Santiago de Compostela

I have decided to do something a little different, and write my blog posts bilingually. Enjoy!
He decidido a hacer algo diferente, y escribir mi blog bilingüe.  ¡Disfruta!

Yes.  I know.  I waited until 4 months of living in Galicia to visit it's capitol city of Santiago de Compostela.  Yes.  I know.  Santiago is probably the most popular city in Galicia.  And YES! I finally made it there!

Si. Yo lo sé.  Esperé 4 meses viviendo en Galicia a visitar la ciudad capital Santiago de Compostela.  Si. Yo lo sé.  Es probable que Santiago sea la ciudad más popular de todo de Galicia.  ¡Y SI! Finalmente fui.  

Beth and I started out on the train last Saturday morning bright and early .... 9:40am.  Ok, so to all of you that may not seem all that early, but since the sun doesn't rise here until 9:00am, it seems mighty early.  ANYways... Took a beautiful train ride (in which I slept about 1/2 of) to Santiago de Compostela.  My roommate Raquel is from here, and she has kept inviting us to come visit for a weekend.  We finally took her up on the offer.  We spent the day doing the same old same old touristy thing and then met up with Raquel and her boyfriend Pablo that night.

Beth y yo cogimos el tren el sábado temprano con una manaña brillante...... 9:40 por la manaña.  Vale, a la mayoría de vosotros no os parece temprano, pero el sol no sale hasta las 9:00 por la manaña, parece muy temprano.  De todas formas, el paseo a Santiago fue muy bonito ( y pasé la mitad durmiendo).  Mi compañera de piso, Raquel, es de aquí, y nos ha estado invitando a visitar algún fin de semana.  Finalmente aceptamos.  Pasamos el día haciendo unas cosas muy turísticas y quedamos con Raquel y su Novio Pablo más tarde.  

Once in Santiago, we went out in search of the "oficina de turismo."  If there is one thing that I have learned while traveling, this place is your best friend and should be your first stop in any new city.  They always have free maps of the city, with a friendly face to tell you what's good in the city.  You can also ask any questions, get directions and learn a lot about the city that you are visiting.

En Santiago, fuimos a buscar la "oficina de turismo."  Si hay una cosa que he aprendido por mis viajes, es que este sitio es tu mejor amigo y debe ser la primera parada en una ciudad nueva.  Siempre tienen mapas gratis de la ciudad y una cara muy simpática os enseñará lo que es bueno en la ciudad.  Puedes hacer preguntas, recibir direcciones y aprender mucho sobre la ciudad que visitas.  

After that, we went to see the highlight of Santiago de Compostela, the cathedral.  The reason this city is so popular and well known is for the Camino de Santiago.  Heard of it?  It is a pilgrimage route that dates back to ancient times.  It is said that St. James's remains are buried in the cathedral in Santiago, and because of this, pilgrims used to walk from all edges of Europe on a religious pilgrimage.  Today, these routes are mostly still intact starting in France and stretching across the entire northern countryside of Spain ending in Santiago de Compostela.  There are also routes that travel from Portugal to Santiago de Compostela.  For a little more info, here is some history of the Camino de Santiago.

Después, fuimos a ver el punto culminante de Santiago de Compostela, la catedral.  Con razón esta ciudad es tan popular y conocida para el Camino de Santiago.  Has escuchado? Es un ruta de peregrinos de tiempos antiguos.  Dicen que el apóstol Santiago está enterrado en la catedral de Santiago, y por eso, muchos peregrinos caminaron desde los bordes de Europa en un peregrinaje religioso.  Hoy en día, estas rutas todavía están y empiezan en Francia y se estrechan por todo el paisaje norte del España terminando en Santiago de Compostela.  También hay rutas que viajan de Portugal a Santiago de Compostela.  

After attending the Pilgrims Mass and drooling over the immense specatacularness (made that word up) of this cathedral, Beth and I witness a little cultural "play" of sorts going on in front of the Cathedral.  Men on horses dressed in costume, were performing some sort of presentation in preparation for the upcoming celebration of Carnaval in February.

Después de la misa de peregrinos, nos caía la baba de la espectacularidad de la catedral, Beth y yo miramos una "obra" cultural enfrente del catedral. Hombres a caballo disfrazados, estaban haciendo una representación por la celebración del Carnaval, que viene en Febrero.  

Next we hiked up the hill to the Park with the best views of Santiago de Compostela.  Throughout our day we also stopped for a mid morning wine break (very necessary), walked around the streets of the old town of Santiago de Compostela, searched for the supposed Roman Wall of Santiago de Compostela, stopped for lunch, and explored two free museums in the city center.

A continuación, paseamos por la colina a un parque con las vistas mejores de Santiago de Compostela.  También por el resto del día paramos a tomar una copa de vino por la manaña (muy necesario), caminamos por las calles del casco viejo de Santiago de Compostela, buscamos por la supuesta muralla de la ciudad Santiago de Compostela antigua, almorzamos, y exploramos dos museos gratis en el casco viejo.

That evening we met up with Raquel and Pablo and headed to the Museo do Povo Galego and the Centro Galego de Arte Contemporanea.  The first showing an extensive collection of Galician history and historical artifacts, as well as the resting place of Rosalia de Castro and Castelao, both of which are important historical figures in the Galician culture.  Then with our 30 minutes of spare time we headed to the art museum where we saw a really awesome exhibit on the censorship of music and media by the Spanish government during the reign of Franco.

Por la tarde, quedamos con Raquel,Pablo y su amigo Javi y marchamos al Museo do Povo Galego y el Centro Galego de Arte Contemporáneo.  El primero mostraba una colección extensiva de la historia Galega y artefactos antiguos, ademas del sitio donde descansa Rosalia de Castro y Castelao, ambos son figuras importantes de la historia en la cultura Galega.  Luego con 30 minutos de tiempo libre, fuimos al museo de arte donde vimos una exhibición impresionante sobre la censura de la música y medios del gobierno Español durante el tiempo de Franco.

Afterwards we feasted at one of Raquel and Pablo's favorite restaurants, and had a few drinks out and about in Santiago de Compostela.  The next day Raquel and Pablo drove Beth and I through the countryside of Galicia.  It. Was. Beautiful.  It definitely has inspired me to look into renting a car and exploring this country more.

Mas tarde, cenamos en un restaurante favorito de Raquel y Pablo, y salimos y bebimos por la ciudad de Santiago de Compostela.  El próximo dia, Raquel y Pablo nos condujeron por el campo de Galicia.  Era. Preciosa.  Definitivamente todo esto me ha motivado a buscar la posibilidad de alquilar un coche y explorar este paisaje más veces.  

Men on horses doing their presentation in front of the cathedral.
Hombres a caballo haciendo su representación enfrente de la catedral.  

Me in front of the Catedral de Santiago.
Yo enfrente del Catedral de Santiago.  

Beth and I stopping for a wine break.
Beth y yo tomando una copa de vino.

View of the cathedral from the park.
La vista de la catedral del parque.  

Catedral de Santiago.  

Roman bridge in the Galician countryside.
Puente Romano en el campo de Galicia.  

Huge Dam on the Tambre River.
El rio Tambre.  

Traditional cemetery in the countryside.
Cementerio tradicional en el campo.  

Our feast.
La cena.  

Apparently The Beach Boys were a little too crazy with Good Vibrations because the Spanish Government banned this song up until 1975.

Odaiko - Field Trip!

I love field trip days.  On a field trip, students get the opportunity to explore the world outside their classroom.  They get to see real life experiences and situations and are able to have a little more fun as well.  Plus they pay attention a little more as well.

Me encantan días de excursiones.   En una excursion, los estudiantes tienen la oportunidad de explorar el mundo fuera del aula.  Pueden ver experiencias del mundo real y de situaciones que no son posibles en la escuela un poco mas divertidas.  También prestan un poco mas atención en las excursiones! 

This last week we went on our first field trip with the older students.  The students made the trip to Vigo to see the sights and I didn't mind because I got to sleep in a bit as well.  Our first stop of our adventure was the Centro de Interpretación y sede del Parques Nacional de Islas Atlanticas.  This cool museum was free to enter, and had a ton of information on the Atlantic Islands that are so very important to the area we live in.  It had interactive TV's, models, videos, and columns of photos of all the species that live in the islands and how to conserve them for the future.

La semana pasada, fuimos en nuestro primera excursion con los estudiantes mayores.  Estos estudiantes vinieron a Vigo a ver las vistas, y me gusta porque puedo dormir un poco mas también =).  La primera parada de la aventura era el centro de interpretación y sede del parques nacionales de islas atlánticas. Este museo era gratis para entrar y tuve muchísima información sobre las islas atlánticas que son tan importantes al área donde vivimos.  Tuve televisiones interactivas, modelos, vídeos, y columnas de fotos con todas las especies de animales que viven en las islas y como debemos conservarlos para el futuro.  

After our adventure at the museum, we stopped in a plaza for the merienda.  The kids pack a snack to eat and the teachers have a coffee break! The kids ran around for a bit while the teachers chose a lovely cafe to sit and have some coffee and pinchos.

Después de la aventura en el museo, paramos en una plaza a merendar.  Los niños trajeron una merienda para comer y los profes tuvieron una pausa a tomar cafe!  Los niños corrieron por la plaza un poco cuando los profesores encontraron un cafetería para tomar café y comer pinchos.  

Afterwards we walked to the theatre to see our grand presentation - Odaiko.  Odaiko is a percussion group solely for children's entertainment.  They do comical skits and actions while making music with anything from instruments to pieces of paper.  They also don't say any words through their entire performance, but they somehow get the crowd to participate.  For your viewing pleasure - I put together a tidbit of the show! Enjoy!

Después caminamos al teatro a ver una gran representación - Odaiko.  Odaiko es un grupo de percusión solamente para un espectáculo de niños.  Hacen paseos de comedia y acciones cuando hacen música con cualquier cosa como instrumentos o una hoja de papel.  También, la gente esta callada en todo el espectáculo, pero de alguna manera, la audiencia participa.  Para el placer de vosotros - he subido un pequeño video de Odaiko! ¡Disfruta!

La Gaita

When you think of the word bagpipes, I imagine that a red headed gentleman from Ireland or Scotland wearing a green plaid kilt comes to mind.  Well believe it or not, but the bagpipe is actually a very important part of the Galician culture here in Spain.  Every once in a while, both evenings and in the mornings, I can hear the distant sound of the bagpipe screeching through the streets near my apartment. While at times, it can be the least wanted noise trickling through your window, it can also be a very rich experience to see this strong Galician tradition in action.  So.... I present, my experience of the Gaita in Vigo.

Cuando pensáis en la palabra "la gaita", imagináis a un hombre pelirrojo de Ireland o Escocia llevando una falda tartán y verde.  Pues lo creas o no, pero actualmente la gaita es un parte muy importante de la cultura gallega aqui en Espana.  De vez en cuando, por la tarde o la mañana, puedo oír los sonidos distantes de la gaita chillando por las calles cerca de mi piso.  Algunas veces, puede ser el peor de sonidos chorreando por la ventana, o un experiencia rica el ver esta tradición fuerte en acción.  Entonces..... Muestro, mi experiencia de la gaita en Vigo.

I know that the video may be a tad long, but it is really interesting to watch the dance that goes along with the Gaita.  And for a little more info... CLICK HERE!

Yo se que el video es un poco largo, pero es muy interesante ver el baile que hacen con la gaita.  Y para un poco mas de información..... haz click arribe =) 

Museo Do Mar Vigo

The Adventure: 

I have now lived in Vigo for over 4 months, and I am surprised every day by a new discovery.  Today my roommate's boyfriend, Pablo, asked me if I wanted to go to the Museo Do Mar.  I had never heard of this museum before and had no idea it exsisted.  So, of course I hopped on the bandwagon, I'm always up for an adventure (at least almost always).  I figured since it wasn't raining it would be a good idea to walk.  Even though it was about an hour walk, I kept emphasizing to Pablo about how great it was that we were getting exercise and being outside.  He kept agreeing reluctantly until out of nowhere it started to hail.  That's right people.  Hail. In Vigo.  Pablo started running, grabbing the umbrella, and bolting down the street looking for cover.  Of course we were in an area where there were no building overhangs or any sort of shelter whatsoever.  I simple stood there and started laughing.  I couldn't believe it! Seriously.... Hail!?!?! Then I of course realized I was being pelted by ice and high tailed it looking for cover.  After about 10 minutes of running around in the hail, it stopped and the sun came out.  Vigo, you definitely have some crazy weather patterns.  I was hoping that living on the ocean I wouldn't have to deal with hail and snow!?  Anyways, after our bout with the hail, we pressed on, determined to make it to our destination, Museo Do Mar.  The closer we got to the coast, the stronger the wind was.  When we finally arrived at the museum we had a near Mary Poppins experience.

La aventura

He vivido en Vigo más de 4 meses, y estoy sorprendida cada día de un descubrimiento nuevo.  Hoy el novio de mi compañera de piso, Pablo, me preguntó si querría ir al Museo Do Mar.  Antes nunca había escuchado de este museo y no tenía ninguna idea de que existía.  Entonces, por supuesto me subo al carro.  Todo el tiempo estoy dispuesta a un reto (algunas veces).  Pensé que como no estaba lloviendo era una buena idea ir a caminar.  Aunque era un camino de un hora mas o menos, seguí enfatizando a Pablo de que era bueno el ejercicio y estar fuera de la casa.  Y el siguió recordando de mala gana hasta que de pronto empezó a granizar.  Es la verdad.  Granizar.  En Vigo.  Pablo empezó a correr con su paraguas y salió huyendo por la calle buscando un refugio.  Por supuesto estábamos en un área donde no hay edificios con colgantes o algún refugio.  Yo estaba en la calle riendome.  No lo creí! En Serio..... Granizo?  Después me di cuenta que el granizo me arrojaba y corrí a buscar refugio también.  10 minutos mas tarde de correr por el granizo, paró y hizo sol.  Vigo, es sabido que tiene un clima loco.  Estaba deseando que viviendo al lado del mar no hubiera granizo y nieve.  Aunque, después del aventura con el granizo, seguimos, determinados a llegar al destino, museo do mar.  Lo mas cerca a la costa, con un viento más fuerte.  Finalmente llegamos al museo con una experiencia similar a Mary Poppins. 

The Reward: 

The Museum was pretty neat.  I don't think Pablo was as impressed.  But I thought it was real cool.  We saw all sorts of boats, scuba suits, fishing equipment, and fish! It was really interesting to see the processes involved in the fishing industry that makes up Vigo.  The museum was filled with history of whale hunting, sardines, cod, octopus, and barnacle fishing.  It had the evolution of the fishing boats and even a small aquarium filled with fish, sharks, rays, anemones, and mussels.  And here's the best part... The Pictures! Disfruta!

El premio: 

El museo es muy bueno.  A Pablo no le impresionó, pero yo, pensé que era chulo.  Vimos muchos barcos, equipo de buceo, maquinas de pescar, y peces!  Era interesante el ver los procesos de la industria del pescado que está en Vigo.  El museo está lleno de historia de la caza de ballenas, sardinas, bacalau, pulpo, y percebes.  El museo tiene la evolución de los barcos de pesca y tambien un acuario pequeño lleno de peces, tiburones, rayas, anémonas y mejillones.  Y aqui es la parte mejor.... los fotos! Disfrútalas! 

The entrance to Museo Do Mar! 

One of the first diving suits ever! It was entirely made out of leather.  

La lluvia y El mar 

I was being blown away by the wind! 

King Crab - Largest crab I have ever seen! 

The Aquarium - this busy place was just zooming with fish! 

MUESO DO MAR - Click to check out the website! 

La Guia

My first weekend back we had some spectacular weather here in Vigo.  It felt almost like springtime.  Unfortunately since then we've had rain, rain and more rain.  But... es la vida.  I was fortuate enough to get out and about a little bit in order to experience the nice weather.  My roommate Beth and friend Alex and I decided to go check out a park in town that we hadn't ventured near yet.  We hopped on the bus and away we went.  The park is called "La Guia" meaning the guide.  This place was amazing.  Irish folks would go crazy with all the clovers.  I actually spent approx. 5 minutes seeing if I could search out a 4 leafer...... fail. The park sits atop a hill with trails leading through trees and greenery until you venture to the top where you find a an adorable quaint church. 

A monument for all of the soldiers that lost their lives during the fascist movement in Spain.  

What a view! It felt like Spring! This is the view atop La Guia.  To the right is Moana, where I teach school! 

The quaint little church at the top of La Guia.  

After our adventure to the top, we spotted a restaurant on the way down with a spectacular view.  We treated ourselves to a three kings lunch - Mussels, Calamari, tiramisu, and three chocolate cake.  

Mussels

Calamari and Mussels

Three Layer Chocolate Cake

Tiramisu 

After our lunch we had a nice walk back home enjoying the amazing Springish weather we were experiencing.  Unfortunately that "spring" weather didn't last long, and Galicia is back to its rainy self.  

Los Tres Reyes Magos

After the new year, the Spanish have a few days to recover and then they celebrate another Christmas holiday, the arrival of the three kings.  Now this holiday is called Los Tres Reyes Magos.  While the U.S. doesn't usually celelbrate this holiday, many of the Latin American countries do.   In Spain, the holiday starts the night before with a Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos or Three Kings Parade.  Families from all over the city gathered at Vigo's city center dressed in their best along the route of the parade.  The parade started with police cars and horseback riders.  It was so neat to see all of the floats that the parade had prepared.  Almost every float had children on board throwing candy to the others in the streets.  They were dancing to songs, singing, and having a great time.  Now I am thinking that this observation may just be because I live in Vigo, which is a large port city in Spain but, most of the floats in this years Cabalgata were "ocean/sea" related.  Fish, Octopus, Spongebob, seahorses, jellyfish, and so much more were all represented in the parade floats.  Unfortunately I was not prepared with my nice camera and had to resort to taking small videos/photos with my cell phone.  So here is a taste of what I got to see! 

After the parade, families slowly make their way back to their homes, casually talking to neighbors on their way.  The kids, grab a pair of their shoes and put them out in the middle of the living room floor before going straight to bed.  

When they awake in the morning, the three kings have come and there are presents for all the children.  Now I cannot say if this is truely fact, but the students that I teach have told me that the three kings is WAY better than Christmas.  This meaning there are better presents? or they like it because of the candy? or idk? But for some reason or another the children here seem to enjoy Los Reyes Magos more than Papa Noel (Santa).  

Año Nuevo

In Spain, the Christmas season doesn't end on Dec 25.  If I know Spaniards, they like holidays.  So of course there is New Years Eve/New Years.  They celebrate this holiday by getting together with friends and family in their homes.  And at midnight with each stroke of the clock, they attempt to eat 12 grapes, one with each chime of the new year.  If you are successful and finish all 12 grapes before the 12 chimes have finished, you are said to have good luck and look forward to a prosperous year ahead.

Unfortunately I have not had the opportunity to witness first hand the tradition of eating the "lucky grapes" but I imagine it to be something like this video below.

I have been told that the hardest part is eating the grapes with seeds and all.  Most people just swallow the seeds and everything since they have only 12 strokes of the clock to eat all 12 grapes.  

Who knows, perhaps I will attempt this next new years! =)

The city of Love - Paris

Bonjour, bonsoir, merci, chardonnay, au revoir, un, deux, trois.

That about sums up the French that I learned while in France.  I have to say, my good friend Alex did an amazing job helping me around the city that speaks a language I do not understand.  Even though both of us do not speak a great deal of French, we managed fairly well.

Our trip started off with a 2 hour bus ride and a 4 hour wait/nap in the Porto airport.  It's little things like these that I don't enjoy about traveling.  But when you arrive, and see that first view of the eiffel tower lit up in the night sky, the long trip is so worth it.

We were very fortunate to stay at my friend Alex's god-sister Ceci's apartment in Paris.  Situated on the 6th floor of an apartment building with no elevator her apartment couldn't have been more cute and french. She also lives next door to the actor who played prince louis on Gossip Girl.  We thought about knocking on his door, but didn't want to be creepy.  We did however hear him talking through the wall ;)

Instead of doing a play by play of our weekend I figure I will just cover all the amazing sights we saw.

1.) L'Opera

2.) Musée Du Louvre

3.) Christmas Markets

4.) Palais De Justice

5.) Centre Pompidou

6.) Notre Dame

7.) Shakespear & Company

8.) Jardin des Tuileries

9.) Institute de France

10.) Musée D`Orsay

11.) Avenue des Champs Élysées

12.) Arc De Triomphe

13.) Tour Eiffel

14.) Cimetiére du Pére Lachaise

15.) Pont de l’Archevêché 

16.) Moulin Rouge

17.) Sacre Ceur

18.) Montmartre

Paris was exceptional.  I can't even describe the ambiance that you feel as you walk through the streets. I would love to visit Paris again someday.  The city has so much to offer and is gorgeous, no matter what time of year.  =)