After 6 weeks studying (and being a cultural tourist), and 11 wonderful days in Madrid, visiting the sights, surrounding towns and enjoying wonderful spring weather, Gillian and I left our beautiful apartment in Huertas and took the train to Ciudad Real. Not really much to say about Ciudad Real, smallish city south of Madrid, easy place to pick up the car and they have a really old church and a Don Quijote museum.
Really, we just wanted to find a place outside of Madrid to pick up the car and start our road trip. We did end up finding the church (had mass on so couldn't go in) but found a lovely museum across the road which we visited and saw some interesting and some disturbing paintings by a local artist. Didn't find the Don Quijote museum and our ramblings were cut short by frequent rain, cold weather and my stomach!
After a lovely night at the NH Cuidad Real Hotel, we found Europcar and headed off for our adventures!
Monday, 27 May 2013
Zamora & Segovia
Now for a couple of places I went before Gillian arrived. Thanks to my Don Quijote friends for making them memorable days!! (Sunburnt face included).
Zamora - Castles, storks and finding our way without a map!
What can I say about this fascinating little town (well city really). Mandy, Rebecca and I decided to go to Zamora as it was only about an hour on the bus from Salamanca. We had hoped to join an excursion to Toledo, but it was cancelled. Instead, we went to Zamora and had a fantastic, though tiring day. We got to play detective, saw the sights, walked our feet off, goofed around on the bridge and eventually found not one, but two ice cream shops. And all this without a map!.
When we got to Zamora, we expected to find the tourist information or a booth that sold maps fairly quickly. After several stops at different shops and asking people, we were informed there was no tourist office and no they only had road maps, not tourist maps. Not wanting to spend lots of money on large, heavy and basically unnecessary maps, we asked for directions to the castle and made our own way through to the older part of the town. We visited churches, stork nests, bridges, and at last the Castle. After that, we made our way back towards the bus station only to find a souvenir shop that had a tourist map! Well, we took it anyway to see what we might have missed then decided to visit the Plaza del Toros which turned out to the be local bull ring (not open) so we found another old church (not open) and went in search of ice cream (or maybe we did the ice cream search first?). Either way, it took some detecting - lots of people were eating them, but we couldn't find a store. We knew they were close as nobody's ice creams had melted. Finally, success. Very happy with our selections, then found another ice cream shop!! Oh well, second one looked better and busier but we'd already had our fill.
Zamora is also well known for it's Semana Santa Parades as well.
Segovia - Aqueduct and more
The enduring symbol of Segovia would have to be either the Aqueduct, built by the Romans and still standing or the Alcazar which apparently inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle. Very wonderful town, great food (famous for cochinillo - roast suckling pig) and lots of history. Worth seeing multiple times. Snow capped mountains in the distance, the Aqueduct stretching for a long way, the Moorish presence of the Alcazar, Romans, Moors, Christians and modern tourists all enjoying the wonderful sights, tastes and sounds of the ancient city. What more could a person want?
Zamora - Castles, storks and finding our way without a map!
What can I say about this fascinating little town (well city really). Mandy, Rebecca and I decided to go to Zamora as it was only about an hour on the bus from Salamanca. We had hoped to join an excursion to Toledo, but it was cancelled. Instead, we went to Zamora and had a fantastic, though tiring day. We got to play detective, saw the sights, walked our feet off, goofed around on the bridge and eventually found not one, but two ice cream shops. And all this without a map!.
When we got to Zamora, we expected to find the tourist information or a booth that sold maps fairly quickly. After several stops at different shops and asking people, we were informed there was no tourist office and no they only had road maps, not tourist maps. Not wanting to spend lots of money on large, heavy and basically unnecessary maps, we asked for directions to the castle and made our own way through to the older part of the town. We visited churches, stork nests, bridges, and at last the Castle. After that, we made our way back towards the bus station only to find a souvenir shop that had a tourist map! Well, we took it anyway to see what we might have missed then decided to visit the Plaza del Toros which turned out to the be local bull ring (not open) so we found another old church (not open) and went in search of ice cream (or maybe we did the ice cream search first?). Either way, it took some detecting - lots of people were eating them, but we couldn't find a store. We knew they were close as nobody's ice creams had melted. Finally, success. Very happy with our selections, then found another ice cream shop!! Oh well, second one looked better and busier but we'd already had our fill.
Zamora is also well known for it's Semana Santa Parades as well.
 |
| Statues of Penitents during Semana Santa celebrations |
 |
| View of the old town from the Bridge |
 |
| Arches, Doorways and more at the Castillo |
 |
| Further statue for Semana Santa |
Segovia - Aqueduct and more
The enduring symbol of Segovia would have to be either the Aqueduct, built by the Romans and still standing or the Alcazar which apparently inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle. Very wonderful town, great food (famous for cochinillo - roast suckling pig) and lots of history. Worth seeing multiple times. Snow capped mountains in the distance, the Aqueduct stretching for a long way, the Moorish presence of the Alcazar, Romans, Moors, Christians and modern tourists all enjoying the wonderful sights, tastes and sounds of the ancient city. What more could a person want?
 |
| Segovia Cathedral rising high above the town |
 |
| The Alcazar, Segovia |
 |
| View from the Alcazar |
 |
| Roman Aqueduct, Segovia |
El Escorial & Alcala de Henares
El Escorial & Phillip II
This huge complex was built by Phillip II of Spain during the Protestant Reformation. It is a monastery, royal palace, museum and school. It is only approx. 50 kms from Madrid in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The complex is closed on Mondays (we found out the hard way). However, it is built in amazing surroundings at the foot of Mt Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama, and worth the visit to the town in any case. El Escorial is also houses the tombs of the Spanish Kings for the past 5 centuries.
Alcala de Henares - From Rome to Don Quijote
On the trail of Don Quijote. There are many statues depicting Migel Cervantes most famous characters in Alcala de Henares. It's main claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Migel Cervantes, Spain's most famous writer. Cervantes original home, where he was born, is now a museum which houses some original editions of his works, including Don Quijote and is a very lovely building in it's own right.
However, Alcala de Henares has a longer history, with the Romans building a town here called "Complutem". It appears to have been an important centre during the Roman period and has ongoing excavations of its Roman history with some parts already being preserved.
Gillian and I were lucky enough to find two roman ruins / excavations to visit as well as Cervantes birthplace and the very wonderful museum. There is also Moorish influence with the Palacio de Laredo also being a building of note.
This huge complex was built by Phillip II of Spain during the Protestant Reformation. It is a monastery, royal palace, museum and school. It is only approx. 50 kms from Madrid in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The complex is closed on Mondays (we found out the hard way). However, it is built in amazing surroundings at the foot of Mt Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama, and worth the visit to the town in any case. El Escorial is also houses the tombs of the Spanish Kings for the past 5 centuries.
 |
| Mt Abantos & El Escorial |
 |
| El Escorial in reflection |
 |
| Gardens at El Escorial |
Alcala de Henares - From Rome to Don Quijote
On the trail of Don Quijote. There are many statues depicting Migel Cervantes most famous characters in Alcala de Henares. It's main claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Migel Cervantes, Spain's most famous writer. Cervantes original home, where he was born, is now a museum which houses some original editions of his works, including Don Quijote and is a very lovely building in it's own right.
However, Alcala de Henares has a longer history, with the Romans building a town here called "Complutem". It appears to have been an important centre during the Roman period and has ongoing excavations of its Roman history with some parts already being preserved.
Gillian and I were lucky enough to find two roman ruins / excavations to visit as well as Cervantes birthplace and the very wonderful museum. There is also Moorish influence with the Palacio de Laredo also being a building of note.
 |
| Palacio de Laredo, Alcala de Henares |
 |
| One of Spain's most famous sons |
 |
| Roman mosaic at the excavation site |
 |
| Roman mosaic in the Museum |
Toledo, Avila and Salamanca
Rather than give you a blow by blow description of what we did, I thought I'd just mention the highlights and share some photos of various places. We had planned to visit Toledo, Avila and Segovia, among other interesting towns. I had already been to Avila and Segovia with a school excursion and was very happy to go to both places again. They are well worth a second (or even third visit).
Toledo - City of three cultures
Toledo has been an important town, approximately 70 kms south of Madrid, since pre-Roman times. It became an important town during the Roman period, was capital of Visigoth Spain before being captured by the Moors in the 8th Century. After the fall of the Caliphate, Toledo became the capital of one of the richest Taifas of Al-Andalus. It was also central to the reconquest by the Catholic rulers of Spain.
Apart from it's place in history, Toledo is probably most famous for its steel making, including sword making which goes back to Roman times and for being the city where El Greco (painter) lived in Spain. It has significant Christian, Moorish and Jewish architecture, with the Alcazar (Moorish citadel) taking pride of place. We were also able to visit the old Jewish Synagogue and El Greco's house which has a selection of his works available for viewing. The surprise for us was finding an old Visigoth church that had been preserved. The Visigoths were generally a forgotten part of Spainish and European history.
Gillian spent most of her spending money here, buying presents for her family. Very good place for hand made jewellery (mostly gold leaf) and knives etc.
Avila - Walled City
Avila is the highest provincial capital in Spain, set on top of a rocky hill at 1132 metres. It rises from the surrounding open plain and retains its complete wall (muralla) and towers. The Cathedral forms part of the walls and was used for the defence of the city as well. Whilst the walls and towers are one of the most enduring images of Avila, and one of the best reasons to visit, there is a wealth of other buildings and monuments to see as well. For those interested in Christian / Catholic history, Avila was also the birthplace of Saint Theresa and the Convento de Santa Theresa is worth a visit as well.
Avila is also famous for white beans, yemas (sweets that look like an egg yolk) and veal. We had a traditional lunch which included a bowl of white beans and chorizo, mashed potato with capsicum, onion and paprika and another soup with lots of garlic and bread pieces. This was followed by veal steak, lamb chops, roast suckling pig (cochinillo) and lomo (pork steak). We then tried the desserts - natillas for Gillian (like egg custard) and the ubiquitous flan for me (like crème caramel with slightly bitter caramel sauce). Gillian enjoyed the yemas, I found them too sweet.
Cultured Salamanca - Home of the Spanish Language
I had a wonderful experience of being the tour guide for our day trip to Salamanca, having lived there for 6 weeks. We had planned to go to Segovia, but we ran out of time to do everything so had to choose. As Gillian had wanted to go to Salamanca since she was 10 years old, she opted for this lovely city. We spent a great day visiting lots of my favourite monuments, and found time to visit Casa Lis, an art nouveau museum that Gillian loved. It has some wonderful glass work, statues and statuettes, dolls and other wonderful art nouveau things. It also has a wonderful view of the Tomes river and you can just see the old Roman bridge from the front windows.
We managed to catch up with a fellow student and friend, Rebecca for the day as well which was lots of fun. We left home very early to get to the bus station to take the early bus, hoping to get to Salamanca by 11.00 am. However, the first bus had a brief accident as we went to leave the bus station (driver backed into the barrier and broke the tail lights). So, we had to disembark, await another bus and then reload before commencing our journey. We eventually arrived in Salamanca at 12.30 pm and were meeting up with Rebecca at 1.00 pm at the school. On our way to meet Rebecca, whilst crossing the street, we ran into Jose Ramon, who I stayed with whilst in Salamanca previously. I managed to completely surprise him by walking up behind him and tapping him on the shoulder! I was pleased we could visit him and Carmen at home just before we left to catch our bus home. It was quite a welcome from Carmen and Tango (the dog)!
Toledo - City of three cultures
Toledo has been an important town, approximately 70 kms south of Madrid, since pre-Roman times. It became an important town during the Roman period, was capital of Visigoth Spain before being captured by the Moors in the 8th Century. After the fall of the Caliphate, Toledo became the capital of one of the richest Taifas of Al-Andalus. It was also central to the reconquest by the Catholic rulers of Spain.
Apart from it's place in history, Toledo is probably most famous for its steel making, including sword making which goes back to Roman times and for being the city where El Greco (painter) lived in Spain. It has significant Christian, Moorish and Jewish architecture, with the Alcazar (Moorish citadel) taking pride of place. We were also able to visit the old Jewish Synagogue and El Greco's house which has a selection of his works available for viewing. The surprise for us was finding an old Visigoth church that had been preserved. The Visigoths were generally a forgotten part of Spainish and European history.
Gillian spent most of her spending money here, buying presents for her family. Very good place for hand made jewellery (mostly gold leaf) and knives etc.
 |
| Alcazar at Toledo |
 |
| View of the river and bridge |
 |
| Toledo Train Station |
Avila - Walled City
Avila is the highest provincial capital in Spain, set on top of a rocky hill at 1132 metres. It rises from the surrounding open plain and retains its complete wall (muralla) and towers. The Cathedral forms part of the walls and was used for the defence of the city as well. Whilst the walls and towers are one of the most enduring images of Avila, and one of the best reasons to visit, there is a wealth of other buildings and monuments to see as well. For those interested in Christian / Catholic history, Avila was also the birthplace of Saint Theresa and the Convento de Santa Theresa is worth a visit as well.
Avila is also famous for white beans, yemas (sweets that look like an egg yolk) and veal. We had a traditional lunch which included a bowl of white beans and chorizo, mashed potato with capsicum, onion and paprika and another soup with lots of garlic and bread pieces. This was followed by veal steak, lamb chops, roast suckling pig (cochinillo) and lomo (pork steak). We then tried the desserts - natillas for Gillian (like egg custard) and the ubiquitous flan for me (like crème caramel with slightly bitter caramel sauce). Gillian enjoyed the yemas, I found them too sweet.
 |
| Walls and Towers of Avila |
 |
| Section of Wall |
 |
| Statue in Avila |
 |
| Yemas (very sweet and really do look like egg yolks!) |
Cultured Salamanca - Home of the Spanish Language
I had a wonderful experience of being the tour guide for our day trip to Salamanca, having lived there for 6 weeks. We had planned to go to Segovia, but we ran out of time to do everything so had to choose. As Gillian had wanted to go to Salamanca since she was 10 years old, she opted for this lovely city. We spent a great day visiting lots of my favourite monuments, and found time to visit Casa Lis, an art nouveau museum that Gillian loved. It has some wonderful glass work, statues and statuettes, dolls and other wonderful art nouveau things. It also has a wonderful view of the Tomes river and you can just see the old Roman bridge from the front windows.
We managed to catch up with a fellow student and friend, Rebecca for the day as well which was lots of fun. We left home very early to get to the bus station to take the early bus, hoping to get to Salamanca by 11.00 am. However, the first bus had a brief accident as we went to leave the bus station (driver backed into the barrier and broke the tail lights). So, we had to disembark, await another bus and then reload before commencing our journey. We eventually arrived in Salamanca at 12.30 pm and were meeting up with Rebecca at 1.00 pm at the school. On our way to meet Rebecca, whilst crossing the street, we ran into Jose Ramon, who I stayed with whilst in Salamanca previously. I managed to completely surprise him by walking up behind him and tapping him on the shoulder! I was pleased we could visit him and Carmen at home just before we left to catch our bus home. It was quite a welcome from Carmen and Tango (the dog)!
 |
| Façade of Casa Lis with Cathedral spire in background |
Sunday, 26 May 2013
So much to see, so little time
I seem to have gotten out of practice with blogs since my friend arrived and now have to try to remember all we've seen and done to dazzle you all with our adventures. We did have a few interesting experiences whilst on our road trip, but before we head down that adventure, let's start with some of our day trips from Madrid.
Gillian and I have a shared love of history, architecture and literature. Hence, many of our trips included sights of old castles, Moorish buildings and alcazars, churches, roman ruins, and visits to birth places of famous writers or artists etc.
As mentioned previously, this necessitated us getting to grips with the metro system in Madrid, the train and bus systems in Spain to get to our various destinations and making sure our sense of direction was actually where we thought it was. (In a previous trip to Europe, I discovered my sense of directions was 180 degrees off and had to keep going the opposite way to what I thought I should be going). Luckily, we didn't have any trouble this time and were able to find our ways with little difficulty via landmarks as once again, old towns rarely had town planning the all the street signs (where they exist) are on little plaques well above normal visual range and are impossible to be seen on the other side of the street.
We indulged in lots of walking, climbing of steps and towers whenever the chance presented and had lots of fun trying to communicate with the locals. Gillian often tried out her French or Italian in absence of any Spanish, but did it so nicely that everyone seemed to know what she was saying anyway! I did try to teach her the basics - please, thank you, hello, goodbye etc which she mastered pretty well. I also tried to correct her pronunciation of place names but with little overall success. Jan, you were a better student but in Gillian's defence, she had learnt smatterings of many languages when she travels, knows French quite well, and can get by in Italian. I suspect if I knew that much, I'd have trouble remembering which pronunciation goes with which language as well.
So, off to Toledo we go!!
Gillian and I have a shared love of history, architecture and literature. Hence, many of our trips included sights of old castles, Moorish buildings and alcazars, churches, roman ruins, and visits to birth places of famous writers or artists etc.
As mentioned previously, this necessitated us getting to grips with the metro system in Madrid, the train and bus systems in Spain to get to our various destinations and making sure our sense of direction was actually where we thought it was. (In a previous trip to Europe, I discovered my sense of directions was 180 degrees off and had to keep going the opposite way to what I thought I should be going). Luckily, we didn't have any trouble this time and were able to find our ways with little difficulty via landmarks as once again, old towns rarely had town planning the all the street signs (where they exist) are on little plaques well above normal visual range and are impossible to be seen on the other side of the street.
We indulged in lots of walking, climbing of steps and towers whenever the chance presented and had lots of fun trying to communicate with the locals. Gillian often tried out her French or Italian in absence of any Spanish, but did it so nicely that everyone seemed to know what she was saying anyway! I did try to teach her the basics - please, thank you, hello, goodbye etc which she mastered pretty well. I also tried to correct her pronunciation of place names but with little overall success. Jan, you were a better student but in Gillian's defence, she had learnt smatterings of many languages when she travels, knows French quite well, and can get by in Italian. I suspect if I knew that much, I'd have trouble remembering which pronunciation goes with which language as well.
So, off to Toledo we go!!
Friday, 17 May 2013
Giantville (Madrid)
After 6 hectic weeks studying Spanish, I travelled to Madrid to catch up with my friend, Gillian for 3 weeks playing tourist. We had 11 fantastic days in Madrid, taking trains and buses to surrounding towns and places of interest. I particularly enjoyed playing tour guide at two places, Avila and Salamanca and Gillian had a wonderful time at both.
During our forays into Madrid, we visited several museums and art galleries, the botanic gardens, the Retiro Park, Puerto del Sol and 0km, the place where all roads are measured from in Spain. We became experts on catching the metro, how to work out the bus & train timetables and how to navigate old town centres where street signs were often not obvious meaning it was a gamble which street we were actually in at any given time.
I took to nicknaming Madrid - Giantville - as the buildings and monuments were so enormous they took up whole city blocks and could be seen from a long way away. Not only were the building extremely large, but they often had huge statues on top as well. It's a wonder the buildings didn't fall down! One other thing about Madrid - it's very noisy!!!!!
Gillian booked us into a lovely attic apartment (4th floor) in an older suburb, Huertas, that has many attractions. It is close (walking distance) to the Prado & Reina Sofia Museums, the Atocha train station, the botanical gardens and the Retiro Park. It also has many bars and restaurants and has a pedestrian area that means traffic is restricted. All great for what we wanted to do. Only problem is, Madrilenos don't go to bed!! Our street was right in the middle of the bars and restaurant district in the pedestrian area. We were in the thick of the nightlife without realising it. I'd stay there again, but with ear plugs on standby!!!!!
I think of all we saw and did in Madrid, my favourite place would be the Retiro Park. It is a massive park in the centre of the city, has many spaces for different uses and themes and seems to absorbs the thousands of people who visit easily so you don't feel crowded. It is definitely worth the visit and to take the time to wander around slowly, enjoying all that is on offer.
Gillian has so many favourites - favourite house, favourite street, favourite park, favourite museum - that there is too many to list!
During our forays into Madrid, we visited several museums and art galleries, the botanic gardens, the Retiro Park, Puerto del Sol and 0km, the place where all roads are measured from in Spain. We became experts on catching the metro, how to work out the bus & train timetables and how to navigate old town centres where street signs were often not obvious meaning it was a gamble which street we were actually in at any given time.
I took to nicknaming Madrid - Giantville - as the buildings and monuments were so enormous they took up whole city blocks and could be seen from a long way away. Not only were the building extremely large, but they often had huge statues on top as well. It's a wonder the buildings didn't fall down! One other thing about Madrid - it's very noisy!!!!!
Gillian booked us into a lovely attic apartment (4th floor) in an older suburb, Huertas, that has many attractions. It is close (walking distance) to the Prado & Reina Sofia Museums, the Atocha train station, the botanical gardens and the Retiro Park. It also has many bars and restaurants and has a pedestrian area that means traffic is restricted. All great for what we wanted to do. Only problem is, Madrilenos don't go to bed!! Our street was right in the middle of the bars and restaurant district in the pedestrian area. We were in the thick of the nightlife without realising it. I'd stay there again, but with ear plugs on standby!!!!!
I think of all we saw and did in Madrid, my favourite place would be the Retiro Park. It is a massive park in the centre of the city, has many spaces for different uses and themes and seems to absorbs the thousands of people who visit easily so you don't feel crowded. It is definitely worth the visit and to take the time to wander around slowly, enjoying all that is on offer.
Gillian has so many favourites - favourite house, favourite street, favourite park, favourite museum - that there is too many to list!
 |
| Our apartment in Huertas |
 |
| Loft bedroom |
 |
| View from our balcony window |
 |
| Atocha Train Station |
 |
| Botanical Gardens, Madrid |
 |
| The Prado Museum & Art Gallery |
 |
| Crystal Palace, Retiro Park |
Weird Spanish Weather
My friend Gillian and I embarked on a road trip on Wednesday (16/05/2013), travelling northeast from Ciudad Real (south of Madrid) towards Barcelona via some small villages etc. Today, we travelled from Cuenca to Teruel via the Serrania de Cuenca (a mountain range in the Sistema Iberico). We expected a cool and rainy day from the weather forecast so were prepared to change some of our plans if necessary as we had hoped to be walking through rock formations for most of the morning.
However, instead I got a lesson in what happens to rain at 0 degrees. See below!
The temperature got as low as -0.5 degrees. It warmed up to a balmy 6 degrees by the time we arrived at our destination.
However, instead I got a lesson in what happens to rain at 0 degrees. See below!
The temperature got as low as -0.5 degrees. It warmed up to a balmy 6 degrees by the time we arrived at our destination.
 |
| Snowfall, Serrania de Cuenca Range |
 |
| Time, date and temperature - 16:14 pm on 17/05/2013 - 0.0 degrees |
 |
| Driving through snow over a mountain ridge |
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Last Meal
For those of you interested in the food of Spain, below are some pictures of my final meal in Salamanca at Chico's - specialising in seafood from Galicia. Very tasty. We also had grilled gambas (prawns) but as most Australians would be familiar with them, I didn't include a photo. I've included some pictures of the Orujo (Gallego liquor) for those interested in such matters. There are two types of Orujo - con hierbas (bright yellow) & blanco (like baileys with cream). The other photo is to show the very small size of the chupita (glass for Orujo and I understand for other liquors). However, there may be several small glasses drunk in one sitting! With Carmen & Jose it was difficult to tell how much was being drunk, as they just keep filling your glass!.
Desserts don't appear to be very high on the normal eating list for Spanish families. Postre (dessert) when dining out is usually the ubiquitous flan which is really like a crème caramel but with a slightly bitter caramel taste or helado (ice cream). My friend Don would be very familiar with the flan as he ate several whilst we were in Mexico. It was a surprise to be offered something else. The final photos are of a crepe style dessert, served very simply with just the crepe and the sauce. In our case, we had chocolate on one and honey on the other. Just the right ending for our wonderful meal.
 |
| Pulpo Gallego (octypus with paprika) |
 |
| Pimientos (Fried peppers, some hot, some not) |
 |
| Rabas (tentacles of squid but not calamari) |
 |
| Boquerones (sardines) |
 |
| Orujo con hierbas & Orujo Blanco |
 |
| Normal red wine glass, chupita for Orujo |
 |
| Crepe with Miel (honey) bottom Crepe with chocolate (top) |
Meet My Familia Espanola
When I first arrived in Salamanca I posted about the people I was staying with and their dog Tango. After living in their home for 6 weeks, I've come to know them quite well, and enjoyed their company and friendship. We've had some amusing times and difficulties with language but always found ways to communicate. I was very thankful for Carmen's presence when I was sick for a few days. I decided to take them out for dinner on my last night in Salamanca. Consequently, we went to mine (& Jose Ramon's) favourite restaurant, Case de Chicos. This place specialises in seafood, Gallego (from Galicia) style and I really enjoyed it when Carmen and Jose took me there early in my stay. As we did then, we finished off with Orujo, a typical Gallego drink. A great night was had by all.
I also invited Rebecca, a fellow Don Quijote student who was staying with Carmen & Jose as well as we have become quite good friends. Rebecca is a lovely young women from Switzerland who is planning to commence university studies in September to become a Maths and History teacher. She already speaks German, French, very good English and quite good Spanish so she became my unofficial "tutor" from time to time when I just couldn't understand something. Thanks heaps, Rebecca.
I also invited Rebecca, a fellow Don Quijote student who was staying with Carmen & Jose as well as we have become quite good friends. Rebecca is a lovely young women from Switzerland who is planning to commence university studies in September to become a Maths and History teacher. She already speaks German, French, very good English and quite good Spanish so she became my unofficial "tutor" from time to time when I just couldn't understand something. Thanks heaps, Rebecca.
 |
| My Familia Espanola, Carmen & Jose |
 |
| The very beautiful, Tango |
 |
| Carmen, Jose, me & Rebecca at Chicho's |
Apologies
Hi again. My apologies for not blogging for about 2 weeks. Life has been eventful with the arrival of my friend from Melbourne. The last week in Salamanca was hectic with full time study, frequent social occasions to say goodbye to various people I met and trying to get some sleep in preparation for Gillian's arrival.
Gillian arrived safely on 4th May and we managed to both negotiate the public transport system to meet each other at Atocha Train Station in Madrid. For Gillian, this meant working out the trains from Barcelona Sant Airport to the city, then changing trains to travel to Madrid. Luckily, her destination in Madrid was Atocha, near where we had booked an apartment. As she doesn't speak Spanish, I think she did very well.
For me, I just had to get myself to Madrid from Salamanca, either by bus or train, then cope with the metro system to get to the apartment, finalise the booking and payment, then find Atocha train station and where the AVE trains arrived. I opted for the bus which got me to Estacion del Sur, about 40 mins walk to the apartment. I ended up deciding to get to the apartment via taxi, which was surprisingly cheap. From there, I was able to successful conclude the booking, make the payment and all in Spanish. Our building manager was a delightful fellow who spoke a bit of English, which we didn't use in the end. He was extremely helpful, gave me a map of the local area, showed me where the bus and metro stops where and how to get to Atocha, as well as how much it cost. He even pointed out the nearest supermarket and some good eating places. So, well armed and informed, I was able to get myself to Atocha (opted to walk- about 20 mins) and was ready to wait for Gillian.
One item of note, Atocha is a very large train station. It seems to be the size of the average airport terminal. This was a bit daunting for me as I'm not a regular user of public transport. Well, after wandering around for a bit and trying to work out the numbering system, I found out that different trains (AVE, AVANT, ALA etc) have different numbers and arrive at different levels etc. Also, there are Metro, Cercanias and other trains all arriving and leaving from this station. After working out which trains were arriving on what level, I was able to work out the platform numbers from the signage, but I ended up having to ask someone where the AVE trains arrived as the signage was a bit confusing. I located the gate, Gillian arrived on time and we opted to walk back (uphill) to the apartment pulling her bags. Lucky for us, Gillian travels light! Even so, we both had sore arms from pulling them uphill for 15 mins.
After that, we've had a busy time being cultural tourists and have managed to work out the metro, short distance and long distance trains, as well as the local and short distances buses, including multiple changes from one line to another to get to our desired destinations. I've had to use my Spanish to ask for directions and assistance from time to time but all ended very successfully. We're very proud of ourselves now.
Gillian arrived safely on 4th May and we managed to both negotiate the public transport system to meet each other at Atocha Train Station in Madrid. For Gillian, this meant working out the trains from Barcelona Sant Airport to the city, then changing trains to travel to Madrid. Luckily, her destination in Madrid was Atocha, near where we had booked an apartment. As she doesn't speak Spanish, I think she did very well.
For me, I just had to get myself to Madrid from Salamanca, either by bus or train, then cope with the metro system to get to the apartment, finalise the booking and payment, then find Atocha train station and where the AVE trains arrived. I opted for the bus which got me to Estacion del Sur, about 40 mins walk to the apartment. I ended up deciding to get to the apartment via taxi, which was surprisingly cheap. From there, I was able to successful conclude the booking, make the payment and all in Spanish. Our building manager was a delightful fellow who spoke a bit of English, which we didn't use in the end. He was extremely helpful, gave me a map of the local area, showed me where the bus and metro stops where and how to get to Atocha, as well as how much it cost. He even pointed out the nearest supermarket and some good eating places. So, well armed and informed, I was able to get myself to Atocha (opted to walk- about 20 mins) and was ready to wait for Gillian.
One item of note, Atocha is a very large train station. It seems to be the size of the average airport terminal. This was a bit daunting for me as I'm not a regular user of public transport. Well, after wandering around for a bit and trying to work out the numbering system, I found out that different trains (AVE, AVANT, ALA etc) have different numbers and arrive at different levels etc. Also, there are Metro, Cercanias and other trains all arriving and leaving from this station. After working out which trains were arriving on what level, I was able to work out the platform numbers from the signage, but I ended up having to ask someone where the AVE trains arrived as the signage was a bit confusing. I located the gate, Gillian arrived on time and we opted to walk back (uphill) to the apartment pulling her bags. Lucky for us, Gillian travels light! Even so, we both had sore arms from pulling them uphill for 15 mins.
After that, we've had a busy time being cultural tourists and have managed to work out the metro, short distance and long distance trains, as well as the local and short distances buses, including multiple changes from one line to another to get to our desired destinations. I've had to use my Spanish to ask for directions and assistance from time to time but all ended very successfully. We're very proud of ourselves now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)