Pictures

If you would like to see photos of Las Fallas, Burgos, Semana Santa or whatever else follow these links to my facebook page. Even if you are not a member, you should be able to see them. If they don´t work, someone let me know and I will post them on here. Thanks and enjoy!!!



Basque Country pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2040731&id=23805584&l=79d5c3d8a4



Burgos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2040729&id=23805584&l=102843c098



Las Fallas:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038410&id=23805584&l=2dc9bd8bac

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2038407&id=23805584&l=6e58390e3b

The longest blog ever

I know it has been forever since I have up-dated my web-site. I'll apologize (like I always have to do). The truth is that I get busy and forget or realize I have so much to write about that I get lazy and don't want to do the work. I also don't have Internet at home so I am limited to using it at school or paying at an Internet cafe. So I'll try to give a quick up-date on what has been happening lately.

About a month ago (March 18-22) Katie, Olga and I went to Valencia for Las Fallas. This is a festival that happens every year only in Valencia. I had learned about it when I was studying in Donosti and it was one of the festivals I had always wanted to experience. It starts about 3 weeks before the actual festival begins and officially lasts for 5 days. All year long artists build these huge works of art out of wood and paper mache called fallas. They are gigantic. Most of them are about 3-4 stories tall. And they are so colorful and elaborate. I had seen photos but seeing them in person is completely different. So the artists work all year long constructing these pieces of art and they get placed all around the city. They are in small plazas, side streets, in front of city hall and every other corner they can find. Every day at 2:00 pm they have a firework show in the city center (called the mascleta) and on the second to last night they have a huge firework show (called the Nit de Foc). Think 4th of July but a million times bigger and better. Everyone is in the streets and everyone has fireworks (including 5 year old children) and they are going off all day, every day. It really is a sight to see. At first I jumped every time I heard one go off. But by the end of our days there I was used to it. On Thursday night there is La Crema and on this night they burn all the huge statues. These amazing works of art that has been worked on all year are burnt to nothing! The burning starts around 10:00 pm with the smaller fallas and they goes on and on until they are all burned. We went to watch our favorite falla burn. It was supposed to start around 11:00 pm but didn't actually burn until sometime around 1:00 am. Apparently there weren't enough firefighters to go to all the Cremas so they got behind schedule. We had to wait for a while but it was so worth it. It is started on fire by another firework show and then it just goes from there. We happened to be pretty close so we could feel the heat and there is ash that falls from the sky and you have to cover your mouth and nose with something because the smell is so strong. But it is so worth it! Just actually amazing. So the festival ends early Friday morning (around 2:00 or 3:00 am) and then everyone goes home. We thought everyone would go out so we went to a few bars but it was like a ghost town so we eventually just went back to the hotel. The next 2 days were spent actually seeing the city and all its attractions. The city is beautiful and quite big. It's nice because it has a real contrast between the old and new. Of course it has the old part but it also has a newer, more modern part. And it has the beach! The weather was nice...a little colder than I expected but it didn't rain and it was very sunny. We went to the beach 2 days and it wasn't warm enough to be in a bikini but nice enough to lay on a towel and read a good book. All in all I just had a great time. It was the first time I had been out of the Basque Country since I arrived in September and it was great to get away for a few days.

After Valencia I returned to my normal life here in Irun. We only had 2 weeks of school and then it was Spring Break. Here in Spain we have 2 weeks for Easter and almost everyone does a bit of traveling. Endika and I knew that we wanted to go somewhere but we couldn't figure out exactly where. We had thought about Logrono (in La Rioja, the wine region), Salamanca, Leon, and Pamplona. Eventually we settled on Burgos, which is a city about 3 hours west of Irun. It's in Castilla y Leon and kind of in the middle of nowhere. Bilbao is a couple hours northeast, Santander about 2 hours north and Leon is about 2 hours more west. I had been to Burgos before but only for the day and had never gotten a real feel for the city. Endika and I left on Thursday morning and arrived by about 1:00 pm. We had to find the hotel which was a bit difficult because Endika had forgotten to get directions or even write down the name of the hotel. So after driving around and going to hotels that he thought it might have been, I convinced him to call and find out where it was. We finally found it and checked in and it was quite nice. We had booked a room with hidromasaje (a bathtub with a whirlpool) so the first thing I did was try it out. I had been really excited about this feature so I wasted no time jumping in the tub. It was fantastic...a little small but I'm certainly no giant so it was perfect for me. After Endika and I went to go check out the city. We walked around and saw a lot of the sights. There is an amazing and huge cathedral and we walked along the river and got ice cream. We saw the Plaza Mayor and the old part. When we were tired we stopped to have coffee and a little snack. After we went to see the religious processions and then headed back to the room. There was an important basketball game on TV that Endika wanted to watch so I took advantage of the bathtub (again!). The next day we slept in a little and then we tried to go to this monastery but it was closed so went back to the city center. We met with a friend of mine that I worked with last night and she invited us to have lunch at her apartment. But first we went to have some tapas...so yummy! It was raining a little on Friday so it was nice to be warm and cosy in Amaia's house eating great food. After we decided to go out of the city a little and check out some small towns. We went to one that was about an hour north of Burgos and it was great. The main attraction there is a waterfall and a cave. And the landscape is amazing. We only spent about 2 hours there because it is a really small town and wanted to also see another town before it got dark. So we drove to another town called Poza de la Sal. It also is incredibly small and also in the middle of nowhere. Just above the town is a castle from the Middle Ages so Endika and I stopped to see it. We opened the car doors and they almost flew off because it was so windy! We debated climbing up to see the castle but I persuaded Endika because we were already there. Honestly the castle wasn't that impressive but the views were worth the climb and the wind. You could see the whole valley and the small town just below. It was beautiful. Before blowing away we went down and went into the town. It was Good Friday and mass had just ended so I went into the church to look at it while Endika waited outside. The entire town we saw in about 20 minutes but I thought it was so cute. And it had quite the ambiance for such a small amount of people. We decided to have dinner there but it was a little early by Spain's standards so we went to a bar first and had a beer. It was really nice to just relax a little and see all the citizens of the town. After dinner we drove back to Burgos and were going to go out but it was pretty late when we got back and it was freezing! So instead we decided to stay at the hotel. The next day we woke up, ate breakfast and then went back to the monastery, which was now open. We went on a tour and it was nice. After we went back to the old part and decided to have tapas for lunch. Oh my God! They were amazing! We went to a couple different bars to try the tapas and everything we ate was great. After lunch we had to start heading back to Irun because I had a surprise planned for Endika and we had to be back by 7:00 pm.

I had told Endika that I had a surprise planned for him for his birthday. Weeks before I started contacting his friends to plan a surprise birthday dinner in Donosti. I wanted him to think that just him and I were going to dinner and then when we arrive all his friends are there. So through the wonders of Facebook I started talking with him friends and setting up the dinner. It was quite the job coordinating the day and the time and the restaurant and how to get there and what to do after but very worth it. We arrived to the restaurant around 9:30 and Endika was quite surprised. When we walked in they all started singing Happy Birthday to him (but in Euskera!) and the look on his face was great. He didn't even hardly say anything! But the look said everything! So we had dinner and then all went out. It was a lot of fun and a really good night out in Donosti. I finally caught the topo home at 4:15 am because I had lunch the next day and wanted to be semi-rested.
The rest of Semana Santa was spent being lazy. I read a lot and slept a lot. The weather was quite crummy but one day was absolutely gorgeous so Endika and I took advantage and went to these 3 small towns on the coast called Orio, Zarautz and Getaria. I had been to them all before and many times but I think they are just so cute and the weather was amazing that I thought it would be a good day to go again. We went first to Getaria and went for a walk along the ocean and through the town. Then we went to Zarautz for ice cream! And then we finished in Orio, which is my favorite small town. We decided to walk up the mountain a little, which I had never done before, and the views were fantastic. You can see Getaria and Zarautz and when we were coming down the mountain the sun was setting and it was so beautiful. The Basque Country is honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and it is days like that that remind me how lucky I am to live in such a wonderful place.

The week after I returned to school for my last 2 weeks of work before I return home. Last week was normal but this past weekend was one of the most fun weekends I have had in a long time. On Friday the other professors at the school took me out for lunch here in Irun. We went to the "casino" which really isn't a casino any more, except they have Bingo. But it was really nice and the bought me a purse that I absolutely love! ESKERRIK ASKO!!! My friend Katie had told me earlier in the week that a friend of hers from Murcia was coming to visit and that we would have dinner at her house and then go out. So Endika and I went to Hondarribia that afternoon to meet with his cousin and have a drink. After we returned to Irun to get ready to go to dinner and Endika went home to shower. A little later he came to pick me up and I was so worried about being late but he was insistent on having coffee before we went. I couldn't understand why he would want to have coffee at 9:00 at night but it didn't seem like there was much I could do to convince him otherwise so we went to have coffee. I was so worried about being late to the dinner so I kept trying to hurry Endika along but it was a lost cause. Finally we arrived to Katie's house and I walk in first and see a couple balloons on the wall. And I thought: "Oh, that's so nice. They decorated for Jenny (the friend that was supposedly coming to visit)." And then I walk around the corner and there are all my friends! They all yelled "SURPRISE!" and let me tell you, it really was a surprise! I had no idea! Katie, Olga and Endika had been lying to me all week about little things and I believed every single one! So we had an amazing dinner of mac n cheese and salad and then we played flip cup for a little and then went out. Wow! What a great night! At one point in the night I was playing doorman at our favorite bar telling everyone that walked by that the party was inside and that they all had to go in. Crazy. I finally finished the night around 4:00 am because I had class the next morning at 11:00. Saturday I woke up and went to the class and then after headed to Donosti for lunch. A friend of Katie's invited us to have lunch at his sociedad with his group of friends so we met in Donosti at 1:30 pm. We went in search of shaved ice first for a surprise and then headed to the sociedad. We met his friends and then the party started from there! Javi, Katie's friend, was so nice and all his friends were amazing. They cooked this huge, amazing lunch that was fantastic. Seriously the food was some of the best that I have had in Spain. So we had a great lunch and wine and wonderful conversation and more laughs then I could handle. We stayed at the sociedad until 8:30 pm when we decided to go out. We went to play darts and then to have some bocadillos and more drinks and more laughs. We finished the night at a bar dancing and drinking until I left at 2:00 am. It was so much fun and one of the best nights I have ever had. The weekend was more than I could have ever asked for and a wonderful way to remember my last days here in Spain.

This week is my last week at school and it has been really great. With some of the classes I have had little parties and 2 of the classes have given me little presents very unexpectantly. One class gave me this painted ceramic plate of La Concha in Donosti and they all signed it on the back. And another class gave me this beautiful necklace from the Basque Country. I was completely overwhelmed and not expecting it at all! Today I have 3 more classes and then tomorrow 2 more and then I am finished! It seems so weird but in a way I am looking forward to it also.

Well this has taken me forever to write and I think it is now long enough. Hopefully before I leave I will be able to write a little more and post some pictures of the last couple weeks. If I don't have time I will do it when I get back to the States. Hope all is well with everyone!

Christmas Basque-style

Christmas this year was spent in the good ol´ Basque Country. I had comtemplated going somewhere or doing some traveling but by the time Christmas vacation rolled around, I was so tired from working and everything else that I only wanted to relax and not do anything. So that was exactly what I did. Nothing. Well, almost nothing.

Christmas vacation started with the Santo Tomas festival. I am not sure about the history of this holiday or why it is celebrated but, my God, it is so much fun! Basically everyone gets together and eats txistorra (kind of like chorizo) and drinks cider. I went to Donosti with Endika and some of his friends and we just had a great time being outside and enjoying all the festivities. Here are some pics from the night:





For Christmas Eve I went to this small town called Eibar. One of the other teachers that I worked with is from Eibar and she adopted me as a Christmas orphan and invited me to spend Christmas with her family. Her family owns a caserio (a country house) in the mountains so we actually went there. I had originally planned to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her but it didn´t work out so well with the buses and trains so I returned on Christmas Eve. But it was so nice to get out of Irun for 2 days and spend some time with a good friend in the mountains.

This is the view from the caserio at sunset

And during the day. It is gorgeous there. All you see for miles and miles are green mountains. To me, this is the real Basque Country.

This is the house!! Isn´t it so cute? Just down the road are some neighbors and Jone´s (my friend) parents go to buy fruits, vegetables, eggs, etc. from them. It´s so great because everything is so fresh and it´s convienent also.

Another view of the caserio. Jone´s dad renovated the entire house himself. When they bought it, the house was basically just the 4 walls and he did almost all the work himself. It has a really rustic feeling to it but it has all the modern ammenities.

On Christmas Eve day the sun was shining and the weather was so nice so Jone and I went for a walk in the mountains. It was perfect.

I returned from Jone´s house late Christmas Eve and on Christmas day I went to have lunch with the family I always have lunch with on Sundays. It was just a normal day but it was really nice to be with the family and we ate so much!

The rest of the vacation was spent between Irun and Donosti and one day I went to Bilbao. I honestly didn´t do anything too exciting but it was great. I spent a lot of time with Endika and that was fantastic. The weather was so beautiful that I was able to get outside a little and finally take some photos of Irun.

This is one of the canals in Irun.

A picture of one of the small rivers.

A view of the mountains.


The cemetary on a sunny day.


Olentzero (the Basque Santa Claus) in Donosti.

Finally it was New Year´s Eve and I spent it in Irun with Endika. We went out to the main street and just partied the night away. I saw soooooo many of my students and everyone was so nice and happy. This is Dani, one of my students. He was wearing this hat but I stole it from him for a while. I think it looks better on me anywyas. :)

On January 6 it was The 3 King´s Day. It Spain they celebrate Christmas but with less importance than in the States. Instead they have the 3 Kings (think from the Bible) and that is when most people celebrate "Christmas." So here Christmas lasts forever.

On January 7 I finally returned to school and have been working away since then. The weather here has been horrible lately. It has been raining every day! And this past weekend there was a cyclone!!!! Endika and I went to Bilbao to visit some of his friends and sometime during Friday night, the power went out so most of the city was without electricity. It was horrible. We couldn´t cook anything to eat and in the neighbor there was nothing open. And to make matters worse, we were in the apartment of Endika´s friend and she lives on the 10th floor of an apartment building and because we had no power, we were without the elevator! So we had to climb or go down 10 floors to be able to leave or come. Let´s just say I got my exercise that day!

The only other thing to tell about is that Endika and I bought basketball tickets for a team here in Spain. The team is called TAU Ceramica and they are from Vitoria, which is the capital of the Basque Country. We bought a bono (I´m not sure of the word in english) and get to go to 6 games for 87 euros. Basically if you buy the bono, it makes it cheaper than buying the 6 tickets seperatley. Endika has been a fan of TAU forever and I thought it would be something fun to do also. So we went to the first game on Saturday night and they won!! And there are 2 Americans that play on the team!! The players are from all over the world (very few are actually Spanish) and it´s like the European version of the NBA. So we are going to another game tomorrow night and then 4 more before I leave. I´ll take some pictures and get them up when I can.

OK, that´s all for now. This entry has taken me forever! Hope everyone is well.

Lots of love from Spain!

I want to go to sleep tonight and wake up sometime in mid-January. I have a million things to do and not a million minutes in which to do them. I am becoming frustrated with others around me and even more frustrated with myself for becoming frustrated with other people. It´s a vicious circle.

I need a vacation.

I need some time to breathe.

I know Christmas time is always busy. Whether I am in the USA or Spain I always find myself with too much to do and not enough time to do it in.

Next week is the last week of classes and then it will be Christmas vacation. As long as I can make it through next week, I should be fine. Well, I hope so anyways...

Wish me luck.

Thanksgiving Spanish-style

On Sunday night Katie and I hosted Thanksgiving at her apartment and it went great!!! We invited friends, co-workers and roommates. We started cooking around 4:00 pm and ate dinner around 8:30. It was a lot of preparation and a lot of cooking but it was so worth it. Everything turned out amazing. The food was the best I have had in a long time. Here are some photos of the night.

Thanksgiving started on Saturday with a trip to Alcampo, which is like the Super Wal-Mart of Spain. This is Olga and me on the bus on the way back.

This was our Thanksgiving bounty. The turkey is in the black and red bag under about 8 bottles of wine.

This is Katie and me preparing the turkey. It weighed 4.4 kilos which is about 9 or 10 pounds.

More turkey preparation. We put a dry rub on the outside and put carrots, onions, garlic, and mushrooms on the inside. We then poured white wine over the turkey and used the wine to baste the turkey while it was cooking.

Before the turkey went into the oven.

Another view of the raw turkey.

It BARELY fit in the oven.

The finished turkey...it was soooo good.

Stealing the first taste.

The rest of the menu consisted of goat cheese mashed potatoes, stuffing, mixed salad, corn, green beans wrapped in bacon, bread, red wine gravy, melted brie with apples and pecans and lots of wine.

Our wonderful guests who all enjoyed this great American holiday with us.

Photos of Irun

These are especially for my father because every time I talk to him he asks me what the city looks like and if I would finally take some pictures of the city where I live. I actually stole these pictures from my friend Katie (Thanks!) and I´ll get my own pictures taken as soon as it stops raining and the sun comes out...I promise!

El Ayuntamiento (City Hall)

Plaza Ensanche (One of the main plazas on Paseo Colon)

Plaza Ensanche (About 3 minutes from my piso)

Another plaza (Across the street from Plaza Ensanche)

A view of the city

A churro stand that just appeared one day of of nowhere.

A "carnival" that appeared with the churro stand one day. The music they play for the children is amazing...anything and everything from Bette Midler to Kanye West.

For all of you who understand Spanish, this blog is for you. This was found on a web-site for a bar here in Irun called "Pentagrama." I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Para el baño

Si estas en una discoteca y vas al baño, anda solo; no le pidas a un amigo que te acompañe, eso únicamente lo hacen las mujeres. Si quieres hablar con un amigo, dile que salgan afuera de la disco.Se debe dejar un espacio entre un usuario de urinario y otro. Es decir, si entras el baño y hay dos urinarios disponibles, debes utilizar el que no tenga usuarios alrededor. El orden es: un urinario siendo usado, un urinario vacío, así sucesivamente. En el caso de que no haya urinarios que permitan cumplir esta recomendación, deberás esperar afuera del baño hasta que salga alguien y puedas cumplir con lo recomendado. Solo esta permitido mirar hacia la pared que tengas de frente. En algunos casos podrás bajar tu cabeza y mirar tu “chorrito”. En ningún caso y bajo ninguna circunstancia es aceptable que mires otro “chorrito” que no sea el tuyo. Tu compañero de urinario no es tu amigo. Lo recomendable cuando tengas que usar el baño es que entres con cara de perro bravo. Olvídate de decir “Buenas Noches” al entrar. Si alguien te saluda, ignóralo; compórtate como si no lo hubieses escuchado.

Does anyone else find this as hilarious as I do???