Greetings from Voisins le Bretonneux.
Christmas vacation began last Wednesday and I have been travelling nearly every day since.
On Thursday I took a train to Augsburg, Germany, a small town located not far from München.
Before I start to complain, I will say that I had the option to go to Munich, but I figured Augsburg would be an acceptable savings of 3o Euros. What follows is my observation and opinion of Augsburg, not my overall opinion of Germany, since it was probably my fault for not going to Munich. That said, here goes:
Cons: My train to get to Augsburg was late. My hostel didn't have the required equipment for me to use my Mastercard instead of cash. I had to make my own bed (keep in mind I paid 39 Euros per night). Breakfast was served until 8:30, and check-out was at 9:00. No German bank, except one, the Hypovereinsbank, accepts french or international credit cards for cash withdrawal. The Augsburg tram moves slower than my walking speed. There are no public washrooms with 1 km of the train station, since they wouldn't want to take away a revenue of 80c per person for the train station's washroom. "Free Wi-Fi" at McDonald's means "you have to pay for Wi-Fi, and there are no outlets." A meal at an Augsburg McD's costs 10c more than in Reims, which in turn costs nearly double its Canadian equivalent. The second day it was -10C (which in and of itself is not bad, but I was not prepared to be a tourist in that weather). The Christmas market (or Christkindlmarkt) takes less than 2 hours to see in its entirety.
Pros: The shower was actually a proper shower, in the full sense of the word. Also, I had schnitzel and a litre of beer for less than 13 Euros.
After Augsburg, I moved on to Strasbourg, on the French side of the Franco-German border. My only complaints there are the hostel being even less advanced than the one in Augsburg, and the -15C of my second day there.
Other than that, Strasbourg is a lovely town. The architecture is unique and very impressive. I took a boat tour along the river and saw the whole town. Also, the Cathedral is one of the most ornate I've ever seen. The organ, though musically unimpressive, was very nicely decorated. The Marché de Noël went on forever, throughout most of the town. A vast improvement on the under-developed, socially backwards village of Augsburg (sorry Laszlo). I'll put it in a different way: if Munich is Montreal, Strasbourg is Quebec City, and Augsburg is Matane. Strangely, all the German students I met complained about how Reims is so inefficient and France is a developing country. Sorry Jerry, France wins this one.
Anyway, enough knocking the krauts, I'll move on to something more interesting.
I am now in Voisins-le-Bretonneux, with friends (pretty much family), slightly warmer weather, and of course, lots of free time and hi-speed internet to work with (downloading The Downfall at 340 kbps? yes, please). I went to Carrefour today, in the St-Quentin-en-Yvelines mall, a place which brings back many good memories. Remind me again why we didn't stay here longer, mom / dad?
To conclude, I'll be putting photos up on Facebook as I take them.
I sincerely wish everyone reading this a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I have the strangest feeling it won't be the same without you, especially Nonna, Nonno, Grandmaman, Grandpapa, Mom, Dad, Frankie, Mon Oncle, and all my cousins. I miss you guys.
Though I do have my Christmas Elf hanging from Édouard's door handle. So that's good :)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Of Exams, Vacations, Parties and Departures
Good Afternoon to all!
I have just written my last exam for the year (anyone who wrote their names neatly enough passed), and am happy to report that I am now on an 18-day vacation. As I mentioned earlier, I leave tomorrow for Germany. On Tuesday, I will arrive in Voisins le Bretonneux. This is going to be awesome!
To celebrate the end of exams, there have been parties, dinners and generally good times to be had. On Saturday night, a Canadian supper (hosted by the Canadian students who aren't me), which saw over 35 curious exchange (and some French) students try out some Canadian snacks, and some amazing pancakes, too! After the dinner, many of us went to LBee for a drink or three, and I personally made it home around 3:15. Here are some pictures (*to be updated*):
Sunday, I woke up at 10, to prepare for the Italian lunch. This was hosted by the Italian students who aren't me. Roberta, Chiara, Serena, and co. prepared a veritable feast, featuring over 3 kinds of pasta, a risotto, some salads, bruschetta, an array of wines, and a creamy Mascarpone dessert (with Amaretto to drink :D - that was my contribution). It was like there was a party in my mouth, and everyone was invited! Seriously though, hard to beat Italian cuisine. Correction: you CAN'T beat Italian cuisine. Unfortunately, I managed to not take out my camera at this event, though I'm sure someone will post pictures somewhere at some point, and I can steal them and put them here.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. By the time I leave tomorrow, I will have said goodbye to many close friends. Tamàs, Gabòr, Emma, Laszlò, Guru, Nitin, these pics are for you; to everyone else, I hope you all have a safe trip home! (*to be updated*)
I have just written my last exam for the year (anyone who wrote their names neatly enough passed), and am happy to report that I am now on an 18-day vacation. As I mentioned earlier, I leave tomorrow for Germany. On Tuesday, I will arrive in Voisins le Bretonneux. This is going to be awesome!
To celebrate the end of exams, there have been parties, dinners and generally good times to be had. On Saturday night, a Canadian supper (hosted by the Canadian students who aren't me), which saw over 35 curious exchange (and some French) students try out some Canadian snacks, and some amazing pancakes, too! After the dinner, many of us went to LBee for a drink or three, and I personally made it home around 3:15. Here are some pictures (*to be updated*):
Sunday, I woke up at 10, to prepare for the Italian lunch. This was hosted by the Italian students who aren't me. Roberta, Chiara, Serena, and co. prepared a veritable feast, featuring over 3 kinds of pasta, a risotto, some salads, bruschetta, an array of wines, and a creamy Mascarpone dessert (with Amaretto to drink :D - that was my contribution). It was like there was a party in my mouth, and everyone was invited! Seriously though, hard to beat Italian cuisine. Correction: you CAN'T beat Italian cuisine. Unfortunately, I managed to not take out my camera at this event, though I'm sure someone will post pictures somewhere at some point, and I can steal them and put them here.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. By the time I leave tomorrow, I will have said goodbye to many close friends. Tamàs, Gabòr, Emma, Laszlò, Guru, Nitin, these pics are for you; to everyone else, I hope you all have a safe trip home! (*to be updated*)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
A Nightmare Ends, and the Fun Begins
Wunderbar!
On what has been a rather productive Thursday, I have finally acquired my "carte de séjour". It only took 3 months! I can now travel freely (which will help with Germany - my Schengen Transit Visa expired today :S ) and claim my welfare checks from the French government!
Now for the fun: Christmas vacation begins Wednesday the 16th of December. The next day, I leave for Germany, where I will spend two days admiring the market in Augsburg. I then head to Strasbourg, for much the same reason. I come home on the 21st, unpack, do my laundry, repack, sleep, then head to Voisins le Bretonneux! I will spend 6 days with the Fournier, before meeting up with Anastassia :D and spending 5 days with her in Paris, then a weekend in Reims.
All in all, not a bad way to spend Christmas vacation.
I hope you all have a good weekend, and hopefully are enjoying the final countdown to 2010!
On what has been a rather productive Thursday, I have finally acquired my "carte de séjour". It only took 3 months! I can now travel freely (which will help with Germany - my Schengen Transit Visa expired today :S ) and claim my welfare checks from the French government!
Now for the fun: Christmas vacation begins Wednesday the 16th of December. The next day, I leave for Germany, where I will spend two days admiring the market in Augsburg. I then head to Strasbourg, for much the same reason. I come home on the 21st, unpack, do my laundry, repack, sleep, then head to Voisins le Bretonneux! I will spend 6 days with the Fournier, before meeting up with Anastassia :D and spending 5 days with her in Paris, then a weekend in Reims.
All in all, not a bad way to spend Christmas vacation.
I hope you all have a good weekend, and hopefully are enjoying the final countdown to 2010!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Un rémois à Rouen a.k.a. Fraternizing with the Enemy, pt. 2
Ok so I spent 7 hours working on a presentation today, and yesterday I had an exam. I figure I should take this quick break I have to tell you about my weekend.
As you may or may not have understood from the title of this entry, I went to Rouen, in the Western part of France (Normandy, to be exact). I'll start this story on Thursday the 3rd, because something actually happened that day, too.
Thursday, as usual, was a day off. I had class Friday, so the only logical thing to do Thursday night was to go drinking. However, the BDI organized an evening of skating! Which I have to say was pretty awesome. I walked to the arena from my apartment, then skated for a little over an hour and a half (this becomes important later). I was given a ride home by the leader of the BDI, and I finally got to sleep around 12:30.
Friday, class at 9, with the person I am convinced is the best prof in this entire University, Professore Philippo Pennaforte. :D Class was interesting and ended with enough time for me to run home, pack, eat a snack, and get to the bus to take me to the train station.
Except the bus never came. Neither did the one after. Or the third. Get the picture? Panicking, I started running to the train station, following the bus route, just in case. I called the taxi company, who had a 1/2 hour wait. I was 25 minutes from my train leaving.
I continued walking, carrying my 15kg of luggage, the pain from the previous day's skate slowing me down. It is now 10 minutes before the train. A bus goes by, miraculously one of the few that actually goes all the way to the train station. I got on and asked the guy what the hell was going on. He explained that the buses were 1/2 hour behind. I explained my situation, and as there was only 1 other person on the bus, he thought it best to skip every stop and take a shortcut.
2 minutes to departure, I arrive at the train station. 1 minute later, I'm on the train. Most stressful situation ever.
The train ride was pleasant enough, and I arrived in Rouen around 22h00, where I met up with Ashley. We had dinner (much better than my aforementioned snack), then went to Mont St. Aignan, which is more or less the Smiths Falls to Rouen's Ottawa.
Saturday was a full day. First, we met up with Kayla, a Californian also on exchange in Rouen, and then made our way downtown. We saw the Christmas market, the old market, the Cathedral, and a band playing Christmas music. After walking along the Seine, Kayla left to pursue more important things, and Ashley & I continued to City Hall, where there was a skating rink, and bandshell, and some pavilions selling things for charity. We decided to go to lunch.
You may recall her visit to Reims, in which we went to a wonderful restaurant called Le Continental. Well, Ashley had not tried Foie Gras yet on her trip, so we found a similar bistro just off the main pedestrian area. The lunch was absolutely delicious (I personally had foie gras 'et sa confiture', lamb 'dans sa sauce', potatoes 'sur mon assiette', and a Chocolate dessert 'avec une cuillère'). After this, Ashley showed me a large American-style shopping centre, then we went back to the bandshell for a fun concert.
The concert ended around 19h00 so we went back to the residence to rest up before the Finnish Independance Party. Note: The Finnish Independance Party had little to do with Finland or Independance, and everything to do with drinking large amounts of Vodka and Salmiakki, and eating black licorice. After everyone had their fill of these key elements, and after I had met some of the other exchange students and tried to explain I was from another part of France, we headed out. Though apparently, people all had their own idea of where they were going, and the group was spread quite thin throughout the city. Ashley, two friends and I ended up at a club called "Le Palace".
Not "Le Palais", but "Le Palace". Le Big Mac. Nevermind.
Anyway, it was quite a nice place, good atmosphere, lots of room to dance or drink or do whatever it is that guy and his girlfriend were doing near the stage...Europeans, I tell you...anyway it was a good night, and I'm glad I had the chance to see what a club is supposed to be like, since Reims is severely lacking in this category.
Sunday morning, after around 5 hours of sleep, I got up and was treated to toutens (sp?) with rhubarb jam. Note to self: learn to make these.
After breakfast, Ashley took me on a tour of Mont St. Aignan, including the many residences, and the town centre. I think Voisins-le-Bretonneux is a metropolis by comparison.
I then had to catch my train home. All in all, a very good weekend.
As with Spain, pictures will be posted on Facebook sooner or later.
I've got a presentation tomorrow, then it's smooth sailing til Christmas vacation!
Germany for 2 days, Strasbourg for 2 days, Voisins for 6 days, Paris for 5 days, then back to Reims. Can't wait!
Hope you all have fun preparing for snow, Christmas, and 2010!
As you may or may not have understood from the title of this entry, I went to Rouen, in the Western part of France (Normandy, to be exact). I'll start this story on Thursday the 3rd, because something actually happened that day, too.
Thursday, as usual, was a day off. I had class Friday, so the only logical thing to do Thursday night was to go drinking. However, the BDI organized an evening of skating! Which I have to say was pretty awesome. I walked to the arena from my apartment, then skated for a little over an hour and a half (this becomes important later). I was given a ride home by the leader of the BDI, and I finally got to sleep around 12:30.
Friday, class at 9, with the person I am convinced is the best prof in this entire University, Professore Philippo Pennaforte. :D Class was interesting and ended with enough time for me to run home, pack, eat a snack, and get to the bus to take me to the train station.
Except the bus never came. Neither did the one after. Or the third. Get the picture? Panicking, I started running to the train station, following the bus route, just in case. I called the taxi company, who had a 1/2 hour wait. I was 25 minutes from my train leaving.
I continued walking, carrying my 15kg of luggage, the pain from the previous day's skate slowing me down. It is now 10 minutes before the train. A bus goes by, miraculously one of the few that actually goes all the way to the train station. I got on and asked the guy what the hell was going on. He explained that the buses were 1/2 hour behind. I explained my situation, and as there was only 1 other person on the bus, he thought it best to skip every stop and take a shortcut.
2 minutes to departure, I arrive at the train station. 1 minute later, I'm on the train. Most stressful situation ever.
The train ride was pleasant enough, and I arrived in Rouen around 22h00, where I met up with Ashley. We had dinner (much better than my aforementioned snack), then went to Mont St. Aignan, which is more or less the Smiths Falls to Rouen's Ottawa.
Saturday was a full day. First, we met up with Kayla, a Californian also on exchange in Rouen, and then made our way downtown. We saw the Christmas market, the old market, the Cathedral, and a band playing Christmas music. After walking along the Seine, Kayla left to pursue more important things, and Ashley & I continued to City Hall, where there was a skating rink, and bandshell, and some pavilions selling things for charity. We decided to go to lunch.
You may recall her visit to Reims, in which we went to a wonderful restaurant called Le Continental. Well, Ashley had not tried Foie Gras yet on her trip, so we found a similar bistro just off the main pedestrian area. The lunch was absolutely delicious (I personally had foie gras 'et sa confiture', lamb 'dans sa sauce', potatoes 'sur mon assiette', and a Chocolate dessert 'avec une cuillère'). After this, Ashley showed me a large American-style shopping centre, then we went back to the bandshell for a fun concert.
The concert ended around 19h00 so we went back to the residence to rest up before the Finnish Independance Party. Note: The Finnish Independance Party had little to do with Finland or Independance, and everything to do with drinking large amounts of Vodka and Salmiakki, and eating black licorice. After everyone had their fill of these key elements, and after I had met some of the other exchange students and tried to explain I was from another part of France, we headed out. Though apparently, people all had their own idea of where they were going, and the group was spread quite thin throughout the city. Ashley, two friends and I ended up at a club called "Le Palace".
Not "Le Palais", but "Le Palace". Le Big Mac. Nevermind.
Anyway, it was quite a nice place, good atmosphere, lots of room to dance or drink or do whatever it is that guy and his girlfriend were doing near the stage...Europeans, I tell you...anyway it was a good night, and I'm glad I had the chance to see what a club is supposed to be like, since Reims is severely lacking in this category.
Sunday morning, after around 5 hours of sleep, I got up and was treated to toutens (sp?) with rhubarb jam. Note to self: learn to make these.
After breakfast, Ashley took me on a tour of Mont St. Aignan, including the many residences, and the town centre. I think Voisins-le-Bretonneux is a metropolis by comparison.
I then had to catch my train home. All in all, a very good weekend.
As with Spain, pictures will be posted on Facebook sooner or later.
I've got a presentation tomorrow, then it's smooth sailing til Christmas vacation!
Germany for 2 days, Strasbourg for 2 days, Voisins for 6 days, Paris for 5 days, then back to Reims. Can't wait!
Hope you all have fun preparing for snow, Christmas, and 2010!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Una semana in Espana - pt. 2
Oh, was I ever wrong.
I arrived in Granada around 22h00, and took a bus from the airport to the city centre.
There, I met up with my tour guide for the weekend, my good friend Rébecca, who I know from my last trip to France in '98. We walked back to her apartment so I could drop off my things, then we met up with some of her friends at a bar for some drinks (and I naturally had dinner).
Friday was tourist day. Rébecca showed me around the town, and we saw the Cathedral, the market, and walked far enough to find a beautiful view onto the Sierra and the Alhambra. We visited an old arab bath, the gardens of the local Archives, and stopped at a cafe for some cheesecake. And some coffee. Damn good coffee, and hot too! Diane, take a note of this place for next time.
Saturday, we woke up early (around 9) to meet up with Rébecca's friends for a hike through the Sierra Nevada. We took the bus to a small town then walked from there (after a quick stop for breakfast). This, my dear readers, is an unforgettable experience. The view from the mountain trails is breathtaking. Seeing the town, the river, the (almost)forests, and all in 20 degrees C and sunny! A good start to the day, to be sure. This was followed by the bus ride back into time, where Rébecca and I split off from the group to check out The Alhambra. The Alhambra is basically a giant walled city with a big Castle, church, museum, and pretty much everything included, not unlike the Athenian Acropolis or the Quebec City Citadelle. Except The Alhambra is cooler than both of those. The gardens put Versailles to shame, and the architecture is reminiscent of the Ottoman rule mixed with Western European influence. It was simply brilliant. In order to not let me get bored (somehow I find this impossible but apparently it could happen), Rébecca organized a movie night complete with candy, drinks, and Saw. [A quick aside: for those of you who have not seen the original Saw, it's not nearly as violent as every sequel it's generated. It was intended as a thriller, and inadvertently becomes somewhat of a comedy. It is scary, sure, but that's what horror is meant to be. It is not the Slasher Porn that we see in basically every other similarly advertised movie these days. Oh, and the ending kicks ass!] The movie night was a success, and I got to bed around 3 am. My flight was at 7h55, meaning I had to take the 6:25 bus, meaning I had to get up around 5:45. Yes, the adrenaline was flowing those few hours later...
When I woke up (if I even slept, that is), I got changed and left. Rébecca was kind enough to accompany me in the dark, cold morning to find the bus stop. I then left the most beautiful city I've seen in recent years and got back to Madrid, then transferred to Paris. Where it was raining.
And where I had to wait about 6 hours for a train. And I had to walk home from the train station. And there was vomit in the elevator at the residence. Home Sweet Home.
I arrived in Granada around 22h00, and took a bus from the airport to the city centre.
There, I met up with my tour guide for the weekend, my good friend Rébecca, who I know from my last trip to France in '98. We walked back to her apartment so I could drop off my things, then we met up with some of her friends at a bar for some drinks (and I naturally had dinner).
Friday was tourist day. Rébecca showed me around the town, and we saw the Cathedral, the market, and walked far enough to find a beautiful view onto the Sierra and the Alhambra. We visited an old arab bath, the gardens of the local Archives, and stopped at a cafe for some cheesecake. And some coffee. Damn good coffee, and hot too! Diane, take a note of this place for next time.
Saturday, we woke up early (around 9) to meet up with Rébecca's friends for a hike through the Sierra Nevada. We took the bus to a small town then walked from there (after a quick stop for breakfast). This, my dear readers, is an unforgettable experience. The view from the mountain trails is breathtaking. Seeing the town, the river, the (almost)forests, and all in 20 degrees C and sunny! A good start to the day, to be sure. This was followed by the bus ride back into time, where Rébecca and I split off from the group to check out The Alhambra. The Alhambra is basically a giant walled city with a big Castle, church, museum, and pretty much everything included, not unlike the Athenian Acropolis or the Quebec City Citadelle. Except The Alhambra is cooler than both of those. The gardens put Versailles to shame, and the architecture is reminiscent of the Ottoman rule mixed with Western European influence. It was simply brilliant. In order to not let me get bored (somehow I find this impossible but apparently it could happen), Rébecca organized a movie night complete with candy, drinks, and Saw. [A quick aside: for those of you who have not seen the original Saw, it's not nearly as violent as every sequel it's generated. It was intended as a thriller, and inadvertently becomes somewhat of a comedy. It is scary, sure, but that's what horror is meant to be. It is not the Slasher Porn that we see in basically every other similarly advertised movie these days. Oh, and the ending kicks ass!] The movie night was a success, and I got to bed around 3 am. My flight was at 7h55, meaning I had to take the 6:25 bus, meaning I had to get up around 5:45. Yes, the adrenaline was flowing those few hours later...
When I woke up (if I even slept, that is), I got changed and left. Rébecca was kind enough to accompany me in the dark, cold morning to find the bus stop. I then left the most beautiful city I've seen in recent years and got back to Madrid, then transferred to Paris. Where it was raining.
And where I had to wait about 6 hours for a train. And I had to walk home from the train station. And there was vomit in the elevator at the residence. Home Sweet Home.
Una semana en España
It has once again been far too long since my last post, so I'll make up for it this week with 2 posts in 2 days. Here you will read about my trip to Spain during the week of November 23rd. I will dedicate the first post to Madrid, the Royal city; and the second part to Granada, possibly the most beautiful place I've been since Greece in '99.
Spain is a country of many wonders: Flamenco dancing, bull fighting, beautiful landscapes, beautiful people, and chocolate con churros. That last one is possibly the most impressive of all.
The city of Madrid is located in central Spain. As a tourist destination, it is quite fulfilling, and most of the time fairly exciting. I did, however, find that as a lone traveler (and with little knowledge of Spanish), siesta time was boring and even frustrating. That said, I did do a whole lot while I was there, so here is some of what I experienced:
Monday Nov. 23rd: I arrived in Madrid around 13h30, left the airport and got my Metro pass (the 5-day pass costs 4 Euros less than one taxi ride to my hotel). I went to Puerta del Sol, then Plaza Mayor, where my hotel was located. Incredible location, indeed. I was in the middle of basically everything, so for this I was quite happy. It took me about 1/2 hour to find my hotel from the metro stop, and when I did I put my things down and went exploring. I found a tourist centre which provided me with a pass to see basically everything in Madrid, and all the necessary maps. I spent most of the day walking and planning.
Tuesday the 24th: After waking up around 10, I decided I would do 2 main things during the day, and find a "traditional" Spanish restaurant for dinner. So I set out, first visiting the Temple of Debod. This is located in the Western part of the city, in a beautiful park (Parque del Oeste). The Temple itself was a gift from Egypt back in the day, and is maintained exactly like an Egyptian Temple should be. It was hard to find (as no real address is indicated and the park itself is quite large) but the visit was well worth the walk. After this, I bought my lunch (a 1/4 kg of dates from a local vendor - keep in mind that dates in Spain are about the size of our apricots) and left for the Vicente Calderòn Stadium (that's Atletico Madrid's home). This stadium was reasonably impressive, though I was only able to visit the museum part that day. After this I returned to the hotel, and got changed for dinner. The restaurant, called El Moulinòn, is located across from a large train station. Dinner wasn't being served when I arrived, so I had some mussels and water at the bar. These were very good. The bar was also showing the game (Man. U. vs. Everton, then later Barç'a vs. Internazionale Milan), so I had something to do. Unfortunately, when dinner was finally served, I was deeply disappointed (except for dessert, which was in fact quite delicious), but the worst part was the 37E charge, which seemed to appear out of nowhere, and in fact made up 3 days' worth of my food budget. So I went home, quite irritated, and watched Hot Fuzz before finally going to sleep.
Wednesday the 25th: By far the best day in Madrid. While it began raining in the morning, it was not something I wasn't used to (considering the weather in Reims) and so I set out to see Las Ventas, the largest bull fighting arena in the world. It was pretty cool, and the guide explained all the gruesome details of the bull fighting tradition. After this, I left and made my way to the Santiago Bernabéu (Real Madrid's stadium). Here, they basically say "here's your ticket, have fun" and let you roam around the entire stadium almost unsupervised. Suffice it to say, about 50% of all my pictures in Spain were taken here (around 70), and it basically made my 4 days in Madrid. 3 1/2 hours after arriving, I thought it best to leave and see something else. The sun came back out so the only logical thing to do was to go to the Museum of the Palacio Réal. This is basically the Chateau de Versailles of Madrid, except even better! It was designed by an Italian, so obviously it was going to be stunning, but this went beyond my expectations. I walked the grounds for about 1 1/2 hours, and headed home for the dinner. Again, no one was serving dinner and I again became frustrated. So I walked in circles for 2 hours. At 21h30, I found a restaurant and went in after a recommendation from some guy standing out in front selling his business. Best food-related decision I made the whole trip. I ate Paëlla Mixta (rice with vegetables, chicken and seafood), fried Calamares (that's Calamari to you, Mom :P ) , and then a dessert similar to Crème Caramel. The real amazing thing about this restaurant (Casa del Pulpo, by the way) was the service. Every time I was served, the waiter bowed. He let me eat, without bugging me, and asked how the meal was after each course. We had a conversation, in Spanish, about various things. I had no idea I was capable of this. Must have been the squid. The best part was at dessert. He told me the dessert that was part of the menu I ordered was the Crème Caramel (aka. "Flan" in Spain), so I said I'd take that, with a glass of milk. The poor guy was astonished that anyone would actually drink milk. I tried to explain that I wanted it cold, in a glass. He understood but was still not sure why I would ask for this. After explaining my order to the lady at the coffee/bar area downstairs (the only place milk exists, apparently), and laughing quite loudly, he brought me a giant glass of the most amazing milk I have ever had. This guy got the biggest tip I've ever given for a meal under 30$. My meal was actually only 13E. The guy's tip was 4E. Well worth it. He then shook my hand, bowed a few more times, gave me his card (turns out he's the manager), bowed again, and put my coat on for me. People, this is service. It was a wonderful end to an amazing day, and the perfect segue to Thursday.
Thursday the 26th: This was the day I left for Granada. However, with a late flight, I felt there was still a lot to do. So I visited the Museo del Prado, the biggest art collection in Spain, and second only to the Louvre for all of Europe. Again, this was quite impressive. I returned to Plaza Mayor to do some last-minute souvenir shopping, then picked up my bags from the hotel and left for the airport. I had a fair wait for my flight, so I took the opportunity to watch Hitman. Good movie. When it was finally time to go, I packed up and got on the plane to Granada. After a Wednesday of unparalleled wonder and awe, I thought I wouldn't see anything like it again.
I was wrong.
End of Part 1. The pictures are up on Facebook, as Blogger seems to no longer like pictures. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Spain is a country of many wonders: Flamenco dancing, bull fighting, beautiful landscapes, beautiful people, and chocolate con churros. That last one is possibly the most impressive of all.
The city of Madrid is located in central Spain. As a tourist destination, it is quite fulfilling, and most of the time fairly exciting. I did, however, find that as a lone traveler (and with little knowledge of Spanish), siesta time was boring and even frustrating. That said, I did do a whole lot while I was there, so here is some of what I experienced:
Monday Nov. 23rd: I arrived in Madrid around 13h30, left the airport and got my Metro pass (the 5-day pass costs 4 Euros less than one taxi ride to my hotel). I went to Puerta del Sol, then Plaza Mayor, where my hotel was located. Incredible location, indeed. I was in the middle of basically everything, so for this I was quite happy. It took me about 1/2 hour to find my hotel from the metro stop, and when I did I put my things down and went exploring. I found a tourist centre which provided me with a pass to see basically everything in Madrid, and all the necessary maps. I spent most of the day walking and planning.
Tuesday the 24th: After waking up around 10, I decided I would do 2 main things during the day, and find a "traditional" Spanish restaurant for dinner. So I set out, first visiting the Temple of Debod. This is located in the Western part of the city, in a beautiful park (Parque del Oeste). The Temple itself was a gift from Egypt back in the day, and is maintained exactly like an Egyptian Temple should be. It was hard to find (as no real address is indicated and the park itself is quite large) but the visit was well worth the walk. After this, I bought my lunch (a 1/4 kg of dates from a local vendor - keep in mind that dates in Spain are about the size of our apricots) and left for the Vicente Calderòn Stadium (that's Atletico Madrid's home). This stadium was reasonably impressive, though I was only able to visit the museum part that day. After this I returned to the hotel, and got changed for dinner. The restaurant, called El Moulinòn, is located across from a large train station. Dinner wasn't being served when I arrived, so I had some mussels and water at the bar. These were very good. The bar was also showing the game (Man. U. vs. Everton, then later Barç'a vs. Internazionale Milan), so I had something to do. Unfortunately, when dinner was finally served, I was deeply disappointed (except for dessert, which was in fact quite delicious), but the worst part was the 37E charge, which seemed to appear out of nowhere, and in fact made up 3 days' worth of my food budget. So I went home, quite irritated, and watched Hot Fuzz before finally going to sleep.
Wednesday the 25th: By far the best day in Madrid. While it began raining in the morning, it was not something I wasn't used to (considering the weather in Reims) and so I set out to see Las Ventas, the largest bull fighting arena in the world. It was pretty cool, and the guide explained all the gruesome details of the bull fighting tradition. After this, I left and made my way to the Santiago Bernabéu (Real Madrid's stadium). Here, they basically say "here's your ticket, have fun" and let you roam around the entire stadium almost unsupervised. Suffice it to say, about 50% of all my pictures in Spain were taken here (around 70), and it basically made my 4 days in Madrid. 3 1/2 hours after arriving, I thought it best to leave and see something else. The sun came back out so the only logical thing to do was to go to the Museum of the Palacio Réal. This is basically the Chateau de Versailles of Madrid, except even better! It was designed by an Italian, so obviously it was going to be stunning, but this went beyond my expectations. I walked the grounds for about 1 1/2 hours, and headed home for the dinner. Again, no one was serving dinner and I again became frustrated. So I walked in circles for 2 hours. At 21h30, I found a restaurant and went in after a recommendation from some guy standing out in front selling his business. Best food-related decision I made the whole trip. I ate Paëlla Mixta (rice with vegetables, chicken and seafood), fried Calamares (that's Calamari to you, Mom :P ) , and then a dessert similar to Crème Caramel. The real amazing thing about this restaurant (Casa del Pulpo, by the way) was the service. Every time I was served, the waiter bowed. He let me eat, without bugging me, and asked how the meal was after each course. We had a conversation, in Spanish, about various things. I had no idea I was capable of this. Must have been the squid. The best part was at dessert. He told me the dessert that was part of the menu I ordered was the Crème Caramel (aka. "Flan" in Spain), so I said I'd take that, with a glass of milk. The poor guy was astonished that anyone would actually drink milk. I tried to explain that I wanted it cold, in a glass. He understood but was still not sure why I would ask for this. After explaining my order to the lady at the coffee/bar area downstairs (the only place milk exists, apparently), and laughing quite loudly, he brought me a giant glass of the most amazing milk I have ever had. This guy got the biggest tip I've ever given for a meal under 30$. My meal was actually only 13E. The guy's tip was 4E. Well worth it. He then shook my hand, bowed a few more times, gave me his card (turns out he's the manager), bowed again, and put my coat on for me. People, this is service. It was a wonderful end to an amazing day, and the perfect segue to Thursday.
Thursday the 26th: This was the day I left for Granada. However, with a late flight, I felt there was still a lot to do. So I visited the Museo del Prado, the biggest art collection in Spain, and second only to the Louvre for all of Europe. Again, this was quite impressive. I returned to Plaza Mayor to do some last-minute souvenir shopping, then picked up my bags from the hotel and left for the airport. I had a fair wait for my flight, so I took the opportunity to watch Hitman. Good movie. When it was finally time to go, I packed up and got on the plane to Granada. After a Wednesday of unparalleled wonder and awe, I thought I wouldn't see anything like it again.
I was wrong.
End of Part 1. The pictures are up on Facebook, as Blogger seems to no longer like pictures. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)