I Don´t Know What to do With Those Tossed Salads...
We arrived again in Sevilla two days ago to attend school and find a flat. Because this Thursday is "Andalucia Day" (come on! Isn´t everyday Andalucia Day??), and because we missed Monday´s class, we decided to wait to attend school next week when we can get our money´s worth. By the time we figured out all these plans, it was siesta time. So, we had to wait inside the school for the secretary to come back to show us the apartment.
Joey and I were getting hungry so I left to go find us some food (that wasn't McDonald's or BK). I ended up going to one of very few restaurants that was open during the hours of 2:00-5:00pm. I proudly returned to school with tomato slices with fresh mozzarella, spinach empanadas, and a big portion of the house salad, but found out that they had forgotten to give us utensils. Back I went to the restaurant, only to find that they didn't forget the utensils, they never give plasticware with the "para llevar" orders. What is a girl to do?! I searched for plastic forks at 3 other restaurants, and ended up coming back with 4 coffee stirrers. So, we watched a LOST episode and messily ate our salad and tapas.
When the woman returned, we found out that since we are not current students according to Enforex, we cannot stay in the student housing this week without paying an extra fee. Heeeeck no, so now we´re at a hostel.
...And Scrambled Eggs...
Last week, when Joey and I went to a restaurant and ordered (for dinner of course) eggs, hamburger, potatoes, and Russian salad, the eggs were soupy and the hamburger was underdone. I wouldn't say that I am a picky eater (but Joey would and has), but I do like my food cooked - well. We also ate at a cafe and split a Spanish tortilla on a baguette. Even the scrambled eggs were still too liquidy for me. So when Joey told me that the hostel had a kitchen, I was really excited to make my own food! This morning we had freshly baked bread, Tropicana orange juice and oranges, and DRY scrambled eggs =)
Goodnight Sevilla, we love you!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Monkey Business
A late start almost prompted a repeat of the trip to Ronda and Sevilla. Once again we were with empty stomachs, slightly nauseous from the taxi ride, and running to catch the last direct bus to Gibraltar for several hours. Luckily for me...Joey...and the entire bus, it was a much smoother ride with a short stop in Estepona. Upon arriving in Estepona, I thought it would be a good idea for me to get off for fresh air and get a refresco for Joey, who stayed on the bus. (This has good idea written all over it - doesn't it?! haha). I was having trouble finding a soda machine and by the time I did, and got my money out, I see the bus pulling out! I figured that Joey would yell to the driver to wait for me. I figured wrong! Apparently he just sat there with a worried look on his face, paralyzed by the grammatical convention of how to tell the driver to stop - "Is it a command...because I want him to stop now....or maybe conditional...because I only want him to stop if she isn't on the bus... or the future tense...because I need him to stop a few seconds after he closed the door?...quien sabe..." Meanwhile, I am running after the bus - arms flailing! Fortunately, a man spotted me and informed the driver (quite easily and promptly, I might add). After returning to my seat, Joey only asked, "So, where's my drink?"
We arrived in La Linea, the city dividing Spain and Wee Britain, and walked across Gibraltar's airport runway to get to the centre of town. Unfortunately, the weather was not great, so we decided to get lunch hoping the sky might clear up a bit later. For a mere 12 pounds, we each enjoyed fish & chips and a coke in a restaurant much like Long John Silvers. After eating and walking around for a while, the sky was still as grey and cloudy as it was when we arrived - oh well.
We took a tour van with two other people up to the Rock. Our first stop was pretty much a Kodak picture spot that overlooked Gibraltar, the runway, Spain, and even Africa (although the hazy weather prevented us from seeing it). Next, we went to the cave. It was very cool but we were definitely spoiled by Carlsbad Caverns. From there, we went to the top of the Rock, which was the highlight. Always a tourist favourite...hanging out with the monkeys! Me encantan los monos!!! On the way down, we stopped briefly in the Siege Tunnels which had low ceilings, dripping water, and a humungo spider that spooked me right back out. Joey took a couple more pictures and I took the opportunity to pick a cool looking leaf for my travel journal/scrapbook. I realized too late that the leaf was covered in fine prickly thorns. OUCH! My thumb burned and turned kind of red. We asked the tourguide if the plant 
was poisonou
s. He said that it wasn't but in order to stop the burning feeling, I had to urinate on it! Allllllright...After the tour, we stopped at a pub -for Joey to get a pint of cider and of course for me to use the bathroom. We left the pub in a hurry after realizing that we only had 45 min until the last direct bus to Marbella would leave. Knowing that we always run on Cuban time...and knowing our travel history, you might have guessed that we missed the bus. Okay, the longer route it is! We stopped every 15 minutes or so, so what should have taken an hour and a half, took about 2 and a half.
We got back to Betty's around 9:00pm (eight hours since lunch and starving) and had the best meal of my life! An omelet, baked potato, and chilled tomato slices with fresh mozzarella. Despite the dreary weather, almost getting left in Estepona, and having to pee on my thumb, it was a pretty good day.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
(long post warning, (slightly graphic (but blurred) photo warning as well) the Reader's Digest version is below this post)
Tirar los galletitas
Em and I got up early on Saturday to catch the 9a bus to Seville. We had a change of plans. Saturday was supposed to be a Gibraltar tour day but the weather was bad, therefore dropping a few folks from the roster. Meanwhile, Em and I wanted to check out apartments in Sevilla which is notoriously difficult in the month of Semana Santa.
The buses in Andalucia have very comfortable seats and large windows. They usually are also a little more convenient than trains. For example, a bus to Sevilla is about 3'30, a bus to Malaga is 1'+ 2'30 train ride + your waiting time.
Running late as usual we cut our breakfast and hailed a cab to the bus station. With 3 minutes or so to spare Em said she was having that empty stomach nausea you get when you exercise before breakfast. So I held the bus while she ran to get some M&Ms and water.
The road to Sevilla passes through Ronda. A-397 is one of the most dizzying rides you can imagine. A turn every few seconds; 60 minutes of uphill slalom. Em with her propensity towards motion-sickness was a sad pup within minutes of taking off. She seemed like she would be okay but she got worse and worse and within sight of Ronda it became just too much. Her stomach heaved and with no bag or anything to catch it, I put my hands under her mouth. I was hoping that maybe just that little bit would be enough until she got off the bus. You would think that I had never vomited before based on that line of thinking. It continued...and continued.
Covering the floor, the tips of her hair, her jeans, my jeans and with a little even hitting the woman sitting in front of us. The woman, who wanted to make her ride more comfortable leaned back her seat creating a space for my sister's hurlorama to sneak through. Bet she doesn't do that again! Lo siento is just way too short make up for regurgitated snacks.
We finally arrived at the bus station in Ronda with a slightly chocolaty-peanuty aroma in the air. It could have been much worse. I eventually just emptied my hands on the floor and wiped them on Em's jeans. We had a change of plans. Today would be a tour of Ronda but not before washing our clothes a bit.
Help me Ronda, Help me get it out of my hair
Colgate Total makes a surprisingly good ersatz shampoo. Em changed her clothes, I just rinsed mine down in the men's restroom. Some people asked me if I felt like a giant in Japan. Not at all...but I did in Ronda. I waited in line for the men's room and I think I was the only person over 5'3 there. The women next to me were all clawing for 5' even. I came back to the cafe where the conductor tells me that they always carry bags on curvy roads. Good to know.
Hemingway said that Ronda is a perfect place to spend an afternoon. I agree. Ronda is most famous for it's "Puente Nuevo" (also called Puente San Miguel--nuevo, or new, is such a relative term in Europe, it was built in 1793) a 300ft tall mammoth bridge that spans a picturesque canyon. While that is the draw, the city is nice enough unto itself. The narrow roads of old town, the green fields in the distance, give the place an other worldly feel. If Caserta, was for Naboo's royalty this was the home of its commoners.
GORGE-ous
Considering how famous the bridge is in the town (at least half the visitors come here JUST for that) it is surprisingly hard to locate on the tourist map. If you don't know the name, you would assume it is just another bridge. The tell tail sign in any town, of any tourist destination, is the density of postcard racks. As we reached bridge, the town opened up and we had an incredible view. How they built something like this 200+ years ago just astounds me. We soaked in the atmosphere with a supermercado lunch (bread, meat, cheese, chips, fanta, water) on a trail that was to take us to the bottom of the canyon.
In the back there is another bridge, less famous, and less impressive by comparison but still quite nice and a welcome reprieve from the hoards of tourists understandably distracted by the Puente Nuevo. Ronda is a town that rewards walkers. The view of the bridge from the lookout points is very close and dizzyingly vertical. From the long path (unfortunately, suitable only young people) you get the best angle on the bridge and its surprise waterfall. Ronda is a required stop on any tour of Andalucia.
Down below we met up with some American students taking a weekend break from their studies in Sevilla. We sketched the area, and continued looking (in vain) for a way to get under the bridge. The path that seemed most promising led us through an abandoned electrical generating facility. It has probably been in this state for several years because the vines had taken it over.
It was getting late so we got our mosy on to the bus station to head back on a much straighter path to Sevilla.
At Giralda...large
We arrived around 9:30 and I found myself surprisingly aware of where I was within the city, considering I have never arrived by bus. Outside the bus station was a very modern slick looking metro line (one that was underconstruction while I was in Sevilla last time).
We hopped a cab to the out of the way hostel I stayed at last time, figuring it was bound to have empty beds at this hour. Nope. Apparently a rowing team and a bicycling team had taken the place over leaving us further a way from the other hostels. Em and I began the long walk back to the center of town. We walked through the Plaza Nueva, the University and of course got to see the Cathedral with its iconic belltower the Giralda glowing against a clear black sky. It never fails to impress.
One of the rules to keep in mind in Andalucia is that hostels are not always cheapter than 1-2 star hotels when you aren't traveling solo. We checked a few centrally located pensions and were running in the 40-60 euro range. When we arrived in Plaza Nueva, we found a few backpackers and ran up to them to see if they were heading to a hostel .Yup! Okay great, so we headed off to Hostal Suijzo Nuevo. Em and I were far too tired to do much of anything that night so we just collapsed and slept through the night (surprisingly tough to do in a hostel).
The next morning was a rainy, dreary, mess of a day. We stopped off at McD's which was the only thing open on a Sunday morning at 11a. Trying to find apartments to rent in one day is pretty ambitious. Sunday was going to be a get to know Sevilla day to see if Em wanted to stay here or continue in Marbella.
We did a tour of the cathedral (still among the most impressive I have seen). Sundays are no longer free as they were when I was here last but the 2 euro student price (7 euro adult price) is very much worthwhile. Trying to capture the jawdropping beauty of the place with photos is impossible, which to me is a sign that God wants us to travel ;)
We did the obligatory climb up the Giralda to get a view of the streets of Barrio Santa Cruz below. From there we headed to the Plaza de Espa~a, home of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, Naboo, Lawrence of 
Arabia and the first page of Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. Sunset in the plaza is pretty spectacular. The top of the plaza glows iridescent orange as does the back of the front wall. It lasts only a few minutes and then for a nocturnal encore, the fountain's, towers, and square light up. Sevilla es de cine, literally.
We got ourselves to the 2nd train station in Sevilla (the place I got off the first time) and were about to buy our ticket to Malaga when we had a realization. There may not be a bus back to Marbella at 10p. We'd be stuck in Malaga. So a 3 day weekend it was. Insert arm twisting here.
Back to the center of town and back to the Barrio Santa Cruz. Our first pension attempt was 40 euros down the back of an alley with a rude owner/manager who was supremely insulted when we tested the shower for hot water before agreeing to stay. He told me "If you want to know if we have hot water you just need to ask me if there is hot water" not being quite the fan of this guy's attitude I asked Em if she wanted to continue looking to which she said (in English) "Absolutely, I don't trust this guy at all" yup I agree. So one of two things, either there was no hot water (possible), or there was and this guy has no customer service savvy at all (very possible).
Two streets later we found Pension de Santa Maria de la Blanca. A very simple accommodation, in a traditional Andalusian house 40 euros for ensuite bathroom and twin beds. Deal. Walking the narrow streets can be fun with the assortment of bars, cafe's, heladerias and the like.
The next day we focused on contacting people looking to rent furnished apartments. 1 bedrooms are from 650 and 2 bedrooms appear to be from 750 to 850 depending on distance to the city center. As always, a bit of negotiating is usually a good idea. We also had as a priority finding the Enforex school. Not knowing the area, I decided to follow instructions from Google Maps from the cathedral. When we took a 2 mile loop around the city we found the school...literally meters from where we stayed at the pension. Lucky is the person who has the free time to walk for two hours in Sevilla.
We rode back to Marbella via a train to Malaga and a subsequent direct bus to Marbella. The train station was under a fair amount of construction the last time I was there. It is almost unrecognizable and it would rival Kyoto for me for the train station to get stuck in. Great weekend in Spain.
Ciao!
--Joey
Tirar los galletitas
Em and I got up early on Saturday to catch the 9a bus to Seville. We had a change of plans. Saturday was supposed to be a Gibraltar tour day but the weather was bad, therefore dropping a few folks from the roster. Meanwhile, Em and I wanted to check out apartments in Sevilla which is notoriously difficult in the month of Semana Santa.
The buses in Andalucia have very comfortable seats and large windows. They usually are also a little more convenient than trains. For example, a bus to Sevilla is about 3'30, a bus to Malaga is 1'+ 2'30 train ride + your waiting time.
Running late as usual we cut our breakfast and hailed a cab to the bus station. With 3 minutes or so to spare Em said she was having that empty stomach nausea you get when you exercise before breakfast. So I held the bus while she ran to get some M&Ms and water.
The road to Sevilla passes through Ronda. A-397 is one of the most dizzying rides you can imagine. A turn every few seconds; 60 minutes of uphill slalom. Em with her propensity towards motion-sickness was a sad pup within minutes of taking off. She seemed like she would be okay but she got worse and worse and within sight of Ronda it became just too much. Her stomach heaved and with no bag or anything to catch it, I put my hands under her mouth. I was hoping that maybe just that little bit would be enough until she got off the bus. You would think that I had never vomited before based on that line of thinking. It continued...and continued.Covering the floor, the tips of her hair, her jeans, my jeans and with a little even hitting the woman sitting in front of us. The woman, who wanted to make her ride more comfortable leaned back her seat creating a space for my sister's hurlorama to sneak through. Bet she doesn't do that again! Lo siento is just way too short make up for regurgitated snacks.
We finally arrived at the bus station in Ronda with a slightly chocolaty-peanuty aroma in the air. It could have been much worse. I eventually just emptied my hands on the floor and wiped them on Em's jeans. We had a change of plans. Today would be a tour of Ronda but not before washing our clothes a bit.
Help me Ronda, Help me get it out of my hair
Colgate Total makes a surprisingly good ersatz shampoo. Em changed her clothes, I just rinsed mine down in the men's restroom. Some people asked me if I felt like a giant in Japan. Not at all...but I did in Ronda. I waited in line for the men's room and I think I was the only person over 5'3 there. The women next to me were all clawing for 5' even. I came back to the cafe where the conductor tells me that they always carry bags on curvy roads. Good to know.
Hemingway said that Ronda is a perfect place to spend an afternoon. I agree. Ronda is most famous for it's "Puente Nuevo" (also called Puente San Miguel--nuevo, or new, is such a relative term in Europe, it was built in 1793) a 300ft tall mammoth bridge that spans a picturesque canyon. While that is the draw, the city is nice enough unto itself. The narrow roads of old town, the green fields in the distance, give the place an other worldly feel. If Caserta, was for Naboo's royalty this was the home of its commoners.
GORGE-ous
Considering how famous the bridge is in the town (at least half the visitors come here JUST for that) it is surprisingly hard to locate on the tourist map. If you don't know the name, you would assume it is just another bridge. The tell tail sign in any town, of any tourist destination, is the density of postcard racks. As we reached bridge, the town opened up and we had an incredible view. How they built something like this 200+ years ago just astounds me. We soaked in the atmosphere with a supermercado lunch (bread, meat, cheese, chips, fanta, water) on a trail that was to take us to the bottom of the canyon.In the back there is another bridge, less famous, and less impressive by comparison but still quite nice and a welcome reprieve from the hoards of tourists understandably distracted by the Puente Nuevo. Ronda is a town that rewards walkers. The view of the bridge from the lookout points is very close and dizzyingly vertical. From the long path (unfortunately, suitable only young people) you get the best angle on the bridge and its surprise waterfall. Ronda is a required stop on any tour of Andalucia.
Down below we met up with some American students taking a weekend break from their studies in Sevilla. We sketched the area, and continued looking (in vain) for a way to get under the bridge. The path that seemed most promising led us through an abandoned electrical generating facility. It has probably been in this state for several years because the vines had taken it over.
It was getting late so we got our mosy on to the bus station to head back on a much straighter path to Sevilla.
At Giralda...large
We arrived around 9:30 and I found myself surprisingly aware of where I was within the city, considering I have never arrived by bus. Outside the bus station was a very modern slick looking metro line (one that was underconstruction while I was in Sevilla last time).
We hopped a cab to the out of the way hostel I stayed at last time, figuring it was bound to have empty beds at this hour. Nope. Apparently a rowing team and a bicycling team had taken the place over leaving us further a way from the other hostels. Em and I began the long walk back to the center of town. We walked through the Plaza Nueva, the University and of course got to see the Cathedral with its iconic belltower the Giralda glowing against a clear black sky. It never fails to impress.
One of the rules to keep in mind in Andalucia is that hostels are not always cheapter than 1-2 star hotels when you aren't traveling solo. We checked a few centrally located pensions and were running in the 40-60 euro range. When we arrived in Plaza Nueva, we found a few backpackers and ran up to them to see if they were heading to a hostel .Yup! Okay great, so we headed off to Hostal Suijzo Nuevo. Em and I were far too tired to do much of anything that night so we just collapsed and slept through the night (surprisingly tough to do in a hostel).
The next morning was a rainy, dreary, mess of a day. We stopped off at McD's which was the only thing open on a Sunday morning at 11a. Trying to find apartments to rent in one day is pretty ambitious. Sunday was going to be a get to know Sevilla day to see if Em wanted to stay here or continue in Marbella.We did a tour of the cathedral (still among the most impressive I have seen). Sundays are no longer free as they were when I was here last but the 2 euro student price (7 euro adult price) is very much worthwhile. Trying to capture the jawdropping beauty of the place with photos is impossible, which to me is a sign that God wants us to travel ;)
We did the obligatory climb up the Giralda to get a view of the streets of Barrio Santa Cruz below. From there we headed to the Plaza de Espa~a, home of the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, Naboo, Lawrence of 
Arabia and the first page of Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. Sunset in the plaza is pretty spectacular. The top of the plaza glows iridescent orange as does the back of the front wall. It lasts only a few minutes and then for a nocturnal encore, the fountain's, towers, and square light up. Sevilla es de cine, literally.We got ourselves to the 2nd train station in Sevilla (the place I got off the first time) and were about to buy our ticket to Malaga when we had a realization. There may not be a bus back to Marbella at 10p. We'd be stuck in Malaga. So a 3 day weekend it was. Insert arm twisting here.
Back to the center of town and back to the Barrio Santa Cruz. Our first pension attempt was 40 euros down the back of an alley with a rude owner/manager who was supremely insulted when we tested the shower for hot water before agreeing to stay. He told me "If you want to know if we have hot water you just need to ask me if there is hot water" not being quite the fan of this guy's attitude I asked Em if she wanted to continue looking to which she said (in English) "Absolutely, I don't trust this guy at all" yup I agree. So one of two things, either there was no hot water (possible), or there was and this guy has no customer service savvy at all (very possible).
Two streets later we found Pension de Santa Maria de la Blanca. A very simple accommodation, in a traditional Andalusian house 40 euros for ensuite bathroom and twin beds. Deal. Walking the narrow streets can be fun with the assortment of bars, cafe's, heladerias and the like.
The next day we focused on contacting people looking to rent furnished apartments. 1 bedrooms are from 650 and 2 bedrooms appear to be from 750 to 850 depending on distance to the city center. As always, a bit of negotiating is usually a good idea. We also had as a priority finding the Enforex school. Not knowing the area, I decided to follow instructions from Google Maps from the cathedral. When we took a 2 mile loop around the city we found the school...literally meters from where we stayed at the pension. Lucky is the person who has the free time to walk for two hours in Sevilla.
We rode back to Marbella via a train to Malaga and a subsequent direct bus to Marbella. The train station was under a fair amount of construction the last time I was there. It is almost unrecognizable and it would rival Kyoto for me for the train station to get stuck in. Great weekend in Spain.
Ciao!
--Joey
Monday, February 18, 2008
Weekend Summary
Marbella - morning - bus - throw up - stop - Ronda - better - beautiful - bridge - incredible - night - bus - Sevilla - backpackers - hostel - day - Cathedral - strolling - Plaza - Starwars - night - pension - street - honking - morning - apartments - looking - circle - returned - Enforex - train - Malaga - bus - Marbella
***For more information see our future post =)
*** 
This is at the Plaza de Espan~a - where Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman filmed the Naboo scene from Starwars Ep. II!!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Un Perro Espan~ol con Una Arruga Francesa!Ayer, Joey y yo paseamos en el parque despues de nuestra clase. Estabamos caminando en acera cuando yo vi un Bulldog Frances en una otra acera abajo de nosotros.
Yo corri escaleras abajo a la otra acera para acariciar el perro lindo. Por supuesto, con el permiso del duen~o, yo jugaba con el.
Me gustan los perros! No siempre entiendo la gente de paises differentes, pero siempre entiendo sus perros!
***Translation: ***
Yesterday, Joey and I strolled through a park after our class. We were walking on the sidewalk when I saw a French Bulldog on another sidewalk that was at a lower level.
I ran down the stairs to pet the cute dog. Of course, with the permission of the owner, I played with it.
I love the dogs! I don't always understand the people in different countries, but I always understand their dogs!
Una otra adventura luego...Ciao!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
RSS Feed Problem resolved?
Well, no but I got a work around
Use the following feed (notice how similar it is to whereisjoeytoday it is wheres(no 'I')joeytoday http://wheresjoeytoday.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
I am going to mirror my blog entries with a link to the original. At least you will be notified without having to actually visit daily/weekly/however often you visit. For you IE7/Firefox users you can click on the RSS icon (looks like a "broadcast") and that should add a toolbar dropdown list.
http://wheresjoeytoday.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
--Joey
Well, no but I got a work around
Use the following feed (notice how similar it is to whereisjoeytoday it is wheres(no 'I')joeytoday http://wheresjoeytoday.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
I am going to mirror my blog entries with a link to the original. At least you will be notified without having to actually visit daily/weekly/however often you visit. For you IE7/Firefox users you can click on the RSS icon (looks like a "broadcast") and that should add a toolbar dropdown list.
http://wheresjoeytoday.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
--Joey
Monday, February 04, 2008
Super Monday
I found an Irish pub that had the Super Bowl on last night. The only problem is that it is tough to find a place that is open til 3:30a in the morning. So "The Spaniard" with its closing time of 3a would have to do.
It is kind of funny to watch the BBC feed. The audio commentary is straight from Fox, while Americans are watching mini-blockbusters of talking babies and humongous pigeons to replace Fedex, Britons are learning about this strange sport the Americans call "football".
A few American commentators joined a British host to explain the concept of the line of scrimmage, four downs etc. It is a sport that the majority of the people don't like (similar to soccer in the US) but it is such an important popculture event that you have to tune in. In Spain, you have to pay 20 bucks to do so...unless you get Sky Sports.
I created a quick video tour of my apartment here in Marbella. Later I'll add a few others :)
Ciao,
Joey
I found an Irish pub that had the Super Bowl on last night. The only problem is that it is tough to find a place that is open til 3:30a in the morning. So "The Spaniard" with its closing time of 3a would have to do.
It is kind of funny to watch the BBC feed. The audio commentary is straight from Fox, while Americans are watching mini-blockbusters of talking babies and humongous pigeons to replace Fedex, Britons are learning about this strange sport the Americans call "football".
A few American commentators joined a British host to explain the concept of the line of scrimmage, four downs etc. It is a sport that the majority of the people don't like (similar to soccer in the US) but it is such an important popculture event that you have to tune in. In Spain, you have to pay 20 bucks to do so...unless you get Sky Sports.
I created a quick video tour of my apartment here in Marbella. Later I'll add a few others :)
Ciao,
Joey
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)