Forget Paris, my heart belongs to Valencia
Forget Paris, my heart has been stolen by Valencia…
A day at the beach in Valencia
Yesterday after class and a long-overdue Skype session with my babe, I spontaneously decided to take a stroll to the beach. Stroll was an understatement…
Close to 2kms of “strolling” and working off my lunch led me to a breathtaking view of this:
Spanish cooking lesson – Spanish Tortilla
Yesterday I had my first cooking lesson in Spanish. The cuisine was an old time favourite: la tortilla. This was one of the plates we enjoyed on our last visit to Spain so I was excited to say the least when my mama told me she was going to teach me how to cook it. And it was such an easy dish! Potatoes and egg, nada más.
Back to school
Yesterday began bright and early for my first day at school. It felt extremely eerie to rise long before the sun (it was dark and the street lights were still on, despite it being 7am).
Thankfully, the sun decided to show its beautiful face in time for me to find my way to the school with the lovely help from a strapping Spanish lad who I met on the bus. Yes ladies, they do breed them well here 😉
Anyway, my classes went well and I think I spoke more Spanish in the 5 hours here than I spoke in a month of classes at university. I am really looking forward to the classes ahead. Hopefully it will also help me speak more with my “mama” who is absolutely lovely. I think she had me from the moment she called me “princessa” (and the ongoing offering of food also helps!). She also loves her Spanish tv, which I too am starting to enjoy; especially last night’s offering of a reality tv dating show (again, displaying the finest Spain has to offer).
I spent the rest of the day exploring parts of the city (mainly the shops – a girl has got to keep her priorities, am I right ladies?). I was even mistaken for a local by one of the street volunteers (otherwise she was just desperate to get a signature or something). It was the first time I didn’t mind being stopped in the street for “a moment of my time” 🙂 She quickly let me pass when she realised I didn’t live here or speak enough of the language to save the world or whatever it was the company was trying to push. Can I also just add, that my love for McDonalds has only grown since coming here. And no, not because of the food (despite my addiction to their golden nuggets and chips). It is due to their free wifi, clean toilets (which require a combination to enter, provided on the receipt), and the knowledge that if you want a cheeseburger just like home, you will get one (and for only 1€!).
And on that note, I am off to lunch… Hasta luego peeps!
Like a punch in the face
Like a punch in the face, the crisp and cool air of Barcelona’s Winter morning woke me instantly. Thankfully, I was on my way to warmer weather via a delicious cup of ‘chocolate caliente’
There is something about catching a train in a foreign country that really puts our Aussie networks to shame. From the screens that resemble airline departure/arrival info to the free headsets and movies shown during the journey, I was very impressed. Two episodes of Glee and the Justin Timberlake movie In Time (in Spanish) later I had arrived in Valencia. (more…)