Tuesday, June 7, 2011
I'm leaving on a Jet Plane...
Somehow my body has already managed to get into "travel mode". I was up last night until 2:45 and then woke up at 4:30am just to get ready for this big trip. So much for a well rested start. Really, I am more excited for this trip than I can remember being in the past. I am traveling with my Mom! A total newbie to travel. We embark for Madrid tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait to experience things through her eyes. After that- it's all new for me as well. The trip is planned to go like this: Madrid (2 days), Milan (1 night), Venice (2 days), Milan (sleeping only), Interlaken (2 days), Paris (2 days), Nantes (1 day), Barcelona (board a Mediterranean cruise!!!!).... and our ports are Florence/Pisa, Rome, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, and then back to Barcelona. Wow- no wonder I can't sleep. I have so much to do, but I wanted to set the tone- tired and excited and ready to post some BEAUTIFULLY AMAZING photos! For now- Trisha
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
I'm leaving on a Jet Plane...
Somehow my body has already managed to get into "travel mode". I was up last night until 2:45 and then woke up at 4:30am just to get ready for this big trip. So much for a well rested start. Really, I am more excited for this trip than I can remember being in the past. I am traveling with my Mom! A total newbie to travel. We embark for Madrid tomorrow afternoon and I can't wait to experience things through her eyes. After that- it's all new for me as well. The trip is planned to go like this: Madrid (2 days), Milan (1 night), Venice (2 days), Milan (sleeping only), Interlaken (2 days), Paris (2 days), Nantes (1 day), Barcelona (board a Mediterranean cruise!!!!).... and our ports are Florence/Pisa, Rome, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, and then back to Barcelona. Wow- no wonder I can't sleep. I have so much to do, but I wanted to set the tone- tired and excited and ready to post some BEAUTIFULLY AMAZING photos! For now- Trisha
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Home
I am writing because for the first time in the past year I will be home for the entire month! Despite the fact that I am moving residence in June, it is me myself and I enjoying what it means to have routine and not go to my suit case to pick out something to wear (even if I still haven't done laundry in 2 suitcases yet:).
Asheville is a wonderful place to be for a full month. The weather outside right now is absolutely GORGEOUS! The mountians are green and remind me of the great Creator. The potential to go on a hike or skip in the grass with no shoes- something you can't do in Florida- makes me feel alive. To sleep in my own bed, even if it is covered in things from my last trip, is such a good and cozy thing.
Oh no, I just remembered, I am going to Knoxville this weekend. So much for the month home. Maybe I can cancel, no I can't. Well, maybe I will post from Knoxville.
Just a quick run down, this is where I've been, sans posting:
Tampa, Denver, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Englewood, New York, Atlanta, and Madrid- just to name a few.
Oh- if you are reading this, take a deep breath and appreciate whatever place you call home- there's nothing like it!
Asheville is a wonderful place to be for a full month. The weather outside right now is absolutely GORGEOUS! The mountians are green and remind me of the great Creator. The potential to go on a hike or skip in the grass with no shoes- something you can't do in Florida- makes me feel alive. To sleep in my own bed, even if it is covered in things from my last trip, is such a good and cozy thing.
Oh no, I just remembered, I am going to Knoxville this weekend. So much for the month home. Maybe I can cancel, no I can't. Well, maybe I will post from Knoxville.
Just a quick run down, this is where I've been, sans posting:
Tampa, Denver, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Englewood, New York, Atlanta, and Madrid- just to name a few.
Oh- if you are reading this, take a deep breath and appreciate whatever place you call home- there's nothing like it!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Santiago Saturday
Oh, what a weekend. I started to celebrate a little early by skipping classes yesterday so that I could get my rest and be ready for last night´s festival. :) After waking up around 11, having my very Spanish breakfast of toast and coffee, I headed into town to get a few errands done (shampoo, money; you know, all the travel errands that don´t bother you when your traveling). I managed to run into my little group of girls that I´ve made friends with here, and made plans for the festivities. Oh what a day!
After going out and being part of the thousands that were 0ut and about, we found ourselves at a little cafe with sangria and beers all around. The park here is filled with rides, and cotton candy- like any good carnival should be. We decided not to actually ride any of them, mostly due to American Carnies who have affected all trust in carnival rides throughout the world. But, really this post has nothing to do with the carnival, and everything to do with why I was most excited to come to Santiago in July- FIREWORKS!!!!
So, picture walking up to the main cathedral plaza, two hours before the show, and seeing it filled with thousands of people! Wow, so the rumors I heard were definitely true- get there early!!! We managed to fanagle our way to a spot, where we could see most things, busted out the cards for a game of Go Fish (what else do you play with 3 people?), and began the wait. This is where Spain has no appeal to me at all. Two hours of smoking, pushing and loud people was a little rough. It´s amazing how really EVERYONE smokes. But, we endured it, and at 11:30 on the dot everything went black.
People began to cheer, a indescribably spooky music began to play, and the cathedral was lit up in a deep blue. From that point on, it was one of the most AMAZING experinces of my life. I feel that everyone should be here on July24th once in their lives to see what I saw. Lights, music and fireworks all in beautiful sync to celebrate the city and the story of Santiago; to create an unforgetable experience. Literally for one full hour the most amazing and beautiful live art I have ever seen was created. I tried to take videos (and when I go home will have to ask Joey to help me share) to capture what was happening, but nothing compares to standing there and experincing something like that. WOW!!!
So, at 2 am, we were very, very tired. We started to make our way back through the people drinking and partying in the park. I can only imagined they were there all night. I woke up to a park full of trash, beer bottles and wondered how that was all there for the religious festival? To each his own. I will post some pics and hope they show a little glimpse of my day for the dear Saint.
much peace. Trisha
After going out and being part of the thousands that were 0ut and about, we found ourselves at a little cafe with sangria and beers all around. The park here is filled with rides, and cotton candy- like any good carnival should be. We decided not to actually ride any of them, mostly due to American Carnies who have affected all trust in carnival rides throughout the world. But, really this post has nothing to do with the carnival, and everything to do with why I was most excited to come to Santiago in July- FIREWORKS!!!!
So, picture walking up to the main cathedral plaza, two hours before the show, and seeing it filled with thousands of people! Wow, so the rumors I heard were definitely true- get there early!!! We managed to fanagle our way to a spot, where we could see most things, busted out the cards for a game of Go Fish (what else do you play with 3 people?), and began the wait. This is where Spain has no appeal to me at all. Two hours of smoking, pushing and loud people was a little rough. It´s amazing how really EVERYONE smokes. But, we endured it, and at 11:30 on the dot everything went black.
People began to cheer, a indescribably spooky music began to play, and the cathedral was lit up in a deep blue. From that point on, it was one of the most AMAZING experinces of my life. I feel that everyone should be here on July24th once in their lives to see what I saw. Lights, music and fireworks all in beautiful sync to celebrate the city and the story of Santiago; to create an unforgetable experience. Literally for one full hour the most amazing and beautiful live art I have ever seen was created. I tried to take videos (and when I go home will have to ask Joey to help me share) to capture what was happening, but nothing compares to standing there and experincing something like that. WOW!!!
So, at 2 am, we were very, very tired. We started to make our way back through the people drinking and partying in the park. I can only imagined they were there all night. I woke up to a park full of trash, beer bottles and wondered how that was all there for the religious festival? To each his own. I will post some pics and hope they show a little glimpse of my day for the dear Saint.
much peace. Trisha
p.s. I included a video from the Ojos de Brujo concert too!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Green...
Green is very apparent everywhere you go here in Santiago and in Galicia in general. It is known as the greenest place in Spain due to its weather. Everything is very lush to say the least. It started raining yesterday around 3:00 and has yet to stop! I´m not talking the Pacific NY kind of steady, hard, mist. I´m talking downpouring rain. For some reason we thought today would be a good day to take a leisurely hour to stroll to the mall on the opposite side of town. Yes, it poured the whole time. Yes, we were soaked, but yes, we did have fun. We decided the mall was a good place for the Compostelans to go because it gave them a chance to be out together even though it rains all the time. Over all is was a very modern mall and had a TON of great stores. We only saw about half of them before we hit a wall and need to sit andget some chocolate con churros. In Spain, the month of July is know as the month of sales. Every single store you go into has at least half of their goods on sale for 30-70% off. It´s a ridiculously amazing. I gor my eyebrows waxed for 2.80 euros! Very exciting!!
Okay, back to the green issue. I can´t speak for the rest of Spain, but at least in Santiago the town is insanely ¨green minded¨ in the ecological sense. On the streets at the edge of the old town, there are seperate recycling canisters for everything you can imagine, including organic waste! In the halls, rooms and bathrooms, of nearly all buildings, there are motion sensors to turn the lights on and timers to turn them off (a little inconvinent when you are on the toilet). People are very touchy when you have the lights on in the daytime at all. The sun rises at about 6:30(I´m guessing) and it doesn´t set till like 10, not counting the rainy days of course. So overall think of how much money and energy they´re saving!
Overall, I´m a fan. I do wish the rain would stop before Friday though...that´s the day of the biggest Festival in Santiago. They shoot off a ton of fireworks and have a light show and burn down a fake Moorish facade in front of the Cathedral, but I don´t know what happens when it rains? Hmmmm, I guess we´ll see :) For now I´m off...
Okay, back to the green issue. I can´t speak for the rest of Spain, but at least in Santiago the town is insanely ¨green minded¨ in the ecological sense. On the streets at the edge of the old town, there are seperate recycling canisters for everything you can imagine, including organic waste! In the halls, rooms and bathrooms, of nearly all buildings, there are motion sensors to turn the lights on and timers to turn them off (a little inconvinent when you are on the toilet). People are very touchy when you have the lights on in the daytime at all. The sun rises at about 6:30(I´m guessing) and it doesn´t set till like 10, not counting the rainy days of course. So overall think of how much money and energy they´re saving!
Overall, I´m a fan. I do wish the rain would stop before Friday though...that´s the day of the biggest Festival in Santiago. They shoot off a ton of fireworks and have a light show and burn down a fake Moorish facade in front of the Cathedral, but I don´t know what happens when it rains? Hmmmm, I guess we´ll see :) For now I´m off...
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Spanish life goes on...
I am writing from the magical sala de ordenadores, opposed to the other one where the space bar doesn´t work on one computer and the internet doesn´t work on 3 others and sure enough, if you would like to add a question mark on 2 of them you can´t. So I found this magical computer room that I am not going to tell anyone about. Anyway, Spain is going well. I am now more accustomed to eating at 8, 2 and 10. It took awhile, and still the idea of toast for breakfast isn´t really doing it for me, but I realized yesterday that I haven´t had to grocery shop, cook or clean for almost 3 weeks! YAY for that!
I´ve offically started my second week of classes and this week began with two new professors. The theme of my cultural class is El Camino de Santiago, and the focus of this week is art and music. Next week is food, and I think we are all look forward to the gastronomy tour that is coming. At times I feel so overwhelmed by the Spanish, and at others I forget I am speaking it. It´s different to experience the language with only other language teachers (fortunatley none go around correcting everyone:).
To be honest, I don´t have many highlights. Oh, that´s a lie... I saw a film last night. It was called Un Novio para mi Mujer (a boyfriend for my wife). It was supposed to be a comedy, but knowing foreign films you can never trust the label. My friends and I thought it was much more of a drama than a comedy, but none the less happy we had Sunday night plans.
For now I am off to help a friend who is here who knew NO Spanish before coming. Pobresita, I cannot imagine.
besos a todos.
Trisha
I´ve offically started my second week of classes and this week began with two new professors. The theme of my cultural class is El Camino de Santiago, and the focus of this week is art and music. Next week is food, and I think we are all look forward to the gastronomy tour that is coming. At times I feel so overwhelmed by the Spanish, and at others I forget I am speaking it. It´s different to experience the language with only other language teachers (fortunatley none go around correcting everyone:).
To be honest, I don´t have many highlights. Oh, that´s a lie... I saw a film last night. It was called Un Novio para mi Mujer (a boyfriend for my wife). It was supposed to be a comedy, but knowing foreign films you can never trust the label. My friends and I thought it was much more of a drama than a comedy, but none the less happy we had Sunday night plans.
For now I am off to help a friend who is here who knew NO Spanish before coming. Pobresita, I cannot imagine.
besos a todos.
Trisha
Monday, July 13, 2009
El primer día de mis clases
I awoke this morning to a nice little knock on my door from a girl I met last night, who promised to wake me due to my lack of alarm clock. I can´t imagine she will do that everyday, so I plan to buy one today. The morning was nice and relaxed. I went to breakfast, in a cafeteria style place. There I had a very typical Spanish breakfast; crossiant, cafe con leche y una pieza de fruta. Wow, I just realized that I had began to type in Spanish (this is a good sign for me, but not so good for those who are reading, sorry). I sat with my new friend Beth, a girl from Romania, a girl from Portugal and an Italian girl! Wow, so between all of us it was a surprisingly quiet breakfast. We spoke about the deaths from the running of the bulls this week, and a bit about where we were all from. After breakfast they broke us into our groups for class. I am with a group of about 20 other professors/teachers from all over the world. It's wonderful because we have to speak in Spanish. Fortunately, I've made friends with a girl named Camilia who is staying in the room next to me and is in my class. She is from Brazil and we speak very well together *that sounds funny, but my mind is already having a hard time with the language translation*. Class was more of a meet and greet followed by a writing and reading test to see where we needed help. Pues, I just came back from lunch with a guy from Romania and my new friend. It is siesta here, then to a meeting at 5. Chao chao todos.
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