Sevilla and Morocco!

It's been awhile since I updated and since the last post I went on an awesome long weekend trip to Sevilla and Morocco with Jessie! I flew from Porto to Madrid last Thursday and then early Friday morning Jessie and I took the fast train to Sevilla. We dropped our bags at the office of the travel group we were using for Morocco and spent the day exploring. Sevilla is gorgeous and idyllic and the weather is always nice and it's just generally perfect. The only drawback is that since it's so nice everything seems really touristy. Living in Vigo, I almost never see tourists and when people hear us speaking English in bars we get lots of surprised looks. But in Sevilla, tourists were everywhere speaking all kinds of languages.

Jessie and I had a nice toast with tomato breakfast and then went to explore the Cathedral. We went in a back entrance and realized a mass was going on and a lot of the cathedral was closed off so we went around the front and realized there was a huge line to get in and the place wouldn't open for 20 minutes or so. So we decided to go to the Alcazar first, which is a big castle and gardens with a lot of Arabic influence and history (similar to the Alhambra in Granada but not as big/spectacular). The Alcazar was beautiful, full of amazing ceramic tiles and gorgeous gardens.

After the Alcazar we went back to the Cathedral de Sevilla and waited in line a bit to go in. It was worth the wait (and the 6 euros or so). The cathedral is massive and ornate and impressive. Christopher Columbus' tomb is in there, though they're not 100% sure the bones in there are his, as his bones were sent back and forth between Hispaniola, Spain and Cuba a few times. According to DNA they might be his son's bones. Still, it was kind of weird to confront this tomb and think about Columbus as a person who lived and had bones and not just as this important, problematic, almost mythical historical figure. We also climbed up the tower and got some nice views of the city. We could see the famous bull fighting arena from up there so we decided we didn't need to walk over and see it up close. 

After the cathedral we walked over to the Plaza de España, a majestic building and plaza that appears to be the home of the government in Sevilla. The building is shaped like a semi-circle and along that curve there are a bunch of little tile monuments to the various cities of Spain. They're gorgeous and as we walked from A to Z I was excited to see what Vigo's monument would look like. There was no question in my mind Vigo would be represented, especially after passing Lugo, Ourense, Pontevedra, and Santiago, four cities in Galicia all smaller than Vigo. But when we got to Valladolid, the next city was Vizcaya. I was disappointed, but frankly not terribly surprised. Vigo is a big, vibrant city, but compared to the rest of Spain it is seen as gritty and working-class, with not as much cultural or historical or aesthetic significance as some of its neighbors. I, of course, think Vigo is beautiful and fascinating and just as important as Madrid (well, maybe not quite but you get the idea). But, you can't win em all. The Plaza de España is beautiful, if lacking.

We walked back to the travel office and got a couple coupons for sangria at a nearby restaurant. It happened to be a restaurant with Thai food, which was a VERY welcome surprise (no Thai food in Vigo) so we happily ate noodles and soup, drank some sangria, and then went to meet the bus to Morocco. 

Jessie and I used a travel group that plans trips for study abroad students and foreign teachers and the like. We paid about 200 euros to go on this trip, which included all the transportation, hotel, food, and guided tours. It was a good deal and a great way to see a new country that we were a little apprehensive about visiting just the two of us. We took a bus to the border, got on a ferry, landed in Morocco and took another bus to our hotel. The hotel was very fancy and comfortable. When we got there we were served a fantastic meal of soup and chicken and cous cous. Writing this makes me so hungry. It was delicious. 

On Saturday morning we woke up early and got on the bus to go to Chefchaouen, the Blue City. Like in many Spanish cities, cities in Morocco have a historic old district with small, winding streets. They call this the "medina." In Chefchaouen the medina is enclosed by a wall dating back to the 1400s. We had a guided tour of the Medina, walking through narrow streets, up and down, around lots of corners--by the end I had no sense of direction. Everything in Chefchaouen--roads, walls, doors--is painted blue. They paint the entire city blue four times a year. The blue color supposedly keeps the homes cooler and keeps mosquitos and flies away! 

This powder becomes paint -- notice the blue bag is the biggest!

After our tour we had lunch at restaurant in the center of the medina. Lunch was a salad and some more delicious chicken and rice. Then we had free time to walk around and buy souvenirs so Jessie and I set out for our first bartering experience. We had been told that we should start by saying a price one fifth of what we would really be willing to pay. We found this very difficult, because the guy would say something like "500 dirham" and we'd say something like, "how about 100 dirham" and he would get very offended and laugh. We knew it was part of the act but it was very uncomfortable and we went through many exchanges like this before we finally bought something. Eventually we learned that just showing the seller the money we had was a good way to only spend that much. We also would leave the shop and often they'd come out and say, "okay, okay" and we'd get the price we wanted. It was hard! Not something I'd want to do on a daily basis.

The next day we went to Assila, a city on the coast founded by the Portuguese a few hundred years ago. On the way there we stopped and rode camels in Tanger, near the place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean. It was a 2 minute ride around a parking lot but still very exciting. Riding a camel is sort of like riding horse, but they're taller and they make you rock back and forth more than horses do. Also camels lie down for you to get on them so when they go from lying to standing it is a little difficult to keep your balance. 

After the camel ride we went to another fantastic meal of chicken kebabs at a restaurant covered in beautiful ceramic tiles, then on to Assila. Assila was painted in a lot of white and blue, and didn't look too different from Chefchaouen except it is on the coast and a little newer so there are some wider streets. Apparently there is an art festival in Assila each year and the winners get to paint their works on the white walls of the city. It was refreshing change from the graffiti that covers walls in Vigo that is of a wholly political nature and not at all artistic. We walked around Assila, and Jessie and I did some more shopping (bartering went much better on day 2!) and I got henna on my hand. After that, we took the bus back to the border, took the ferry once more, took a bus to Sevilla, and got on another bus to Madrid. I then flew back to Porto and took another bus back to Vigo. Lots and lots of time in transit, but it was worth it! A fantastic weekend!

Vigo so far

I haven't posted in awhile because I've been pretty busy having a wonderful time in Vigo. The weather has been beautiful, so I've been out and about as much as possible, knowing that when the rains begin there will be no sun until April.

Walking around in Vigo's biggest park

I've worked for two weeks at a great primary school in Porriño, about 20 minutes driving from Vigo. All of the teachers there are very friendly and welcoming. I help out in art class for grades 1-5 and English class for grade 6, though starting next week it will be art 1-3 and English 4-6. The school is a certified "plurilingual" school, which means that they don't just teach other languages, but teach certain subjects in languages other than Castilian Spanish. So art is in English, and social studies is in Gallego (the language of this region). Because of this, the government wants the Auxiliar (me) to be in as many English art classes as possible, though I and all the teachers feel that it would be so much more helpful to have me in English classes. In art, I can ask them what color things are, but that's pretty much the limit for most kids. So, the principal at my school decided to let me be in English for the higher grades and I'll do art with the lower ones to keep the government happy. (They are paying me, after all.)

I love being in the English classes. It's fun for me whenever the teacher asks me something, like "Do you say 'it's a quarter to 8' or 'it's quarter to 8'?" It's interesting to think about the nuances of English and work on pronunciation and conversation with the kids. There are no native English speakers in the school except me, and most of the teachers who are teaching English avoid using the past tense and struggle greatly with pronunciation. It's so clear why Spain is behind the rest of Europe in terms of foreign languages.

Eating Vigo's signature dish: pulpo a feira (octopus with lots of oil and paprika). Delicious!!!

School goes from 8:45-1:45 each day. At 2, I'm in the car to go home with the teachers who live in Vigo. It seems like a short school day, but lunch comes after school, so there's no long break for that. Being a teacher here is a great gig. You only work 25 hours a week, you're home before lunch, and as far as I can tell the majority of the planning and preparation happen at school. When I get home, I eat lunch and then I go to tutor/babysit a 9 year old girl for two hours and a 3 year old for another hour. The 3 year old speaks and understands English better than 90% of the kids in my school, only because her parents have shown her a couple hours of American cartoon TV shows every day since she was born. It's remarkable.

I've been making friends with the other mostly American auxiliars here in Vigo, and I've had a great time seeing them on the weekends and going out to bars in the beautiful old town. This weekend Jessie came to visit from Madrid, and even though all week my phone said it was going to rain, we had beautiful weather! On Saturday, we went out to the Islas Cies, which are a few islands that make up a national park a 45 minute ferry ride from Vigo into the Atlantic. They are unbelievably beautiful. If you want to stay overnight there, you have to camp, but since camping here is not as it is in the US, there's a supermarket, restaurant, and bathrooms as well. Other than those buildings and some lighthouses, the islands are rather untouched!

Once named the most beautiful beach in the world! (Not this part, and I'm sure the rating happened on a sunny day but you get the idea.)

Tomorrow I have to go up to Pontevedra for an orientation (orientation two weeks after starting the job... classic Spain). Next weekend, my new friend Anne and I are thinking about taking a day trip to Santiago de Compostela! I intended on traveling more frequently, but I really like Vigo and the people I've met here so it's fun to stay here for weekends, too. More later!

Vigo - Bilbao - San Sebastián

I made it to Vigo and had to wait at the train station for three hours for my landlord to be done with siesta. While I was there, a woman and her daughter came by to meet me and see if I'm what they want for an English-speaking babysitter. We got along great and the mom (Paula) offered to drive me to cafe near the landlord's office. I went there and had my first taste of the AMAZING custom in Vigo where restaurants give you a bunch of free tapas with the purchase of a drink. So great. Eventually I went to meet my landlord. For some reasons I don't understand (because they were said too quickly in Spanish) the apartment I thought I was getting was not available and they had moved me to a different one in the same building. It doesn't have as much natural light as the other one would have, but it's slightly bigger and I don't have to pay for utilities because I think they felt bad about switching me! So that ended up working out well.

I met some girls from my program (all Americans) for some churros and chocolate and spent the next two days getting to know them and buying crap for the apartment. It didn't rain at all in those days which was very out of character for Vigo but lovely!! It's a beautiful city on a summer day!

On Thursday, I took an all-day train to Bilbao. Friday I spent exploring Bilbao. I went to the Guggenheim, awesome even with an entire floor closed for renovation. I walked around the city, saw some churches, etc. Bilbao is gorgeous and I would highly recommend going there.

The Guggenheim!

Panoramic view of Bilbao on a hazy day.

On Friday night I took the train to San Sebastián (only about an hour and a half from Bilbao) to meet Jessie there. We stayed in a hostel that had a strong surfer-beach-bum vibe and was full of Australians and Americans. It was fun and very laid back. We went to the beach on Saturday morning, which was LOVELY and then took a cable car up to the top of a hill to look at the view:

the view from the mount

the view from the beach boardwalk!

After coming back down the mountain, we went and saw a movie in the San Sebastian Film Festival. It was an Argentinian film--very heavy but really good. We stopped by the Miramar Palace on our way back around, which is a beautiful estate that one of the 19th century queens of Spain had built as her summer home. They were in the middle of setting up a big closing party for the San Sebastian Film Festival. We spent too much time sitting on the steps thinking about how we might get invited to said party.

We went back to the hostel to regroup before walking into old town to have some wine and pintxos. In the Basque country, there are tons of tiny bars that have a long counter covered in "pintxos," similar to tapas. You generally ask for three or four of them--I had some that were a pieces of bread with ham and manchego cheese on them. We also tried one that was a toothpick with artichoke heart, anchovy, and an olive on it. Most involve bread. But the bars are very small and only really fit the people who are up against the bar. It's very loud and chaotic in there, so if you can fight your way to the front, it's best to get your wine and pintxos, pay, and go stand out in the street and eat and drink. The streets in the old part of town are very narrow and cars aren't allowed, so on a Saturday night the streets are packed with people spilling out of all the little bars. It was really fun! We had a great night and chatted with some Spaniards and international students that we met in the street.

Now I'm hanging out at this great cafe near our hostel, having a tea, and waiting to get on a midnight train back to Vigo. I start work on Wednesday!

Weekend in Madrid September 19-21

It was so amazing to be back in Madrid. When I got there on Friday afternoon, I went straight to Jessie’s apartment, which is on the street where Tara and I did a lot of shopping when we were abroad there. She lives right above a Zara and near a bunch of other great Spanish and international stores. Financially dangerous place to live! She has a fantastic apartment with great Spanish roommates and I’m envious of how much they’re going to improve her Spanish just be living day to day together. 

Friday we walked all over the city and I got to see all my old haunts. I showed her the two places I lived and one of my favorite cafés (Lolina) and we just walked all over the place. It was great! We made dinner and went out and met up with some of her new friends from her program and it was a great time!

Readers, I’m not sure you know about this, but Jessie and I are cable car enthusiasts. After going on cable cars in New York and Portland together, we decided that we wanted to ride every cable car in Europe this year. This turned out to be WAY too ambitious and expensive a goal, as Europe is home to a large amount of cable cars, including one in Switzerland that is the world’s longest but also costs like 80 euros to ride or something like that. We did, however, get to go on the gondola in Madrid that goes from the west side of town into a big park and back for only 5.80 euros! It was awesome and the views were incredible.

Saturday night we went out with the three Spanish roommates for tapas and cervezas. There were a lot things that were “classic Spain” about that night (didn’t leave the apartment until 11pm, walked for a good 30 minutes just to end up at a chain restaurant that has a franchise down the street from the apartment, listened to the Spanish ladies say some questionable things about non-white people, etc.) but it was a fun evening and I felt like it helped my Spanish come back SO MUCH by just being with them for a few hours.

On Sunday, Jessie and I went down to the southern part of the city to meet up with her friend Melissa and my Spanish friend from the study abroad days Sergio. We had a cheap lunch at a cafe in an complex of beautiful old brick buildings that were once a slaughterhouse but are now art spaces. It was great! Jessie and I then walked back up toward her pad and I went to buy a new raincoat because I left mine in Istanbul :(. 

Today I got up early and caught the one-way train to Vigo. It was a pleasant ride and Vigo already seems beautiful, though I’m just in the train station cafe right now. My landlord’s office is closed from 1:30-4:30 for siesta every day so I can’t move in until then. I can’t wait to see it!

I'm here! --Istanbul--

I made it! I forgot to write an "I'm about to leave and these are my feelings" post before I left home on Tuesday so I'm just going to skip that and jump right into my journey here and my day in Istanbul.

I highly recommend Turkish Airlines! They came around to do drinks like 6 or more times during the flight and you can even get any kind of alcohol you want for free. I had a Turkish red wine, which was good except it was too cold. They also gave us a menu before coming by with dinner, which was fancy. We each got a little kit with earplugs, lip balm, an eyemask, socks, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. So nice! It was definitely the most comfortable plane-sleeping experience I've ever had.

I got to Istanbul and took a shuttle my hostel offers to the hostel, which is in the old part of town on a cobblestone street with lots of other hostels very close to the Blue Mosque and other main attractions. All of the hostels on this street have a restaurant/pub on the street, with comfortable couches and tables and hookah, and then the hostel part is behind and above that.

I got about 5 or 6 hours of sleep last night, and then just couldn't sleep any longer due to jet lag. This morning, I woke up at 8, had breakfast at the hostel (during which the hostel workers pegged me as a German high schooler... no, wrong on all accounts) and headed off to the Blue Mosque. It's free because it's still used for prayer 5 times a day (yes!) and very beautiful. I had to wear a head scarf and everyone took off their shoes. The mosque is called "Blue" because of the tiles on the inside. It's ornate and beautiful and also very symmetrical. I've seen more ornate cathedrals but it was exciting to be in a mosque. I found it more open and simple in terms of floor plan than most cathedrals but with more detailed walls.

Next I walked through a connecting park to the Ayasofia (Hagia Sophia). This is a building that's got a Christian and Muslim past, having been used as a cathedral at times and a mosque at others. A building called the Hagia Sophia has stood on that ground since the 300s (THREE HUNDREDS!?!) and this is the third one, which has been there since 537. It only took about five and a half years to build (using 10,000 unskilled workers, which I'm guessing is a gentle way of saying slaves) and it is remarkable. Giant gold panels showing words from the Koran, intricate mosaics showing Christ and other Christian figures from the 10th century, beautiful old marble and other stones. It's great. I think maybe better than the Blue Mosque.

After that I went back to the hostel to change shoes and then decided to go check out a part of town that my cousin Austin told me was cool when he was here a few days ago. I chose to take the tram instead of walk all of the way, so I bought a token and got on. I found a seat and was pretty proud of myself for figuring it all out. We got to the third stop and the doors opened on the side facing the track instead of the platform. "That's kind of weird and dangerous," I thought to myself while I sat there (I was going two more stops before getting off.) A man came over to me, gestured, and said something in Turkish. I assumed he said something like, "this stop has major tourist attractions, you should get off!" so I just stayed put, thinking, "little does he know how cool I am going to a not-as-touristy part of town." The doors closed, and the tram started going BACK the direction we had already come!!! It became clear to me that the man had really said, "you need to get off and get on another tram going the right way." I went back to the previous stop and got on the right tram. If only I understood Turkish!

I went to that part of town and walked up and down some BIG hills going to little shops. I decided to stop for an authentic Turkish coffee but after sitting down I noticed the place was playing country music. I'm pretty sure the coffee was still authentic but not necessarily the place locals would go. It was great to see this part of town, which definitely has more locals living in it than the area where the hostels are. It looked a lot like other European neighborhoods with narrow streets and small shops.

I took the tram back and wandered around poorly-marked streets until I found the spice bazaar. I was sort of looking for a tapestry and some incense for my place in Spain, but it just goes to show how ignorant I am of Turkish culture: there was none of that. There were tons of spices used for cooking and tea, but no incense, and plenty of scarves but no tapestries. I bought some tea and Turkish delight and moved on.

Next I went to the Topkapi Palace. This place is massive. I got the audio tour, which I'm pretty sure was a voice thing like Siri (though male) reading a direct translation of the Turkish tour. Not the greatest audio tour in the world, but somewhat informative! The palace is covered head to toe in ceramic tiles, mostly shades of blue. It's beautiful, and has great views of the other parts of Istanbul over the water. I found the harem especially interesting, where all of the Sultan's women lived. The palace was super crowded and I got very weary walking around its many acres, so after listening to all of the audio tours and seeing the whole thing (~2.5 hours) I left.

Now I'm just back at the hostel relaxing! I've seen the big things I wanted to see here and spent more Turkish Lira than I had planned. Tonight I'll try to find some cheap food and go to bed early because I fly to Madrid tomorrow at 7:30am!