remember what it was called, haha! I’ll ask & then let you know. J It was cooked chicory wrapped in ham and covered in a cheesy alfredo sauce. And then, you combine it with spaghetti. Cut & mix it up for a delicious treat! It was really, really good. I wasn’t sure about the chicory (it’s in the lettuce/cabbage family), but it was very tasty. J
Monday morning, Christophe had to go back to work in Brussels, so it was only Leah & I. We had coffee and a sandwich before she went to class. While she was in class, I was able to explore the city for a few hours by myself. I did a little shopping and collected a couple souvenirs for myself. J I bought some tea, chocolates, and mustard for myself. Leah and I then went to a fry shop. They’re all over the city. Fries are their specialty! (Just don’t call them French!) I ordered a fried hamburger with mine that had a special sauce on it. It was probably the unhealthiest of meals, but it was really good! HaHa! After fries, we went to the Bierhuis (beer house) and had a beer. Also tasty!
My last day in Belgium, we went to Dr. Guislain’s Museum. It is a museum for the history of psychology. It also houses some art exhibits. One exhibit was about psychology and treatment of children. It was really interesting. I’m not going to pretend I’m an artistic person, though. I don’t know much about art at all, but I was entertained. Then, we got into the section about the history of psychology. It had displays showing treatment methods and all the ways they studied the mind (some very questionable). It was very interesting to me. It was a bit disturbing at times, but very interesting!
Leah had class again, so I did a little sightseeing on my own for a few hours. I visited a cathedral in town that housed “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.” (CHECK NAME) It’s apparently a very famous painting. I felt very out of place, haha. I went into this very dark, protected, secure room to ’view’ the painting through the casing. There were people just staring at the painting and admiring it with such intensity. The room was completely silent (we weren’t allowed to talk). I can now say that I have seen “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,” but I was more amazed at the architecture and detailing in the cathedral. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures. I wish I could have. It was unbelievable. The intricacy of all the details and statues was amazing. The altars, the seating, the crypt… all completely amazing… such history. After the cathedral, I went to the Belfry tower. It is the building where they kept all the important documents. There is a bell in the tower. I went to the top of it. You could feel the building swaying in the wind. It was a little uneasy, haha, but the view was gorgeous! After Leah’s classes, we went back to their place and she made us a great & tasty pizza! With carrots on it, haha! I’ve never had carrots on a pizza, but was impressed. J I got a lot of my packing done that night before bed so I could be ready to go in the morning for the next part of my break!
Here is where I’ll end this entry before I dive into my Madrid experience with Annie Castle. I loved Belgium. If I could choose three nouns to describe Belgium, they would be: 1)Beer 2)Bicycles 3)Chocolate. (Number 4 would have been waffles, but I wanted to put bicycles in there!) Everyone rides bicycles! Everyone rides them everywhere. I love to people watch and it was fun to watch. I didn’t try a beer I didn’t like, I don’t think. I even got to try this one beer that is super exclusive to get. It’s made by monks in a monastery and you have to go through some legit processes to be allowed to get any. Apparently, if you buy a SINGLE bottle of beer in the states, you’d spend upwards of $30. It was a dark beer, but quite tasty. Click here to go to the site where it tells you all about Westvleteren Three adjectives would be 1)cozy 2)historical 3)pretty. When I say ‘pretty,’ I mean the people more than the scenery, although the scenery was gorgeous! Everyone seemed to be dressed to a T all the time. The women were riding their bicycles through the rough streets (cobblestone) with skirts and heels on. I was very impressed, haha. J
Okay, enough for this entry. Belgium was very fun and I would love to go back and visit again. A big, public thanks goes out to Leah and Christophe for all of their hospitality and for being great tour guides (and chauffeurs). I had the best time!!
I have a ton more photos, but you'll have to check out Facebook for the whole lot of them. There are many & I'll be sure to put descriptions on them there. :) Hope this finds you all well!
Besos!
I am back in the village and getting back into my routine. J I had such a good time during my break! It is far too much to write in one entry, so my intention is to post a few entries of my adventure. You know, make the suspension last longer, haha!
I’ll just start from the beginning…
I started in Malaga on the southern coast of Spain. I went down early so I could catch my flight the next day. I stayed in a hotel right on the beach. It was gorgeous! I left my balcony door open all night so I could sleep while listening to the waves hit the shore. It was so peaceful. I just wanted to feel that peace every day, all day. J
This is what I woke up to... rough life, huh?
There was no excitement on my flight to Belgium. A small delay, but nothing serious. Met Christophe, Leah’s boyfriend, at the airport. It was fairly chilly and a bit misty upon arrival, but nothing too extreme. We had to drive from Brussels to Ghent. It was about an hour & a halfish to get there, but mostly because traffic was pretty slow in a lot of places. I’m told that this is typical. I don’t know if you know much about Belgium and to be honest, I didn’t either. Christophe showed me a YouTube video that is a brief and accurate portrayal of Belgium. It’s not one of those boring, serious videos. It puts a funny spin on it. I think you’d enjoy it.
Anyway, I think I told you about my first night, so I will just dive into day 2. J We had some breakfast from a delicious bakery in Ghent (pronounced with kind of a rough ‘H’ sound). Sweet pastries and some delicious bread with some spreads. Everything that I tried, I liked. J My favorite was the chicken salad spread. After breakfast, we headed to Dinant. Dinant is still in Belgium, but it’s in the southern part of the country (about a 2 hour drive) and is in the French speaking part. There was a big difference in the landscape from Ghent to Dinant. There were many forested areas and much more rolling hills. Everywhere (including Ghent) was so green. I was informed that it rains all the time. (It rained or was misty/cloudy nearly every day of my trip) Dinant is a smallish town with a lot of history. We went to La Citadelle, a fortress from hundreds of years ago. We went on a guided (in French) tour of the fortress and I got some great photos. The last part of the tour was a simulation of the trenches during wartime and it was crazy! They built the last part of it (it’s really difficult to describe the feeling!) sideways. You’re walking as you normally would, but the perception of your eyes is not what you are seeing/feeling when you are walking. It was like being incredibly drunk, but very conscious of your surroundings. It was definitely something from maybe one of those funhouses at a fair. You know, the one that has mazes and mirrors that make you look all sorts of silly? It’s just so hard to describe. The feeling was not that fun, haha, but the idea behind it and the creativity was really cool.
Here is kind of the idea of the leaning room, haha... she wasn't trying to lean sideways. That's just how it worked.
Leah & Christophe had a brunch they had to attend Sunday morning, so I slept in and did a bit of ‘Facebooking’ and a blog entry before we headed out. First, we stopped at the Gravensteen Castle. We toured the castle and enjoyed some views from the top. It was very cool. It is just really surreal for me to put myself into the mindset that something like castles, knights, etc, really existed. The things that intrigued me the most (and please don’t judge me) were the torture & punishment methods. Seeing the guillotine (with the authentic blade that cut off countless heads) and the other torture devices just blew my mind that this was actually reality at some point in our past. Obviously, there are some places that still exist that accept this type of violence, etc, but it’s not a reality to me. It’s hard to wrap my mind around it. Anyway, here is a picture of one of the devices we saw.
The stretched the body out and then poured water into his stomach through the throat
After our journey around the castle, we went to ‘Max,’ the place where the waffle was invented. They still use the original waffle irons. I got my waffle with ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce. You can pick a large variety of ways to get your waffle. You can create any combination of fruits, ice cream, sauces, butter, powdered sugar, etc. It was hard to decide! HaHa! And it was delicious! It was light and fluffy and just so tasty!!
They, so kindly, let me come into their kitchen to take a photo of the original waffle irons... history happened right there, folks!
The outside of the place where waffles were invented
After the waffle experience, we took a small walk around Ghent before catching the tram to their house. The architecture was amazing to see. You could tell that there is so much history there. Simply gorgeous! J On this walk, we ran across this little hole in the wall bar that the owner made his own alcohol in different flavors and served them in shots (I chose the blood orange flavor--delish). We sipped ours before catching the tram. Christophe cooked us a traditional Belgian meal that evening and it was delicious. I don’t remember what it was called, haha! I’ll ask & then let you know. J It was cooked chicory wrapped in ham and covered in a cheesy alfredo sauce. And then, you combine it with spaghetti. Cut & mix it up for a delicious treat! It was really, really good. I wasn’t sure about the chicory (it’s in the lettuce/cabbage family), but it was very tasty. J
Monday morning, Christophe had to go back to work in Brussels, so it was only Leah & I. We had coffee and a sandwich before she went to class. While she was in class, I was able to explore the city for a few hours by myself. I did a little shopping and collected a couple souvenirs for myself. J I bought some tea, chocolates, and mustard for myself. Leah and I then went to a fry shop. They’re all over the city. Fries are their specialty! (Just don’t call them French!) I ordered a fried hamburger with mine that had a special sauce on it. It was probably the unhealthiest of meals, but it was really good! HaHa! After fries, we went to the Bierhuis (beer house) and had a beer. Also tasty!
My last day in Belgium, we went to Dr. Guislain’s Museum. It is a museum for the history of psychology. It also houses some art exhibits. One exhibit was about psychology and treatment of children. It was really interesting. I’m not going to pretend I’m an artistic person, though. I don’t know much about art at all, but I was entertained. Then, we got into the section about the history of psychology. It had displays showing treatment methods and all the ways they studied the mind (some very questionable). It was very interesting to me. It was a bit disturbing at times, but very interesting!
Leah had class again, so I did a little sightseeing on my own for a few hours. I visited a cathedral in town that housed “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.” (CHECK NAME) It’s apparently a very famous painting. I felt very out of place, haha. I went into this very dark, protected, secure room to ’view’ the painting through the casing. There were people just staring at the painting and admiring it with such intensity. The room was completely silent (we weren’t allowed to talk). I can now say that I have seen “The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb,” but I was more amazed at the architecture and detailing in the cathedral. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures. I wish I could have. It was unbelievable. The intricacy of all the details and statues was amazing. The altars, the seating, the crypt… all completely amazing… such history. After the cathedral, I went to the Belfry tower. It is the building where they kept all the important documents. There is a bell in the tower. I went to the top of it. You could feel the building swaying in the wind. It was a little uneasy, haha, but the view was gorgeous! After Leah’s classes, we went back to their place and she made us a great & tasty pizza! With carrots on it, haha! I’ve never had carrots on a pizza, but was impressed. J I got a lot of my packing done that night before bed so I could be ready to go in the morning for the next part of my break!
Here is where I’ll end this entry before I dive into my Madrid experience with Annie Castle. I loved Belgium. If I could choose three nouns to describe Belgium, they would be: 1)Beer 2)Bicycles 3)Chocolate. (Number 4 would have been waffles, but I wanted to put bicycles in there!) Everyone rides bicycles! Everyone rides them everywhere. I love to people watch and it was fun to watch. I didn’t try a beer I didn’t like, I don’t think. I even got to try this one beer that is super exclusive to get. It’s made by monks in a monastery and you have to go through some legit processes to be allowed to get any. Apparently, if you buy a SINGLE bottle of beer in the states, you’d spend upwards of $30. It was a dark beer, but quite tasty. Click here to go to the site where it tells you all about Westvleteren Three adjectives would be 1)cozy 2)historical 3)pretty. When I say ‘pretty,’ I mean the people more than the scenery, although the scenery was gorgeous! Everyone seemed to be dressed to a T all the time. The women were riding their bicycles through the rough streets (cobblestone) with skirts and heels on. I was very impressed, haha. J
Okay, enough for this entry. Belgium was very fun and I would love to go back and visit again. A big, public thanks goes out to Leah and Christophe for all of their hospitality and for being great tour guides (and chauffeurs). I had the best time!!
I have a ton more photos, but you'll have to check out Facebook for the whole lot of them. There are many & I'll be sure to put descriptions on them there. :) Hope this finds you all well!
Besos!
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