1. Book tickets early! Else, you will miss getting to eat haggis (including vegetarian ones for non-sheep-lovers) on Burns Night (which is Jan. 25 and celebrates, you guessed it, Robert Burns). 2. Dancing at the cèilidh (Gaelic social gathering) requires the most amazing stamina and speed. And, kilts look so pretty with their pleats swirling … Continue reading
This final (probably) post about España is possibly the toughest one to write because my month there, short as it was, was probably one of the most life-changing experiences I’ve ever had. And, it’s difficult to write about experiences like that without relying on a host of cliches. How can I talk about what I had … Continue reading
Of course, I had a million stories as una turista en España. More in Oviedo, where I lived for a month, and more in Asturga, in León, in the Picos de Europa, in Cangas de Onís, in Covadonga. . .
I like touring what are called “sites of interest.” That’s just what I am. Give me a bus, some good walking shoes, a camera, a waterbottle, and a tour guide with a corny sense of humor. And isn’t Madrid a fantastic place to wander around and bitch and moan about how much your feet hurt … Continue reading
So, living about thirty minutes (por autobús) from a beach (en Gijón), it would be natural that my little group would eventually make a Sunday pilgrimage (or dos) to it. Of course, the big question is: Were there topless women there? Answer: Yes. Of course. This is Europe, for crying out loud. I’ve seen a mother help … Continue reading
I didn’t have to die before I went to heaven. — Ashley Lawrie June 3 If Oviedo is una ciudad de hadas, then Toledo is una ciudad de cielo. I wasn’t the one to coin that all-too apt description of Toledo — the lovely Ashley Lawrie, one of the Scotties in my group, was. What … Continue reading
June 9 As you all know, drinking sidra was on my to-do list in Oviedo. That item got crossed off quickly, as the Universidad de Oviedo provided a free excursión to Tierra Astur for an espicha. Una espicha was traditionally the time to open up pipes and taste-test the fully-fermented sidra before bottling it up. Now, … Continue reading
¡Hola, chicos! Time is just flying by. In only two weeks, I’ll be volando home. I didn’t think that a month would feel so short, but it does. Still, I’ve been trying my best to absorb the culture as much as I can. Here are the little things I’ve become to pick up on. I … Continue reading
June 8 Last Wednesday, I found Jesus! On Monte Naranco, anyway. Known as “El Cristo,” the giant statue of Jesus Christ watches over the city from the summit. I will be the first to admit that I am not at all atlética. My idea of exercise in the great outdoors is pasear por el parque … Continue reading
Flamenco June 2, 2011 On my Thursday night in Madrid, we went to see the flamenco. There, we met some expatriate alums, including a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship recipient, Charleen, who offered some very useful information about her experiences with the educational system in Spain (apparently, compared to other European countries, not as many people … Continue reading
