My Spanish Car

I have been driving in Spain for the past few months which usually woudn't be a big deal. However, the typical car in Europe is a stick shift. This was a problem for me since I had only ever driven an automatic at home. Therefore, learning to drive this new car in a foreign country was quite interesting. Learning to drive with 2 legs was bad enough, but the streets here made it more of a challenge for me. I still have trouble with the hills. I hate how the car rolls back and I feel like I am going to hit the car behind me. Most road only have round-abouts with only a few stop lights here and there. Trying to naviagate these round-abouts can be quite scary. There doesn't seem to be any rules when going around them, except to not get hit or hit anyone in the process. You just kinda go when there is an opening. I have the hang of it now, I think. But I still worry sometimes. There are also many one-way streets and cobblestone roads. Sometimes the road is so small that the car can barely get through it. At what should be a four-way stop (there are hardly any stop signs), I never know who has the right of way. This makes it very frustrating because I don't know the rules. Although, I don't know how anyone could when there are no signs posted. I have been learning by trial and error which I'm not sure is good or not!! Parking is a nightmare. You have to pay for most parking on the street and there are really no parking lots. Thnakfully my car is small so it is easier to park. It is quite interesting to watch people park their car. They will be going down a street, see parking spot (mind you they are way past the spot already and the car behind you is now there) and then decide to back-up to get to this spot. It doesn't matter that there are four cars behind this person...everyone will back-up for this one car so they can have the spot. WHO does this I ask you?I like our way much better...If you miss the spot then you are SOL. I once didn't back-up fast enough for one car and it just kept on coming and I was almost hit in the process. They just do not care. Also, when you park on the street people do not leave any room in between the cars which obviously makes it difficult to get out of the spot. However, they solved this little problem by hitting the car in front and behind them. It's very simple, no room so hit other cars. Not that it's a hard hit, but I see the parked cars move quite a bit from the impact. Again, people just don't seem to care if their car is hit. I really don't understand!!

City of Light

Seine River Cruise The Louvre Museum Versaille The Eiffel Tower at night Arc De Triomphe On Top of the Arc De Triomphe This last weekend I was able to go to Paris...aka City of Light. This was also a solo trip for me, but I still had a great time. The weather was interesting. It rained the day I arrived and departed. Thankfully Saturday and Sunday was nice and sunny. I miss my CA weather!! I stayed at a little hotel by the Arc De Triomphe. When I first arrived to the city by metro I took a taxi to my hotel. I knew it was close by, but I didn't know the exact location. Well let me tell you, a 3 min ride in Paris cost me 6 Euro...welcome to Paris. This the driver happily explained was the starting rate. Can you believe that? This is one of the most expensive cities to visit I came to find out. Anyways, my hotel was really small and under construction. My room was tiny and the bathroom was even smaller. Every time you moved in the shower you hit your elbow on the wall. Thankfully, I was only there to sleep. Friday night to took a walk along the Des Champs Elysees. This is where all the high ewnd shopping takes place. I walked pass many designer names including Loius Vuitton. The most I could do was widow shop, of course. Saturday I went exploring and hit everything from the Arc De Triomphe to Notre-Dame Cathedral andeverything in between. At one point I went to Montmarte District where Moulin Rouge is located. If I was to say that Paris had a red light distict this would be it. Up and down the street all a person sees are sex shops and love stores. The city may look small on the map, but walking it is a different story. I must have walked miles that day and my feet paid for it. I got to see a lot of awesome history and buildings though. If I could try to explain the city I would have to say that it's extravagant in everyway and everything is big and in your face and I loved it. Sunday I did a moring tour to Versaille...the big Palace of the Kings. To my surprise that afternoon happened to be the finale of the Tour De France and I was able to witness it. Some Spaniard won and Lance Armstong took 3rd place. There were so many people for this event and numerous streets had to close down and police swarmed the area for security. That night I took another tour where I got to cruise the Seine River for an hour, go to the 2nd level of the Eiffel Tower and do an illimunation tour of Paris by bus. The city at night is amazing and watching the Eiffel Tower light up is spectactular. Being on top of the Eiffel Tower is so crazy. The view of the city is beautiful and you are just up so high. Luckily, all the local I asked for help were all friendly and very nice. I was a little nervous because I had heard so many stories on how the French people will either ignore you or be very rude. I'm glad I got them on a good weekend. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Luck of the Irish

My room at Abagail's HostelThe courtyard of the castleThe Liffey River- My hostel was right on the river

I took my first trip outside of Spain this last weekend. Since it was a solo trip I decided to go to Ireland. I wanted to be able to be able understand the locals since I was in a foreign country by myself. I had such a great time and I met so many nice and friendly people that I am sure I will keep in contact with in the future. I met a lot of people from California which was really funny. I also met people from some other states, Australia and Italy. At one time in my hostel room every girl was from California and there were 8 beds. What a small world. The hostel was not as bad as I thought it would be. I have heard some horror stories so I was pleasantly surprised. It was pretty clean and I only had to share a bathroom with the girls in my room. There was a common area and kitchen. They also provided breakfast which was only cereal and toast. But, hey who am I to complain when it's free food. Although, I have to say the milk was pretty gross. Friday after I arrived I took a guided walking tour. It was a good way for me to learn the history of Ireland and see some of the sites. That night I went on a pub crawl. It was so much fun. They took us to 4 pubs and 1 disco. We received a couple of free shots which was nice and the places we went were not the touristy pubs, thankfully. This definitely cut down the price of drinks. Saturday I went sightseeing with a couple of girls I met from the hostel. We saw the castle, some cathedrals (which were absolutely gorgeous), Trinity College and this huge park. The park was so big I wasn't even to walk all of it. There is a big lake in the middle. That day there were so many people just walking about or sitting in the grass eating or just hanging out. That afternoon I went to Guiness Storehouse. Here they show you how the beer is made and at the end you get a free Guiness. That night I went to a pub that had live Irish music. This was awesome to see. The songs are so lively and fun. I also decided that the Guiness in Ireland tastes much better than in CA. I actually liked it when at home I don't like dark beers. I heard that it doesn't travel well so this may be the reason. Sunday I went on a day tour though Wicklow. I am so happy that I did this tour. I was able to see the countryside...which is exactly what I think of when I think of Ireland. The mountains and hills were so green with lots of rocks and trees waterfalls and lakes. There were also lots of sheep roaming around. The scenery was like something out of a movie or book. It was absolutely beautiful. I also saw the place where a scene from Braveheart and PS I Love You were filmed. We also went to a monaster. Next to the monaster was a huge park. It is a place where people go camping, can hike on the trails or come out for the day to relax and have the kids go in the lake. Needless to say I was falling asleep on the ride back home. Monday morning I left and I am so glad that I did this trip. It was so nice seeing a new country and all it has to teach and offer.

The center of Dublin

Christ Church CathedralGuiness FactoryCountryside

Lucky Monument-Back in the day they said that if you could put your arms around this and your fingers touch then you will be lucky. My fingers were so close to touching...too bad

Barcelona

I finally was able to tour the city of Barcelona. I have only been there twice. Once when i arrived at the airport (which doesn't count) and I have been the the beach.I was able to spend this past weekend int he city. I had so much fun. I went with Kristin and we couch surfed for the night. Kristin's family drove us down and then we had to take te metro to get their apartment. The metro in a foreign country gets some taking use to since everyting is in another language. Thankfully, we really didn't get lost. For those of you who don't know, couch surfing is where people offer up there couches for you to sleep on while you are in their city. The best part is that it's free. It a great way to meet people and see the city. The guys we stayed with were extremely friendly and were able to show us around the city. That night they let us hang out with their friends...who were all nice as well and many spoke English which is a plus. Saturday night we left for dinner at 10 and had tappas. Later we went to one of their friend's house for cake and drinks. Finally at 3am we left to go to the Disco, Side Car. I have never gone out that late especially since things close down around 2am in CA. It is definitely a different experience. I think we left the disco around 6am when the sun was coming out. That is definitely a first for me. I only got a few hours of sleep Sunday morning then had to catch a ride back home. I was so tired and my feet were killing me from the night before, but I had so much fun that I wouldn't change a thing. They guys we stayed with- Alvaro and Marco A Goudi Building Human Castle- the smaller kids are on top. I was afraid one of them would fall. The youngest looked to be about 5 years old. You can't see from my pic, but there are 8 levels of people. Las Ramblas Street- Up and down this street you will find people in costume as they pretend to be statues. They each have a bucket in front of them and if you give money they will then do something for you. I didn't wait anround to see what this guy would do. This is their job and you will see them everyday.

Tarragona

Tarragona is next to Reus. It is only a 10 min train ride away. I went on my mini day trip today with Kristin. We left early this morning. The day was beutiful...not a cloud in the sky. The ocean was right nextg to us as we exited the train. Tarragona is a much bigger town. There are also many, many stairs. to go anywhere you have to go up or down stairs. There were also lots of hills. I definitely got my exercise in today. We did lots of site-seeing and layed out by at the beach. It turned out to be a very hot day...but I really enjoyed my outing. It's nice to get away even if only for the day. Staying inside a house too long can really make a person antsy. We were able to have lunch and and Gelato ice cream. Of course we ate lunch like normal Americans at noon...no one in Spain eats this early so we were the only ones there. Most people do not eat until around 2. The ice cream here is so good. I don't know what they do differently, but it is awesome. The Roman Ruins of an Amphitheater. I didn't go inside becuase they charged money. I thought I got some good pictures from the outside without the cost.The cathedral is huge...this is only one side of it. This picture doesn't do it justice. There are gargoyles on the roof and many statues in the middle. There are many statues throughout the city. Here I am enjoying my ice cream with an old man. This statue or momument is huge. It is a human castle. It's funny that I saw this today because the mom in my family was telling em ablout the people that come into town an do exactly this. They will actuall be here in a couople of weeks so I will be able to see it live and in person. It should be fun. The water is so clear and clean here. It is definitely different then our beaches. I could actually see the ground in the water. There were many cargo ships and sail boats out today. Here we are on the Mediterranean Balcony. It is long and you are able to see most of the costline. Great view!

Team Barca

Well, I don't know if it hit the news in America, but the Barcelona Futbol (soccer for those of you who don't know ;) ) team won all 3 championships...King's Cup, Spanish Cup and last night they won the European Cup. This is a huge deal. Barca made history last night because no other team has won all 3 cups in one season. Let me tell you Spain takes this very seriously. I can't even begin to describe the following this sport has...People here are so intense about futbol. I have never seen anything like it in the States. People are very proud an loyal to their team. After any of the games Barca won people would be out on the streets celebrating and partying all throughout Catalunya. There are fireworks going off, car horns being honked and people are dancing and chanting in the streets and plazas. Last night was no difference. I was able to go to a bar last night to watch the game and experience it first hand. It was so interesting to see how excited people were and how much fun they were having. They were even were sing the Barca anthem.

Some person dyed their dogs fur the team colors (blue & red)

People starting to arrive to the plaze The chanting & Fireworks begin More of the crowd Kristin (new au pair), Brigitte, Chelsea & Me

This afternoon the team arrived back home...the game was in Rome. A huge crowd was waiting for them when they arrived. Then they were off to their home stadium. They were driven in a double decker bus with no roof on top. That way they could wave to their adoring fans. Believe me the crowd is in love. There were more than a million people in the streets to watch them pass by. Girls were crying, pictures were being taken and singing was occuring while these futbol players drove by. They were treated as if they were royalty. Again, I must say that I have never seen anything like it. Of course, it was broadcasted on tv and I was watching it with the family. Finally, 3 hours later the team arrives to the stadium. It is jammed packed with people inside awaiting their arrival. The palyers come out and circle the inside of the stadium a few times, make some speeches, more circling anf then it's finally finished. It would surprise me greatly if any of these players came out of this experience without a swelled head. They are given such a high status with the people that I think it would be hard for them to not think that they were the greatest thing since sliced bread!!!

Circus Week

The Circus came to Reus this week. Well, not just one company, but many different shows were throughout the town. There are 3 main plazas and each had a couple of different performers. It was easy to tell the circus people from everyone else. First and foremost they look different. Most men and women had the very long dread locks and their clothes have a well-worn look to them. They also have this air of wanderlust like the gypsies. You can tell they have been to many places. They travel from town to town to put on their show. These pictures I took while in Plaza de Prim. This is not the actual show, but the performers practicing. They don't actually perform until around 7 or 8. This girl is really flexible. You can't see it, but at the other end is a balloon. She picks up a bow and arrow with her feet and pops the balloon. This girl got so much air. They threw her up from the right side, she did some flips and then landed in the armsof the people on the left. This guy is walking the tightrope. On Saturday night I was able to see one show. Unfortunately, I was not able to get any pictures. It was so incredible crowded. It was really hard to see. The plazas were packed. It made it difficult to walk anywhere. It didn't help that it was a Saturday when all the shops are busy as well.