San Sebastian...beach vacay

Last week my friend from St. Andrew's, Hal Flowers, visited me here in Pamplona. Hal is a junior at Rhodes College in Memphis and has been studying in Sevilla in southern Spain this semester. I was really glad to see a familiar face and hang out with an old friend in another country. We checked out Pamplona and on Wednesday went to San Sebastian, the famous and magical beach city on the Bay of Biscay, about an hour from Pamplona. It is famous for being one of the best beaches in Europe, and I believe it. A lovely laid back Spanish city nestled between the beach and the mountains; you can't ask for much more. We strolled around the old part of the city, "Casco Viejo," and then walked along the sea to the base of one of two mountains to take a cable car up to the top. The view from the top was really spectacular. The picture included in this post is from the top of Monte Igueldo. I later found out there's a hotel at the top on this mountain with rooms with this view. Definitely good to know for when I return. Our hostel didn't come with quite as nice of a view, but it was really nice as far as hostels go and each room had a balcony, which later allowed us to shout at revelers celebrating the Barcelona victory over Manchester United. (That's futbol/soccer talk for those who don't follow sports). We did a pintxo (Basque word for tapas) crawl, since San Sebastian is also the gastronomy capitol of Basque country. We met some Australians and other Americans in one bar and ended up going out together that night. The next day we ate a MUCH needed Kebap (those who've lived abroad know what I'm talking about...some days are just Doner Kebap days) and headed back to Pamplona. From there Hal headed on the rest of his Spanish tour before his return to America. Friday night I went to the going away dinner my friends hosted for me at the Sidreria, or Cider house. Sidra, or sider, is a traditional Basque drink and, as the other patrons of the restaurant warned us, it is a sly and potent beverage. The pressurized cider shoots out of massive barrels and you have to more or less catch it with your glass. We all had a great time and dined on delicious traditional Basque fare such as tortilla de bacalao (a frittada/omelette dish filled with cod) and choriza a la cidra (chorizo-spanish sausage-slow cooked in cider). Later I met up with some of the Ole Miss students who are studying here and introduced them to a club here in Pamplona. As for this week, I am studying for my final exam and packing. Everything is packed except my bedding, toiletries, my laptop, and clothes for one week. I can't believe how quickly time has gone by, and I will be sad to leave this place that has been a benevolent home for the past 4 months. I wish I could stay longer; while at the same time, I am happy I am going home. I miss all of you and can't wait to see you...but promise me we can come back :) Thanks for reading my blog and keeping up with me. See you all soon!

More London

Entrance to Westminster Abbey

Me and Andrew at Big Ben

Tower Bridge on River Thames

Big Ben and the London Eye

Pics from London

High Tea


Dinner at Belgo


Peking Ducks in China Town


The London Eye

UK Bound, again

Sorry my London update has taken so long, I got back to Pamplona and things have been non-stop. First off, it was absolutely amazing, and definitely in the running for my favorite city I have visited. I flew to London on Wednesday night, and finally made it to the hotel at about 2am. There I met Jill, who was waiting up for me in our room. Lucky me got to ride on the coat tails of Jill's family's girls' vacation (seriously, Lucky Me). We stayed at the posh and modern St. Martin's Lane Hotel, which was a three minute walk to Trafalgar Square, the biggest square in the UK, and from there was a straight shot to Big Ben, Parliament, and the River Thames. The part of town we stayed in, Covent Garden, was perfect because it was filled with restuarants, neat shops, and pubs, plus it was close to so many main attractions, and the tube station (tube is the subway) was only a block away so we could easily get to any part of the city we wanted. Wednesday night Jill and I didn't do anything but order delicious quesadillas from room service and go to sleep. Thursday morning we awoke from our big fluffy white beds ready to see some the city. We went first to the London Eye, the world's tallest observation wheel (like a ferris wheel but you don't suspend or rock), to take a 30 minute ride 443 feet above London. My fear of heights subsided and we really enjoyed seeing all of London and realizing how much we had to see over the next couple of days. After disembarking, we walked down the riverside and crossed the Westminster Bridge to get an upclose view of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. I have to say, Big Ben was super impressive, as was expansive Parliament. The history and age of all the buildings and monuments in London add to their splendor. After snapping some pics of Westminster Abbey and its chapel St. Margaret's, we had some pub food for lunch and went walking around Piccadilly Circus (said to be London's Time Square, although I'd have to disagree since they lack sky scrapers and multiple street corners dominated by 100 story-tall tv screens) and China Town. Any Asian fare could be found there, and I really liked the Peking Ducks hanging in the windows. Jill and I were waiting to eat until our planned dinner at Belgo, a Belgian restuarant that specializes in Belgian beer and mussels (mussels from Brussels, as the saying goes), so we headed to the Tate Britain Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, trying to do as much as possible in one day with exhausting ourselves. We headed to the restuarant after freshening up at our hotel, which always had a party going in one of its bars. The restuarant Belgo had a banquet hall type seating arrangement, where you sat close to everyone, being loud and drinking beer. The waiters were dressed in centuries-old monks robes and came with serious entertainment. At one point one waiter punched another, then pushed another out of the way as they were fighting over who brought us our water (as I was choking from laughing to hard at something else). Of course Jill and I thought this was hilarious, so we really had a good time. The food was amazing as well, and we had a white chocolate tart with cookie crust for dessert with a tasting of various fruity Schnapps. That night we tried desperately to find a club as all the pubs closed at midnight (strange, for me, after being in Pamplona), so after being solicited by some club promoters we went to "Penthouse" for free, where we were definitely the minority and had on way too much clothing compared to other people there. We left there and got a good tip from a local guy who pointed us in the direction of a bar with a band. We went there and danced to the cover band until closing time. The next morning Jill and I went out and ate a traditional British breakfast of thick salted bacon, fried eggs, baked beans, sausage, and toast and jam. The cafe was right next to our restaurant and the price was cheap, so we were lucky. After breakfast we headed down to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. There were tons of people there and the rain held off, but we didn't sneak a peek at the Queen. Jill and I chased after the guards as they exited the gates to get a better photo op. After the Palace we met up with Jill's mom, grandmother, and aunt who had just arrived from Jackson for a Mother's Day trip and girls' vacation through England, France, and Switzerland. We walked to Trafalgar Square, also the home of the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, two very nice art museums we toured. After that we had High Tea at the National Gallery and dined on crumpets, cakes, tomato sandwiches, scones, and tea of course. That was a special treat. Later that evening Jill's mom, Jill, and I walked around the outdoor market area of Covent Garden where open air cafe-goers sipped wine while listening to whatever street musicians showed up that evening. We had a drink at a nice bar near there, called Dirty Martini, and went home because we had an early start planned for the Tower of London. The next day, Saturday, we welcomed another British breakfast, this time with lots of coffee as the hour was early, and then we headed to the Tower of London via a red double-decker bus. The Tower, actually a fortress compound comprised of many towers, was built in 1078 on the River Thames. It holds the Crown Jewels, most possessions of Henry VIII (the one with 6 wives), and was the site of Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Lady Jane Grey's executions. We spent several hours touring the fortress and ultimately drooled over the Crown Jewels. After that we crossed the Tower Bridge (Tower Bridge is actually the famous bridge, not the nondescript London Bridge) and walked down the riverside, stopping along the way to join a drum session and to see Sir Francis Drake's galleon, to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. From there we headed to the hotel to get ready for dinner and the theatre. We ate at Giovanni's, a nice Italian restuarant, before heading to Her Magesty's Theatre, The Phantom of the Opera's original home. Jill and I were seated on the third row from the stage, so we couldn't have had much of a better view of Phantom. After the show we drank a glass of wine at our hotel's bar (a hip and lively scene) and then crashed upstairs. Jill left Sunday, but I got to extend my trip as Andrew met up with me that morning. He took a short flight down from Edinburgh for Sunday and Monday. It was a last minute plan but one that I am so glad worked out as it did. Since Andrew visited London two years ago for his Spring Break and I had seen so much of the city with Jill earlier in the week, we had two days to chill out and check out some lesser known spots in the city. Andrew and I both love sushi, so we ate a fabulous lunch at "Me Heart Sushi" (I can't wait to be home and eat so much Japanese food!). We spent the afternoon back in the Covent Garden and Westminster areas and then went to an afternoon song service at the 700 year old Westminster Abbey (the site of so many events, notably Princess Di's funeral), which was really impressive and beautiful of the inside and had some killer organs. That evening we had a decadent three course meal in Covent Garden with the best roasted prime rib I've ever had (an English specialty). The next day, Monday, we spent the day touring Covent Garden again (it is so huge you really could spend one week in just this area and never see the same things twice), and had a delicious lunch followed by coffee and chocolate cupcakes and the sugary-sweetest little dessert shop "Candy Cakes." We then went to the other side of town, to Regent's Park, to rest off the big lunch and take in a great view of the city from the park's hill. Later that afternoon we went to Camden Market, a huge flea market area that goes on for miles and miles of food, clothes, antiques, and basically anything else your heart might desire. For our second and last night together we headed to Picadilly Circus to have a Mojito before pigging out in Chinatown. The Chinese food was yummy and we were content. My flight was at 7am and the train to the airport was an hour away, so that meant a really early Tuesday for me. I was back in Pamplona before 3pm and Andrew back in Edingburgh by 5pm. Overall, it was a great last European hoorah for me. I'll be home June 8!

Spring Break in Scotland

Wow, where do I even begin? Talk about an amazing Spring Break. I arrived in Edinburgh (Scotland's capital) late Tuesday night and Andrew picked me up from the airport. He is studying at the University of Edinburgh this semester. We were really happy to see each other of course. On Wednesday, Andrew, his mother who was finishing up her visit, and I went to the famous castle which sits atop a dormant volcano overlooking the city. As normal for Scotland weather, it was cold, windy, and damp, pretty much most of the trip, except the last two days there we enjoyed beautiful sunny days. The rest of the week we did some more of the touristy things of the city, like seeing landmarks, taking in the history and architecture of the city, and visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens. The trip was more about hanging out with Andrew, but we really managed to see a ton of the city, and I liked being able to see places I've heard Andrew speak about for the past 5 months. While walking through the city shopping one day we stopped at the Festival Theatre to look inside. We got lucky and got to see the last performance of "Le Grande Cirque," a circus much like Cirque du Soleil. It was a great way to spend the afternoon and we had a fun time. One afternoon we went to his campus's library so I could finish up a paper and send it to my professor. The campus is beautiful and the lounge of the library is on the top floor of the building, looking out onto a verdant park. We hung out for a bit in the park watching people play football (that's soccer here) and taking in the first rays of sunshine I'd seen since I arrived. My last day there, we visited Andrew's family friends (a woman from Laurel who married a Scot) that live on an Earl's estate on the North Sea. We had tea before taking a gorgeous walk along the beach and then having lunch at a small outdoor cafe in the little village of Tyninghame. It was a lovely way to end my trip, especially since the weather warmed up by the end of my visit. We ate some really good food throughout the week. First, we ate at a place called Oink which has a huge hog in the window, being devoured by customers who order pulled pork sandwiches. We also ate at Gourmet Burger Kitchen which had a fabulous burger, something I've really come to respect after living in a place where burgers aren't the norm. We also ate at a delicious Mexican restaurant and drank margaritas, which is another thing about America I miss. We had some pretty good Indian food, as the UK is famous for Indian food after Britain's rule of India in the early 1900s. For a quick meal we grabbed a delicious Turkish kebab dish. I've found that Turkish kebab places are all over the places I've visited in Europe, like this continent's version of fast food. It's different than a gyro in that the meat is sliced thinner and served in a flat bread not a pita, and is accompanied by several sauces. Lastly, we had fish and chips (fried haddock and french fries), another dish made popular in the UK. As for the nightlife in Edinburgh, there are a slew of bars all over the city. We went to two bars that Andrew and his friends (he happens to be in school with 5 other Ole Miss students our same age) often visit. They were fun, and one night I got to see Jill, who was in town also for her spring break while doing an Ireland-Scotland trip. Jill and I will be together again May 6, when we go to London together. The day I return, May 10, is the same day that all of the Ole Miss students who will be taking Spanish language summer school arrive here in Pamplona with one of my professors. I don't yet know who is coming or if I will know anyone, but I am excited to see people from Ole Miss, nonetheless. Overall, Scotland was a great adventure made better by being with Andrew. I'm looking forward to the trips I have planned for the rest of my time here, and to be finished with school. Only 1 1/2 more months of class!

Easter

Our Easter feast.


The Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake I made for the dinner party at my apartment.

Down time in Pamplona

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, school was super hectic after returning from Monte Carlo. I had two big presentations due last week and I am so glad that they are over with. They both counted as half of my grades for the classes...no pressure or anything. Last week we had no school on Thursday or Friday (although I never have class on Friday), and we have this entire week off for Spring Break. Pamplona pretty much emptied out last Thursday, with all of the students and families leaving for "Semana Santa" or Holy Week. Since Spain is so tied to its roots in Catholicism, everyone celebrates Semana Santa in some way, by either traveling or hosting a large meal or just closing down businesses starting on Maundy Thursday through the Monday after Easter. Only one roommate, Adam, has been here with me this week as all of the other roommates are out of the country. Wednesday night I cooked dinner here at my piso as a sort of send off dinner for everyone who was still in town. I cooked chicken fajitas and strawberry and chocolate shortcake for dessert. The rest of the nights I have stayed at home, trying to rest up and relax. Sunday morning I went to mass at 8:30 a.m. The service was not as I expected. There was no music or anything special about the service save for the flowers on the altar. I was a little confused, because it was not at all how I am accustomed to Easter church services. I have been to both Baptist and Episcopalian services and there's a big to do about the day. But, I suppose I could interpret this lack of pomp and circumstance as a reminder that every Sunday is special, not just Easter Sunday. After church the few Erasmus students left in Pamplona had a pot luck lunch together, where everyone brought something typical of their country. I brought mimosas and pasta salad. I don't know if that is exactly typical of America but that's standard in my house. The Polish students brought blessed eggs, meat, bread, and salt that had been consecrated by a priest on Saturday. That is standard for them and I think it's a really neat tradition. We had some really good food and some things I had never tried before. After brunch, I took a walk and then went home for a long siesta. Alas, there were no chocolate bunnies or Easter egg hunts. If they celebrated in that way, believe me, I would have participated. Today I am packing and getting ready for tomorrow...when I leave for Scotland to see Andrew! I am really excited, I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone that. So my next update will be after I get back, which is next Tuesday. I hope everyone had a great weekend and Easter, and I am blessed to have all of you.

The Fabulous Life in Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo was amazing! All of my travel plans went smoothly and I arrived late Thursday night at our fabulous hotel which was super nice and overlooked the Mediterranean. So I've got this picturesque setting, what else could I ask for? Two of my best friends of course! And that's what I got. I was so excited to see Jill and give her a big birthday hug, and also to see Cara who I had not seen since December 29th. Jill also brought two friends from her university in France, Elizabeth and Victoria, so we were all ready to have a good weekend of celebrating. Since I arrived so late, we immediately got dressed to go out and had some glasses of champagne in our hotel room. Around 3 am we tried to go to the club near our hotel, called Jimmyz. People were leaving and said that it was closing. We were so confused because it was a Thursday and not late at all for a club in Europe. We met some people who came back to our hotel with us, and we all stayed up the entire night just hanging out. We went to bed around 7am, only to be woken up at 9am by the room service breakfast we had ordered the night before. Between the two shared rooms we girls had, we had tons and tons of "American breakfast" of eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, and coffee. In addition, the waiter also brought a birthday cake and flowers for Jill. We were all so tired that we stayed in bed while the man cut the cake covered in rich milk chocolate and raspberries and then served it to us. Do I need to go on to explain how relaxed and carefree this trip was? Jill left to go have a morning in the spa while we girls got ready for a day at the pool. Once again, the opulence followed us downstairs. We sipped champagne poolside and just lounged all afternoon. We walked down the beach to a little cafe and had some really great pizza. After our late lunch we were getting a bit chilly as the sun was going down, so we went back up to our rooms for bubble baths and naps. We had reservations that night at Avenue 31, which was delicious and pretty swanky. Jill's mom and I had worked on getting a cake and champagne surprise at the restaurant, but when I left Thursday Mrs. Peets still hadn't heard back from the restaurant so I was unsure if it was going to work, but I knew Mrs. Peets would have something planned. Sure enough, after our great dinner the most decadent cake ever came out, complete with sparkling flare and a card written in chocolate, with a bottle of Rose champagne. Does it sound like all we did was eat cake and drink champagne? You'd be right. A side note: the cakes in Monaco/France/Europe are WAY better than in the US. The presentation is unbelievable; they're just so elegent and look more like art than food. The cake at this dinner was toffee and chocolate flavored and tasted just like a creamy Almond Roca, one of my favorite candies. After, we went to Jimmyz, the club which had been closed the night before. It was open and really cool on the inside, but still it was not packed like we were expecting. We're thinking: we're in the place known for partying and wealth and extravagance, so where is everyone? Well it turns out that "the season" (of partying, showing off wealth, and extravagance) doesn't open until around April 1st, or the first Saturday closest to it. Meaning Saturday night, our last night in Monaco, was the night where everything kicked off. Saturday was rainy but we walked around Monaco anyway and met two of Cara's friends who were also visiting that weekened. We napped in the afternoon and got ready to go to the Casino before dinner at Sass Cafe, which is known for entertaining all kinds of celebrities. It was, as the name suggests, sassy and hip and also came with really good food. Jill had another cake at the end of this dinner (we're not weird, Jill just likes her birthday a lot) and then we left the restaurant around 1am to head to Jimmyz, which was hosting the after party for the ball which started the season. While dressing for dinner we got to see all of the ridiculous cars lined up waiting for the passengers to enter the ball. The party feeling was definitely in the air. We arrived and it was packed full of people dressed to the nines, most of them in gowns and tuxes after coming from the ball. We danced and had a good time, but I had to call it a short night because I had an early flight. I didn't let that stop me from anything, though, because I left the club at 4:15 am, walked to our hotel to change and grab my suitcase, and took off to the train station. Needless to say I was exhausted, but the weekend was SO worth it. I don't know if anyone's birthday will ever top this weekend!

Las Fallas

Valencia turned out to be more beautiful and fun than I was expecting. It has a really Spanish vibe; by that I mean it's really laid back and everyone has a good time. Our bus ride ended up only being 6 and a half hours, not 8 like I'd originally thought, so we arrived at 5pm on Thursday with plenty of time to enjoy the festival. Our hotel, Hotel Neptuno, was right on the beach with a great view overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We were able to stay in such a nice hotel because hotels run price specials during Las Fallas while the hostels mark up their rates. Also, the beach is the furthest away from the city center, and thus the main event of Las Fallas, so is considered a little desirable location for the festival. However, a 1.80 euro metro ticket got us from our hotel to the city center in 20 minutes, so we thought it was a great deal. We checked in, I took a bath in a jacuzzi for the first time since I left America, and then we headed out on the town. Over the course of the night, over 700 Fallas were burned all over the city. It's basically a huge Mardi Gras float that stays stationary and is about 10 stories tall. They are so incredibly detailed and each has a different theme-usually political in nature. The one here is called "Bancojo," or in English "The bank watches all." The streets were so crowded with people and at first I was a little afraid because people were carelessly tossing fireworks around. Two year olds and grandpas alike threw M-80s into the sky, oblivious to other pedastrians. Fortunately I never got hit by anything but falling ash from the Falla. At midnight all the Fallas are burned simoutaneously, so we stayed in one main spot until 1 am, when the final Falla is burned. The first place winner (judged for creativity, etc) is burned in front of the Ayuntamiento, or city hall, with tens of thousands of onlookers. At any random time firework shows (and I mean big ones) were going off across the city. It's said that Las Fallas sounds like the end of the world because of all the explosions. After seeing the first Falla burn, we were really pumped up to see the best one burn. The heat is really intense and for a while you can't believe you are watching a completely engulfed structure burn upwards of 30 stories into the sky. So how this stays under control, you're probably wondering. Buildings are covered in a fire retardant liquid and then there are a couple of firemen (literally only 2 or 3 for the huge blaze) on hand at each Falla. Once the Falla's fire starts to die down, the firefighters put it out. I can't imagine any American city taking the risk of purposely setting over 700 huge fires at the same time in the very middle of a crowded city. Fortunately nothing went wrong and it was a huge adrenaline rush to partake in this centuries-old festival. On Friday we went to the beach for a while, then ate lunch at a famous paella restaurant on the beach. Paella is the famous Spanish dish of rice, many spices, and usually seafood. It takes about 30 minutes to prepare and they don't serve it unless two or more people order it. Valencia is the paella capital of Spain without a doubt; it was way better (and cheaper) here than the paella I ate in Barcelona. After lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening walking all over the city. My legs are sore today from the probably 20 miles we walked sightseeing a beautiful city. We got on the bus Friday night at 11 and got in Saturday morning at 5am. Now, I am about to go to a birthday party for one of my friends from California. On Thursday I fly to Nice, France, and then take a train to Monte Carlo to celebrate Jill's birthday in Monaco! Good times in Spain :)

A little holiday

This week should be a really nice one. On Monday I have one class, and on Tuesday no classes. On Wednesday I have a full day of class from 1-5 and 7-9, but on Thursday we have the day off for Father's Day (the date is different in Spain). So, Dad, Happy Father's Day, and thanks for getting me out of a day of school! Hardly anyone has classes on Friday, including me. So Thursday morning I am going to Valencia, Spain, a city 8 hours from Pamplona. It is in the southern part of Spain and this week they are celebrating Las Fallas, a festival similar to Mardi Gras but bigger and after the parades they burn all of the floats in one gigantic fireworks show. Las Fallas is the Catalan word for fire. Catalan is the language spoken in Valencia and that region, which is kind of a combination of French and Spanish. It's odd that in the same country several different languages are spoken-not dialects, but actual different languages. Fortunately most people speak the language of their region and Spanish. I will be going to Valencia with a lot of exchange students students from my university and some of my new friends from the private university in Pamplona. There are a lot more Americans at the private university, and lately I've been hanging out with some of the people from University of Southern California. We will stay Thursday night and all day Friday and take the 10pm bus back to Pamplona, and get back sometime around 530 am Saturday morning. We are staying right on the beach. I'm really excited, and I'll be sure to let y'all know how it is. Apparently last year they burned a big float of George Bush...I'd be down to see that :) Also, Valencia is famous for its beach and amazing architecture. I'll be posting pics soon! Love you.
A little about Valencia and Las Fallas:
http://www.valencia-cityguide.com/tourist-information/leisure/festivals/the-fallas.html