The GUGGENHEIM (oh and a little of Bilbao too!)

And the journey continues…After our San Sebastian pinxtos crawl we woke up to another beautiful morning and headed back to the bus station to catch the 11:30 bus to Bilbao. There was a mild amount of stress involved in this since we hadn’t already purchased our tickets, but we found the office and bought our tickets with a whole five minutes to spare. Our main reason for going to Bilbao was the Guggenheim Museum. There are four Guggenheims around the world (Bilbao, New York, Berlin, and Venice) all housing artwork collected by the Guggenheim Foundation. The museum in Bilbao is probably more famous for its architecture (designed by Frank Gehry) than for the actual art inside. I can’t really describe the building, but you can look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Guggenheim-bilbao-jan05.jpg to see a picture. Very cool. What you can’t see in this picture is that there is an awesome playground just to the side of the museum. My friends and I spent a good 25 minutes on the playground before actually devoting our attention to the museum. I have seen a lot of lame playgrounds in Spain, but this one was truly awesome. It had structures covered in webbed rope that you could climb on and we had lots of fun (and took lots of pictures) as we climbed. After asking a very nice man to take a picture of us all posed dramatically, we headed over to the museum. We took a 360 degree tour around the building and even walked to a nearby bridge to get a better perspective. Outside the museum there is a giant statue of a spider (it’s got to be 20 or 30 feet tall) and a HUGE puppy sculpture that’s made out of living flowers.

One of the best surprises of the day was that we got into the museum free – it was the 12th anniversary! My favorite exhibit in the museum was the installation A Matter of Time by Richard Serra. I liked it because it was interactive. Serra took large, metal sheets and formed different kinds of shapes (ovals, curvey lines, etc.) that you could walk through. It was very cool because each one was 3x the average height of a human and you just had to enter and follow the path wherever it led. Talking in them was also an experience because the echoes created by the unusual walls were amazing. Most of the second floor was closed which was a bummer, but there were some neat paintings on the third floor. I went around with my friend Harriet, who is an Art History major and it was great because she could give me the background on a lot of the artists and what to look for each painting. I want to go to more museums with her!

After the museum we took the Eusktram (Bilbao’s coolest public transportation) to the old part of town and wandered for an hour or so. I feel as though I say this all the time, but it was so pretty! Really, the towns here are gorgeous and I never have enough time to do them justice. Lots of cobblestone streets and cute shops and old people in hats and scarves walking around. Really picturesque. Before heading back to the bus station we stopped at a grocery store to grab food for dinner on the bus. In the United States I love grocery stores, and it’s not a passion that has gone away in Europe. I had to restrain myself from buying a lot of things that I didn’t need, but I did pick up a box of Special K granola bars as a healthy snacking option in Madrid.

We returned home to Madrid (after a half hour dinner stop at some random restaurant in the middle of nowhere) before midnight. Oh! I almost forgot – there were movies on the bus ride home. I watched (and understood a lot of) Ocean’s 13 in Spanish, which was terribly exciting. Although brief, it was a great trip with very fun people and a lovely way to spend the weekend.

Do you speak Euskara?

Last weekend 4 friends and I headed north to El País Vasco or, as those of you in the states may know it, Basque Country. For the most part I am not planning my own journeys around Spain because the program takes us to almost every region, but the Basque Country is one place where we don’t go. My theory is they’re scared of terrorists (there is a small radical group in Basque Country known as ETA who wants independence from Spain and are willing to be violent to make their point) but my friends and I didn’t see any suspicious characters while there. In fact, the people were incredibly kind and I loved the two cities we visited: San Sebastian and Bilbao (rhymes with cow). Every region of Spain is distinct, but there is particularly strong regional pride among the Basques. One thing that keeps this pride alive and well is the fact that they have their own language – Euskara. It’s possibly the oldest language in Europe and no one knows its origins. Cool, right? It was a short trip, only one night, and my friends and I left early Saturday morning by bus. The bus wasn’t exactly cheap, but we all felt better about what we paid once we realized the bus had a stewardess and snacks! We were a little over-excited if truth be told, but college kids are known for their love of “free” food.

We went to San Sebastian first and after a slight mishap with the city bus (we accidently got on the bus in the wrong direction and rode the entire length of the city and then had the bus driver make fun of us) we arrived at our hostel. San Sebastian is right on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea and has its busy season in the summer months when tourists from all over flock there for the beautiful beach. It was 50 degrees or colder the whole time we were there so it’s fair to say that we were definitely in the off-season. This became clear to us when, at the hostel, no one answered the door. We called the owner and she informed us that she was on vacation, but that her son would be coming shortly to let us in. It took him a little while to arrive, but we entertained ourselves by taking bets on the potential age of the son. When a 40 year old rode up on his bicycle, we were all a little disappointed. The hostel was on the fifth floor and it was clear that not too long ago it had been someone’s personal residence. There were some very, very funny signs in English asking us to “Please take quick showers. No washing allowed.” The son let us into our room, which was super cute and we enjoyed our bocadillos (sub-like sandwiches) packed for us by our host moms on the balcony off our room.

After lunch we set out to explore the city. We were staying in the Parte Vieja (old part of town) which undoubtedly has the most charm of any barrio in the city. The city has a large crescent-moon shaped beach and at one end of the crescent is a large hill with a statue of Jesus at the top. My friends and I walked to the top and had a lovely time ambling up the path. The views from the top were incredible! After that we headed back down and decided to walk barefoot along the beach. It was cold, but the sun was out and it’s really just a beautiful spot. Plus, now I can say I’ve been to the beach in October! This whole climbing, walking, chatting process took us several hours and we finally decided we were getting frozen (let me just remind you here that we were feeling frozen because we’ve been spoiled with the lovely Madrid weather. In reality, it wasn’t that bad with a light jacket) so we found a café and had colacao con leche caliente (basically hot chocolate). We then went on a semi-epic hunt to find an ATM and returned back to the hostel to change for dinner.

Spain is known for its tapas (small, hors devour like foods) but El País Vasco is supposed to have the best tapas in Spain and my guide book told me that within El País Vasco everyone says San Sebastian’s are superior. They call them pinxtos (pin-chos) and my guide book didn’t lie. They were delicious! Instead of dinner we did a pinxtos/bar crawl. Both my friend Harriet and I had guidebooks and we created a list of recommended bars and headed out. In the first bar the countertop was covered with pinxtos. It’s hard to describe, but image an entire bar covered in big white plates with different funny-looking foods on toothpicks. It was actually a little overwhelming and I not only did I not know what I wanted, but I was also confused on how to order! Turns out it wasn’t so difficult. The bartender handed me an empty plate and I just picked up what I wanted. I decided the best way to get the real San Sebastian pinxto experience was just to guess. I avoided anything that looked particularly fishy and also anything that I could immediately identify. I tried three different things and although they were like nothing I had eaten before, they were ríquisimo! After eating, I went back to the bartender and he counted my toothpicks and told me how much I owed. They're a very trusting people in San Sebastian. They next bar was a clearly more metropolitan and it was packed. We fought our way in and then paused, since we had no idea what to order. In the first bar, everything had been laid out for you to choose, but here the pinxtos were made-to-order. It was clear from looking around at what others were eating that the place was famous for its cooked meat. We all ordered ribs and received a beautiful little piece of steaming deliciousness. Seriously, it was so good. Plus, we split a bottle of red wine which just added to the experience. We finished up our night in a less-crowded bar where we had one more round of pinxtos and chatted until the early morning. Finally, exhausted, we headed back to the hostel to sleep.

Hospital Clínco San Carlos

For those of you who are my avid fans you may remember that several posts ago I mentioned that I’m taking a class on NGOs in Spain and one of the requirements is a 60 hour internship. I elected to volunteer with an organization called Desarollo y Asistencia. They do all sorts of great things in Madrid. I know because I had to sit through their two hour initiation session. It was very informative, but it was also a lot of very, very rapid Spanish in a hot, crowded room while I really had to go to the bathroom. In any case, they send volunteers to nursing homes, homeless shelters, and hospitals. I’ve never volunteered at a hospital before, but decided that now was as good a time as any to try it out. Actually, I picked the hospital because I wanted a site where I would be able to practice my Spanish and also because my professor said that the students who have worked with D&A in the past have had found it to be very personally enriching.

I find that I often sign-up to do something that sounds really cool and then when the moment comes to actually do the thing I get very nervous. That was absolutely what happened before my first visit at the hospital. Although I don’t have the stress of difficult classes or loads of extra-curricular activities here, there is stress built into every interaction because there is still so much Spanish that I cannot understand, and my comprehension is far worse when I’m nervous. My anxiety stemmed from the fact that I had to 1) Find the hospital and then the correct place in the hospital. I had received lengthy directions to the volunteer office over the phone (in Spanish) from the coordinator, but they were complicated and past experience has taught me that I can, at times, be directionally challenged. 2) I had to talk with a whole lot of people who I didn’t know. This always makes me mildly uncomfortable, even in English. 3) I had to visit with sick people. I HATE illnesses and doctors and hospitals. As I set off, I was cursing myself for my ridiculous urge to get a different perspective on Madrid.

These frantic thoughts were simply last-minute panic and they evaporated when I arrived (early and without problems!) in the hospital’s volunteer office. The coordinator was late, but I chatted with another volunteer who was also there, Raquel. I learned this week that she’s 75, but she doesn’t look much over 60. She’s been coming to the hospital for the last 5 years, but had to take the last year off because she had ankle surgery and then fell and broke her wrist. She was incredibly nice and immediately made me feel welcome. Once the coordinator and other volunteers came there were besos (kisses) all around and then we got down to business.

Volunteers work in pairs. My partner was the only other person under 50 in the room. Her name is Alma and she’s 18! It was exciting to be working with another student and she was great about speaking slowly and making sure I understood (most of) what was going on. Each pair receives a list of names and rooms from the coordinator and then we go off and find the rooms and talk with the patients. It’s a good system and you can get through about 4 or 5 people in the two hours. Like I said, I’ve never volunteered at a hospital before and I don’t really know what to say to sick people in English, let alone Spanish, but I learned a lot from my co-worker. She was really good about being sympathetic, but also trying to encourage people to keep a positive attitude.

The first man we visited has been in the hospital with a head injury for the last 5 or 6 months. He’s up and walking around now so we accompanied him to the other end of the hallway and then bought him a coke. He didn’t have a lot to say and Alma told me that he we had found him in a bad mood. The next person we went to visit we couldn’t find. We found the room just fine, but the patient in the bed listed was not the one we wanted and no one in the room knew where to find her. Alma told me that this happens occasionally and we moved on to the next patient. The next one was really exciting for me because he spoke English! Originally from the Ivory Coast he had moved to Spain about a month ago. It was a little embarrassing because he spoke no Spanish before arriving, but after just a month his mastery of the language was as good, if not better than mine. He said it was only because he could also speak French, but I think perhaps he was just being kind. He was a very impressive young man who, in addition to French, English, and Spanish also spoke Arabic and Hebrew. Yeah, I don’t get it either. We spent a long time with him and then had to head back to the volunteer office where we gave a brief report on all the people we had seen and the state in which we had found them. All of the volunteers also asked me eagerly how I had enjoyed the hospital, and I told them that it had been a little overwhelming but great.

Several of them also asked for my number and promised me they’d find me some Spanish friends. I was doubtful, but gave them my number anyway. More on this later…

This post is absurdly long, but I am so excited about the hospital and wanted to convey at least some sense of what it’s like. I’m spending almost six hours a week there for the next 2 months so it will be a decent part of my experience in Spain and probably just a good life experience as well. I am sure there will be more hospital stories to come!

More Lisboa

I never finished my Lisboa stories! The highlight of Saturday was definitely our tour with Bruno. Who is Bruno? Excellent question. He is this super cool, laid-back guy who is a graphic designer in real life, and he sometimes works at the hostel where we were staying. He realized that lots of people come to Lisboa and never see his favorite parts because they get too overwhelmed by the options or confused by the public transportation or simply don't know what's there to see. He thinks this is totally a waste and created a tour for the hostel guests. A few days a week he drives foreigners around in his van to all the coolest places in and around Lisboa. He wasn't going to give the tour the Saturday we were there, but when he saw us all sleeping on the couch Friday morning he knew we needed help and organized a tour just for the "angels on the sofa." Seriously, that's what he called us. Sweet, no?

It was the BEST tour of my life and even though it was 20 Euros, plus some cheap food and admission to one of the places we visited, I can say with confidence it's the best money I have spent in Europe so far. Part of the tour's charm was, of course, our guide and the fact that it didn't feel like a tour. It felt like Bruno was a good friend of ours and, as a friend, he wanted to make sure we had a good time in Lisboa. We started off in Sintra, a little town 25 minutes from the capital. Bruno directed us to a pastry shop and instructed us to buy quejadas (little cheesecakes). Then, we were to meet him at a place farther ahead because the best way to get the feel of Sintra was to walk through the village. The pastry was delicious and the town very, very cute. When we reunited with Bruno he bought us another pastry (also delectable, but much sweeter). He told us that back in the day this pastry had only been for the rich.

The highlight of Sintra was undoubtedly the Pena Palace. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site (the first one, in fact) and I could spend the next 15 paragraphs trying to describe its beauty, but I still wouldn't be able to convey it, so I won't bother. It was one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen. Basically, it's out of a fairytale and is nestled in a low mountain and surrounded by a forest/park. The walls are a mix of cheerful colors and the famed Portuguese tiles. My friends and I took absurd amounts of pictures as we walked around the parapets of the castle and looked out at the incredible view. You can walk almost all the way around the exterior along narrow stone pathways that every few feet have mini-towers and staircases you can climb for an even better view. The whole group was captured by the magic of the castle and we could not stop exclaiming over its beauty. I felt so lucky to have the chance to see the palace, and we all kept saying that it was so fabulous it couldn't be real. It is real, however, and if you want some sense of what I'm talking about you should check out the wikipedia page on the palace. It's got some good pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pena_Palace.

You'd think after that high the rest of the day would be a let-down, but it absolutely was not. We stopped next at a stand on the road for lunch. I can't tell you the name of what it was, but essentially it was a chorizo (spicy sausage) calzone. It was fresh from the oven and only cost 1 Euro. It doesn't get much better than that. We continued on to the end of the world. It's the western-most point in Europe and before the Americas were discovered Europeans thought that there wasn't anything else but the ocean. One of my friends remarked that, looking out at the ocean from this spot, you could believe that it was the end of the world. I certainly couldn't see NY. It was another beautiful site and a nice natural contrast to the man-made beauty of the palace.

This is a little strange but one of my favorite parts of the tour was the van ride between each site. As we hurtled down the narrow roads we blasted our American music. You know how sometimes when you do ordinary things to music it makes the moment way more special? It was like that. The scenery was so beautiful and the loud music meant that there wasn’t any pressure to talk. I loved being able to just zone out a little bit and take some time to think about the amazing things I had seen.

Next up was the beach! Portugal's got great beaches and we stopped briefly at one because the sand was beautiful and it's very famous, but we stayed for 1/2 hour or so at another that was a little less impressive, but more accessible. The water was FREEZING. Also at the beach we got world-famous ice-cream. Lots of rich Europeans wanted to leave their home countries during WWII in order to escape the fighting and since Portugal was neutral went there. One Italian family came and opened up an ice-cream store and decided they loved it so much they never left. The ice-cream truly was excellent and I had a raspberry-chocolate-cream combination. I was quite proud of myself for putting together such a delightful concoction.

Finally, we headed to Belém. Belém has the super cool Monument to the Discoveries which celebrates all of the Portuguese explorers. There were a lot. It's a big ship's brow that juts out into the ocean (river?) and the guys who discovered the new world and faster routes to Africa/Asia are depicted in sculpture form all down the sides. Fearlessly leading the trip is Henry the Navigator, who I guess never actually sailed anywhere, but was a big supporter of the explorations. While the monuments were cool and all, the big draw in Belém was the famous pastry shop. Yes, I know that much of this tour was about food. That's part of what made it so great. This pastry shop is 160 years old and makes the wonderful "pastel de Belém," custard tarts with a flaky crust. The line was way out the door for the tarts, but Bruno has connections (of course he does) and he walked us right into the store and we came out with our bag of pastéis. We sprinkled a little cinnamon and a little powered sugar and enjoyed them right on the street while the people in line watched enviously.

Thus concluded the tour. Really, it was wonderful and such a great thing for our group because it meant we didn't have to figure out what was worth seeing and what wasn't. I am eternally grateful to Bruno and the Oasis Backpacker's Hostel.