Andrea's Chronicles

Sorry for the absence folks...

2007-05-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got sick of not being able to post pictures and having people not be able to post comments. So I moved a while ago and just forgot to tell you... Sorry... That is if anyone still looks at this site since I haven't been here in so long... So here it is. This isn't just a trip blog, but a life in general blog. But it does have some photos from my trip on it:D So come and have a look.

www.diashermosos.wordpress.com

And thanks for visiting.

Dun Da Da Dun... Ireland part 2

2007-04-20T01:19:00.000-07:00

Yay it finally worked:) Here are a few more photos of our lovely visit to Ireland.

The gardens across from the Dublin Castle through a beautiful gate

The temple bar district. A visit to Dublin wouldn't be complete without it.

My future Irish cottage:D

Isn't it beautiful!! Of course it was in the middle of a city park which could present a problem...but I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it... I wonder if Huwe's could do Ireland???

I really have been trying...

2007-04-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

Don't think that I have been forgetting about you. I have tried and tried and blogger won't let me upload any photos... I don't know what the problem is. I have never had troubles before. I will keep trying to get them uploaded.

Anyways, Rob and I had a great time on our vacation!! We highly recommend Ireland to anyone who is interested in going:) I was sad to see vacation end, but getting back into the swing of school has been good. We are reading a really interesting book in one of my classes. Its called "Sin Noticias de Gurb." It is about two aliens who land in Barcelona. The one goes off to explore and doesn't come back. The other alien goes to look for him. It is actually really funny. I am only done with the first few chapters, but I can't wait to read more:) We are also enjoying absolutly gorgeous weather here!! Four days of perfection and counting. Speaking of which, I think I am going to go for a little walk. So I hope you all are having a good week:) Hasta luego!!

Ireland pics...part 1

2007-04-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone:) Well, we're back. Ireland was wonderfull!! Rob arrived in Madrid and we spent one night there and then off to the beautiful island we went. And here is the pictoral tour of our trip.

The happy couple reunited :D

In front of the Dublin castle

Beautiful Trinity College

More Dublin Castle

Being goofy:)

Well, now that I've got you one the edge of your seats, more will come soon!!

Off on our big adventure:D

2007-04-04T01:04:00.001-07:00

Well, I thought I would drop in an leave a note before I leave. I am headed off tonight to meet Rob in Madrid tomorrow and then we are off to Ireland for Holy week!! I am super excited and I will post some pics when we get back!!

God's gift to Europeans...Napolitanas

2007-04-02T00:50:00.000-07:00

The longer that I stay here, the more convinced I become that no one does chocolate like Europeans... And if I might add, I don't think anyone eats as much chocolate as europeans either. I have never seen so many chocolate shops in my life! It is everywhere! Half of the items at the bakery are covered or stuffed with it. Exhibit A:

Napolitanas

One of God's most magnificent creations. Oh so yummy pastry dough stuffed with to die for chocolate filling... They go so fast from the bakery that you are pretty much assured to get them still warm... And here I thought I was going to lose weight from all this walking... Yeah right!

Not much going on...

2007-03-27T05:18:00.000-07:00

Well, there hasn't been a whole lot going on here except for classes lately. We did however have a get together at our place one night. We had a good time.

Jenn's motto: Who needs a knife to butter bread when you can just melt the butter and then dip the bread in??

The horendous contraption that helps the construction workers wake us up at the crack of dawn.

I don't think they will be satisfied until they are making noise directly outside my window.

You can't see it very well, but after having been here for two months, I am still finding puppy hairs on my plate when I eat. (It is on the top middle of the plate:)

One night last week we all when out to a cidreria (or a cider cafe in english). Jenn has those pictures on her camera but as soon as I get them, you will too:)

Have a great week and don't work too hard. I miss you guys!!

Lazy Weekend

2007-03-19T04:53:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been a nice relaxing weekend for me. Jenn was in Valencia and Reina left for Switzerland. So it was just me on Sat and Sun. I wasn't particularly productive, but I did get some stuff done.

I did get to do a little bit of spring cleaning. This is what was on the floor in my bedroom after it hadn't been swept for *gasp* two whole weeks. I have no idea why the floors get so dirty so fast here??

Saturday soccer games. This is the view out my kitchen window every Saturday afternoon. These people are obsessed with "futball."

Mmmmm.... I have recently discovered a new appreciation for french bread pizza:)

This one I almost didn't believe. I looked out the window this morning and saw snow for the first time since I got here...

I didn't feel very good today, but this was definetly enough to keep me from going to class...

La semana de pinchos:D

2007-03-16T01:26:00.000-07:00

In case you were unaware, it is in fact Navarra's nineth anual Semana de Pinchos. What are pinchos you might be asking. Well, they are the little dishes that you get at the bar when you are hungry. Now for those of you who are a little confused about the difference between pinchos and tapas (and it is not difficult to get them confused), tapas are like an appitizer tray that you would order and share between you and your friends. Pinchos are a tiny little personal sized serving that you would eat by yourself. And the semana de pinchos is just a week were all the little bars around town get to showcase their best pinchos to the residents of Pamplona (and charge extra for them might I add). So the four of us went out for a night on the town to celebrate Justin's birthday and sample some of the culinary delights that Pamplona has to offer. Some were good, some were interesting, and some we just wont talk about...

The little flyer that they hand out that tells what all the bars have as their "plato degustacion" or their special of the week. There were 97 bars that participated, so all you had to do was walk down a street and you would find ten different places that you could eat at.

This was defenetly one of the interesting dishes. Eel with some kind of fish. I don't think I will ever forget slurping up eel like spaghetti. And what we affectionately refered to as the "duck bomb." It was duck meat with tiny little mushrooms in it.
Steak with noodles and sauce and mushed up zucchini with cheese. The steak and noodles were good. I wasn't wild about the zucchini, but luckily my pincho sharing partner for the evening was a vegitarian, so I didn't eat much of the veggie dishes:)
Tony, Justin (the birthday boy), and Reina my roomie.
Reina and I

I hope you guys enjoyed the pics:) I miss you all and I hope you have a good weekend!

Relaxing Weekend

2007-03-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

This was a nice relaxing weekend in our flat:) And here is some documentation that I am really getting a lot done in Spain!!

Jenn cooking up some pancakes.
Face mask time:) Reina
Jenn
And myself, sorry I always look funny when I take my own picture:P
They are still working in our courtyard, making noise every morning bright and early.

Clase de cocinar... (cooking class)

2007-03-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

I just finished the second week of my cooking class. It has been going well. Cooking here is defenetly nothing like cooking at home. First of all no one measures anything...ever. I am not kidding when I say that recipes actaully call for spoonfulls. Who really cares what size the spoon is...:) And now to the part that really sicked me out at first. No one is particularly concerned about germs here. Oh you just handled raw meat, just wipe your hands on a towel and don't worry, you can cut up veggies on that same cutting board with out washing it... riiight. I will never forget the first day of class. He handled raw meat, grabed a handful of salt out of the dish, sprinkled it on the meat...and then put the rest of the salt back in the dish... I almost had to run to the trash can. The man didn't wash his hands one time during the whole two hour class... But since no one else seemed to find these behaviors to be disturbing, I have come to the conclusion that it is simply me. A cultural-ism that I have brought with me. So here I am trying to have an open mind. If everyone cooks like that here, and there are still people around, then I figure eating the miniscule amount of food that I do in that class is not going to kill me. I hope...

Sorry I have no photos today. Maybe next time. I love you guys and I miss you a ton!! I hope everyone has a good week.

Weekend getaway

2007-02-25T23:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the girls and I decided kind of last minute to take a short trip this weekend. We hopped on the train and headed to Salamanca on Thursday morning. We left for Segovia on Saturday morning and then headed back home on Sunday afternoon. It was such a good time. I will forever be facinated with the beautiful sights that I see here. Ever so often I see a breathtaking view and I think to myself...Am I really here? It is the most amazing feeling! So here is a little tour of our weekend:)

A beautiful tower all lit up in Salamanca

I just love walking around looking at the buildings. This was just a street corner in Salamanca.

Me outside the castle we visited in Segovia.

A beautiful church we walked past one evening in Segovia

All the girls climbing up to the top of the tower in the castle.

R-L: Suzie, Jenn, Reina, me, Erin

Lovely architechture :D

2007-02-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really love walking through the streets looking at all of the old buildings. The weather was sooo nice today, that I couldn't resist going for a little walk (we've been in the 60s-70s here:). Come on my walk with me, won't you!!

I couldn't fit the whole building in the lense very well, but I love the towers on the corners of this building!

One of the bildings surrounding the fountain that you have already seen (you are getting pretty well aquainted with Pamplona aren't you?:)

Another lovely building surrounded by construction.... This must be construction season in Spain:P

These men have been working (aka making noise) in our courtyard for almost two weeks now and this is all that they have accomplished...what are they doing down there?? Besides acting as an unwelcome alarm clock? It kind of reminds me of the city of Minot workers....aahh a little taste of home...

No toasters...What?!?!

2007-02-18T06:19:00.000-08:00

Okay, now I have searched high and low and I have been entirely unsuccessful in my persuit of finding a toaster. But who really needs a toaster when you have hard crackers shaped like mini loaves of bread.... Right.... So this is what I had for breakfast this morning. I have already devoured two boxes of cereal (believe it or not Rob), and I just couldn't eat anymore.

Alright, now that I've gotten that off of my chest.... Things have been going really well. I survived my first week of classes and they went well. I have just kindof been relaxing this weekend. I've had a nasty cold and haven't had a whole lot of energy. We were invited over to a friends house and she cooked for us. But other than that not really much has been going on. I hope you are all doing well and please enjoy a piece of toast for me today...

Sunday Night Concert

2007-02-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

Well, the girls and I decided to get all dolled up and spend a rainy Sunday evening at the Theatre listening to music and let me just say that it was an evening well spent!! The band was excellent:)

The guy with the drum over his shoulder had spaghetti legs...they each moved in wierd directions and never in the same direction at the same time!!
They also had a guest singer. A young blind man with a wonderful voice.
All of us in one picture:)
The view on the way home. That church was sooo beautiful light up like that!!

Tour of Pamplona

2007-02-10T07:42:00.000-08:00

My roommate Jenn took me on a tour of downtown Pamplona. I hope you like the pics:)

New Pics

2007-02-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

Well, the internet is back up and running so...here are some pictures for everyone:)

I love this picture!! I had to stand in the middle of the street to get the building without a light pole in front of it, but it was definetly worth it. (I am so the obnoxious tourist holding up traffic with a camera glued to my face.)

Beautiful isn't it:) I just love it that everywhere I go, I see a lovely photo just waiting to be taken!

Girls night... facials, pedicures, and the entire second season of the OC (a tv show for those of you that have never heard of it...I hadn't ever actually seen it:)

Hola Todos (hello everyone)

2007-02-07T11:08:00.000-08:00

Well, my internet at the flat is on the fritz so I am posting from an internet place not far from where I live. I can´t upload pictures but I can leave you with the tidbit that Europeans really know how to do chocolate. I went to a chocolate shop today with a few of the girls. It is owned by this little old man and he only charges one euro for a bar of homemade chocolate. The white chocolate with yogurt is to die for...

I miss you guys and as soon as the internet gets fixed I will post some photos:)

A Sunday stroll through the park....

2007-02-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

In Spain, nothing is open on Sundays except for the churches. So it seemed like a fitting ocasion for a walk. And as it so happened I was not the only one that thought Sundays were for walking. Since nothing is open, everyone takes walks on Sundays. The only difference between Sundays and the rest of the week is that people walk as a family. During the week, usually they are walking to work, etc, so they are alone.

(Just as a side note, I went walking on Saturday as well. I went out to look for the farmers market that my roommates marked on the map for me. I found the farmers market in all it's glory. It took up the whole block and there were enterences on all of the four corners. When I was done looking, I didn't buy anything, (how the heck much is a kilo anyways?) I went out the door I came in....or so I thought. It was two hours later by the time I found my way home and it was time for a nap! When I was lost however, I found a number of really beautiful fountains that I wanted to take pictures of. They were in front of this beautiful old cathedral. So I decided to remember where they were so I could take pictures of them. This brings me to my Sunday walk. I maybe should have started with Saturday:)

So anyways, here it is, Sunday and I am going back over to this church to find the fountains and low and behold...the fountains aren't even on on Sundays!! So I guess I am going to have to go back again some time this week. But I didn't come empty handed. I still took some pretty pictures for you all to see! We will just save the fountains for later:)

The view through the cathedral's arch

Empty Sunday benches...I love benches...I don't know why...

The fountain...not on...

If I am not mistaken, everyone in this town lives in an apartment...and everyone has a balcony that looks almost exactly like this one...I love it:D

The school I attend. Well, one of the twenty three buildings that make up my school anyways.

I love how the old apartment buildings reflected on the side of this bank!! Gorgeous:)

Well, thanks for stopping by guys. I love you and MISS you all terribly!!

Well, I made it....and all in one piece

2007-02-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

So, the trip here was, well, it was long and thats about all I'm going to say about that. The one thing I will say about Spain itself, is that they love turning things into art. The airport for example. It isn't just a building, it is art. Huge yellow beams hold up the curved wooden plank ceiling. It was very interesting. I never dreamed that it would be as difficult to get to my apartment as it was. I took a taxi from the airport to the train station. Mind you, this was the train station that the lady at the information desk said would take me to Pamplona. It took me to the train to get to Pamplona alright, after I bought my ticket, made my way to the metro, took the metro down three stops, and went up three and back down one set of escalators... Anyways, the important thing really is that I finally got to take a shower. I pity the sweet little old lady that lives accross the hall from me that had to give me my key, oh and the taxi driver that brought me to my apartment. I think they are the only ones that may have been assaulted the scent of Andrea not having taken a shower in three days.

I thought I would show you guys my apartment. It is really nice!! Three separate bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room.

My bedroom: my bed and desk

My Closet takes up the whole side of the room:)

The bathroom. One thing is for certain. When my roommates get back from vacation, I need to ask them how exactly they shave their legs in that shower!

The kitchen...with the washer in it...

And the other side of the kitchen...we do actually have a fridge:)

The living room. The other side has a tv, but for some reason, it wouldn't let me upload that one.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour! I have orientation tomorrow at 11:00. I'll let you know how it goes:)

Post numero uno

2007-01-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

Well, here goes nothing. For all of you who have known me for a while, it comes as no suprise to you that I am usually ready for the next adventure that life has in store for me:) And here we are. I leave for Spain in two days. I hope you all enjoy your glance into the adventure that is my life for the next five months! I love you guys and I will miss you. Please comment often! I'd like to know when you've stopped by. Watch out Spain, here I come!!