The adventures of the "Pretty Womens" at Peggy Sue's American Diner

I've spent many an entry on the food here in Spain, and how similar all the restaurants are to each other. You can find the same options at just about any bar/restaurant in town, just at different prices and qualities. So today, Alexis and I decided to be adventurous and try some "American food" at the only American diner in town, Peggy Sue's. Now that I'm a foreigner, I finally have the chance to critique how authentic the American cuisine is in a different country.
Peggy's is a little diner decorated like a classic 50's burger joint. The puffy black chairs and booths stand on a checkered floor. The walls are mint and pink, hung with vintage posters of milkshakes and old cars. It's cute, and it more or less looks like home. Part of the menu was even in English, and the water was free! We sat down and (painstakingly) ordered in Spanish. We got cheese fries to start, I got a chicken sandwich and Alexis got chicken strips. The food was only a little off. In Spain, cheddar cheese = nacho cheese, so I had a lovely glaze of "Spanish cheddar" on my chicken sandwich, as well as the fries. Everything in Spain is fried in olive oil, so the chicken strips were also a little off, but still good!

Chicken Strips and Nacho Fries

so much nacho! They just think Americans are gross here!

Everything was going fine until Alexis absentmindedly stared at our waiter a little too long. He noticed.
Many things that we do out of politeness in America are taken as come-ons in Spain. Such as smiling. I realized that we had made the mistake of being too "smiley" and he began to get very flirty.. He kept coming over to our table after that, saying things I didn't understand, patting my arm, dancing here and there, singing the Beatles songs (as much as someone who doesn't know much English can), and telling us we were "pretty womens" (lol!). In Spain it is much more acceptable for men to cat call, whistle, stare, and tell women they are pretty. It is considered a compliment here rather than "being creepy," as it would be in America. He spoke so softly that we could barely hear him, let alone understand anything, so we just awkwardly smiled some more and didn't know what to say...

My "wth is going on" face

Needless to say, it was a very strange cultural experience. The good news is, we got a free brownie out of it, and an invitation/coupon to the bar where he was working that night :) Maybe we'll have to do this more often... ;)

La Playa de Luanco

ENTRADA PARA CLASE: Este es un parte de la playa en Luanco, cuarenta minutos al norte de Oviedo. Solamente siete euros por un día muy relajante aquí. La comida está rico, la gente es amable, y el paisaje es increíble. ¡Muy perfecto!

hace buen tiempo para la playa :)

Costumbres Españoles

ENTRADA PARA CLASE: En la clase de conversación este semana pasada, hemos hablado sobre las diferencias entre de los costumbres en España y los en América. Hay mucha diferencia. Por ejemplo, me sorprendió que en España, es muy raro a sonreír a personas que no conoce cuando se pasas en la calle, y nunca se dice "hola" a desconocidos. En los Estados Unidos (en el parte al oeste) es amable a decir "¿hola, como está?" cuando pasa una persona en la calle. En mi experiencia, los Españoles no dicen "perdón" o "lo siento" mucho cuando me golpean en la calle tampoco. No es necesario aquí.. Este es extraño porque cuando se conoce a alguien por el tiempo primero o segundo (mas o menos), es necesario que se dan dos besos en las mejillas. ¡Es demasiado amable! Pero a la familia, no se dan besos. Solamente conocidos, y no abrazos nada para alguien, salvo su esposo/a.
Pero, hay una cosa muy similar. Los Españoles hacen mucho ruido en la calle. En todo de Europa los Americanos tienen la reputación que son ruidoso, y los Españoles son lo mismo. ¡En ciudades grandes, es muy difícil para dormir!
Otras diferencias interesantes:
1. Se come muy tarde. La comida a las dos de la tarde y la cena a las nueve o diez de la noche.
2. Dice "¡Que aproveche!" cuando alguien va a comer después de las otras personas. Mi familia aquí intentó a enseñar esto a mí, pero es muy raro y difícil para recordar.
3. ¡Se desayuna muy poco! Todos los días yo como leche y galletas para el desayuno.
4. Los jovenes beben cuando tienen 18 años aquí, y es normal que ellos beben en las calles con barras entre de 11 y 3 de la noche, y bailan en una discoteca entre de 3 y 5. Las familias de los estudiantes aquí animanlo... ¡Que raro!

Astorga y León

Today we took a bus to Astorga and León for the first Saturday excursion. They're both in Asturias and have really beautiful cathedrals that are open to the public. Astorga was my favorite by far. The first thing we went to was the "Museo de los caminos," which is actually a famous castle designed by Antoni Gaudí for the bishop presiding at the time. According to my travel guide, no subsequent bishops ever lived there because "it's bizarre appearance as well as phenomenal cost so horrified the diocese." It's too bad, because it's a beautiful building! It has vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows everywhere, so there's a lot of very nice natural light.

No pictures allowed inside this one! :(

We checked out the Catedral de Santa María next door. It's huge, and so detailed!

Intricate carvings on the whole exterior

me:door ratio

We of course had to stop by the chocolate museum.. :) It was fairly interesting, but very small. But I got to sample chocolate made from Peruvian cocoa beans! It's very different from typical store chocolate..
The last stop in Astorga was the old Roman plaza, where we found this park with an incredible view of the valley:

Spanish countryside :)

We arrived in León just as the weather started to get nippy, but the sun was still out for a while. We walked by the Roman wall that used to encircle the old city, and stopped for some lunch at a bar. It wasn't a terribly exciting city. There's not much to do, apart from some shopping and seeing the massive cathedral there. We stopped by when it opened at 4, and made it just in time to take a look around before they closed for a wedding. What a great wedding venue! It's very similar to the Toledo cathedral, but has one of the better displays of stained glass that I've seen so far.

Sorry for the blur. slow shutter + no tripod

Can't say that I'd bother going back to León a second time, but it's nice to say that I've seen it! Tomorrow: chillin at the Sunday market and maybe some sightseeing around town.

More about the food...

So, apparently I eat all wrong. My host family likes to make fun of me because I eat my salad or bread after my dinner. They eat both of those at the same time as their dinner. Then they were appalled that I peel oranges with my hands and not a knife. It's just not as efficient with a knife! Spanish people peel all of their fruit, so they also think I'm strange when I eat a pear or apple with the skin on it still. Most things are not eaten with your hands. I had to eat my sandwich today with a fork and knife, which wasn't bad because it had a fried egg on it (tasted really great too! grilled cheese with fried egg, lettuce, and lunch meat). Everyone here uses that kind of milk that you don't have to refrigerate until it's opened. I guess fresh milk is really expensive, so everyone just stocks up on three months-worth of milk and drinks that instead. Not necessarily drinks I guess, because only children drink milk here. Adults usually only put it in their coffee.
The food in all the restaurants is very similar. They serve lots of "bocadillos," a little sandwich with dried meat, kabobs, and potato omelettes. "Paella," a rice stir fry with seafood in it, is really popular as well. On Monday for lunch my host family cooked Fabada, one of the most common meals in the region. It's a soup with potatoes and lentils or rice, and whatever meat they have leftover. It was pretty good! besides the chorizo (spanish sausage). Everything is just so different!

La Comida

ENTRADA PARA CLASE: La comida en España es muy muy diferente que la comida en los Estados Unidos. Por ejemplo: Este es una merienda o desayuno muy popular se llama "churros con chocolate." Es muy delicioso. El chocolate es como chocolate caliente en los EEUU pero es mas denso. Los churros no tienen mucho azucar usualmente, pero en este restaurante hay azucar sobre los. Me gusta mucho :)

La Vida en un Hostel

ENTRADA PARA CLASE: Cuando estaba en Madrid, me quedé en un hostel se llama Las Musas Residence. Este fue mi tiempo primero en un hotel que yo reservé y compré, y con personas que no conocí nada. Llegué a las cinco de la tarde. Las personas que trabajan allí son muy agradables y hablan ingles. Traje mis bolsas pesadas arriba muchos pisos y escaleras (¡que pena!). La noche primera, mis compañeras de cuarto eran dos chicas de Bélgica. Fueron a Madrid para las vacaciones, y hablaron ingles tambien. Muchas personas en Madrid hablan ingles. La noche último, mi compañera de cuarto fue una mujer mayor de Uruguay. ¡Es muy raro para dormir en lo mismo cuarto con extrañas! Las camas en el hostel eran muy incómodas, y la ruida en las calles es terrible en las noches! No me dormí mucho. Para el desayuno tuvieron pan con cereal, mas que otras hosteles pero menos que el desayuno en los Estados Unidos. Mi parte favorito fue el wifi libre... :) ¡Fue un experiencia con cosas buenas y malas!

Estoy en Oviedo!

I made it to Oviedo! It's a very beautiful area. Everything is green because it rains so much here. It's cloudy and rainy right now, and feels a lot like Seattle. I live with an elderly couple in an apartment a few minutes away from the University, and they're very nice. If I understood correctly, they've hosted 10 students so far, so they had a printed list of rules ready for me when I came. It's much easier to understand written Spanish than spoken Spanish. Rules include meal times, how many showers I can take a day, how many rolls of toilet paper I get per week, and I have to make my bed every day! It's nothing unreasonable, so they must have had some problems in the past.

The food here is so different, but much better in Oviedo than in Madrid. This morning for breakfast my host-mom set a bowl (cereal bowl sized!) of hot milk and some little shortbread-like cookies down in front of me. I had no idea what to do with the bowl of milk! I tried to ask, but she didn't understand me and just asked if I wanted chocolate in it. So I ended up just dipping my cookies in it and spooning the rest, and that seemed to be correct...

A lot of the words I've learned for things are not used here. Today I learned "ordenador" for laptop, instead of "computadora portatil." They also say "marido" instead of "esposo" for husband. The "th" sound on c's and s's and z's is very difficult to understand after learning only Latin-American Spanish! But it's been less than a day and it's already getting better. Crossing my fingers that it gets easier!

Oh Toledo... Que hermosa!

Today I woke up at the crack of dawn to catch a bus to Toledo for the morning, and it was so worth it. Toledo is an old medieval town about an hour and a half away from Madrid, set up on a hilltop. It looks exactly like what everyone wants and expects Spain to look like. The streets are tiny and paved with cobblestones, edged by walls of tall apartment buildings and little shops. The apartments have old iron balconies with colorful flowers and pretty designs. It was almost like we'd stepped into a postcard. We arrived around 10am, which was perfect timing. Spanish people are not early risers at all. Most shops don't open until 10 or 11, and the crowds aren't really out and about until late afternoon.

Toledo!

There are lots of wild poppies around Toledo

Todo de la ciudad

Mira! mi apartamento del futuro! :D jk. so many scooters here

We beat the throngs to the old cathedral in the center of Toledo. It was absolutely stunning. It was started in the 13th century, but it took three centuries to finish so there are three different styles of architecture in the building. The inside is full of stained glass windows and intricate statues and paintings.

The main area 

y con yo

details!

We only stayed until early afternoon so we could hit the Palacio Real tour in Madrid before it closed. The rooms are so decadent! We got to see the chambers of King Carlos, the dining room, the royal pharmacy, and other rooms for no particular use. They have an entire room made of porcelain!

No photos allowed inside :( que triste

The Prado and the Reina Sofia

I made it through my first night in a hostel! It wasn't bad. My roommates were from Belgium and spoke English (just about everyone here does..) and they were quiet. Today we got up bright and early to hit the famous Prado Museum right when it opened. We got in line early and really lucked out with that decision. Turns out today is some sort of national museum day, so admission to all museums in Madrid is free for the day. There were a LOT of people there. The Prado is huge, but so beautiful. It's full of the famous works and masterpieces of artists from Spain and all over Europe. My favorites were pieces by El Greco and the depictions of mythology.

Before all the people showed up for free admission..

Next we stopped at the Real Jardín Botanico de Madrid right next door. I loved seeing all the familiar plants. Lots of rhododendrons, peonies, and climbing roses. I just might have to think about a destination wedding... ;)

Pretty roses!

Our last stop for the day was the Reina Sofia museum of modern art. To put it bluntly, I was bored out of my mind. There were very few pieces that I found worthwhile, and all of the staff was extremely preoccupied with letting me know that I could only hold my water bottle in the museum, not drink from it. The most interesting piece was the Guernica, and possibly the works on feminism. Needless to say, I was glad to leave. I finished the night by trying some "paella," a Spanish rice and seafood dish, and visiting the Plaza Mayor at nighttime and listening to some Mariachi in the Puerta del Sol.

 Tomorrow: Half-day trip to Toledo, a tour inside the Palacio Real, and maybe a little shopping.. :)

Day One

After a very long two days, I have arrived safely in Madrid! First flight went great, but the layover in LAX was pretty bad. Just so everyone knows, LAX does not have free wifi! Makes for a very long seven hours. Our flight to Madrid was delayed 50 minutes because of maintenance problems (!) but we made it on eventually. I slept like a baby. Better than the baby some silly parents felt the need to take to Madrid did... and the food wasn't bad either.

Our plane was huge!

It's strange to turn into the minority. English is the second listing on signs and announcements. Everyone on the plane was from different places. My seatmate had just finished an internship with L'ancome in LA and was headed back home to France, and the couple on the other side of me was from Israel. Everyone spoke at least some English though. We landed at 3:30pm, late, but safe. Time for the real adventure to begin!

I'm in Spain?!

We got out of the airport with no trouble at all. Spain has a very comprehensive metro system, all underground, and it goes anywhere you could want to go in the city. We found all our routes, hauled our luggage up tons of stairs, and finally got our first sight of home for the weekend.

and it's adorable! We dropped our luggage in our room at Las Musas Residence, and finished the day by meeting at the Puerta del Sol, a plaza in the center of Madrid, and heading out to check out the Plaza Mayor and the Palacio Real. Tomorrow: bright and early at the Prado Museum

Anxiety

It's one day before I leave for Spain and I can't believe it. I, of course, waited until today to pack everything. The thing I'm worrying about most is using euros and finding my way around. And missing my flights, getting pick-pocketed, running out of money, staying in a hostel, not being able to plug anything in, not having a phone, getting my fiance's camera stolen, etc. The more I think the more things I find to worry about! I'll be glad to be more settled in Oviedo, with a host family and a secure room. I'm excited to see what people are like in Europe. I've heard all kinds of things about how the culture is in Spain, like grocery shopping every day, cheek-kissing instead of a handshake, and not wearing shorts in public. Meal times are odd as well. If I get one thing out of this trip, I hope it's much better speaking skills!