Belgium & Brussels

Yesterday I returned from my Belgium trip with Halee and Doug.  Fortunately, Halee's uncle lives just outside of Brussels, so we were able to stay in his house for the six days.  We arrived in Brussels last thursday and got back into Granada last night.  We were lucky enough, with the help of Mic (Halee's uncle) to experience a different city each day.  Friday we visited Brussels, saturday was Brugge and Ostende, sunday we went to Amsterdam and then on monday we stayed in Leuven (the college town where Mic works).  It was amazing being able to stay with Mic and Bob, who taught us about Belgian culture and politics.  I don't think I would have liked Belgium as much as I did without them!  The pictures above are from the drive back from the airport.  We stopped at a palace that was Napoleon's summer home, I don't remember the name though.

Friday morning we left early and made our way into Brussels to take a bike tour throughout the city.  The tour started at 10am in the town square and ended at 2pm back in the square.  We even got to stop for lunch at a famous "frituur" to try some fries, which apparently were invented in Belgium and they definitely looove their fries (they eat them with mayonnaise instead of ketchup!).  It is so cute because they serve them in a paper cone and Belgians eat them with little plastic fork instead of using their fingers.  It was so cold in Belgium, so I totally understand though why fried foods are so popular.  Anyways though the tour was lots of fun, although a bit scary at times because I'm not the best cyclist, but all in all an amazing experience!  All the pictures above and below are from Brussels.  Those three people on the bikes are Doug, me and Halee!

Another thing that I loved about Brussels was all the cartoon artwork on the sides of the buildings throughout the city.  I guess Belgium is famous for their cartoonist, something I didn't know until last week, so throughout Brussels there is cartoon artwork everywhere.  

  

La Corrida

So Sunday evening I went to a Bullfight (una corrida del toros) with API.  I was a little unsure on whether or not I wanted to go, but since it was free and since bullfight has been so prominent throughout Spain's history, I thought I might as well check it out.  

Apparently the bullfight that we went to was like the "minor leagues" so the colosseum was pretty empty.  It was interesting to see that outside the colosseum, there were Spaniards protesting it and from talking to other Spanish people, it seems like a lot of them nowadays do not approve of bullfights anymore.  It seems like many of the younger generation view it as a thing of the past.  However, once we got inside and the bullfight started, it was really strange to see the people, even little kids that were there, cheering at the torero stabbing the bull.  We stayed and watched 4 out of the 6 bulls, which was more than I thought we would.  I got to learn a little about the sport (if that's what you call it?) which turned out to be pretty interesting.  All in all, although it was hard to watch at times, it was definitely an experience that I won't forget.  

Teteria pictures

I finally remembered to bring my camera to Pervane last night and I was really excited because we got to sit in the upstairs room with all the floor pillow/cushions.  Last night I tried Japanese Cherry tea and it was reaaally good.  So far I haven't tried a tea that I don't like there.  And on the walk back home, I found a shop that sells bigger bags of the teas that are served in the teterias, so I have to make a trip back to stock up on tea to bring back home!

Eating Out

Hola!  So tonight Marieta (my host mom) invited Halee, Liz and I to a little cafe for dinner and to meet some of her friends.  Apparently Marieta has known the owner of the cafe since she was little, so I'm guessing that it is a place she visits often.  When we got there, she introduced us to three of her friends, one being a gypsy who started to play us some flamenco guitar.  Marieta, being the character that she is, got up and started dancing flamenco while he was playing.  It definitely was a great experience getting to talk to her friends and hearing flamenco guitar played right in front of us.  Also, while Marieta was dancing, she noticed a table of young french girls sitting across from us and invited them to eat with us.  Marieta speaks French as well because she studied in France when she was younger.

It turns out though that the three french girls are also studying in Granada this year.  So within our group (Spanish, French and American) we were all able to speak Spanish and understand each other, which was a lot of fun.  We even got into a little bit of a political discussion, which was very interesting seeing everyone else's viewpoint.  We spent about three hours there just talking, eating and getting to know each other.  It was great getting to meet more Europeans and hearing someone speak Spanish with a French accent.  

The picture above is from a couple nights ago when Doug, Halee and I ordered some "tropical" sangria (and of course the tapas that came along with it).  It was so good...very sweet with lots of fresh fruit in it!  Hasta luego! 

Graffiti

Here's some really cool graffiti, which can be found on most buildings in Granada (outside of the center of the city at least).  

Just a few reasons why I love Spain...

Of course, the food in Spain is amazing, but the desserts here are to die for!  Churros y chocolate, a famous little Spanish treat, are pictured above.  Basically you are served a plate of hot, long and fresh doughnuts with a side of thick, rich chocolate.  However, contrary to American churros, these churros are not sugary at all and neither is the chocolate.  To sum it up, it is the perfect combination of a hot, crusty on the outside but doughy on the inside treat dipped in delicious chocolate.  Now, I view this food as a dessert to be eaten after dinner, however the true Spaniard (as my host mom tells me) would eat this treat either in the late morning around 11am or before dinner from about 5-6pm.  She says that Spanish people would never eat churros y chocolate after dinner to avoid to avoid dense, fried foods before bed.  Unfortunately I still crave sweets after dinner rather than before...I guess I have a thing or two to learn while I'm here!  The other picture is of a chocolate crepe con nata (with whipped cream) that we tried one night.  It was also delicious however much sweeter than the churros y chocolate.  Crepes are also a very popular item at most cafes, however not nearly as famous as churros.    

San Jose

Here are some pictures from when I went to San Jose two weekends ago.  Luckily we went the weekend right before the weather started to cool off.  The first day we went to Playa de los Genoveces, which is a very secluded beach that is about a thirty minute hike from town (the third picture).  The second day we went to the more popular beach in San Jose (first and second picture).