Mosques, Black Sand, and Sun Tans

This past weekend, 24 through 27 June 2010, a MSU friend and I went to Malaga and Córdoba, in the south of Spain. Because the buses in Spain are crazy, there is no bus directly from Madrid to Córdoba, so we had to take the midnight bus Thursday night to Malaga and then round-trip between Malaga and Córdoba. I am convinced that we will never have a normal bus ride in Spain. On the way to Malaga from Madrid, there was a guy behind us who spoke a little bit of English, would eavesdrop on our conversation and say "oh yeeaah" every time he heard one of us say "yeah," would leave every so often to smoke a cigarette in the bus bathroom, and would poke my friend's face every time she fell asleep. He also brought beer with him on the bus, which made him more annoying at first, but was a blessing...

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Posted in: Alcázar,Antonio Banderas,Cathedral,Córdoba,English,film,hostal,J-Mad,Malaga,mosque,Spain,synagogue

Una Introducción de Guaraní

Part of the program that I am doing in Spain involves assisting an office that works with Latin American immigrants, especially Paraguayan immigrants. In Paraguay, there are two official languages: Español and Guaraní. Both are used with equal frequency by Paraguayans as well as in the areas bordering Paraguay (such as the border between Paraguay and Brazil). These are a few of the Guaraní phrases that colleagues have taught me: Che iera (name) - Me llamo (name) - My name is... - اسم من ـــــ است Mba eichapa? - ¿Cómo estás? - How are you? - حالت چطوره؟Che sogue - No tengo dinero - I do not have any money - من پول ندارمAkese - Quiero dormir - I want to sleep - من می خواهم بخوابمAjama (pronounced "Ahama") - Adios/ya me voy - Bye! - خدا...

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Posted in: English,Español,Guaraní,J-Mad,Madrid,Paraguay,Spain,Work,فارسی

Surprise! A Weekend in Madrid

So, since my friends decided to go to Paris for the weekend but I chose to postpone a French vacation, I had the weekend mostly to myself to just wander around and explore Madrid. It was pretty low-key but still a nice break. On Friday, June 18, I enjoyed one rare morning where I could sleep in. Since I have had a tremendous craving for good rice Persian style, I found one of three Persian restaurants in Madrid, Tehran Restaurant. It was a little pricey for my taste (chelo kebab kubideh being the cheapest full dish, at 17 euro), but the food was good and I don't think I have been to a restaurant that uses as much saffron in the rice as they did. Since it was the middle of the day when most people are still working, the restaurant was...

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Posted in: Álaca de Hernanes,Casa de Campo,Cervantes,English,Food,Fútbol,Garay,Iran,J-Mad,Madrid,Palacio Real,Real Madrid,Ronaldo,Soccer,Spain,Templo Debod,World Cup

Vamos al Sur: Granada y Sevilla

For the weekend of June 11 through 13, three other Americans and I decided to take a venture down to the south of Spain to see Granada and Sevilla. Since we are all poor college students, we take the bus everywhere (screw RENFE), and the cheapest company that we have found is ALSA. To save money, we took the midnight bus from Madrid to Granada (an 8 hour ride, with one rest stop) and we had the craziest driver ever. As we board the bus, there is a passenger in the seat in front of me putting his small briefcase in the overhead area when the bus driver yells at him, saying "Don't put that up there! It will fall down and kill someone!" So, following the rules, I put my backpack underneath the seat in front of me when the driver yells at...

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Posted in: Bus,Cathedral,English,Granada,J-Mad,La Alhambra,Sevilla,Spain

Adventures in Segovia

My favorite day-trip away from Madrid thus far has been Segovia (June 5, 2010). The bus ride there from Madrid was pretty cheap and short. The bus stop is about one block away from the Roman aqueduct. The aqueduct is incredible - and still runs right through the center of the modern city for nearly a mile. We walked the entire length twice and climbed up to the top for a better vantage point of the aqueduct, city, and the mountains. After visiting the aqueduct, we found the incredible cathedral of Segovia. From the cathedral, we visited the Alcázar of Segovia. After visiting quite a few alcázars and wondering why they are all called the same thing, we learned that an Alcázar is an architectural style (specifically, a fortified palace). The...

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Posted in: Alcázar,English,J-Mad,Monastery,Segovia,Spain

Valencia Vacation

A lil while back (May 28, 2010), my friend and I took a day trip to Valencia for a mini vacation on the coast of the Mediterranean. Getting there was quite interesting, as the Madrid metro is slower in the morning and my friend had to come from the polar opposite end of town. I was able to keep talking to the bus driver so that we were able to catch our bus at the last minute. It's a good thing we did too, because one couple tried to steal our seats on the bus (this was actually a blessing in disguise because now the bus driver could direct his frustration at them and not us, the late American tourists). The four hour bus trip took us through the mountains and some incredible scenery until arriving at our destination. Getting to the...

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Posted in: Beach,English,J-Mad,Mediterranean,Spain,Valencia