Monday, June 25, 2012

Sitges

Last Sunday (our last day in Barcelona) we took the train about 30 minutes south to the little beach town of Sitges. It was so much quieter and the beach was so much prettier than the crazy party beach in Barcelona. We spent the afternoon just laying in the sun and recovering from our whirlwind trip. With temperatures in the 100s this week in Madrid (and 88 at 2am...) and no water in sight, I'd give almost anything to be back on the beach.













Happy Monday!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

school's (almost) out for summer


just a photo of my favorite park

I know I've been pretty MIA this week, but my classes are all ending next week so I'm been super swamped with end of the term evals and grading exams and whatnot so I apologize for not being a better blogger! I'm sure some of you have seen this circulating on facebook and twitter, but I loved it. I'm sorry it's just the link, I couldn't figure out how to get the article on my page.

   http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/pictures-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity 

Even with so much going on in the world it's nice to know that there is still a lot of good out there. 

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

weekend recap

I'm still recovering from my quick trip to Barcelona, so this will be short, but it was an AMAZING weekend! Great company, great weather, and the beach... what could be better?! I was a zombie all day yesterday (I got in at 7am and had class starting at 10) but it was so worth it. Here's a few iPhone snaps to tide you all over :)

sagrada familia


la predera

the beach in sitges
 It's good to be back in Madrid, but I would have done just about anything for a few more days on that beach. It was heavenly.




Thursday, June 14, 2012

Barcelona bound

Tomorrow morning I'm taking off for Barcelona with a few friends. I'm so looking forward to going to the beach and getting out of Madrid for the weekend. We're also going to the Sonar music festival and I'm so excited to dance the night away! Have a fun and safe weekend everyone!!





Wednesday, June 13, 2012

San Isidro continued

Tuesday was the big day of San Isidro. The whole city of Madrid was on holiday and there were parades and fairs and concerts galore. A bunch of us went out to la Pradera de San Isidro, where there were carnival rides for kids and food booths. We stayed there for a few hours sampling different treats and laying in the sun before we headed back into Madrid. One of the typical foods people eat during San Isidro are donuts. You can chose from listas or tontas. Listas means clever and they have icing on them, and tontas means silly and they don't have icing on them. After stopping for dinner we made our way to las Vestillas, which is an area near the cathedral where the concerts were held. 



olives olives and more olives


donuts
                                                 




las chicas





I hope everyone survived their Wednesday! 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tuesday inspiration




I came across this on Pinterest a few weeks ago and I just love it. Love the colors, love the message, love it. I am a sucker for inspirational sayings though :)

Happy Tuesday all, and here's a picture from my recent trip to Segovia! It was such a beautiful little town, and I can't wait to share all my photos!


Monday, June 11, 2012

Euro 2012

For the next 3 weeks all anyone in Madrid will be talking about is the Euro. It's a European football tournament between 16 countries and is held every 4 years. Growing up in Montana I never got into soccer, and that didn't change in Colorado or California. I wasn't allowed to play as a kid (long story) and have never really found it that entertaining. But I am living in Europe now, I'm really making an effort to immerse myself in the culture, and a huge part of that is football. Luckily it's not difficult to become a fan. Between my students, friends, and roommate, I have learned a lot about the Madrid teams and other Spanish teams. I still don't understand the rules of the game, but I really do like watching it. The games are short and the men are incredibly good looking and talented.

for example: the Spanish national team. number 19 is my favorite.

via

Their first game was yesterday against Italy and it ended in a draw. Up next they play Ireland. Spain is the current European and World champion so hopefully they will defend their title! The energy is pretty incredible though, and I'm really glad I get to be here for all the excitement!

TOMA!!


Friday, June 8, 2012

Jessie's first day in Madrid

Jessie flew into Madrid on a Sunday, the third day of San Isidro. I met her at the airport and the first place we went was a super-swanky rooftop bar in Chueca, a very hip barrio next to mine. I felt like I was at an exclusive pool club in Vegas and the views were incredible (unfortunately I didn't get any pictures)! We enjoyed a bit overpriced wonderfully refreshing tinto de verano and then headed somewhere a little more affordable to have tapas.


Our next stop was the Mercado de San Miguel, a true favorite of mine. It was pretty packed given that it was Sunday afternoon, but I just love the ambiance.






We strolled down by the palace to let the 1000 olives we'd just eaten settle and caught the end of a concert in honor of San Isidro. It might have been a Sunday night, but it's Madrid. And they know how to party. I couldn't believe how packed the plaza was.

royal palace

almudena cathedral




I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm planning on relaxing, catching up on sleep, and reading in the park.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

gigantes y cabezudos

I know a while back in May I mentioned that Madrid was gearing up for yet another festival/holiday... la feria de San Isidro. San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid, and is celebrated every May with parades, parties, food, and fireworks. The first day of la feria was a Friday and it started with the pasacalles de gigantes y cabezudos (parade of the giants and their entourage). I really wasn't sure what to expect, but it was definitely a cool thing to see. There were two different groups of gigantes y cabezudos, the troupe from Madrid and also a troupe from Zaragoza so I had the opportunity to hear traditional music and see traditional dance from both cities. Each of the gigantes had a man inside of it carrying it around, and it was about 90 degrees that day so I know they must have been dying inside their costumes. I hope these pictures do it justice!

gigantes dancing



cabezudos

cabezudos dancing

dancing



I also managed to take a video of the gigantes from Madrid dancing.


One of the best things about living in another country is getting to experience the culture and celebrations first hand, and I'm so thankful that I got to see this. More to come from the week!